Bye Bye Blue Dogs

The National Journal notes that Rep. Jim Matheson's retirement helps spell the end of the Blue Dog caucus in the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, Matheson's retirement continues the decline of two overlapping Democratic groups: Blue Dogs and Democrats who opposed Nancy Pelosi's bid to continue leading their caucus after the electoral shellacking of 2010. There are just 15 Blue Dog Democrats in the House now, down from 26 in the previous Congress and 54 in the Congress before that. Meanwhile, 19 Democrats publicly opposed Pelosi for speaker on the House floor in January 2011, and Matheson will become the 11th to leave the House at the end of his term.

The Blue Dogs and neoliberal New Democrats are not centrist. They are corporate cronies. The Third Way has operated as an unofficial think tank for New Democrats and Blue Dogs. The Third Way attacked Sen. Elizabeth Warren after Warren advocated for think tanks to reveal their corporate donations. Corporations donate to the Third Way to get white papers to advocate policies friendly to corporate interests. Blue Dogs and New Democrats then cite these studies when they advocate fir less regulations and tax cuts.

Blue Dogs and New Democrats are dying off because no one needs them. Progressives can't stand phony centrist Democrats. Republicans and corporations rather have a big business friendly Republican than a Democrat in a congressional seat. Centrist Democrats are triangulating themselves out of office.