Which Is It?  Blue Dogs or Red Dogs?

by BarbinMD [courtesy of Daily Kos]

It's time to draw a line in the sand.  There are forty-seven members of the Blue Dog Democrats, and we need to know which ones support the U.S. troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and which ones agree with Rep. John Tanner that they are nothing more than deficit-enhancing debris. This is what Mr. Tanner had to say when announcing the plan by a segment of the Blue Dogs to block a vote on the GI Bill of Rights:

Some of us oppose creating a new entitlement program in an emergency spending bill, whether it’s butchers, bakers or candlestick-makers.

A group that has voted time after time to support George Bush's war, at a cost of over $500 billion dollars, now dismisses the men and women who risked their lives as candlestick-makers who don't deserve money to go to college?  The Blue Dog's reason?  Because their budgetary rule of pay-as-you-go has "been ignored one too many times."  Yes, these champions of fiscal responsibility are fine with George Bush's twice-a-year $100 billion "supplementals," they are fine with billions going to Halliburton and Blackwater, but when it comes to providing a benefit to the people who fought in the war that the Blue Dogs supported, well, to hell with the troops.  

The Blue Dogs only need 15 votes to block a vote on this measure which scheduled to come up next week, and when asked if they had enough members opposing the bill, Blue Dog leader Rep. Allen Boyd (D-FL) said:

"There’s 47 of us, what do you think?"

I think that out of the 292 co-sponsors of the bill , 36 are Blue Dog Democrats, which means one of two things:  either Tanner and Boyd plan to join forces with Republicans to kill this bill, or there are at least 4 Blue Dogs who don't have the courage to stand by their convictions and do the right thing.  
It's time to find out where the Blue Dogs stand.  Do they stand with the troops or do they stand with George Bush, John McCain and the Blue Dogs who dismiss the troops as "candlestick-makers" who don't deserve benefits when they return from war?   Call and ask if they intend to help block H.R. 5740.

Mike Arcuri:  (202) 225-3665
Joe Baca:  (202) 225-6161
John Barrow:  (202) 225-2823
Melissa Bean:  (202) 225-3711
Marion Berry: (202) 225-4076
Sanford Bishop:  (202) 225-3631
Dan Boren:  (202) 225-2701
Leonard Boswell:  (202) 225-3806
Allen Boyd:  (202) 225-5235
Dennis Cardoza:  (202) 225-6131
Christopher Carney:  (202) 225-3731
Ben Chandler:  (202) 225-4706
Jim Cooper:  (202) 225-4311
Jim Costa:  (202) 225-3341
Bud Cramer:  (202) 225-4801
Lincoln Davis:  (202) 225-6831
Joe Donnelly:  (202) 225-3915
Brad Ellsworth:  (202) 225-4636
Gabrille Giffords:  (202) 225-2542
Kirsten Gillibrand:  (202) 225-5614
Bart Gordon:  (202) 225-4231
Jane Harman:  (202) 225 8220
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin:  (202) 225-2801
Baron Hill:  (202) 225-5315
Tim Holden:  (202) 225-5546
Steve Israel:  (202) 225-4669
Nick Lampson:  (202) 225-5951
Tim Mahoney:  (202) 225-5792
Jim Marshal:  (202) 225-6531
Jim Matheson:  (202) 225-3011
Mike McIntyre:  (202) 225-2731
Charlie Melancon:  (202) 225-4031
Michael Michaud:  (202) 225-6306
Dennis Moore:  (202) 225-2865
Patrick Murphy:  (202) 225-4276
Collin Peterson:  (202) 225-2165
Earl Pomeroy:  (202) 225-2611
Mike Ross:   1-800-223-2220
John Salazar:   (202) 225-4761
Loretta Sanchez:  (202) 225-2965
Adam Schiff:  (202) 225-4176
David Scott:  (202) 225-2939
Heath Shuler:  (202) 225-6401
Zack Space:  (202) 225-6265
John Tanner:  (202) 225-4714
Gene Taylor: (202) 225-5772
Mike Thompson:  (202) 225-3311
Charlie Wilson:  (202) 225-5705