I've written often about phony Democrats on Capitol Hill, especially the Blue Dogs, who are actually Republicans just calling themselves Democrats.

As the Democratic base throughout the country was high-fiving after the 2006 elections installed a so called Democratic majority in the House, I thought that there were too many conservative Dems in that group, recruited by former investment banker, Clintonite NAFTA ramrod, and pseudo-Democrat, Rahm Emanuel, as well as some of those elected in 2008.  It was a Pyrrhic victory and I wasn't the only one who was skeptical.

Jonathan Tasini at Working Life writes: "I remember quite clearly a very honest discussion I had with a Member of Congress at an event about six months before the 2008 mid-term elections. I've known this person for a few years and I remarked that it looked like the Democratic Party was poised to make significant gains in the House in the 2008 elections. I thought this person would be thrilled. But, this person was not because s/he worried that the new Democratic members would be far more conservative--hailing from "swing districts"--and would keep pushing the very policies of the so-called "free market" that have done so much damaged to people."

And these conservative, phony Democrats aka Blue Dogs have been dominant and victorious on Capitol Hill, joining with obstructionist Republicans to deliberately craft and support ineffective, diluted legislation, "reform" bills that aren't, while being controlled and bought by corporations and coddled and stroked by the White House, all of which negatively impacts on already struggling regular Americans and effectively continues GOP, Bushite government of, by, and for the wealthy few.

Jane Hamsher at Firedoglake writes: "Maxine Waters blasts Rahm and the Blue Dogs on MSNBC, and says what we're seeing on health care is because the White House won't reign them in. MSNBC's Carlos Watson asks the great questions everyone should be asking:

WATSON: Is the President and Rahm Emanuel -- former member of the House -- are they treading too lightly here, are they not bringing out the big stick against some of those Blue Dog Democrats and saying "we've got a once in a four-decade opportunity to get this passed, everyone knows how easy it is for momentum to dissipate, you guys have to get on board and we've got to go forward and make sure that everyone has better health care, is covered, and hopefully better quality of outcome?

WATERS: Well that may be difficult for Rahm Emanuel, because don't forget -- he recruited most of them. As when he was over in the Congress, in the leadership, Rahm Emanuel recruited  more conservative members and based on some of the information I'm getting, they told them that they could vote the way they wanted to vote, that they would not interfere with what was considered their philosophy about some of these things.  So, now the chickens have come home to roost.

"Of course they did.  Because Rahm believes what the Blue Dogs believe.  What's to interfere with?  And let's remember -- Rahm beat the shit out of progressives on the supplemental/IMF and on Waxman-Markey.  It's not like he has a "hands off" policy."