Reply #28: How they do it. Remember when Hoyer caved in to them...intimidated.

[madfloridian]

Hoyer: FISA bill passed to keep the Blue Dogs from demanding a stronger bill. Absurdity.

Hoyer said that if House Democratic leaders failed to reach a FISA deal with the White House and GOP leaders, as many as “30 Blue Dogs and another 20 to 30 members” could have signed onto a Republican discharge petition calling for a floor vote on the Senate version of the FISA bill, which was even more anathema to House Democrats than what eventually passed. Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) confirmed that “there were a lot of Blue Dogs getting anxious” and “a lot” of them would have signed a discharge petition.

“You can take a position and be a purist and sort of sit around yelling at each across the divide and nothing gets done,” Hoyer said. “The American people, they want us to get this done. That’s the whole thing to me.”

They won in the House by threatening to enable Republicans.

That is what this coalition we criticize is about: Bayh's group will threaten to enable Republicans if they do not get their way.

That is so dangerous. 3 of them are afraid to say they are members. The party is warning us off being critical of them.

That, my friends, is where the power lies in our party. In Democrats who will vote Republican to keep that corporate agenda.

Dear Chris Van Hollen, you don't seem to be aware how these groups intimidate our party. And sir, you need not try to intimidate activists who really do care about where our party goes from here.