| (Washington, D.C.) As a leader of the fiscally conservative, Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) will meet with President Bush Friday in the Oval Office at the President’s invitation to discuss how Congress can work with the Administration in the 110th Congress.
Last month, Ross was voted as Co-Chair for Communications of the Blue Dogs, one of four leadership positions to lead the Blue Dog Coalition when the 110th Congress convenes in January 2007.
“I am pleased the President has taken this opportunity to reach across the aisle to the leaders of the Blue Dogs and myself, because there is a great deal that unites us as Americans,” Ross said. “We have an opportunity over the next two years to work together in a bipartisan fashion to bring about common sense ideas to help solve many of the difficult challenges that we face as a nation.”
Other Democratic Blue Dog Coalition leaders who will also meet with the President tomorrow include Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration; Rep. Dennis Moore of Kansas, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy; and Rep. Stephanie Herseth of South Dakota, Blue Dog Whip.
The conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 as a response the Republican tidal wave that swept Democrats out of power. The Blue Dogs represent the center of the House of Representatives and appeal to the mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States.
The Blue Dog Coalition is set to grow from 37 members to at least 44 members when the 110th Congress convenes in January 2007. Due to the efforts of Ross and other conservative Democrats, the Blue Dog Coalition has now become one of the largest organized caucuses of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Blue Dog members hail from every region of the country, and numerous political experts, scholars and pundits have credited Ross and the Blue Dogs for helping the Democratic Party retake the majority in the House of Representatives during last week’s midterm elections.
Ross has been a member of the Conservative Blue Dog Coalition since he was first elected to represent Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District in Congress in 2000. He currently serves as Whip of the Blue Dogs for the 109th Congress, and is responsible for keeping the coalition of 37 members together on numerous issues of fiscal responsibility and national security.
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