Conservatives are apparently very concerned about the deficit. As they frame it they don't like spending 80 billion a year on Healthcare. OK, lets run with that. In the past no one in Congress has objected to Defense spending but perhaps we should. We spend 820 billion a year on Defense. Given the choice between spending on that with the intent of taking as many lives as possible and spending on healthcare with the intent of saving as many lives as possible, the choice seems pretty clear to me.
I'd love to see progressives tell Lieberman and the Blue Dogs no more government pork for you. They could refuse to spend money on defense contractors in the DINO states. For that matter they could refuse to spend any money for anything in the Dino States.
Some might be concerned that such a step would cost jobs. How any jobs would having universal healthcare for all uninsured Americans create?
I think the reason we are still tooled up the way we were to fight WWII is that every state in the Union has military bases, defense industries and jobs manufacturing all the various components of war.
Suppose we used our progressive and woman's right to choose majorities to just say no to Blue Dog military spending and pork. I'm not sure the Military Industrial Complex lobbiests could outspend the healthcare lobbiests in Blue Dog states but it would be an interesting proposition to put to our DINO's.
href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8516732"&
gt;Senators opposed to the Public option and likely to vote for keeping Shupak
I think Arkansas, Connecticut, Montana and Nebraska could do without any more bases, likewise Louisiana, Indiana, Washington and Delaware. California might be harder to deal with.
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)
Web contact: http://baucus.senate.gov/...
Phone: (202) 224-6361
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Web contact: http://bayh.senate.gov/... /
Phone: (202) 224-5623
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Web contact: http://cantwell.senate.gov/... /
Phone: (202) 224-3441
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)
Web contact: http://carper.senate.gov/... /
Phone: (202) 224-2441
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Web contact: http://conrad.senate.gov/...
Phone: (202) 224-2043
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Web contact: http://feinstein.senate.gov/...
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Web contact: http://landrieu.senate.gov/...
Phone: (202) 224-5824
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT)
Web contact: http://lieberman.senate.gov/... /
Phone: (202) 224-4041
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Web contact: http://lincoln.senate.gov/...
Phone: (202) 224-4814
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Web contact: http://bennelson.senate.gov/...
Phone: (202) 224-5274
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Web contact: http://pryor.senate.gov/... /
Phone: (202) 224-2353
Contributions summary: http://www.opensecrets.org/...
Issue Ratings: http://senate.ontheissues.org/...
Blue Dog List
When it comes to the Blue Dogs in the House we could certainly cut some funding for North Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi on the grounds of their vulnerability to the increased intensity of the storms brought by global warming.
For Utah, Colorado, Idaho, North Dakota, Tenessee, Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana, Ohio and Virginia it might be argued that other states need the jobs stimulus more.
Blue Dog Leadership Team
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration
Rep. Baron Hill, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy
Rep. Charlie Melancon, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications
Rep. Heath Shuler, Blue Dog Whip
Blue Dog Members
Altmire, Jason (PA-04)
Arcuri, Mike (NY-24)
Baca, Joe (CA-43)
Barrow, John (GA-12)
Berry, Marion (AR-01)
Bishop, Sanford (GA-02)
Boren, Dan (OK-02)
Boswell, Leonard (IA-03)
Boyd, Allen (FL-02)
Bright, Bobby (AL-02)
Cardoza, Dennis (CA-18)
Carney, Christopher (PA-10)
Chandler, Ben (KY-06)
Childers, Travis (MS-01)
Cooper, Jim (TN-05)
Costa, Jim (CA-20)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Davis, Lincoln (TN-04)
Donnelly, Joe (IN-02)
Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08)
Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08)
Gordon, Bart (TN-06)
Griffith, Parker (AL-05)
Harman, Jane (CA-36)
Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie (SD)
Hill, Baron (IN-09)
Holden, Tim (PA-17)
Frank Kratovil, Jr. (MD-01)
McIntyre, Mike (NC-07)
Marshall, Jim (GA-03)
Matheson, Jim (UT-02)
Melancon, Charles (LA-03)
Michaud, Mike (ME-02)
Minnick, Walt (ID-01)
Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05)
Moore, Dennis (KS-03)
Murphy, Patrick (PA-08)
Nye, Glenn (VA-02)
Peterson, Collin (MN-07)
Pomeroy, Earl (ND)
Ross, Mike (AR-04)
Salazar, John (CO-03)
Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47)
Schiff, Adam (CA-29)
Scott, David (GA-13)
Shuler, Heath (NC-11)
Space, Zack (OH-18)
Tanner, John (TN-08)
Taylor, Gene (MS-04)
Thompson, Mike (CA-01)
Wilson, Charles (OH-06)
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I'd love to see Lieberman explain why Connecticut needs Democrats to vote for its pork