Thursday, July 30, 2009

Blue Dog Democrat: A Right Wing Nut by Any Other Name is Still..., Health Care Reform, Dan Boren and Maxine Waters.



OK, just who are the Blue Dog "Democrats"?
Well that's easy, considering that these people are actually proud of their efforts to destroy the Democratic Party and what it stands for.
Blue Dog Leadership Team

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), Blue Dog Co-Chair for AdministrationRep. Baron Hill (IN-09), Blue Dog Co-Chair for PolicyRep. Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Blue Dog Co-Chair for CommunicationsRep. Heath Shuler (NC-11), Blue Dog Whip
Blue Dog Members

Altmire, Jason (PA-04) Arcuri, Mike (NY-24)Baca, Joe (CA-43)Barrow, John (GA-12)Berry, Marion (AR-01)Bishop, Sanford (GA-02)Boren, Dan (OK-02)Boswell, Leonard (IA-03) Boyd, Allen (FL-02)Bright, Bobby (AL-02)Cardoza, Dennis (CA-18)Carney, Christopher (PA-10)Chandler, Ben (KY-06)Childers, Travis (MS-01)Cooper, Jim (TN-05)Costa, Jim (CA-20)Cuellar, Henry (TX-28)Dahlkemper, Kathy (PA-03)Davis, Lincoln (TN-04)Donnelly, Joe (IN-02)Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08)Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08)Gordon, Bart (TN-06)Griffith, Parker (AL-05) Harman, Jane (CA-36)Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie (SD)Hill, Baron (IN-09)Holden, Tim (PA-17)Kratovil, Jr., Frank (MD-01)McIntyre, Mike (NC-07)Marshall, Jim (GA-03)Matheson, Jim (UT-02)Melancon, Charlie (LA-03)Michaud, Mike (ME-02)Minnick, Walt (ID-01)Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05)Moore, Dennis (KS-03)Murphy, Patrick (PA-08)Nye, Glenn (VA-02) Peterson, Collin (MN-07)Pomeroy, Earl (ND)Ross, Mike (AR-04)Salazar, John (CO-03)Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47)Schiff, Adam (CA-29)Scott, David (GA-13)Shuler, Heath (NC-11)Space, Zack (OH-18)Tanner, John (TN-08)Taylor, Gene (MS-04)Thompson, Mike (CA-01)Wilson, Charles (OH-06)
What purpose do these Blue Dog "Democrats" serve?
According to their website,
The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and appealing to the mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States. Currently there are 51 members of the Blue Dog Coalition.
"Center"? Better make that "Way Right". "Mainstream values of the American public", how about "Twisted values of the American Right". "A core set of beliefs that transend partisan politics", apparently their "core set of beliefs" is that the Republicans are right and "transend partisan politics" is just obvious BS. Maybe they can fool the blissfully ignorant with that transending partisan politics line. They should really hire someone who knows something about fantasy writing to do this stuff. And they do have a commitment to the financial stability and national security of this country. That is, if you remove the code words and replace them with what they actually mean. "Financial stability", that means "Status Quo", in other words, keep things like they are now, the rich getting richer and the rest of us getting crapped on. No tax hikes for the wealthy or Big Business, we can cut services instead. "National Security" is code for throwing taxpayer dollars at military contractors while doing virtually nothing for the troops.
There probably are 51 members, but since this is from their website, who can be sure?
The Blue Dogs were called the Bush Dogs by discerning observers. Wonder why?
A tightly-knit group of self-styled moderate and conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives known as the Blue Dog Coalition supported controversial legislation granting the Bush administration expanded powers to spy on Americans.
The Blue Dogs have apparently informed the Democratic leadership in the House that they support the ongoing occupation of Iraq.
The Blue Dogs have provided key votes on controversial bills backed by the Bush administration. In September of 2006, 31 Democratic representatives voted with the Republican majority in the House to pass The Military Commissions Act. The controversial act empowered Bush to designate individuals as "enemy combatants," and deny them certain legal rights.
"The FISA bill is an absolute embarrassment. The idea that Congress would pass legislation, in this day and age, that would allow the government to spy on Americans with out any independent review from the courts or Congress is unbelievable."
You even have to pass an ideological purity test to Join the Blue Dogs.
According to Mahoney, he faced a thorough vetting process before being accepted into the group. "You have to be interviewed and accepted by the group. You have to be able to demonstrate that you're ideologically supportive of being fiscally conservative. You show them speeches and statements you've made in the past," Mahoney told the Charlotte Sun, a local paper from his district.
Wow. I'd be happy to show them some of my statements.
Let's recap, the Blue Dogs claim to be fiscally responsible, yet they backed Bush's trillion dollar war for no reason.
So, what are the Blue Dogs doing for us now? Quite a bit actually, if you're an insurance company. Squat, if your uninsured or underinsured.
The support for Blue Dogs from health care professionals is even more evident. Health pros are among the top 20 industry donors to 38 Blue Dogs since 1989 and are the No. 1 donor for five of them. Health pros have also given the typical Blue Dog $47,550 more than the typical non-Blue Dog Democrat in the House. This month the American Medical Association, which lobbies on behalf of doctors, also came out against a public health insurance plan. The AMA is among the top 20 contributors to 10 Blue Dogs since 1989.
Insurance and pharmaceutical companies fear that a public health option would allow the government to control costs and steal business. And with the Blue Dogs leading the charge against the government-funded plan, the industries might just get their way. Without any support from the GOP, two-thirds of the coalition's members, who mostly represent Southern and Midwestern states, would have to get behind the House legislation, according to Kaiser Health News.
The Blue Dogs by working hand in hand with their ideological soulmates, the GOP and the Mainstream Media, are going to blow the smartest thing that this country has been trying to do in a long time.
But be forewarned, the rot from within the Republican Party doesn’t mean Republicans can’t still win elections. They know how to drive up the “negatives” of their opponents. In a rare display of candor, North Carolina Representative Patrick McHenry said: “Our goal is to bring down the approval numbers for [Speaker] Pelosi and for House Democrats. That will take repetition. This is a marathon, not a sprint.” He boasted about the GOP’s “strategy” going forward: “We will lose on legislation. But we will win the message war every day, and every week, until November 2010.” This Republican “communications” operation is already in full swing with the corporate media playing the usual enabler role.
The Blue Dogs provide an opening for the Republicans to “triangulate” against the progressives inside the Democratic Party. They’re calling for “belt tightening” at a time of severe under-consumption and high employment. Republican leaders in the Senate will try to use the Evan Bayhs and Blanche Lincolns of the Blue Dog faction as a wedge to defeat vital parts of President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda.
Blue Dogs, willing dupes of the Right.
But there are still some real Democrats who have the cojones to stand up and say what needs to be said.
WATERS: Well that may be difficult for Rahm Emanuel, because don't forget -- he recruited most of them. As when he was over in the Congress, in the leadership, Rahm Emanuel recruited more conservative members and based on some of the information I'm getting, they told them that they could vote the way they wanted to vote, that they would not interfere with what was considered their philosophy about some of these things. So, now the chickens have come home to roost.
But many of these Blue Dogs represent districts that have strong pockets of poverty and minorities and they're not representing them with this approach that they're taking. And so I don't know whether or not there will be people running against them. Certainly we're not organized to run anybody against anybody, that's not normally what's done. But there may be people out there listening and observing all of this who may get motivated based on what they're seeing, and throw their hat into the ring.
The folks over a Open Left have been on top of this for a while. You should really check them out, excellent stuff.
Without challenging these members, we will never be able to get progressive legislation through Congress. Or, to put it another way, we think expanded warrantless wiretapping authority is awful for any President to have because we don't want to be spied on. We think the Iraq war is really bad and that troops should be withdrawn. We don't agree with Bush Dog Democrats on the substance of their policy ideas, nor do we think it's a good thing that they are helping George W. Bush govern in an effective working conservative majority.
That was from 2007, they're now fighting the Bush Dogs on health care. The principle's the same.
My personal "Dog" went on MSNBC to lie about health care.
One of the most recalcitrant Democrats in the health care debate said on Wednesday that his skepticism about a public health insurance option was driven by concern for the health of private insurers.

Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Meeting," Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Dan Boren of Oklahoma said that he generally agreed that a government-run insurance program could effectively lower costs for consumers.

"The problem," he argued, "is in a state like Oklahoma, where we have a lot of private insurers, you have a public option come in and it drives everything else out and the only thing left is the public option and then you have rationed care."
This is what Boren and the Blue Dogs and the Republicans are backing.
Rescission (also known as "post-claims underwriting") is the process whereby health insurers avoid paying out benefits to treat cancer and other serious illnesses by seeking and often finding chickenshit errors in the policyholder's paperwork that can justify canceling the policy. In one job evaluation, the health insurer WellPoint actually scored a director of group underwriting on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the dollar amount she had managed to deny through rescission. (The director had saved the company nearly $10 million, earning a score of 3. WellPoint's president, Brian A. Sassi, insists this is not routine company practice.) Rescission's victims tend typically to be less-educated people who are more likely to make an error in filling out their insurance forms and lack the means to challenge a rescission in court—a path in which success is, at any rate, not guaranteed, because under state law the practice is perfectly legal if done within the allowable time frame (typically up to two years after a policy is issued).

The health crisis doesn't get more gothic than this. Robin Beaton, a retired nurse in Texas, was rescinded last year by Blue Cross and Blue Shield after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Blue Cross said this was because she had neglected to state on her forms that she had been treated previously … for acne. Beaton eventually persuaded her congressman, Rep. Joe Barton, to twist Blue Cross' arm, but the delay meant it was five months before she could receive her operation. Otto Raddatz, a restaurant owner in Illinois, was rescinded in 2004 by Fortis Insurance Co. after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Fortis said this was because Raddatz had failed to disclose that a CT scan four years earlier had revealed that he had an aneurism and gall stones. Raddatz replied—and his doctor confirmed—that he had never been told about these conditions (the doctor said they were "very minor" and didn't require treatment), but Fortis nonetheless refused a payout until the state attorney general intervened. The delay in treatment eliminated Raddatz's chances of recovery, and he died.
The bottom line is this, we have to have a single payer (government) option. This is the one thing that Big Biz and their minions are fighting the most. Without it we would have the same thing that we have now. What we have now is paying the highest price in the world for the 37th ranked health care.
What single payer means is the country would expand Medicare i.e. to cover all its citizens. If they wanted it. And who wouldn't.
Or you could look at it as everyone receiving Veterans Administration health care. That's what I have and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
So don't believe the scare tactics and lies that the Right is putting out. It's just a part of their evil plan to regain power and it's not in your own best self interest.
Even the nutcases on the Religious Right are getting into the act.
Perkins explains: "In a world of health care rationing, the elderly, the handicapped and the frail are the most likely to lose their lives because care was delayed or denied. Under the government-run plans in England and Canada, the countries' sick and elderly aren't getting the care they need. As a result, their system isn't improving lives but prematurely taking them. Here in the United States, President Obama's rationing would mean that you and I could be denied basic care while our tax dollars are used to underwrite a mother choosing to end the life of her unborn child."
Scare tactics and lies. I guess some of us are just as stupid as the politicians think we are.
Later.

120 comments:

  1. Welcome back, dude! Wow, you come back with a bang! Great post. I gotta say that I hate the term "blue dog". It insults dogs and I'm a canine lover. No, I prefer DINO (Dem In Name Only), and that's a more apt description of what they really are. Obama and the real Dems need to kick teh GOP and these fucking DINO turds to the curb and get this healthcare bill with the public option passed with 51 votes, like what happened with Medicare. I think bi-partisanship is great, but at what cost? Shove this bull down the opposition's throats. We can make this thing work, but we need it to pass first. Fuck 'em, get it done!

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  2. I agree with this column in spades...the problem is not with the blud dogs but with the White House and in particular with the Secretary in charge of health care who opined that the public option was not 'essential' - frm that momemnt on it has been down hill. Obama should can her and take back Daschle who was the right man for the job. paul dunn, a former elected democrat whose dog was never blue.

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  3. Jim writes:

    I guess some of us are just as stupid as the politicians think we are.

    Well, yes, I guess you are!

    Jim also writes:

    Scare tactics and lies.

    Precisely what Marxists and the followers of Saul Alinsky always use to subvert freedom. Your "sources" are highly suspect, Jim...in fact, several of the "victims of mean insurance companies" you use to further your socialist agenda have come out to deny being "victims," unless you include being used by Marxists to further their agenda.

    They just didn't like that your sort is using them to undermine freedom.

    You have such animosity and contempt for your fellow Oklahomans. Why don't you move to that Marxist/Socialist utopia....San Francisco?

    Just think of the thrill of being able to actually vote FOR Nancy Pelosi, and actually pay more in taxes for all the social engineering programs that city and state provides.

    Sounds to me like a match made in....well...how about we just call it the 9th Circle?

    Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmh!

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  4. Just a thought: How well have the feds run ANYTHING? Amtrak? Bankrupt. The Postal Service? Bankrupt! Social Security? Bankrupt? Medicare? Bankrupt. Oh, but wait, the House bill Pelosi is so proud of will take even MORE from the bankrupted Medicare program. Should we call this "double bankrupt?"

    Yes, folks, there are improvements needed to our health care/insurance system. But this over NINETEEN HUNDRED page bill is NOT the answer.

    Let's start with tort reform and then move on to removing "state lines" regarding health insurance.

    If any of you care to do the research, you will find that health care became unaffordable at precisely the time the federal government interjected itself into the equation.

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  5. Hey, DUDE!! How about coming back with a "bang" regarding yesterday's elections and what it says about the American people rejecting the socialist agenda you are supporting?

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  6. Evidently Jim only has the time to respond to the likes of Ruth Wilson and other democrat sycophants that have their lips super-glued to the rear ends of socialists/Marxists that are dedicated to removing freedom from this country.

    Check out his posts at stumpburners.com. That forum will not allow any disagreement with Obama Mania. Jim has found his home!

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  7. Hey Lowdown, I am here to say I am sick and tired of these so called democrats that are nothing more than sorry Republicans. And what is really bad is I think that they are even more sorrier than the republicans because they are suppose to represent us the American working man and women and the poor. You can not be a democrat and straddle the fence. You are either for them or you're against them, like take for instance this deal about the health care, why on earth would a true democrat be for a mandate when they know good and well what a mandate will do for the working people and the poor and their kids,that will have to eventually have to start paying premiums and at a higher rate because they are healthy.

    This crap is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL. The original bill that they first had drawn up had a public option and no mandate, now it has a mandate with no public option, I say bullcrap. I say kill this bill or it will be the end of the so called democrat party, unless they put the public option back in there and take out the mandate.

    As for Anonymous, I may have voted for Obama but at least I got my eyes open wide and can see what's going on, unlike you people from the right who have been clearly brainwashed and never took responsibility for voting yet another term of BUSH, so people could loose their loved ones for a lie, so people could loose their homes etc.

    If being a democrat means you are a socialist, I would a whole lot rather be called a socialist than a capitalist thief. These last eight years of hell that your party gave to the American citizens is in no comparison to Obama in any way. Obama just got started and hope he proves me wrong, but at least I don't have to have someone to tell me how to think like you righties do.

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  8. The last post was made from another Anonymous, just call me Anonymous2,

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  9. There are many of us Democrats that dislike liberals like Obama. Hillary Clinton herself is a rather conservative candidate on many issues. There is such a thing as Liberal Republicans and Conservative Democrats. The problem with us Blue Dogs is that there is no clear definition, but just like the right wing has hijacked the republican party, left wing empty headed liberals have hijacked the left! God help us.

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  10. I wonder how many dems would paint there dogs blue today to get Obama elected now?

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  11. That was really amazing!

    It's very good to know that I'm not the only on the Planet with this kind of position. :)

    You can also visit my website: LifeMusic

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  12. Nice and funny dog :) Topic really interested me. I am quite in in usch a things, so I had really good time while reading this.

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  13. Very long and quite interesting post! Thanks a lot :)

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  14. Very nice dog, nice topic and post, thanks !

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  15. Interesting article in their own way. Maybe not all of his ideas would agree, but he stimulates thought.

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  16. Great article, follow my shop: www.pcsoftwarestore.net

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  17. terrible dog :) but interesting article

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  18. Great article! I love reading your blog about Blue Dogs. Now I know that they are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, financial stability and national security of the United States. Hope that they will do their job very well.

    Thanks for posting!

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  19. I like the color of the dog. I did it once with my dog and it is very cute

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  20. Blue dog, you must be kidding! LOL

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  21. Interesting post :)
    -------------------------------------------------
    Hotel in Corfu

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  22. The Blue Dogs offer an passageway for the Republicans against progressives inside the Democratic Party. Nice article!

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  23. The Blue Dogs have provided key votes on controversial bills backed by the Bush administration. This is the reason or one of the meaning of the blue Dog.

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  24. I really love the color of the dog. Nice post! Thanks for sharing!

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  25. Thanks for sharing! I learned something about Blue Dog "Democrats".

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  26. This topic was presented well. I like your topic. Good post!

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  27. Pretty good post. I enjoyed reading your blog. Thank you!

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  28. Excellent post! Thanks you for sharing this great information with us. Nice topic!

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  29. This is a very good post! I love reading this blog. Thanks for sharing!

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  30. Awesome post! Thanks you for sharing this great information with us.

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  31. There are seldom that we can see and read an informative topic now a days.. Like this is post is very informative

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  32. Do the Bush Administration succeed in this Blue Dog?

    I can't understand what is this all about.

    http://www.jewelrymakingprofessor.com

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  33. Blue dogs tend to be more honest brokers, as they tend to be more moderate, and don't vote along party lines.

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  34. Blue dogs have their own Blue Dog Coalition which means they have a significant voice in their parties.

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  35. Blue Dog is a conservative Democrat. They aren't all for big government and big spending, but tend to support liberal issues

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  36. poor animal. Who did this to him ?

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  37. Who did that to that cute puppy? SO nice

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  38. I guess some of us are just as stupid as the politicians think we are.

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  39. Is that doggie a punk or from haut couture?

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  40. Great article. Thanks or sharing! :)
    http://domains.add.lt/

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  41. Thanks you for sharing this great information with us. Awesome post!

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  42. Very good post. I enjoyed reading your blog. Dog looks so funny he is blue :D

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  43. Politics was allways not clean affair...

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  44. I hate politics, but love this article, don't know why...

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  45. Excellent publish. I ACTUALLY appreciated reading through your site. Canine appears therefore humorous he's azure: DEB.

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  46. Glowing blue pet dogs tend to be truthful agents, because they tend to be reasonable, and do not election together celebration outlines.

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  47. Hi there,
    really nice job,There are many people searching about that now they will find enough sources by your tips.
    Also looking forward for more tips about that

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  48. Blue dog collar... I don't care about the system, I am attracted to a cute cuddly puppy.

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  49. health care nowadays become more and more painful topic.

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  50. What can I say? It's very nice post, and I read some interesting facts

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  51. I feel sad for those animals :(. I don't like these dogs at all...

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  52. Thank you for sharing to us.there are many person searching about that now they will find enough resources by your post.I would like to join your blog anyway so please continue sharing with us

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  53. There are may person searching about that now they will find enough resources by your post,

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  54. Really great post, Thank you for sharing This knowledge.Excellently written article, if only all bloggers offered the same level of content as you, the internet would be a much better place. Please keep it up!

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  55. I respect writer's attitude

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  56. I respect writers attitude too. On the other hand, i feel sad for those animals.

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  57. Thank you for interesting facts.

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  58. Thanks for the information provided. We will still be the one who will decide in the end.
    -Water Lipo

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  59. I may have voted for Obama but at least I got my eyes open wide and can see what's going on, unlike you people from the right who have been clearly brainwashed and never took responsibility for voting yet another

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  60. Poor dog, hope he's the lats one. Good post!

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  61. What have they done to the dog? Oh little poor dog but anyways she is cute

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  62. The dog is cute but sad because they use it for politics

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  63. The tips are indeed very useful keep up posting like this..

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  64. The info provided above is very helpful thanks

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  65. After blue dog they might paint another dog of the next election is red

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  66. I understand and respect the writer however i feel pity for the dog

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  67. We need to stay healthy and learn how to understand our bodies.

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  68. I really enjoy reding your posts as I learn a lot from them. I also broaden my thinking as far as what I can use and do with things

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  69. I need this article to complete my assignment in the college, and it has same topic with your article. Thanks, great share.

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  70. there are many person searching about that now they will find enough resources by your postThis is really interesting,

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  71. Jokesdaily.eu says this post is cool

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  72. There is such a thing as Liberal Republicans and Conservative Democrats. The problem with us Blue Dogs is that there is no clear definition, but just like the right wing has hijacked the republican party, left wing empty headed liberals have hijacked the left! +10

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  73. I will keep visiting this blog very frequently. It is good to see you express from the heart and your clarity on this important subject can be easily observed.

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  74. The original bill that they first had drawn up had a public option and no mandate, now it has a mandate with no public option

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  75. I want a blue dog like that in picture :) Really nice.

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  76. yep.... some great fact about politics...

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  77. Nice blog! Interesting post, effective one.

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  78. this puddle in the pic looks like hes really supposed to be blue:)) now imagine a german shepherd - blue :)))

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  79. Thanks for the information provided.

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  80. That is a lovely shade for the dog!

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  81. I really like this post about blue dog democrat. Thanks a lot for posting!

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  82. Thank you for the interesting article. worthy of attention

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  83. In a world of health care rationing, the elderly, the handicapped and the frail are the most likely to lose their lives because care was delayed or denied. Under the government-run plans in England and Canada, the countries' sick and elderly aren't getting the care they need

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  84. There is such a thing as Liberal Republicans and Conservative Democrats. But thanks for information. It really helps me

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  85. Thanks for a nice post. Very funny looking dog..

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  86. I first time see blue dog it is suprprise for me. But he looks perfect.

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  87. That was really amazing!

    It's very good to know that I'm not the only on the Planet with this kind of position. :)

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I did not mean that Conservatives are generally stupid; I meant, that stupid persons are generally Conservative. I believe that to be so obvious and undeniable a fact that I hardly think any hon. Gentleman will question it.

John Stuart Mill (May 20 1806 – May 8 1873)