A question came up during a discussion among friends ... are Blue Dogs going to move out of the party if challenged on their opposition to healthcare reform?
I think the answer is clear - if the Blue Dogs leave ship, they are absolute political idiots ... because the Republicans of today are running people like Arlen Spector out of the party.
I seriously doubt that 20% of the Blue Dogs could survive primary battles in the Republican Party. And unless they're ready tomorrow to sign up for the whole tax-cutting/Muslim fearing/race baiting/anti-choice/Gods Guns and Gays crazy agenda, they will run into serious primary challenges.
Hell, Republican Congressmen are getting shouted down in their own town hall meetings for telling people that the Healthcare bill really doesn't promote euthanisia, and that Barack Obama really is a natural born citizen.
So logically - you'd think that Harry Reid needs to use current reality: while Evan Bayh could probably still ride his family legacy to getting the Repub nomination in Indiana ... Ben Nelson and Mark Prior and Mary Landrieu and a few other ConservaDem Senators would have no chance in Republican Primaries in their states.
There is a very straightforward position for Reid to take with these senators - "it is ok if you vote your conscience when a bill comes to the floor ... but when a vote on cloture is coming up, if you expect any legislation you champion in the future to see the light of day, you vote for cloture. Period."
I have to think Reid knows all this ... which makes one wonder if he's doing his own negotiating with the White House using these Blue Dogs as bargaining chits?