Coming Home

Posted by on 2017-06-22

Democrats often complain that Bernie Sanders should either join the Democratic Party or knock off the criticism. I even hear this from people who admire the direction Sanders is trying to move the party.

But they forget that the Democratic Party includes many Senators much less reliable on liberal and progressive issues. In the House the party even winks at a faction known as the Blue Dog Coalition which proudly votes conservative. Call them mavericks or traitors, the Democratic Party never knows whether any of these “wildcards” are going to be assets or liabilities. But it’s had a reliable friend in Sanders.

The Senate has 52 Republicans, 46 Democrats, and 2 Independents. Of the 46 Democrats, 8 are conservatives and most are centrists. Though it often invokes the memory of the New Deal, the Civil Rights and Labor movements, and Camelot, this is a party that has put a lot of distance between itself and its most cherished values. The corporate-friendly entity that exists today is little more than a fundraising machine. And Democrats, though the memories are sweet, may never be able to come home.

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Democratic Senate Conservatives:

  • Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida
  • Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri
  • Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
  • Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota
  • Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana
  • Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia
  • Sen. Jon Tester of Montana
  • Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia

Democratic House Conservatives (Blue Dogs):

  • Rep. Brad Ashford of Nebraska
  • Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois
  • Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida
  • Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota
  • Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois
  • Rep. David Scott of Georgia
  • Rep. Filemon Vela of Texas
  • Rep. Gwen Graham of Florida
  • Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas
  • Rep. J. Luis Correa of California
  • Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee
  • Rep. Jim Costa of California
  • Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey
  • Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon
  • Rep. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona
  • Rep. Loretta Sanchez of California
  • Rep. Mike Thompson of California
  • Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia
  • Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida
  • Rep. Tom O’Halleran of Arizona
  • Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas
Liberalism

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