10/4: "The Blue Dog Report," by the Club for Growth, Conclusion:
"The Blug Dog Coalition's nearly universal reputation for fiscal conservatism is wholly undeserved. They do not influence policy by voting as a bloc against spending excesses. They routinely betray the PAYGO principles on which their reputations rests.
- And they do not change the culture of spending in Congress by standing against earmarks.
The Blue Dog Coalition, in reality, is not a vehicle conservative Democrats use to influence policy, but
- an artificial brand conventional Democrats have created to help market themselves.
This is the true purpose of the Blue Dogs' self-imposed membership limit - the exclusivity confers on each member an
- unearned aura of independence and fiscal credibility.
Their false reputation aside, Blue Dogs are barely distinguishable from all but the most
- extreme liberals in the House Democratic Caucus."
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