Tuesdays Dogs? What the hell are Tuesday Dogs, you ask? That is the proposed name for a bipartisan group of representatives from the Democrat’s Blue Dog caucus and the GOP’s Tuesday Group Caucus. Here’s the deal:
“In an effort to boost their influence in the sharply divided chamber, members of the moderate Republican and Democratic House factions indicated Wednesday that the two groups may coordinate efforts in the 110th Congress and could move to create a formal bipartisan coalition in the new session,” Jennifer Yachnin and Susan Davis report for Roll Call.
“Members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition and the centrist Republican Tuesday Group met in advance of the Nov. 7 elections, Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) said Wednesday, to discuss areas where the groups could align,” the article continues.
“We have a lot of common interests,” Matheson told Roll Call after his meeting with Republican Rep. Mark Kirk (Ill.), co-chair of the GOP Tuesday Group.
I’m scratching my head trying to think what kind of common interests they might have. It turns out that the common interests have something to do with the ‘Suburban Agenda’. Now, I have nothing against the suburbs. I grew up in suburbs (kind of, if Princeton can be called a typical suburb). So, I was interested to know what might be involved in the a suburban agenda. Could it be something to do with tackling sprawl? Better roads with more lanes? Lower property taxes? Better schools? It doesn’t look like it.
According to Matheson, the moderate coalitions are most likely to work together on pro-growth and fiscal legislation, while Kirk cited issues such as expanding stem-cell research and portions of the “Suburban Agenda,” an effort spearheaded by Kirk that includes legislation to stop online sexual predators and improve access to health care.
“At this point, we’re starting a dialogue,” Kirk said in an interview Wednesday, adding that the recent influx of new moderate Democrats elected last Tuesday will bolster opportunities to govern “from the political center.”
Kirk said the two groups will hold a luncheon to swap legislative agendas when Congress returns the week of Dec. 4. There they will discuss the possible creation of a new bipartisan caucus that Kirk dubbed the “Tuesday Dogs.”
I’m all for finding Republicans that will help us override Bush’s veto on stem-cell research. I am all for expanding access to health-care. Although, living in Philadelphia I have a hard time associating increased access to health care with a suburban agenda. If anything, it seems like an urban agenda. But, whatever you want to call it, I welcome Republicans that want to help. But let’s get serious here. This group is not about helping people that live $500,000 homes get access to health care. It’s about keeping their taxes low (“most likely to work together on pro-growth and fiscal legislation.”)
I’ll admit that after twelve years of being treated like a red-headed stepchild I am, perhaps overly, suspicious of anything bi-partisan. I have a strong urge for revenge. I’d like to see the Republicans holding hearings in the basement, next to the furnace. I’d like to see them locked out of conference committees. I’d like to see them railroaded and made completely ineffectual until they start whimpering and begging for mercy.
But that is probably not the right way to go. It wasn’t right when they did it to us and if a group of Republicans wants to reach out and offer to help us accomplish some important things like funding stem-cell research, I’m okay with that. It certainly won’t happen without their help.
I’m more concerned about our Blue Dog Democrats crossing over to back GOP amendments that screw up progressive legislation. That’s why Louise Slaughter needs to run the Rules Committee with an iron-fist.
The Blue Dogs have very little actual power in the new House. They have solid representation on Agriculture. Other than that, Progressives pretty much will be running the show. So, the Tuesday Dogs probably won’t have a lot to do.
We shall see.
