NRCC attacks Dems who aren’t Blue Dogs

The National Republican Campaign Committee on Thursday went on the attack against 18 freshman Democrats who it said weren’t fiscally conservative enough to earn stripes as “Blue Dog” Democrats.

The only problem was the Blue Dogs said those 18 didn’t ask to be a part of the group, which is the most fiscally conservative coalition within the Democratic caucus.

{mosads}That didn’t stop the NRCC, which blasted press releases to the hometowns of 18 vulnerable freshman, targeting their votes in favor of the $787 billion economic stimulus bill and the $410 billion omnibus spending measure as running counter to their campaign claims to help restore fiscal responsibility to Washington.

Those Democrats the NRCC said were “rejected” by the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition included: John Boccieri (Ohio); Kathy Dahlkemper (Penn.); Steve Driehaus (Ohio); Alan Grayson (Fla.); Debbie Halvorson (Ill.); Martin Heinrich (N.M.); Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio); Larry Kissell (N.C.); Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.); Dan Maffei (N.Y.); Betsy Markey (Colo.); Eric Massa (N.Y.); Tom Perriello (Va.); Gary Peters (Mich.); Mark Schauer (Mich.); Kurt Schrader (Ore.); Harry Teague (N.M.) and Dina Titus (Nev.).

“The new membership list of the Blue Dog Coalition for the 111th Congress was released, but self-proclaimed “fiscal conservative” Rep. Harry Teague’s name was noticeably absent,” a version of the release read. “Despite Teague’s rhetoric that he would be a good steward of the taxpayers’ dollars in Congress, did the Blue Dog Coalition see Teague’s claims as nothing more than empty rhetoric?”

Democrats charged Republicans with trying to score a cheap political point.

“This is yet another fabricated press release sent out by the Republicans who are looking to attack fiscally responsible, commonsense Democrats in the House,” said Blue Dog spokeswoman Kristen Hawn. “It is shameless political ploy that has no basis in truth.”

Republicans countered that if the 18 freshmen were true fiscal hawks, they would be in the Blue Dog Coalition.

“If these self-proclaimed  ‘fiscally responsible’ Democrats aren’t interested in being part of the Blue Dog Coalition because they’re not interested in fiscal responsibility then that is an even greater indictment of them,” said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain.

Blue Dog leaders do closely vet which House Democrats they believe are committed enough to their cause to earn coalition membership and, unlike other groups within the caucus, they keep a limit on the number of members they let in.

Blue Dogs announced two new members this week, Reps. Jason Altmire (Penn.) and Glenn Nye (Va.), bringing the group’s total membership to 51. Hawn said that none of the 18 members listed in the NRCC release asked to join the coalition.

Republicans have made it a priority to vilify the Democratic economic recovery package, as well as the fiscal year 2009 omnibus spending bill – largely put together last year – as wasteful spending projects, and to go after vulnerable Democrats for supporting such bills.

Sixteen of the 18 targeted Democrats voted for the economic recovery bill and the omnibus. The exceptions were Driehaus, who voted against the omnibus, and Perriello, who did not cast a vote on the omnibus funding bill that passed the House last week.

But dozens of current members of the Blue Dog Coalition, including its leaders as well as its newest members, also voted for the economic stimulus and 2009 spending bill.

In the past, the NRCC has attacked vulnerable Blue Dog members for abandoning their core principles in voting for spending bills that raise the deficit.