Congressman Cramer is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of 47 conservative House Democrats dedicated to common-sense legislative initiatives.  Congressman Cramer was one of the founding members of the Blue Dogs in 1994, and he served as Chairman of the group during the 106^th Congress.

The Blue Dog Coalition has built a reputation as a serious player in the policy arena, promoting positions which bridge the gap between ideological extremes.  Many of the group's policy proposals have been praised as fair, responsible, and positive additions to a Congressional environment too often marked as partisan and antagonistic. 
 

The 47 conservative and moderate Democrats in the group hail from every region of the country, although the group acknowledges some southern ancestry which accounts for the group's nickname.  Taken from the South's longtime description of a party loyalist as one who would vote for a yellow dog if it were on the ballot as a Democrat, the "Blue Dog" moniker was taken by members of The Coalition because their moderate-to-conservative-views had been "choked blue" by their party in the years leading up to the 1994 election.
 

The Coalition was formed in the 104^th Congress as a policy-oriented group to give moderate and conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives a common sense, bridge-building voice within the institution.  Most agree that, since then, the Blue Dogs have successfully injected a moderate viewpoint into the Democratic Caucus, where group members now find greater receptiveness to their opinions.  In fact, the continuing political success of "Blue Pups" in the 1998, 2000 and 2002 elections points to the public's approval of the centrist, fiscally responsible message represented by The Coalition.  
 

The Blue Dogs have been particularly active on fiscal issues and have played a key role in shaping the framework of the federal budget.  Past Coalition budgets have won the endorsement of the nonpartisan Concord Coalition and multiple newspaper and magazine editorials.  As one column pointed out, the Blue Dogs have proven that "common sense, conservative economics and compassion aren't necessarily mutually exclusive." 

In the 110^th Congress, the Coalition continues to make a difference by forging middle-ground, bipartisan answers to the current challenges facing the Country.  Their efforts include working on balancing the budget while protecting the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds.  The group is also involved in health care reform, education, regulatory reform, taxes, defense, and veterans' affairs.