Blue Dogs Dissatisfied with Lack of Change in Democratic Caucus

In recent years our partys message has failed because it has failed to prioritize working men and women across this country. . . Washington The Blue Dog Coalition released the following joint statement in reaction to todays Democratic Caucus leadership elections and the state of the Democratic Party:

The last few election cycles have not been good for Democrats. We watched as our partys membership in the House dwindled from 257 to 193 over the last four cycles. While Blue Dogs currently make up less than 10 of the Democratic Caucus half of the seats that Democrats flipped this cycle are new Blue Dogs. In cycles past there have been easy scapegoats; there have been faults offered and fingers pointed. This year however as Republicans placed the most unpopular candidate in US history at the top of their ticket Democrats should have handily made significant gains in the House. There is no excuse.  We need a new direction.  We need to broaden our tent and make fighting for working middle class men and women our top priority. In recent years our partys message has failed because it has failed to prioritize working men and women across this country many of whom live in rural America and are the good hardworking people that make up our Blue Dog districts. These are the same people who as this cycle has proven are our only path to regaining the majority. If we refuse to realize this as a priority we are guaranteed to face the same outcome in 2018 and beyond. Its time we embrace the many voices that make up our Democratic Caucus with every member playing a role in the future of our party and our country."

  The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and appealing to the mainstream values of the American public.  The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics and are committed to working across the aisle to find solutions to the biggest issues facing the United States.  Visit the Blue Dog website at http://bluedog.schrader.house.gov/ to learn more.  You can also news updates on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/HouseBlueDogs.