College of Political Knowledge
Subject: Political Theory
I was having this conversation recently with a friend. Basically, he thought that the Dems need to find a way to get some support from the energy of the Tea Party and his question got me to thinking about the Tea Party and I found a couple of things will surfing……the first was located on the Newser website……
Think “Tea Party” and you’ll probably think “Republican”—but it turns out Tea Party Democrats do, in fact, exist. But it’s hard to say just how many, and harder still to gauge how much of an impact they have on elections, the Washington Post reports. Polls have put the percentage of Democrats in the Tea Party movement at anywhere from 4% (CNN) to 15% (Gallup); for her part, Michele Bachmann believes it’s actually 20%. And who are they? Bachmann describes Tea Party Democrats as “disaffected,” and a Republican pollster explains that some Democrats are shifting to the Tea Party because they are “anti-spending and for budget austerity.” Even so, no Democrat has yet emerged as a significant Tea Party candidate, and Democrats didn’t cross over to vote Republican in numbers any higher than normal during the 2010 elections.
With that said I think there is more than they believe….these people hold a lot of the same principles as the more conserv Tea Party….who are they? Every hear of the Blue Dog Coalition?
In case you have forgotten the group……let Wiki help……..
Blue Dogs have an agenda that protects the interests of the vulnerable while also respecting traditional cultural values and keeping taxes low.
The Blue Dog Coalition is often involved in finding a compromise between liberal and conservative positions. The Blue Dogs are viewed by some as a continuation of the socially conservative wing of the Democratic party prominent during the presidency of Harry S. Truman. However, the only stated policy position of the Blue Dogs is fiscal conservatism.
Despite the Blue Dogs’ differing degrees of economic and social conservatism, they claim they generally work to promote positions within the House of Representatives that bridge the gap between right-wing and left-wing politics. Blue Dogs are an important swing vote on spending bills and as a result have gained influence in Congress out of proportion to their numbers. They are frequently sought after to broker compromises between the Democratic and Republican leadership, generally lending a more centrist character to US politics.
Unfortunately, the Blue Dogs lost heavily in the election of 2010…….their only sin was having a “D” after their names……which shows the stupidity of the voter…..they voted fiscal conservs out of office only because of the party with which they affiliate……..
So, I believe that there are Tea Party Democrats….right now they have NOT figured out just how they can align themselves with the TP and still win in a Democratic district…..as soon as they get a handle on this obstacle….they will be coming out of the closet.
Tea Party imagery entails anti-government attitudes on pretty much anything. Blue Dog Democrats don’t see government as an evil that blindly.
True that, Larry…however the TP is rooted in fiscal conservatism and the BD are that an more…..while the TP was pretty much a libertarian movement, in the beginning, it has now morphed into this ultra fiscal conservatism which, in my opinion, will accomplish the end of the rabid anti-government fervor…….
OK, I’m a liberal (bleeding heart variety), and am pissed at both parties for not really doing what’s best for the country. There’s a lot I like about the Tea party concept. I’m personnel very fiscally conservative; but am socially liberal, and like a lot of their Libertarian leanings. Sadly, the Tea party is basically a one issue party, and there’s a lot of disaffected non thinking idiots out there channeling all their dissatisfaction into it. Can’t wait til they implode when the Christian Right faction dukes it out with the Libertarians over abortion.
Morning Hansi…….there is our problem…. we duke it out over stupid things while the country slowly circles the drain….I am a radical….have always been a radical….and there are times where I see a new American revolution…..and that time is coming again, IMO. (I smell a future post)
The tea party has the image of being hijacked by extreme right factions. Thatll scare away the gene taylor types.
Hi Phillip….Ah Taylor…look at his voting…he is more TP than some TPers…..but IO think we have seen the last Taylor-esque Dem for awhile
I don’t think they ever really can if they want a shot at winning Democratic districts. They took the shellacking, but once the Tea Party “love” subsides, they can get re-elected. It would be harder to do so if they aligned with the TP. They’d look more wishy-washy. Not the kind that stayed true to their Democratic princlples.
The problem I have with the BDs is that they do not hold many Democratic principles….they are pro-gun, anti-abortion, way fiscally conservative and finally I think that they need to just become Repubs….the only reason they do not is that they do everything for political reasons not for democratic reasons…..
“Blue Dogs are an important swing vote on spending bills and as a result have gained influence in Congress out of proportion to their numbers…” which really goes a long way to prove the need for a more powerful “centrist” party, which is recognised by the voters as “valid” and worth vting for.
The two party system is fine – PROVIDING (as in the UK) there is a centre based (or what is perceived as centre) party that will moderate the influence of the nutters on both extremes of the others.
I’ve never been a liberal (in American terms) but I do believe in conservatism (small c and British meaning of the word) on fiscal matters, BUT with a social face to it – which is why I’m in favour of small, fiscally responsible government with a “human and humane” approach to social matters for those who need help to help themselves, or are truly unable to do so (i.e. the scroungers can go hang).
So, fiscally at least, I guess I’m a bit of a Blue Dog at heart (though I’d never heard of them until now).
Thanx for a very good and interesting post, Lobo.
But they would be a good thing but they are pro gun and anti abortion,,,,they want to meddle into my life way too much…they are Repubs in Dem clothing……
Or looked at another way – scrap the Republican and Democratic parties because they BOTH represent ONLY political ideology, which I view as abhorrent and utterly counterproductive.
Politics is just like any bureaucracy – it’s ONLY value is in what it produces for the people.