Pelosi denies claims of too much Blue Dog influence

Centrist, Blue Dog Democrats don’t wield disproportionate influence among Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asserted Thursday.

“We are not a rubber stamp Congress, and we are not a rubber stamp Caucus, nor would I want to be among the leadership of such a Caucus,” Pelosi said in her weekly press conference.

When asked if the Blue Dog members had disproportionate clout in their party, Pelosi responded: “I don’t.”

“I don’t think there is any disproportionate influence when Members speak out in favor of their own constituents,” she later added.

Democratic leaders have held strong in their praise for the centrist Blue Dogs, who’ve at times taken shot at those leaders and have held up passage of preliminary healthcare legislation past the self-imposed August deadline.

Pelosi credited Blue Dogs on the House Energy and Commerce Committee who reached an agreement to allow the mark-up of that legislation to go forward, and predicted relative unity once the final legislation comes up for a vote in the House.

“Our Democrats will be together to vote on comprehensive health care for all Americans,” she said.