When they were swept into office during the anti-Republican elections of 2006 and 2008, the Democratic “Blue Dogs” were touted as the new answer for those looking for fiscally conservative members of Congress without all of that pesky social conservativism that normally was associated with Republican candidates. It was this myth that sold them to marginally Republican constituencies that were tired of the poor track record the GOP had demonstrated to that point. And, with the Obama wave that swept the GOP out of power completely, 54 “Blue Dogs” were firmly ensconced in Congress.
But then came the tests, and the Blue Dogs failed miserably. As a voting bloc they had the power to stop TARP, the stimulus and ObamaCare. But they didn’t. Instead most decided that while the label “Blue Dog” was useful for being elected in the districts from which they hailed, actually living up to the promise of fiscal conservancy in the face of Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic agenda was just not something they were willing to do. So they capitulated and threw fiscal conservancy under the bus.
