The Blue Dogs make a pretty good case: they bellied up to the bar and by-and-large supported a spending bill that Joe Biden warns will be used against them next year. Now the House leadership seems likely to ask them to line up and vote to end the secret ballot for union organizing — which is likely to wind up even less popular than the ‘stimulus’ vote. According to the Arkansas News, the Blue Dogs have told House leadership they don’t want the measure to come up for a vote:
An official informed the group that Berry recently had told him that he thought the bill was a piece of junk and that he only voted for it because he knew then-President Bush would veto it.
The official then told the group that Berry recounted to him a recent discussion the Blue Dogs had with House Democratic leadership. According to Berry, the Blue Dogs told House leadership that card check wasn’t a free vote for them anymore and that their constituents were giving them a lot of grief over the issue.
The Blue Dogs strongly urged House leadership not to bring this bill back up on the House floor until the Senate had passed something first, because they look like idiots for continuing to pass it and then it dying in the Senate.
You can bet both the Nutroots and the AFL-CIO are livid when a moderate Democrat goes off the reservation like this. The unions expect a bailout of the automakers and passage of Card Check this Congress; the last thing they need is for individual Members of Congress to go voting their consciences or expressing their views.
You may remember a few years ago when ‘progressives’ were thrilled with the moderate Democrats who won in marginal districts and gave them a majority. Now that Democrats are running the show, they no longer want those Members to ‘vote their districts.’ They want them to toe the party line.
The Blue Dogs folded like a house of cards on the Obama-Reid-Pelosi spending plan. Will they show some backbone on Card Check?
KnightsofMalta
Dan Spencer
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Caleb Howe
I'll believe when I see it in the roll call vote
TxCon (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 5:45PM EST (link)These Blue Dogs talk tough before the vote only to cave in and vote the way Pelosi wants them to. (see Boren D-OK)
Blue Dog? More Like Blue Pussycat.
tankertodd (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 10:46PM EST (link)n/t
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The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race – Chief Justice Roberts
What a fine demonstration of principles
bk (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 6:01PM EST (link)Berry’s constituents oppose it, but he voted for it in order not to upset Mistress Nancy.
I was at this meeting
Jonah Shumate (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 6:50PM EST (link)Let me tell you all something, and I hope that everyone who reads this blog takes this very seriously. The union organizations are pouring millions of dollars in to advertising in our great state, hitting our three largest markets for potential unions. We have two swing votes in our Senators out of a total of 5 Senators across the US. The other three are the D from Nebraska, Udall from CO, and Landrieu from LA. The other two are from Arkansas.
We have been working hard to tell our Senators how damaging this legislation is. One of our Senators even had the gumption to appear in our State with the condition that they would not discuss nor take questions about EFCA. That is how serious this is. Neither have publicly stated how they will vote. We have heard privately that one has stated they will vote no. Until its public, I dont believe it.
For all you RedStaters out there, please take the time and call ALL THE OFFICES of these swing votes! Just like you did for the stimulus bill, please, with all that is left in your body call these offices and tell them that you want this defeated! We dont have to talk about how this is so detrimental. We dont have to discuss just how bad this will be.
Arkansans need your help. AMERICA needs your help!
As a fellow Arkansan
DerKrieger (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 7:53PM EST (link)I’m betting Lincoln, and probably Pryor too will vote against card check. Wal-Mart and Tyson are both HQ’d in AR and I don’t think Lincoln or Pryor want to go up against either of them.
“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson
“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.” – James Madison
Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.” — John Locke, 1690
Agreed
texas214 (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 9:20PM EST (link)It would be political suicide for them given Arkansas is the the home of Wal-l Mart, Tyson, J.B. Hunt and Stephens Investments. Basically they control all of the money and jobs in Arkansas. If there was anything passed in Congress that hurt these businesses and by default their employees, their days are numbered.
Nervousness spreads
10ksnooker (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 6:58PM EST (link)Those in the bubble are usual the mine canaries, while the rest are guzzling it all down, drunk with power.
The tyranny of the majority, just what the Constitution was designed to check.
This is a win-win for conservatives...
Vegas_Rick (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 7:34PM EST (link)either they vote to help us stop this crap sandwich, or we have a real good chance in those districts in ’10.
“God is great, beer is good and people are crazy.”- Billy Currington
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Calvin Coolidge.
My Guess Is That Blue Dogs Actually Vote Against Card Check...
IJB Wednesday, February 18th at 8:52PM EST (link)…if pushed.
The same goes for gay marriage.
Voting “Yea” on either of those issues would pretty much guarantee most Blue Dogs (and *all* Blue Dogs from the South!) a pretty substantial loss in 2010.
The interesting question here is whether the nutroots and the Commies/Lefties will actually successfully force a vote on this or not.
Based on how badly the “stimulus” went over, and how much worse the Big 3 and Bank bailout bills are likely to be received, my guess is that the Dems will fold on both Card Check and the Fairness Doctrine rather than risking becoming more nationally despised than Chris Brown.
My guess it that....
texas214 (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 9:36PM EST (link)there are less than 10 Senators that really want this to come to a vote. Oh they all want to give it some lip service to keep the union contributors happy, but actually voting for something this unpopular with middle America????
P O L I T I C A L S U I C I D E
Bring it on. I'm ready for them to be gone.
Praying (Diary) Wednesday, February 18th at 10:27PM EST (link)nt
No!!!11!1!!1!1! The Bilderbergers are coming