I first posted this question on January 29, 2010. Six years later I still resonate with much of what I wrote then.
Consider what I recently posted in a comment.
I am no socialist but I am grateful for our democratic socialist programs that care for the poor and the elderly. I told a friend last week that I wish programs like Medicare and Social Security were/are not needed. I wish more charitable people and decent insurance companies existed. In the end it is not an either/or proposition for me. I would love to see the private sector step forward and reduce the need for big govt programs. I am not sure what is preventing people from doing so.So I think that the Blue Dog moniker is still somewhat descriptive of my views. What about you?
In our town we help a clinic that cares for the poor, a Christian homeless shelter, a group that provides bus passes to people needing to go on job interviews as well as other more traditional ministries. The opportunities are out there if we simply look for them.
Ever heard the term "Blue Dog Democrat" and wonder where the term came from? According to the wiki:Former Texas Democrat Rep. Pete Geren is credited for coining the term, explaining that the members had been "choked blue" by "extreme" Democrats from the left.The wiki also describes them like this:
The Blue Dog Coalition describes itself as a group of moderate-to-conservative Democrats committed to financial and national security, favoring compromise and bipartisanship over ideology and party discipline.I like that description and wonder if I am a Blue Dog. I am in favor of those aspects.. I am a huge believer in financial security if it means balancing the budget and paying down the national debt. I think that we should be have a strong national security policy. I think that compromise is not a bad word. I think that ideology and party discipline are not bad but I think the lack of bipartisan governance has created a cynicism in our nation.
So maybe I am a Blue Dog. Albeit a Blue Dog Independent. I do feel that the extremes have choked me blue. :)
What do you think? Are extremes in politics, religion and life choking you blue?
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI think you might just be a blue dog.
I am an extremist. But, I'm an extremist who also believes he is a realist. I realize we have to compromise.
I am extreme when it comes to love and compassion. I am extreme when it comes to social justice. I am extreme when it comes to fighting systemic poverty. I have extreme ideals. But, I'm willing to get there in small steps.
Peace,
Brian
Iink I god in blue, Republican, Democrat, or Independent.
ReplyDeleteI think...I look good in blue. I am gonna blame the computer for my typos, but I take responsibility for not proof-reading.
ReplyDeleteI think you know, KB, that some of my ideological stances have shifted in recent years. As such, I no longer consider myself a Republican as much as I do an independent/moderate. Am I a blue dog? Perhaps - but probably more along the lines of a Blue Dog independent like you...
ReplyDeleteI don't consider myself a member of any party. I wonder if there is a similar term for a Republican who is fed up with the extreme right?
ReplyDeleteWhile I totally respect those with "Extreme" vies to the apathetic majority I think politics by its nature requires politics. That is, one must negotiate and compromise to get anything passed and supported by the majority. Purists, like tea party people of fundamentalists ruin their own party's chances when they refuse to ever budge. Think Romney. he actually WON the independent vote but lost the election by 6 million votes--the number of people in the Republican base who refused to vote for him b/c either he was too moderate OR he was a mormon! Madness.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I consider myself a Conservative, but not a conservative as America would term but as Britain's Conservative Party is. That is, I am fiscally conservative but would say a pragmatist too. Not making my last stand on moral issues that are not the generally in my book not the government's to make, like abortion, gay rights, etc. Also, I am actually very much for a single payer universal health care system far beyond Obama's but that cannot happen here if taking a constitutional only view. Same goes with gun control for me.
ReplyDelete