Bayh: My Group of Blue Dogs 'Literally Has No Agenda' Other Than Blocking Obama's
Yesterday, MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change, and several other progressive groups began running ads urging “moderate� Democratic members of Congress to “get on board with the president’s budget.� The ads are, in part, a response to Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and 14 of his Democratic colleagues who are creating what they call a “moderate coalition that will meet regularly to shape public policy.� Bayh responded to the new ads late yesterday, telling Politico that his group of “moderates� should not be targeted because they have “no agenda�:
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) is also unhappy with the friendly fire. Bayh…found himself targeted by an ad accusing him of “standing in the way of President Obama’s reforms.� “We literally have no agenda,� Bayh shot back. “How can they be threatened by a group that has taken no policy positions?�
Bayh’s claim that his group has no agenda is hard to believe. Indeed, as the Wall Street Journal explained yesterday, the group’s “stated goal is to…protect business interests.� Even before the group was officially formed, their efforts dampened a number of progressive policy proposals and they clearly have aspirations to expand their portfolio:
