Blue Dog Democrat Mike Ross to leave seat wide open for Republicans

◼ The ranks of the Blue Dogs have already dwindled significantly, thanks to the 2010 midterm election, in which a number of moderate incumbents met defeat. According to the WSJ, “mod Dems” in the House shrank from 51 in the 110th Congress to just 25 in the 111th. - HotAir

From a certain nostalgic, idealistic perspective, the shrinking numbers of Blue Dogs is truly lamentable. How nice it would be if our senators and representatives still met over friendly meals and met in the middle on controversial issues! But from a practical, forward-thinking perspective, the increasing polarization at least makes the choice between big-government and small-government advocates clearer (especially when Republicans actually hold the conservative line — but more on that in another post!).

It’s certainly encouraging to see the congressional delegation of a conservative state like Arkansas actually reflect the conservatism of the state. Ross’ exit opens the door for a complete transformation of that delegation.