'Blue Dogs' seek to elevate role
Conservative and moderate House Democrats attempt to broaden support for their ideas of strong defense, fiscal discipline and social tolerance
By Andy Sher,Washington Bureau
Chattanooga Times/Free Press
May 3, 2005

WASHINGTON — Hoping to put more bite behind their bark, members of the U.S. House Democrats’ "Blue Dog Coalition" said they are soliciting grass-roots support and encouraging state legislators to form similar groups.

The Blue Dogs support fiscal discipline and a strong national defense policy but generally sidestep divisive social issues, according to members.

"There’s a yearning in this country to find someone responsible" between the extremes in Washington, said U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., a coalition member. "I think Blue Dogs are in the position (to move ahead) with some of the conflicts occurring today."

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said he has sided with Blue Dogs on occasion, including on some matters related to spending and deficit reduction.

However, Rep. Wamp said he finds some Blue Dog proposals troublesome. One would have eliminated some of the tax relief enacted in the past few years, he said.

"I think that’s very problematic," he said.

Rep. Wamp said that early in his career he joined with some conservative Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal of Georgia, who since has switched to the Republican Party.

"They wanted to have Blue Dogs on both sides work together and thought we would be quite the force," Rep. Wamp said.

Portions of the Blue Dogs’ proposed package were praised and other parts criticized this year by Heritage Foundation economic analyst Brian Riedl.

Mr. Riedl said Blue Dogs "deserve credit for putting out a strong, serious proposal to restrain runaway spending." The plan would have given lawmakers three or more days to review spending bills before voting and would have required a roll-call vote on spending measures of $50 million or more.

He said he disagreed with the group’s "pay-as-you-go" budgeting proposal that would require Congress to offset any proposal to boost spending by cutting programs or raising new revenue. Mr. Riedl said the provision would have eliminated some tax cut extensions enacted by the Republican-controlled Congress.

House Republicans rejected the group’s budget plan.

Many of the 35 Blue Dogs are from the South and Midwest, and others come from more rural areas of the West. Four are from Tennessee, three from Georgia and one from Alabama.

One of the group’s founders, U.S. Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn., said he thinks people around the nation "are interested in our philosophy of fiscal responsibility and social tolerance."

"People are interested in having problems solved instead of the political bomb throwing that goes on here every day," he said.

Democrats created the Blue Dog group after the GOP’s 1994 takeover of Congress. Rep. Tanner said members were upset over the national Democratic Party’s liberal direction.

NOT ‘‘YELLOW DOGS’’
The Blue Dog name is a play on the old Southern "yellow dog Democrat" expression. The "yellow dogs" were Democrats in the once solidly Democratic South who presumably would vote for a dog over a Republican. The Blue Dog group adopted as its mascot a painting by Cajun artist George Rodrigue featuring a forlorn-looking blue dog.

Rep. Tanner said Blue Dogs are "yellow dogs that have been choked by extremes in both political parties to the point they have turned blue."

Earlier this year, the Blue Dogs set forth a 12-point reform plan to rein in spending, including a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Rep. Tanner said a "debt storm" is coming with a national debt at the $2 trillion mark. He said that, in 2001, 84 percent of U.S. interest payments were made to foreign nations or other overseas investors.

"I think it’s a national security matter, because it’s limiting or will limit our ability to make decisions based on what’s best for our country," he said.

Blue Dog spokesman Eric Wortman said the group is celebrating its 10th anniversary by stepping up its visibility.

"When we have free time, we’ve been encouraging members to do an editorial board or meet with a group," he said. "And a lot of folks have been doing extensive traveling in their districts, as well. State legislators have been contacting Blue Dog members in their state to learn more."

In Tennessee, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, state Rep. Randy Rinks, D-Savannah, said there have been no formal discussions about establishing a Blue Dog organization.

"There’d probably be some interest," he said. "I think most of the Democrats in the House are actually pretty fiscally conservative."