> DEATH OF THE BLUE DOGS? -- "Two years after the 2010 midterm elections decimated their ranks, the coalition of conservative Democrats is poised to get pummeled again in November - moving the Blue Dogs dangerously close to extinction," Alex Isenstadt writes for POLITICO this morning. "Of the 24 remaining Blue Dogs, five are not seeking reelection. More than a half-dozen others are facing treacherous contests in which their reelection hopes are in jeopardy. It's a rough time to occupy the right wing of the Democratic Party. 'It's a tough environment out there,' said former Alabama Rep. Bud Cramer, a longtime member of the House Blue Dog Coalition. 'Their numbers are down. Redistricting has not been kind to them.'
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> -- Cramer nailed it: Redistricting is at the root of the Blue Dog problem. The once-in-a-decade line-drawing has forced some of them to compete for seats that have become even less friendly to Democrats - and those seats weren't very friendly to begin with. Utah Rep. Jim Matheson, Georgia Rep. John Barrow and North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre are among those who have been thrust into deeply Republican territory after being targeted in GOP-led redistricting efforts in their home states.
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> All three members are regarded as strong and experienced campaigners who have figured out a way to survive on politically perilous turf. Still, 2012 will prove to be the toughest election any of them has faced. Each has drawn serious Republican opposition and they rank high atop GOP target lists."http://politi.co/HITfqI