adj. Relating to the intense anger felt by activists within the United States Democratic party, particularly regarding the results of the 2000 presidential election and the Florida recount.
2003
Gephardt seems to be his top opponent," said John Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California. "But money and momentum make Dean the favorite. The race is not over. You can never be sure what will happen until real people cast real votes. But Dean is the candidate of the 'blue hots' — blue-state Democrats who are passionate about politics and angry about Bush.
2003
Among the general electorate, ordinary people who don't follow politics too much, Florida 2000 is already part of history. You may as well be talking about the Punic Wars," says Jack Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College. "But for Democratic activists, it's very much alive."
Indeed, Professor Pitney sees the recount as sparking a "blue-hot" sentiment among the Democratic base — a reference to the intensity of the "fire" burning on the left, and the fact that these voters hail from "blue" states — that has dominated the primary battle so far.
"The Democrats are angry," he says. "The recall is a blue-hot issue; the Texas redistricting is a blue-hot issue. And of course, Dean is the blue-hot candidate.
Indeed, Professor Pitney sees the recount as sparking a "blue-hot" sentiment among the Democratic base — a reference to the intensity of the "fire" burning on the left, and the fact that these voters hail from "blue" states — that has dominated the primary battle so far.
"The Democrats are angry," he says. "The recall is a blue-hot issue; the Texas redistricting is a blue-hot issue. And of course, Dean is the blue-hot candidate.
2003 (earliest)
While President Bush has studiously avoided taking a position on the recall, Entertainment Tonight's favorite campaign has galvanized Democratic loyalists across the country. They see it as the latest GOP effort to steal offices Republicans can't win in regular elections. Combined with the redistricting battle in Texas, the Oct. 7 recall has reignited fury pent up since the Florida recount. John J. Pitney Jr., a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College, calls the angry Dems ''blue hots,'' for the ''blue'' states carried by Al Gore in 2000.
A few years later, they worked for Fred Hofheinz's doomed comeback attempt against Mayor Kathy Whitmire, when Carville's too-real presence — showing up at suit-and-tie affairs in his high-water jeans and black Chuck Taylor All-Stars — was an affront to Hofheinz's chief money man, Joe Russo. Much has changed since then: Russo has served time in a federal pen, and Hofheinz has had troubles of his own, but Carville and Begala, after some successes electing Democrats outside of Texas, rose to the blue-hot center of power with Bill Clinton.