Lampson: Blue Dog, Yellow Dog or just a Lap Dog?

Just what kind of dog is Nick Lampson?

Lampson was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 9th congressional district from 1997 to 2005. After redistricting, he was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Texas's 2nd congressional district in 2004. Since he couldn't get elected there, he figured he'd move over to Stafford in CD 22 (well, at least he has an address here) where he got lucky in 2006 because... well, you know the story.

Now, all those years he was a Congressman in the 9th Nick never really cared about what kind of dog he was. Didn't need to. Before he redistricting took place, the 9th was a pretty safe Democrat bet. He could vote just like the liberal hound dog he is and get away with it.

But CD22 is a whole different kennel. In 2004 Bush whooped up on John Kerry by a margin of 64% t0 36%.

So what does Lampson try to do when he gets to DeeCee? He decides he better start running with a new pack of pooches. The so-called "Blue Dog" Democrats. As you may or may not know, self-proclaimed “Blue Dog Democrats” are a coalition of Democrat legislators who claim to adhere to the principles of fiscal conservatism and balanced budgets.

But they don't. As the Wall Street Journal has pointed out:

Voting records from recent years confirm that the blue dogs are less than consistent spending hawks. The National Taxpayers Union did some checking and found that the blue dogs had an average fiscal score of 24 out of 100, earning them a grade of D as a group. It also found that last year the blue dogs sponsored $145 of new spending for every dollar of budget reductions, for a net spending increase per member of more than $140 billion. The blue dogs are consistent on one fiscal issue: stopping tax cuts.

In reality, what the Blue Dog Democrats are is a cover group intended to help liberal politicians from red states, like Slick Nick Lampson, try to convince their constituents that they aren’t like the big-government, tax-and-spend types from California or Massachusetts. It lets them pay lip service to the principles of fiscal restraint and low taxes and campaign on those things without actually having to support them.

Thanks to Project Vote Smart, however, Ol' Nick can't hide from his liberal big-spending record. Check him out:

• 2003-2004 Representative Lampson supported the interests of the National Tax Limitation Committee only 3 percent of the time.


• He supported the interests of the Americans for Tax Reform only 20 percent of the time.


• And, he voted with the National Taxpayers Union only 21 percent of the time.
  

Nick Lampson. Just a really scary dog of any color.