Democratic Big Dogs In The Senate

Last week, I debuted the Yellow Dog Blog, Senate Weasel Meter, a device that will show us on a monthly basis which Democratic senators have a lousy habit of voting like Republicans.

Today, we look at the more positive side of that equation – the senators who make us proud to be Democrats. These are the stalwarts we can always count on to vote like Democrats and who have a social conscience and moral compass that seldom waver.

Unlike some of the DINOs (Democrat In Name Only) that we'll be keeping an eye on, these are senators that the Yellow Dog Blog never worries about.

To qualify, these folks have to go above and beyond the call of liberal duty, sticking to their guns when vastly outnumbered and when compromise with the conservatives seems politically expedient. So, for example, Senate Democrats don't get yellow-dog points for voting down the party line, as in the votes on Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown. However, the few who voted the wrong way on those ended up on the Weasel Meter.

These Senate Big Dogs have earned their rankings (so far) based on keeping the faith with these votes:

• Voted against confirming Condoleezza Rice to be Secretary of State
• Voted against the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005
• Voted against motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Priscilla Richman Owen, of Texas, to be U.S. Circuit judge

The following is the Yellow Dog Blog list of top Senatorial Big Dogs, so far, in 2005, with the volume of yellow dogs representing the number of righteous votes on the above issues:

Barbara Boxer (D-CA)




Mark Dayton (D-MN)



Edward Kennedy (D-MA)



John Kerry (D-MA)



Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)



Carl Levin (D-MI)



Jack Reed (D-RI)



We love these guys. They stand by their -- and our -- values and, our personal favorite, Senator Barbara Boxer gives them hell on every issue.

Like the Weasel Meter, this will be updated and posted on or around the first of every month.

All hail the Big Dogs!