The Blue Dogs have long been known as the sell-outs of the Democratic Party. But as their luster fades, a new caucus' star is on the rise: "New Democrat [sic] Coalition."
New Dems eschew the social conservatism that engendered so much ire with the Blue Dogs (anti-abortion, anti-gay) but they've taken hawkish Blue Dog corporatism to new levels.
In fact, according to Pro Publica, they're emulating the scandal-ridden Republican K Street Project. You may recall that the K Street Project came to an abrupt end when Tom DeLay was charged with felony money laundering in connection with the donations that K Street Project was raking in.
Grover Norquist, Tom DeLay and Newt Gingrich founded the K Street Project cash cow to function as a pay-to-play exchange of lawmaking for donations.
Some Democrats, desperate for re-election donations, saw this model and decided to emulate it on their side of the aisle.
You have to give them props for completely rejecting popular opinion which has become decidedly anti-corporate and choosing to go all in for embracing their dark side. They trade their votes for more lard and corporate welfare for Defense Contractors and less regulation for Wall Street. Actually, there's no big donor they'll reject as they also support Big Ag and Biotech.
Until recently voters with New Dem representatives were largely unaware that their reps had sold them out to the big corporate interests in a formal, organized fashion. (There's a list of New Dems at the end of this diary so you can check if you're stuck with one.)
Here are some of the issues they've weighed in on:
Eroding Our Civil Rights
Pro-FISA (NSA spy on us)
Pro-CISPA (Corporations spy on us)
Outsourcing Our Jobs
Pro-KORUS (Korea-US Free Trade)
Pro-TPT (Trans Pacific Trade)
Pro-TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership)
Pro-TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership)
Pro-PNTR
(Unions oppose these agreements which outsource jobs and manufacturing to low-wage, poor environmental protection countries)
Nuclear and Coal
Supported the Advanced Technologies of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) which despite its name supports both coal and nuclear energy with taxpayer funds.
Financial Regulation
According to Pro Publica, the New Dems are the "The Coalition Pharma and Wall Street Love"
Pro-TARP big CEO bonuses
Anti-Mortgage adjustments
Weakening Financial Services Reform (Dodd-Frank)
And who can forget their catch-phrase, "We're Ready to Deal" (away your Social Security)
Here in Hawai'i we're asking our only non-progressive Congressperson to resign her membership from the New Dems. We'd love it if you would help by signing our petition:
http://pac.petitions.moveon.org/...
NDC Membership
Ron Kind (WI-03), Chair
Jim Himes (CT-04), Vice-Chair
Rick Larsen (WA-02), Vice-Chair
Allyson Schwartz (PA-13), Vice-Chair
Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Vice-Chair
Ron Barber (AZ-02)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Ami Bera (CA-07)
Lois Capps (CA-24)
John Carney (DE-At Large)
André Carson (IN-07)
Joaquin Castro (TX-20)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Joe Courtney (CT-02)
Susan Davis (CA-53)
John Delaney (MD-06)
Suzan DelBene (WA-01)
Eliot Engel (NY-16)
Elizabeth Esty (CT-05)
Bill Foster (IL-11)
Joe Garcia (FL-26)
Pete Gallego (TX-23)
Colleen Hanabusa (HI-01)
Denny Heck (WA-10)
Rush Holt (NJ-12)
Derek Kilmer (WA-06)
Dan Maffei (NY-24)
Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18)
Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Gregory Meeks (NY-05)
Jim Moran (VA-08)
Patrick Murphy (FL-18)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
Gary Peters (MI-14)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Pedro Pierluisi (PR-At Large)
Jared Polis (CO-02)
Mike Quigley (IL-05)
Cedric Richmond (LA-02)
Loretta Sanchez (CA-46)
Brad Schneider (IL-10)
Adam Schiff (CA-28)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
David Scott (GA-13)
Terri Sewell (AL-07)
Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)
Adam Smith (WA-09)
Juan Vargas (CA-51)
Filemon Vela (TX-34)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)