While there is some drama in tonight's elections--most notably in Maine and New Jersey--there is little to no drama in the two prominent campaigns featuring conservative, Blue Dog style Democrats. In Virginia, Creigh Deeds is going to get crushed by Bob McDonnell. In the New York 23rd congressional district special election, Bill Owens is likely to get trounced by Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.
Even though conservative Democrats are about to lose--and lose hard--at least one Blue Dog is none the less declaring that these defeats are a sign that Democrats as a whole should act more like Blue Dogs. Representative Jason Altmire:
Centrist Blue Dog Democrats might see their position strengthened if Democrats suffer broader electoral losses, one Blue Dog member suggested Tuesday.
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) argued that an election night rebuke for Democratic candidates across the nation could lead some in the party to rethink their plans on healthcare reform and other issues.
"It looks as though the anger that has been boiling up the last couple of months is going to lead to a pretty high turnout from Republicans and from people who are concerned about increased spending," Altmire said Monday evening during an appearance on Fox Business Network.
The message here is that Blue Dog losses are a sign that more Democrats should be like Blue Dogs. Presuming that Blue Dog victories would also, in the eyes of Blue Dogs, be a sign that Democrats as a whole should be more like Blue Dogs, then really there is nothing that can happen at the ballot box that would not be a sign Democrats should be more like Blue Dogs.
In a way, this is actually perfect thinking for our current system of government. Wall Street crashes the economy, so give more money to Wall Street. Health insurance costs too much, so give them more customers with little competition. Energy and agriculture conglomerates are the largest polluters in America, so construct a climate change bill that gives those conglomerates tens of billions of dollars.
Blue Dog Democrats lose, so Democrats should be more like Blue Dogs. It all makes perfect sense, as long as your goal isn't actually for Democrats to win elections.
