True North

Last week, El Tinklenberg was endorsed by the Blue Dog Democrats, a group often thought to be comprised of moderate Democrats in the House. Mr. Tinklenberg is running against my representative, Michele Bachmann. I've often thought that this group was similar to the DLC in that they're still liberal, just not as crazy as loons like Maxine Waters and Dennis Kucinich.

According to the Club For Growth's Congressional Scorecard, that's sometimes the case but it isn't always the case. First let's look at what's posted on Tinklenberg's blog about the Blue Dogs' endorsement:

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.

With a description like that, you'd think that they represented the pro growth 'wing' of the party. Let's compare that with CFG's ratings.

Nick Lampson, TX-22, is the highest rated Blue Dog. He's rated 194th with a 29% rating. FYI- TX-22 is Tom DeLay's old district. Jim Cooper, Jim Matheson and Gene Taylor follow closely behind with 28%, 28% and 27% respectively.

By now, I'll bet you're thinking that that sounds pretty moderate. For the most part, it is. The trouble with the Blue Dog's fiscally responsible image isn't with these guys. Their trouble is with other members of their coalition.

Mike Arcuri's CFG rating is 0%, meaning he didn't vote for anything on this list:

• Making the Bush tax cuts permanent
• Death tax repeal
• Cutting and limiting government spending
• Social Security reform with personal retirement accounts
• Expanding free trade
• Legal reform to end abusive lawsuits
• Replacing the current tax code
• School choice
• Regulatory reform and deregulation

You can't get much worse than that. Rep. Arcuri finished tied for 426th place in the House of Representatives.

Let's be fair and look at someone with a solid reputation of being a moderate. Collin Peterson certainly fits that description. Rep. Peterson's CFG rating is 8%, which translates into a 300th place finish. By comparison, Keith Ellison, Dennis Kucinich, Maxine Waters and Barb Lee finished with a 6% rating, which translates into them finishing in a tie for 326th place.

Interesting tidbit: Barb Lee was the only representative to vote against going to war in Afghanistan. That's the definition of a lefty.

Let me be clear about something. I don't know where in the ratings Mr. Tinklenberg would fall if he got elected. Thankfully, I won't have to find out. My point is that the endorsement by the Blue Dogs isn't everything that it's being played up to be. Some of them rate with the most liberal representatives in Congress.

That isn't the type of endorsement I'd seek. You can put all the lipstick on that pig that you want but it still won't change that facts.

Comments welcome at LFR.