THE BLUE DOGS BARK - AT 5:16 P.M. ET:   Moderate and conservative Democrats are asserting themselves in Congress more strongly than they have in years, and the results are starting to show.  From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Fiscally conservative House Democrats forced leaders of their party on Tuesday to slow the pace of work on legislation to overhaul the health care system to consider their concerns about the cost of the bill, its expansion of federal power and the contours of a proposed new government health insurance plan.

The fiscal conservatives, members of the House Blue Dog Coalition, pressed their concerns on President Obama at a White House meeting. The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, postponed a session of the panel, scheduled for Tuesday, so he could meet with Blue Dogs, who hold 8 seats on the committee, a potentially decisive number, since the panel includes 36 Democrats and 23 Republicans.

COMMENT:  For decades, starting in 1939, Congress was essentially run by a coalition of moderate Democrats and cooperative Republicans.  We may see those times again, saving the nation from the California and Massachusetts Democratic delegations. 

The health-care "reform" bill is indeed running into heavy opposition from the competent and the sane.  Unless Obama truly pulls something out of the hat, the bill will either fail or be heavily modified in the correct direction.

Now let's see the Blue Dogs make their presence felt on foreign policy.

By the way, if you want a definition of "Blue Dog Democrat," just Google in the term.  You'll get plenty of information.

July 21, 2009