Thursday, April 22, 2010

Washington Post Signals Death Knell for Blue Dog Democrats

Reporter  Sandhya Somashekhar and the spin doctors at the Washington Post feature a story about Cortland County's Michael Arcuri, whom the GOP has named one of the Democrats' most vulnerable Congressman.  The article points out that some Democrats feel that Arcuri betrayed them by voting against Obamacare.  This tempers the following discussion about how Arcuri was elected in 2006 in reaction to President Bush, and he has tried to maintain his position by voting against cap and trade because the majority in Cortland County (presumably outside the SUNY campus there) are conservative.  He did vote for the ridiculous stimulus, but he switched sides on health care and voted against it.

 The article tries to make it appear that public support for the Tea Party is somehow deviant and the good guys, the Democrats,  are unfortunately divided.  This puts a spin on the coming election as follows. If Arcuri loses, it is because of the deviant Tea Party extremists.  If he wins, it is because the Democrats held together.

The article points to why the Republicans are NOT the party of small government. Compared to many Republicans, Arcuri is a better man.  He is responsive to his constituents, who, the article points out, tend to be conservatives.  Might not the Republicans be focusing on those Democrats who are both (a) vulnerable and (b) voted for health care?  Arcuri should be rewarded for opposing cap and trade and health care, not targeted.  

No wonder why the Republicans never seem to be able to eliminate programs. They focus on partisanship instead of reducing government.  This is good evidence to avoid contributing to the Republican National Committee.  They are dodos.

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