Blue Dogs or Lap Dogs? The GOP Just Doesn’t Get It! August 7 2009
Written by Roberta Biros
I login regularly to watch the Pennsylvania House Sessions ‘live’ HERE. I was watching this past Tuesday (August 4th) as Senate Bill 850 (a.k.a. “the state budget”) was scheduled for final vote. I listened as one speaker after another stood up to discuss their stand on the budget fiasco. When I heard Rep. Mike Turzai (R-28th) stand up to speak, I took a few minutes to watch and listen. As a fiscal conservative, I’m always interested to hear what Rep. Turzai has to add to any conversation regarding fiscal issues. Unfortunately, on that day, I was a bit annoyed with Rep. Turzai. I’ve waited patiently for the speech to be posted to YouTube so that I could share it with you and provide my commentary. Today is that day.
HERE is a link to Rep. Turzai’s speech.
First, I completely agree that the ‘game playing’ in Harrisburg over the 2009-2010 budget is aggravating at best. I completely agree that if the House was going to pass SB850 anyway, they should have done so back in May. I agree completely with Rep. Turzai on that issue. Where my agreement turns during the speech is when Rep. Turzai decided to go straight for partisan politics when he talked about the Blue Dog Democrats.
As a Blue Dog (a fiscal conservative Democrat), I find that we get criticized from both sides of the aisle. Democrats are annoyed that we call ourselves “conservative”, and Republicans think we are trying to steal their brand. It is a constant uphill battle. It is for that reason that I respect individuals that stand up and proudly proclaim that they are “Blue Dogs”. Most recently, I’ve praised Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper for officially signing onto fiscal conservatism. She will be criticized by some for it, but she is brave in that she is attempting to satisfy the best of both worlds by standing somewhere in the middle.
When Rep. Turzai referred to the Blue Dogs as “lap dogs”, I lost respect for him. Partisan politics is the reason for the budget crisis in Harrisburg, and the ONLY way that any agreement will ever be reached is if some folks are willing to come to the center to push up their sleeves and hammer out the details. The Blue Dogs are standing up in Harrisburg and in Washington to do just that. They are concerned about high taxes and uncontrolled spending, and they are trying to work with both sides to protect the taxpayers. Rather than lashing out at the Blue Dogs, Representative Turzai and other fiscal conservative Republicans should be working WITH the Blue Dogs to come up with a valid and balanced budget. Instead, Rep. Turzai is drawing a line in the sand because he is afraid that the Blue Dogs are trying to steal the fiscal conservative label. UGH!!
I’ve been curious about who some of these Blue Dogs are in Harrisburg. My question was answered earlier this week when I received an email announcement from a conservative group. The purpose of the announcement, of course, was to criticize the Blue Dogs. I, however, was glad that I was finally supplied with the names of those State Representatives that now consider themselves Blue Dogs. The list (as I received it) is provided below:
Rep. Bryan Barbin
Rep. Frank Burns
Rep. James E. Casorio
Rep. Frank Dermody
Rep. John T. Galloway
Rep. Jaret Gibbons
Rep. Neal Goodman
Rep. Gary Haluska
Rep. Michael K. Hanna
Rep. R. Ted Harhai
Rep. Tom Houghton
Rep. David R. Kessler
Rep. William C. Kortz II
Rep. Bryan R. Lentz
Rep. David K. Levdansky
Rep. Mark Longietti
Rep. Rick Mirabito
Rep. Kevin Murphy
Rep. John E. Pallone
Rep. Joseph A. Petrarca
Rep. Harry Readshaw
Rep. John P. Sabatina Jr.
Rep. Chris Sainato
Rep. Steve Santarsiero
Rep. Tim Seip
Rep. Timothy J. Solobay
Rep. Don Walko
Rep. Jesse White
I’d like to point out that I have not verified this list with any other source. The list was published by Elizabeth Bryan of the Commonwealth Foundation, and I trust that it is correct. There were many names on the list that I personally recognize. I’d like to point out, however, one Mercer County “highlight” . . . that is the name of Representative Mark Longietti (D-7th). If the list is accurate, I’d like to be one of the first to welcome Representative Longietti to life on the ‘dark side’ as a Blue Dog Democrat. Representative Longietti and I have shared many conversations regarding fiscal issues, and I’m pleased to see that he is willing to take this brave step and officially state that he does not support higher taxes.
If the information is accurate, State Representative Longietti, Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper, and Congressman Jason Altmire (all three representing portions of Mercer County) all now join me as Blue Dogs . . . and I publicly applaud them all.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind Republicans, however, that it would serve them well to ‘make nice’ with the Blue Dogs. Perhaps it is time to attempt to reach across the aisle in order to finally work for “the good of the people”. It will only be by setting aside partisan politics that real progress can be made. If the fiscally conservative Republicans continue to back away (further to the right), they may find themselves ‘out the door’ in the not-to-distant future.
As always, just my opinion.
Roberta Biros, Mercer County Conservatives
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