here are 37 Blue Dog  or "moderate" Democrats in the 110th Congress. That's using the projected 229 official Dems, 2 Independents caucusing with us. If the current totals hold, (c'mon Christine Jennings!) that's still 16%(see the list at http://www.house.gov/cardoza/BlueDogs/me mbers.htm )

That seems like a lot, to me. Sixteen percent "moderate" Democrats. Sixteen percent having special little "meetings" with the President. http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/12/06/tr ouble/ Some of that 16% voting for torture in our name. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/7/ 13932/7541 Some doing the Family Research Council's bidding on issues like marriage "protection", eliminating abortion on military bases, and embryonic stem cell research. http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WL06L15

Sixteen percent. Well, we can afford it. After all, we're in the majority, and we can count on "moderate" Republicans voting for common sense issues, rather than picking away at our 16% just for political points. We have moderates, and they have moderates, right? Right?

According to the New York Times:

Representative Ellen O. Tauscher of California, a co-chairwoman of the 47-member New Democrat Coalition, said that 27 of the top 40 contested House seats were being pursued by Democrats who have pledged to become members of the group, which says its chief issues are national security and fiscal responsibility.

"I think there's tremendous agreement and awareness that getting the majority and running over the left cliff is what our Republican opponents would dearly love," Ms. Tauscher said, adding that this was something "we've got to fight."

juls at Calitics notes that Ellen and the -strikeout text-Lap-strikeout text- Blue Dogs went off to see the Wizard http://www.calitics.com/showDiary.do?dia ryId=1438