A sort of analysis of the so-called Blue Dog Dems in today's Guardian (Guardianunlimited.com), the UK liberal daily that often sees more clearly than most US papers, from Dylan Loewe. These Blue Dogs barely got hold of their seats, and that because of rage at the Republicans...But what a place to hang a possible victory in health care this is turning out to be....BP

As Congress' summer recess continues to produce town hall after town hall of screaming protesters and organised chaos, it's not hard to see why Barack Obama wanted to get healthcare reform finished by the end of July. Nothing like sending a batch of already paranoid members of Congress back to their districts, only to have their worst fears echoed in the voices of an angry mob.

Thank the Blue Dogs.

Before the healthcare debate, the coalition of conservative Democrats were a relatively obscure group to most Americans. But when they stalled the House energy and commerce committee's markup of the healthcare bill, the Blue Dogs emerged in the front of our political conscience.

So who are there, and how did they get in the way of all this?

The Blue Dogs formed their alliance in 1995. There is some dispute over the origin of the name. It's partly an homage to the yellow dogs, a group of southern Democrats who opposed their party's view on issues like segregation and civil rights, but who refused to join the Republican party founded by Abraham Lincoln. Some Blue Dogs have described the colour choice as a function of being squeezed so hard to toe the party line that they've turned blue. Others say that, like a dog that's been left out in the cold, they've turned blue.

After the Democrats' impressive victories in 2006 and 2008, 21 freshman Democrats joined the Blue Dog coalition, having been elected in ultra-conservative districts, largely on a wave of anti-Republican anger.

The wins were critical for the party. Democrats retook control of the House. But while the outcome helped liberalise the Congress, it was a moderating force on the Democratic caucus itself. It wasn't just that the House Democrats now included 52 Blue Dogs. It was that those members also happened to be the most vulnerable.

It's the same story in almost every conservative district the Democrats won. For years and years, a Republican held the seat. Other Republican politicians in the area, itching to move up the ladder, waited patiently – though with frustration – for that member of Congress to finally retire and give them a shot at the big show. They built their networks of contacts and bases of power, counting down the years until it finally would be their turn. Then, seemingly out of the blue, the guy they've been praying would finally retire gets beaten in an upset by one of Rahm Emanuel's conservative Democratic recruits.

ewe

Guardian, 8-13-09