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The Blue Dogs are back big-time. Of the more than two dozen Democrats who knocked off sitting congressional Republicans on Tuesday, most if not all line up with the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, meaning these new congressmen will be to the right of their more liberal House leaders.

Formed in the mid-1990s, the Blue Dog members of Congress focus on smart spending, strong defense and good government. The coalition proudly touts a published description of it which said its success was proof that “common sense, conservative economics and compassion aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.”

Glen Browder, who represented Alabama's 3rd U.S. House district from the late 1980s until 1997, was a founding member of the Blue Dogs. With Tuesday's election, he sees a “revival” of the Blue Dog Coalition.

Currently teaching at Jacksonville State University and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., Browder remains an astute observer of the political scene. In 2005, he wrote an open memo to Democratic National Committee head Howard Dean. “I contend that many Democratic leaders and activists evidence a mindset of extremely 'Blue' indignation, with cultural disdain toward 'Red America' in general and toward the white South as freakish, racist embodiment of that redness,” Browder wrote. He says he never heard back from Dean.

This week he took some time out of his schedule to answer our questions about the new Blue Dog wave and what it will mean to national politics.

Q: So we're looking at a national political landscape where Democrats have greater power in the Northeast and the West. In the South, Republicans kept a firm grip on the majority of congressional districts, except for some seats in Virginia, Florida and North Carolina. If the Democrats can achieve a majority in Congress without Dixie, doesn't that isolate the Republican-dominated South?

A: No. Absolutely not. Check the numbers. The Democrats did not achieve a majority in Congress without Dixie, and “there would be no new Democratic

> Congress without southerners

> like Bud Cramer of Alabama.”. No national party can afford to forfeit the South entirely (nor can any national party ignore any section of the country). It would be a monumental mistake for the Democratic Party to 'learn' such a flawed lesson from this election.

Q: Are you familiar with a new book by Thomas F. Schaller, Whistling Past Dixie? It suggests that Democrats should ignore the Senate, at least in the short run. What are your thoughts? Does that sort of premise carry much weight among national Democrats?

A: Some Democratic Party leaders in the past have held this view and attitude - remember John Kerry's ill-fated and ill-stated logic that you could win the White House without a single Southern Electoral College vote? And some people like Schaller still spout such foolishness. The Democratic Party does get the bulk of its support elsewhere; but, fortunately, most national leaders today understand that the road to the magic 218 number (a majority of the 435-member House) inevitably runs through this region.

While places like Alabama provide fertile ground for the Republican Party, the Democrats have to target this region for two simple reasons. First, and obviously, there are some Southern areas and populations that can contribute ideas, candidates, votes, and practical resources to the national party. Second, the Democrats have to craft a message for the South because that message also resonates in other places (like Missouri, Ohio, New Mexico, etc.) that share some of our cultural ideas and political concerns. The party doesn't have to pander to the South or carry the region entirely; but it does have to demonstrate sincere sensitivity to Southern concerns, 'crack' the Solid South, and prevail in other areas with similar inclinations.

Q: The congressman representing Alabama's 3rd District in the U.S. House, Mike Rogers, will soon be a member of the minority party. That's a position you were in for at least part of your time in Congress. What advice would you offer to Rep. Rogers or any other congressman who finds himself in this situation?

A: Mike Rogers is a sharp leader and he doesn't need my advice (although we do talk occasionally). He served well in the minority party in the Alabama House and he has solid experience in Congress. He knows that you have to work harder and smarter as a minority legislator, kind of like swimming upstream rather than downstream. For example, when the Democrats lost control to the Republicans in 1994, I found it necessary to look for allies on the other side of the aisle if I wanted to enact legislation, or pass an amendment, or just wanted to work the system for constituency interests and individual constituents. Congressman Rogers knows the ropes and has good relationships in Washington, so he'll be OK.

Q: While in Congress, you were known as a Blue Dog Democrat, meaning you were a part of a coalition focused on defense and responsible government budgeting. Are some of the Democrats freshly elected to Congress in previously Republican districts potential Blue Dogs themselves? What's the status of this movement you helped found?

A: The Blue Dog Democrats did indeed exercise major influence, but that approach works only when the two parties are fairly evenly divided and neither side has the power or will to tackle tough issues through reasonable compromise. So the Blue Dogs have been relatively quiet in the Republican Congress of the past few years, but I suspect things are about to change. I've looked at the new Blue Dog membership for the new Congress, and it promises tobe a vibrant force in the Democratic Party. The Blue Dogs endorsed 16 candidates in this election; nine won outright (one each in North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, two in New York, and three in Indiana) and a tenth is undecided at the moment. and, except for two members who ran for other offices, every current Blue Dog House Member on the ballot was re-elected, including several in the South (such as our neighbor Georgia) who defeated strong Republican opponents. About half of the approximately 40-member group are Southerners, but there are also New Yorkers and Californians and people from “fly-over” areas throughout the country. So I think that the new Congress will see a revival of Blue Dog influence.

Q: Our editorial board has suggested that Congressman Rogers be a leader in a similar movement in the Republican Party. What are the prospects of a Blue Elephant Coalition emerging?

A: I don't think that this idea is possible, simply because Southern Democrats and Southern Republicans are differently situated within their parties and the broader partisan spectrum in Congress. We Blue Dogs were a moderate/conservative force which put us to the right of our party caucus but in the ideological center of the House membership; the Southern Republicans are on the right of their conservative party, so it's very difficult for them to mediate/compromise in the middle of the overall membership. It's a simple case of partisan/ideological logistics that constrains Southern Republicans.

Q: It appears you are as busy now as when you were in Congress. Tell us how you fill your active days?

A: I keep busy doing what I like to do, but it's nowhere near as hectic as was Congress. I still teach at Jacksonville State University (and help a little at Naval Postgraduate School in California). Right now, I'm working on a biography and getting my papers ready for deposit at the JSU Library. I hope to finish everything up this fall and take things easy; and I'd like to spend more time with my family.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: Three things. First, I still find American democracy and Alabama politics very fascinating and enjoyable; second, I am very grateful for the opportunity to live here and serve Alabama and America; and, finally, I hope people will seriously consider the growing challenges to the future of America's Great Experiment.

IN BRIEF

Born: Jan. 15, 1943 in Sumter, S.C.

Education: BA in History from Presbyterian College (Clinton, S.C.) and PhD in Political Science from Emory University (Atlanta).

Other jobs: Distinguished Visiting Professor at Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, Calif.). Formerly, Investigator with the U.S. Civil Service Commission (Atlanta); sportswriter with the Atlanta Journal (Atlanta).

Hobbies: Reading, writing, enjoying public affairs and sports.

Words to live by: There are a lot of excellent words of wisdom and sage advice that I've only grown to appreciate by stumbling past them; so I'll not burden everybody here with my current pet homilies. However, I do suggest to young readers that you go ask your grandmamas and granddaddies about life, and sooner or later you'll understand and treasure their old-timey sayings and old-fashioned ways.