Blue Dogs Versus Troops

Mike Lillis has a nice piece in The Washington Independent about the House Blue Dog caucus' perverse obstructionism of Jim Webb's bill boosting veterans benefits on fiscal austerity grounds. You can expect more of this kind of nonsense under an Obama administration. Hundreds of billions of spending on a futile war that a Republican asks for? Blue Dogs love it. Giant tax cuts for the rich that Republicans ask for? Blue Dogs might be for that, too. But spend a single penny on a Democratic priority? Hell no, that's time for fiscal responsibility.

And of course it's not just the Blue Dogs. Expect most institutions who cried blood every time Bill Clinton wanted to spend a dime, then went mum on the enormous post-9/11 defense spending and war fighting orgy, to suddenly recover their taste for fiscal discipline in January of 2009.

Comments

The Iron Law of Institutions at work: The Blue Dogs are more concerned about their own ability to leverage their power rather than about the power of the Democratic party, in general. Stymieing the Democrats on this bill means that they get flex their muscles and remind the Democratic leadership that fealty must be owed to them. Fighting the Republicans on the war bills doesn't gain them anything at all, when it comes to their power on the House floor.

Posted by Tyro | May 15, 2008 1:32 PM

This is an absolutely key point. If Obama is elected in November, the born-again fiscal conservative chorus in Washington, led by Dean Broder, will be at it again. They won't wait until Inauguration Day. It will start the day after Election Day. Basically it will be a replay of what happened after Bill Clinton won in 1992.

It's simply essential that the Obama campaign, all Democrats, and liberals in the blogosphere start pushing back against this NOW, before it even starts in earnest. (That's called thinking one move ahead.) Try this:

"God didn't put Democrats on earth just to clean up Republican messes."

Get it? Democrats are allowed to set their own priorities. Anyone who complains about fiscal profligacy needs to show proof that he complained about it under Le Bush.

"God didn't put Democrats on earth just to clean up Republican messes." Start saying it, start typing it. Now, until November, and beyond.

Posted by Doug | May 15, 2008 1:35 PM

Doug:
And I bet Rethuglicans will uncover their investigative and oversight zeal once a Democrat is elected President. I just hope that guys like Waxman tell the Rethugs to take a flying leap. Those bastards didn't want to investigate Boosh and yet they want to start once Obama is in office? No wonder the Rethugs are going to get hammered this fall.

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | May 15, 2008 1:52 PM

Interesting--Does this mean you're no longer celebrating the election of yet another Blue Dog [Travis Childers] to the House?

Posted by David in Nashville | May 15, 2008 1:54 PM

Interesting--Does this mean you're no longer celebrating the election of yet another Blue Dog [Travis Childers] to the House?

Posted by David in Nashville | May 15, 2008 1:54 PM

Matthew- You miss the really perverse point about Republican and Blue Dog opposition to Webb's bill. They opposed it because it will make college too attractive for soldiers, and they'll therefore be less inclined to re-enlist as the war requires! In other words, the military has to break its education-funding promises, or else too many soldiers (et al) will choose education and reject continued service in a stupid and pointless war.

Posted by Rich | May 15, 2008 2:11 PM

Doggone it! Looks like Pelosi and the Blue Dogs are gonna hunt after all.

Under the new plan, individuals earning over $500,000 and couples earning over $1 million a year would get slapped with a half-percent tax surcharge.

But I guess thats better than being drafted or having your kids drafted.

Posted by The Grand Panjandrum | May 15, 2008 2:17 PM

That's exactly why I'm so not looking forward to our candidate for President (and I hope the new President) being the kind who likes to reach across the aisle. Reaching across the aisle is exactly what the Blue Dogs are doing.

Posted by Julene | May 15, 2008 4:52 PM

I'd like to thank all the Blue Dogs who think that troops are getting enough. Perhaps while they're at it, they can cut our BX/commissary privleges.

Posted by LnGrrrR | May 15, 2008 5:36 PM