Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Constitutional Issues Where Is Congress' Spine?

This misconception has been corrected on another thread but is worth mentioning here as well. First of all, just for the record, it was 2006 not 2004 when the Dem's took over the majority in Congress.

But principally, the misconception that the Dem's won Congress back because they fielded anti-war candidates is simply untrue. Look back at the origins of the newly elected, and you will find that most of them, like my newly-elected Dem, are of the Blue Dog variety, and did not campaign on an anti-war platform. Indeed, it was one of the "shames" heaped upon the Dem Leadership Council by the left edge of the Party that Rahm Emmanuel and Co. did not offer much support to those candidates who were openly anti-war, choosing instead to throw their money and influence at the more circumspect, and reticent, when it came to Iraq.

And as a knight points out (thank you!), very few Dem's in either the House or the Senate, voted for this legislation, especially not the leadership. The Blue Dog Democrats are the largest single caucus in the House, with 75 members. Only 41 Democrats in the House voted for the legislation. That means at least 34 - almost half - voted against it.