After a hard fought election, Democrats finally took back control of the White House after eight long years of Republican rule. Since the Democrats already took back control of both legislative houses in the previous midterm election of 2006, many thought the progressive agenda would finally come to fruition. Health care reform and better environmental regulations, just to name a few, this hasn't been the case. Previously, the Republican administration was the biggest obstacle to realizing this agenda. This time, the problem does not stem from the Republicans, they are too few in Congress to actually represent viable opposition, the real problem is from within; the Blue Dog Coalition.Formed in 1995, the coalition was created to represent the fiscally and socially conservative of the Democratic Party. Since the inauguration, the nascent Obama Administration has struggled to realize a few of their key agenda issues. Cap and Trade, legislation that was long overdue to help sustain the environmental integrity of this great nation, was met with trouble by the members of this coalition. My own representative in Congress, Glenn Nye (VA-02) voted against this bill. This was after he campaigned as a friend to the environment. This was met with dismay by many progressives in the district, the same bunch of folks that walked hours in the hot summer sun to get him elected, (and will probably think twice about it when the Congressman is up for re-election in 2010).
Now, the Blue Dogs are giving the current administration more headaches than a brain tumor. Health care reform is long overdue in this country. Many of the progressives in this country fought long and hard during the last campaign cycle with health care reform in mind. I consider myself to be a health care voter. I was ecstatic to learn that Al Franken had finally won his Senate seat, knowing that he is also an advocate of single-payer health care. I thought that my dream would finally come true. This has not been the case, and once again, the biggest opposition is still the Blue Dog Coalition. When single-payer no longer was an option, the progressives began to realize they would have to settle with a public option. Thanks to the same coalition, the public optioned has been extensively weakened.
The other day, my congressman, Glenn Nye, posted an op-ed in Politico. (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25453.html) He cited the need for health care reform and wanted it to be fiscally responsible. He stated that he cares greatly for our veteran's and their issues, and did not want reform to hurt the integrity of TRICARE, a very popular government administered health care given to veterans. (See, the government CAN effictively administer health care) but stated that he did not want a public option that would compete unfairly against insurance companies. Really Congressman, don't you represent people, I was confused because it appears as though you care more about the well-being of corporations rather than your constituents. I immediately called his office to ask why Nye wasn't advocating TRICARE as a public option, I received no reply from his staffers, and have yet to hear anything back.
Essentially, the Blue Dog Coalition is preventing any REAL reform in health care. If health care reform is deemed a failure, it is Obama and the Democrats that will be blamed by the public. The Democrats will lose big in the 2010 midterms if this happens. Mike Lux, a progressive political strategist, was reported of saying to the Huffington Post "The reason we lost so badly in '94, was that working class voters of medium and low incomes -- who turned out in big numbers in 1992 -- were incredibly discouraged by us not delivering on health care." You see Congressman Nye, its you who will also suffer if you don't deliver.
In my opinion, Blue Dogs are those Democrats who won by a slim margin, and they court that centrist vote (the vote most likely to be the first to abandom them). What they fail to realize is that its also the progressive wing of the party that helped them to get elected. Progressives are mostly driven by the issues, and more likely to volunteer their time for a candidate. If a candidate fails to deliver on those promises, those folks stay home. It's your choice, I'm just hoping the Democrats get their act together soon, or the whole country will continue to suffer.
