CONSERVATIVE HOUSE DEMOCRATS HOLD KEY TO COMPROMISE ON HILL, OBSERVERS SAY
Conservative and moderate House Democrats, known as "Blue Dog" Democrats, represent a pivotal voting bloc that will help decide what healthcare legislation makes it through the House and whether the White House and Democratic leadership can reach compromises, former lawmakers and Hill staffers say.
Blue Dogs, the more fiscally conservative Democrats, will number an estimated 44 members in the new House, giving them tremendous influence over House policy on healthcare and other issues. These members can bridge the gap between incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Bush administration and can be the voice for many newly elected Democrats, former Sen. Connie Mack said at a Nov. 14 King & Spalding briefing.
These lawmakers will act as a "swing vote" to get legislation passed, Mack, a senior policy adviser at King & Spalding, said. The Blue Dogs are led by Reps. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.).
They "hold the balance of power," Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said. Not only do the Democrats need the Blue Dogs to move their agenda forward, but Pelosi will also need to help these lawmakers get re-elected if Democrats have any chance to keep control of the House, Ornstein added at a Nov. 14 briefing by the law firm DLA Piper.
The Blue Dogs are likely to be the leaders in getting legislation passed because they are pragmatic and have ties to both Democratic leadership and Republicans, George Crawford, Pelosi's former chief of staff, said. The Blue Dogs will be particularly important with more controversial issues where bipartisan support will be more difficult to obtain, he said. These lawmakers will likely gravitate toward ensuring broader Medicare coverage, as well as other healthcare issues, Crawford, a senior government relations adviser at King & Spalding, added.