Blue Dog Demos welcome their new members to House

WASHINGTON — The Blue Dog Democrats, including Utah's lone Democratic House member Jim Matheson, welcomed their new members to the House Wednesday and made clear that the group of moderate lawmakers will be heard in the new Congress.

The upcoming session means Matheson's tenure is up as administration co-chairman on the Blue Dog caucus. Now he will focus on the Blue Dogs' political action committee, which raises money to help elect Democrats who support the caucus' main priorities

Matheson said the Blue Dogs, which now number 44 members, stress improved government accountability, a strong national defense and economic growth along with financial responsibility.

With Democrats now controlling the House, Matheson said, the group will have a stronger role in setting the agenda.

"Blue Dogs have always tried to work in a bipartisan way," Matheson said. "Blue Dogs gave the Democrats the majority."

Voters elected nine of the candidates the Blue Dogs supported, and Matheson will now raise money to help put more of those types of candidates in office if possible.

Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif., the Blue Dog's outgoing co-chairman for communications, said that before last week's election, it seemed no one listened to what the Blue Dogs wanted.

Now, "our bark is louder than ever," Cardoza said.

Other members said this group will not be a "rubber stamp" for anyone, including their fellow, but more liberal, Democrats in the House.

After the 1994 election that sent a slew of Republicans to the House, Democrats formed the Blue Dog caucus, named by the founding members whose moderate-to-conservative views had been "choked blue" by their party in the years leading up to that election.

---

E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com