Blue Dogs Named After Blue Dog

Speaking of health care, did you know the Blue Dog Democrats were named after George Rodrigue’s iconic Blue Dog?  I didn’t.

Here’s the story:

The term “Blue Dog” is reputably a reference to paintings of Cajun
artist George Rodrigue, which feature a blue dog. So of those paintings
hung in the offices of two Louisiana representatives who were among the
original founders of the coalition. Members explain that “A blue dog is
our mascot because when dogs are not let into the house, they stay
outside in the cold and turn blue,” meaning that moderate and
conservative Democrats felt left out of the Party which they believe
had shifted to the political left. They also claim that they were
“choked by the Democratic party until they turned blue.”

Read full article by Richard Mays via The Sun-Times.

Also, George Rodrigue is now on a book tour for his new children’s book Are You Blue Dog’s Friend?
  Click here to see if and when he is coming to your city.

And finally, I just discovered his wife Wendy’s terrific new blog, Musings of an Artist’s Wife.  I especially like this post on seeing art as opposed to just looking at it.  Stop by and say hi.