Conservative Democrats, Dying In Jackson and D.C.
As Rep. Mark Ross (D-AR) announced he would not be a candidate for re-election next year, it marked another blow to the once numerically significant Blue Dog caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the previous Congress, they claimed 54 members, including Reps. Travis Childers and Gene Taylor. Taylor and Childers, like more than half the caucus, are gone. They are now down to 25 members with three more already announcing plans to retire.
The group was formed in 1995 after the Democrats’ massive losses in 1994. Massive losses 16 years later appears to have done the caucus in. Both liberals and conservatives have little use for the caucus these days and there small numbers give them limited ability to affect legislation.
The situation is less dire in Jackson, but headed in a similar direction with 2011 possibly being the election that does the RWDs (rural, white Democrats) in. Following the defection of eight members since the 2007 elections, the RWDs make up just 30 members in the Democratic caucus; that compares with 37 Black Caucus members. (If you’re doing the math, it was 38 RWD/ 37 LBC post-2007).
And looking at this November, there are eight seats held by RWDs that the incumbent is vacating and the GOP is challenging (some more serious than others). This includes: HD 2 (Moss), HD 4 (Ward), HD 10 (McBride), HD 13 (Gadd), HD 28 (Norquist), HD 105 (Walley), HD 107 (Parker) and HD 122 (Compretta). And this doesn’t include the seat being vacated by the ultimate Yellow Dog, Billy McCoy (or a few other Democratic held seats where the incumbent did not retire and is facing a difficult re-election).
There is a chance the RWDs could see their numbers fall into the mid-20s (or potentially less) post-2011, giving them somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 percent of the Democratic caucus in that case. And with numbers like that you’d think it would be difficult for the Black Caucus to let the opportunity by without pushing a candidate for Speaker, though I know of none who are really interested at this point.
Rep. Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville, has made some statements that sound like he is interested.
there are no democrats anymore! democrats have been replaced with socialist or progressives.republicans are now democrats except for the teaparty conservatives
So Are you trying to say that Governor Barbour is a D???
Barbour pushed Obama’s Progressive cap and trade agenda and forcing the people of Mississippi to pay for Carbon Dioxide trading. So I would say Barbour is a Progressive pushing for social justice.
I’m not exactly sure just what a “Progressive” is. But I’m assuming, maybe wrongly, that it is someone between a Socialist and a Democrat? If I’m correct in my assumption, surely you’re not saying Gov Barbour falls into this category?
Great question Coast Rat. This is an example of Obama’s progressive plan that Gov Barbour pushed. Barbour wrote persuasive letters to the 3 Public Service Commissioners to Increase the reimbursement commitment upon us the ratepayers to pay more to Mississippi Power. Just 72 hours later their minds were magically changed.
and this ideology
http://mississippicoal.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/obama/
Perhaps some call it progressive, socialism, extreme left, Marxism, Communism, or something else but you can judge for yourself what definition it fits. Is this what Mississippi wants? It is what our elected representation has forced upon us. Forced because we were neither given a choice or a voice by being kept in the dark. .
WOW!! I am planning on voting for Blanchard in the general and Rose in the primary. My question to all the intellects that allowed this to happen… Why not a natural gas Power Planet? If your going to be green… natural gas burns clean with no emissions.