Why Do The Democrats Think They Have No Choice But To Cave?
By Nicole Belle Monday Dec 17, 2007 5:33pm
Cenk Uygur at TYT speaks to Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) about Congress's recent caving to the Bush administration on the budget spending bills.
I'm sure that Rep. Israel is a very well-intentioned congressperson, but it's clear that He. Just. Doesn't. Get. It. I can't think of a better recent example demonstrating how the Stockholm Syndrome has infected the majority party in Washington D.C.
Rep. Israel agreed with everything Cenk said--in principle. But he's lacking the spine to do anything more, as are the leadership "above his pay grade." That's where you MUST come in. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz told Ed Schultz weeks ago that she doesn't hear about these things from her constituents. I put in a call to my congresscritter and had much the same thing confirmed. They're asked about local interests like protecting local businesses and expediting government bureaucracy for their constituents, like passport facilitation. They get their share of angry calls, but what they don't get are calls of support for standing up against the Bush administration and their Republican counterparts. No one is telling them "if you play tough, we will have your back."
In a perfect world, they would not need us to do so. I have been guilty of making the angry calls--I told DiFi's office I would do everything I could to oppose any future re-election campaign she would choose to start. And I will. But I realized talking to my congressperson that I had to also say "I need you to represent us better. I will back you up if you do. I will write letters to the editor, whatever is needed to show that you have my support by acting like the majority party."
They are cowering after 25 years of Republican majority. They fear the Republican noise machine within their insulated Beltway Bubble. We have seen just this week how empowering we can be when we make our voices heard in a positive yet forceful way. So during this holiday break in Congress, please make a point of calling your representative's local office and let them know that we have their back, IF they represent us.
It's the only way we'll see any change.
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heh 8)
They don't want to lose their seat on the last plane out?
Here comes Paul in La in 3, 2, 1...
How is it possible that the race between republicans and democrats is so close? Isn't it clear by now that the GOP has declared war on America? Are democrats too afraid to say it? I think liberals need to turn the rhetoric up a notch and start talking about the GOP's war on democracy, war on America, war on liberty, war on the middle class, war on economic justice, etc. Every sentence should begin with, "This is just another casualty in the GOP's war on . . . ."
Steve Israel is my congresscritter. He voted to condemn MoveOn.Org and when he did that, I sent him a note saying that he had just voted to condemn me and that I would no longer support him. I've had no further communication with him. If he gets a primary challenger, I'll vote for his opponent.
War on democracy
War on America
War on liberty
War on the middle class
War on economic justice
War on civility
War on decency
War on immigrants
War on culture
War on the Arts
War on science
War on education
War on logic
War on intelligence
War on America
I don't buy the "Democrats just don't know how strong they are" reasoning any more than I bought Bush's claiming he just found out about the NIE last week. Democrats are acting as establishment conservatives while making occasional progressive noises. They knew exactly whose telecom asses they were kissing and Chris Dodd embarrassed them enough to stall the bill.
they are not caving....THEY ARE DOING WHAT DEMOCRATS ALWAYS DO!!!
voting against the people....the Elephants and Donkeys are the same party...the debates are now and always have been fake.
want change??
vote Green if you think you are a Dem and vote Libertarian if you think you are a Rep....things will never change with Elephants and Donkeys running the show.
(Sorry, I meant you should try to replace him with a better non-Republican candidate anyhow -- he's a Blue Dog).
Well done Nicole. Great post. It's easy to vent one's anger at a subordinate and forget that in the process you may have forgotten to give them specific instructions, direction and concise, clearly defined expectations. Nothing used to chap my ass more in the military than to get it chewed by some senior enlisted guy blowhard that had expectations for something but would always forget to tell you what they are.
My next contact with my soon to be new Congresscritter will be one with specific instructions and support regarding a key issues. Thanks again, Nicole.
Same reason they've always caved.
December 2, 1993 - Leading conservative operative William Kristol privately circulates a strategy document to Republicans in Congress. Kristol writes that congressional Republicans should work to "kill" -- not amend -- the Clinton plan because it presents a real danger to the Republican future: Its passage will give the Democrats a lock on the crucial middle-class vote and revive the reputation of the party. Nearly a full year before Republicans will unite behind the "Contract With America," Kristol has provided the rationale and the steel for them to achieve their aims of winning control of Congress and becoming America's majority party. Killing health care will serve both ends. The timing of the memo dovetails with a growing private consensus among Republicans that all-out opposition to the Clinton plan is in their best political interest. Until the memo surfaces, most opponents prefer behind-the-scenes warfare largely shielded from public view. The boldness of Kristol's strategy signals a new turn in the battle. Not only is it politically acceptable to criticize the Clinton plan on policy grounds, it is also politically advantageous. By the end of 1993, blocking reform poses little risk as the public becomes increasingly fearful of what it has heard about the Clinton plan.
Because, fiver, the House leadership (Progressive AND DLC) blocked immunity in the House bill all the way down the line.
you all tired of this nonsense yet??
End of September 1995 - One year after House Republicans signed their Contract With America, Congress has failed to pass eleven of thirteen appropriations bills to keep the federal government operating, and half of the Contract's provisions are stalled in the Senate by opposition or inaction. In Washington, growing disgust and disillusionment with the way The System is working -- and its polarization, bitterness, and extremism -- prompt leading Democrat Bill Bradley of New Jersey to announce he is leaving the Senate. He does so, he says, because he believes The System is "broken." His departure is part of a record exodus of retiring senators.
Paul in LA @ 7:
Uh-this post and its title isn't like a red flag to a bull in my case. :lol:
You know we did support those guys. It was called the 2006 election. This is just another excuse to support a pres. w/the lowest approval rating in history. If these congresspeople cant keep their spines straight w/o alot of handholding VOTE THEM OUT!
[deleted - your insults are duly noted. we are assuming this means we won't find you coming back to insult us children anymore.]
The only political party I hate more than the Democrats are the Republicans. The American political spectrum sucks.
Is it possible that Reid did exactly what he wanted to in pulling the FISA bill? He made it seem like he wanted to work with the republicans, but he just couldn't ignore the left wing of his party. It puts him in the king-maker position. The Republicans have to appeal to him.
Just a thought. I don't know how true it is, but I'm not convinced Harry was going to let the telecom immunity go through. The "base bill" thing was an overly parliamentary explanation of what he was doing, giving him cover for proceeding with other parliamentary tricks down the line. Like I said, I don't know if that's true, but I'm thinking about it.
Paul in LA @ 24:
I think you've mixed up your pronouns, Paul.
Paul in LA @ 23:
I voted for a different rep, but it was because I moved.
My wife and I have been consistent contributors to the Democratic Party for 20 years, so we get A LOT of requests for donations. Everytime we get one now, I reply with a return email, or a return letter for mailings, that we will contribute again as soon as impeachment proceedings begin. In the meanwhile we only send contributions when someone shows some spine, like Kucinich trying to impeach Cheney, Dodd filibustering FISA, etc.. We encourage others to do the same
donn and anne
[refers to deleted post]
Unfortunately, not so much.
[sitemonitor - this child is giving you a time out for the evening. stop insulting us and find another group to insult.]
This doesn't wash.
Think of all of the Democrats who have not simply caved on things like the war in Iraq and domestic wiretapping but who actively defended those things when they first became issues.
There was no need for those Democrats who caved to do so when they were in the minority. Either they believed in the crap they voted for or not. If they did, they weren't caving. If they didn't, well, how do you know? You look at their public statements and the characterizations they made of the people with an opposite point of view, and you wonder why the hell they'd say those things if they actually agreed with them.
miss kitty-
Yer here enough to have noticed the candidates that C&L supports, right? In the time I've been here it's always been Democratic candididates, no? And they've been progressive Dems, even in primary races vs. incumbent conservative/Blue Dogs. So someone who blogs at C&L knows that not all Democrats are the same.
So do ya expect that Paul, whether ya agree with him or not on the Pelosi/impeachment issue, is wrong fer standin' up for the progressive Dems when so many others who comment here can't tell the difference between Steve Israel and Henry Waxman? Because, yeah, there's a red flag wavin', and it's attactin' those who will paint all Dems, progressive or conservative, with the same brush. That Paul sees it comin' shouldn't surprise ya, m_k. That you view Paul with contempt sure as hell surprises me.
Ya know, the ad hominem attacks against Paul are gettin' a bit disgustin'. I've experienced a few of 'em myself (I'm talkin' to YOU now, Preacher Boob). Ya can disagree with me or with Paul, but back up yer arguments with FACTS and not gut feelins, and it might earn ya some respect.
Perhaps we should focus more on the positive. The Democrats really came together to bring us the Christians are Wonderful Resolution, but kept impeachment hearings out of the way. Good thing we can
set,control,influence,take to Kinkosread the schedule.[we're out of control children, right? that's offensive and an insult.]
They HAVE a choice, and made it: to violate their oath of office and willingly FAIL to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
[don't back pedal now, you said that's how we are perceived, and that you agreed with it. take the night off.]
Vote 'em all out...we have to start with a clean slate.
It's like a game of chicken with the GOP on one side and a bucket of KFC on the other.
Olevet69 @ 32:
Is there really much baby left in the bathwater?
It's been said so many many times before: The democrats do not represent the politics or values that you express here. They are at best marginally better than the republicans. But this site and many other popular "progressive" blogs continue to take them seriously. It's kind of sad actually.
The liberal retreat from progress to appeasement continues.
doc donn @ 23:
Thanks for the advice.
I'm new to the whole political donations thing myself but Dodd inspired me to pull a few shiny nickels from under the sofa yesterday and I'm hoping to find more actions like his to inspire me to further support candidates who actually stand up for us. My twenty-five bucks may not do much for their campaign but it's the most I can offer and I hope it helps illustrate what us progressives look for in our leadership.
Andy K @ 27:
I'll get back to you with links. And quite frankly, I'm not concerned as to whether a bunch of strangers on the internet respect me or not. I know who I am, I know what I want and that's all that is important to me. I don't need things or fawning adulation to make me feel better. I used to, but not any more... :)
The two party system is designed to create the illusion of choice.
From the WP article posted.
"Democratic leaders say their only option is to slash $11 billion from their $522 billion omnibus spending bill - which could mean cuts to cancer research, homeland security grants, community policing and education programs - as well as lawmakers' pet projects."
Bear in mind this haggling is over discretionary spending. The military portion of the discretionary budget represented below does not reflect the costs of the two current wars. If they were to show these costs it would be more like 30% of the total proposed budget. Your defence spending surpasses that of the rest of the world combined.
Illustrative chart.
http://www.csbaonline.org/2006-1/2.DefenseBudget/Federal_Budget.shtml
Obviously some items of discretionary spending are untouchable.
How frustrating-- that guy just kept repeating the same loser position. "They hold us hostage", "they act like children", blah blah blah.
Stop giving us these lame ass excuses and just FIGHT them, for crying out loud. Pick fights. Don't give them anything-- even if you want it, too.
charles@40-
The military portion of the discretionary budget represented below does not reflect the costs of the two current wars. If they were to show these costs it would be more like 30% of the total proposed budget.
Thanks fer notin' that the war spendin' is separate from the rest of the military budget(though I'm sure there are big chunks of military spendin' in the omnibus bill that oughta be slashed, too). Not enough Americans- of any political leanin'- are aware that there's a difference.
I'm done with giving them the benefit of cowardice. For instance, Reid has been fighting for FISA and telecom immunity and it is my understanding he will continue fighting next year for FISA and telecom immunity. That isn't a wallflower and that isn't a quitter. What's in it for him is anybody's guess. What's clear is that he just doesn't give a damn for the foundations of American society.
[Deleted. Off topic-Sitemonitor]
When Air America went with Army and what the hell in the morning
in NYC ...I just heard McCain call LARRY KUDLOW a "JERK" on national TV
he calls Larry Kudlow a freaking JERK right to his face on his own program
congratulates Kudlow for volunteering for the "ROUGH RIDERS" knowing that Larry
would never volunteer for anything. McCain would have my vote but HIS PARTY
does not deserve my vote or yours. McCain is the man among crap.
Kudlow is an ex-druggie (in the 80's) who turned conservative because his hormones
said so. How can you listen to this man.
I call or write my congressman, the Honorable Rep. Brad Miller (NC-13) on a regular basis, thanking him for his good work. Of course, I'm unusual in that I'm blessed with a congressman who is nearly beyond reproach.
My senators, on the other hand, are pretty useless. I've written both Burr and Dole, and was ignored by Dole completely. Burr actually took the time (or, I suppose, one of his aides did) to promptly write me a detailed, specific response to my concern (about his vote against a VA funding bill). While I still vehemently disagree with the vast majority of his actions, at least he took the time to write me a reasoned explanation - for that reason, I have *some* respect for him.
They do what their corporate masters want. I don't think they really give a flying fuck what we want. Maybe give the illusion of caring what we want, or of trying to bring the troops home, or of taking care of the needs of their constituents and not some foreign country, but the bottom line is NOT what we want. There are a few exceptions to this rule (Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich spring immediately to mind), but I don't for a minute buy this "too timid", "too civilized" or "too much of a pussy" defense.
Another Democrat that can't find his spine with both hands.
We need more statesmen like Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich.
m_k @ 44-
Last night's. I won't be up when tonight's lands. See ya there in a sec.
Our Democratic representatives are afraid of the bully Republicans, and they sit paralyzed, waiting for a critical mass of constituent outrage before making decisions. How fucked up is that.
I'm soooooo not buying the meme that our congress doesn't KNOW how we feel. I mean, the public's discontent with them is palpable... and .. well it can be read .. uh.. everywhere.
If they are too tone deaf to pick up the obvious cues, they are too stupid to be in congress anyway.
Thanks to blogs, we get to see these guys sell out. We don't have to rely on edited newspapers and tv anymore. Now what we need is replacements for the sellouts and the blogs are gonna help us do it.
Cenk was great, but the soulless congressman wouldn't know morals if they were shoved in his face. constituents who will have cold nights if he doesn't let bush have his way. oh right. you care about those people, just like the ones in new orleans, iraq, etc.
miss_kitty @ 44:
Outstanding job of exposing Ron Paul for what he is Kitty. Get it now Andy?
These people aren't stupid, they aren't cowards, and they aren't ignorant of public opinion.
They do not give a shit what the people want. They're following the dollar signs, enriching themselves and their friends by selling us out. We should not support Democratic politicians who do operate this way. Let them lose.
What was left out of the commentary is that the conservative media is the mainstream media and they will push forth whatever message the Republican leadership wants them to. If Dems do grow a collective pair, all the country would hear is what Bush has to say on the matter. Don't get me wrong. I definitely want the Democrats to grow a pair of big scary ones. I want impeachments and indictments. I want democracy all the way. But those of us who visit progressive blogs preach to ourselves. Our conservative, moderate and ignorant friends, relatives, coworkers and neighbors are not all getting the same message. It's easier to be misinformed and uninformed than to give two hoots about anything. We--even progressive bloggers and net junkies--are masterfully manipulated. Here we are a year away from an important election and WE are not even talking about how the elections will be carried out and safeguarded.
OliverDreams @ 53:
Outstanding job of exposing Ron Paul for what he is Kitty. Get it now Andy?
He gets it. We cleared it up on the open thread. He wasn't talking about Ron Paul. Oooops! :lol:
doc donn @ 22:
Exactly. Reward the good dogs. Punish the bad ones, and do it publicly.
(wish there was an "edit" function on these posts..)
Oliver Dreams @ 53-
I have a tendency to shorten a person's on-screen handle. I refer to mudshark as muddy(and there's a muddy who posts here, just not as frequently as mudshark), and to Paul in LA as Paul.
I refer to Ron Paul as St. Paul. Didjya know that when he isn't in Congress he's a 500 foot tall pillar of fire? That his penis is made of gold? That he can cure a case of the shingles with the wink of his left eye? All true....
Hmmm...everything just seems to fly apart once the "children" have scored a point or two, eh?
I don't expect the Democratic party to march in lockstep. If I was interested in fascism, I'd be a Republican.
But there's a difference between having a diverse caucus and being undermined from within.
I want to support the Democratic party...or their ideals at least. I want to vote for candidates that will work together to build a better nation. I'm not interested in just throwing my hands up and walking away...but I am willing to if it looks like the game is rigged beyond all hope.
And it is. It plainly is. It simply, plainly, undeniably is. When your leaders are endorsing the other party openly, then you simply have no right to expect any support from me. Go back and tell your masters that. The "children" are rebelling.
It's better to support nothing than to support evil, but we don't want to just support nothing. Give us an alternative or just tell us the truth: the Republican agenda is THE agenda.
The only thing worse than watching the Republicans run everything when they're in charge is watching the Republicans run everything when they're not in charge, and we've had enough.
E. Nuf.
If my petulant little childish vote is important to you, then you get to pander to me like you pander to everyone else. It's my turn now. Capitulate to me. You're good at it.
And yes, I'm unreasonable. And no, Iwon't listen. And no, Idon't care what the internal dynamics of your particular mafia family are. And no, I don't want to play with power for the sake of playing with power. And no, I won't fall in line and vote A because we fear B.
The answer is no. No. No. No. If you want my vote, you must earn it by positive example, not negative fear.
And that is simply the end of the story and you can rant all you want about it but at the end of the day I will vote for who I think the best candidate is and I will never apologize for it and the more you stamp your feet and demand my vote the more you lose it.
And I'm not the only one.
But don't worry...you can win elections without us...who are we?...tiny little nobodies with a nobody caucus...we're not even relevant. We can't POSSIBLY be a significant force, can we?
So, then why bother getting so upset? I'm pissed off because the party I support has betrayed that support. What's your excuse?
And thank you Senator Dodd. And thank you Congressman Wexler. And thank you Barbara Boxer, my senator, for backing this up. And fuck you Diane Feinstein forever. And good luck getting my vote back, Nancy...you still have a shot but the door is closing. And thank you Dennis Kucinich for being the mouse that roared.
And fuck you Hillary, Biden and Barak for bickering over each other's college coke habits while all this was going down. Where were you? You want to be president? Start acting presidential. Now.
We want leaders. Now.
Ugh, It's terrible, I find myself slipping into this terrible pattern of grumbling 'scumbag' more and more these days, and here I go again. scumbag. scumbag scumbag....ah I am at a loss for synonyms, metaphor, or any robust anlysis, even my dear friend hyperbole has deserted me. Oh well, time for a real rye manhattan, or maybe two, on this rainy LA night...to inure me to the scumbags
Hey Congress! Stand up to the Chimp or Resign!
DONE!
maybe they will take a page from SEn. Dodd"s book . he stood his ground and he survived. the big bad gop majority didn't stop him.and see how america has his back.
"You know we did support those guys. It was called the 2006 election".
Months ago, when the proposal first came to my attention, I contacted my reps demanding they oppose any thought of granting immunity to the TelCom's. Two of the three were in accord. But not Dianne Feinstein. Of course, she supported Rockefeller in bringing yesterday's abomination to the floor.
Yesterday I called the office of my congressman (M. Thompson), a good man whom I hold in high regard. I made clear that even though he opposed the amnesty (as he years ago opposed the Iraq war vote), I was unwilling to differentiate between "good" or "bad" democrats on this one. That is, if the amnesty were to be made law, I'd be finished with the party forever.
I have voted democratic for decades. I began to withhold my vote from their candidates just during the past 6 years. The first was withheld from my (then) congressman Tom Lantos, for his support of the Iraq tragedy, and in 2006 from Dianne Feinstein, for the same reason. With the deepest of qualms I did support Kerry in 2004, but, for reasons I then considered pragmatic, I talked myself into it. I'm still torn about having done so.
But the amnesty legislation- should it pass- will be the deal breaker between myself and that party. Should it pass, I will never cast a vote for any democratic candidate, ever again, under any circumstance whatsoever. I've already resolved not to vote for Clinton or Biden in 2008, should either gain the nomination. But, so help me God, if the TelCom's are let off the hook, and even if my vote would put Edwards, Obama or Kucinich in the White House instead of Huckabee or Romney, the GOP would win the 2008 election.
Feinstein's proposal to submit the lawbreaking to the FISA court for adjudication won't cut it, either. I want know the specifics of what occurred. I want to know the who, what, where, when, and how's of the matter. I want names named, people exposed. The one deal I could support would be the establishment of a South African-style Truth Commission, but only if the proceedings were public, and the entire story told.
Barring that, the democratic party will deserve to go the way of the Whigs. Should immunity be granted, I will pray just that happens. It wouldn't be the end of the world, and who knows? It might work out very well in the end.
it seems to me that the only way that the 'get a spine' message will sink in is for Mr Dodd to win the Iowa caucus.
i wonder if he needs an experienced canvasser. if there's an opening in the campaign, call me. (seriously)
Why would the Dems with the same corporate supporters as the ReThugs, be afeared to stand up to those Eevil Rethugs? Damn, are Americans really that dense? I like the Young Turks, but good God this is so damn stupid. The Dems aren't nutless. They don't WANT to do anything different than the damn ReTHUGS. They are one and the same damn party. All good ol' buddies. Wake up America. Making excuses for one party or another, while they put their heads together making plans the exact opposite as what their electorate wants, is literally destroying the USA. How sad to watch this crap unfold.
Sadly, LongTooth, I am in your camp...though I will continue to support Barbara Boxer.
What saddens me even more is when supporters of the Democrats tell those of us who have reluctantly, achingly, regretfully made this sad, sad choice that WE are the ones with the problem.
I'm sick and tired of this "Why are the democrats spineless?!?!?!" crap. They aren't. They're not "caving" into the Bush admin., they're in bed with them. Hasn't Reid and Pelosi's actions proven that by now? Pelosi and other establishment Dems knew all about the CIA's torture of terrorist suspects. They've known since 2003 and didn't even say anything, let alone do anything. Remember that story?
And Reid admitted months ago that he could easily force the issue the way they promised us they would. He knows he could, he knows how he could, but he enables the Bushies anyway.
This isn't about being spineless. For some reason, they believe the status quo is good for their agenda.
OK - SACK HIS SORRY ASS.
He's going to come up for re-election - get a REAL democrat running against him.
Get him out. 2008 no more rep Israel. Sounds easy to me.
Are they spineless or are they owned? Someone needs to find out just how far these Tentacles of the bush Crime family reach into things. No doubt the bush Dog Dems, Pelosi, Reid, Feinstein, etc, all of these people have gotta have a few or more suction cups attached to them. Also, Cenk is the best guy they got on Air America.
So i stil ldont get it, why do the democrats keep funding the iraq war??
all i know form the news last night was that they originally didnt give any $$ to iraq, just afganistan, and the bill had lots of social spending. Maybe is bush threatening any cuts to social spending if we dont pay up on iraq??
im lacking alot of info on this.
Ok. I have donated to this blog in the past, because I could appreciate what you had to say regarding the criminals running this country, but it is honestly time for you people to get your heads out of your asses and realize that the Democrats aren't our friends anymore.
They LIED to us to get back into power and they have taken a steaming shiat all over the promises they made to get back into power.
Enough of this bullshiat. Stop apologizing for them. THEY ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM!!!
...Debbie Wasserman-Schultz told Ed Schultz weeks ago that she doesn’t hear about these things from her constituents.... No one is telling them “if you play tough, we will have your back.”...
I call bullshit. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz makes it sound like she lives in a bubble, nice try, but with the whole of the internet at your fingertips that's just a little hard to believe.
jimmy swimmel said it best: "You know we did support those guys. It was called the 2006 election."
"They are cowering after 25 years of Republican majority"
Uhh the Republicans got the majority in 1994, so 2007-1994 does not equal 25. Or am I missing something?
Cenk was brilliant - my sentiments exactly. Until the Dems grow a pair, no more money, no more time and no more automatic lesser of two evils votes from me.
lies and excuses.
the DLC, DSCC and DCCC are selling us down the tubes to try to get the same donors as the repugs. they even have obama trying to bring the spiritual able to the dem prezidinkal campaign. rahm, shumer, reid and the rest will continue what the repugs are doing to get their coffers filled. they do not need 'make nice' letter and emails whaen they have taken oaths to do their jobs.
fuck all those DLC, DSCC and DCCC liars! I registered democratic to vote these sumbeyatches out in the primaries. then I'll feel more comfortable in the general election.
I call bullshit!! They fucking know how we feel and that we are pissed that they keep caving. Just another fucking excuse.
What the hell do they think the 06 election was about?
pilto @ 71:
as a blanket indictment of this blog and the participants, that was pretty fucked up.
LongTooth @ 63:
I understand your anger and frustration. I would not abandon the party until I try to remove incumbents in the primary. rahm emmanuel lost 8 of 9 primaries to progressives in 2006, we can do it again. that is why I registered dem, so I can weed out the comfortable, callous and corrupt incumbents. I ask you give it one last shot. check your races and see who you can remove.
just asking...
Dotty Gale @ 5:
Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!
Dear Democrats
stop punting on first down
Brilliant. They should put this bit in a time capsule, and people in the future will have a perfect distillation of what was wrong with Congressional Democrats in the Bush era.
Big props to Cenk for properly calling Israel out for making excuses for cowardice and foolishness.
The Democrats in Congress are the adults???!!
I recognize what kind of "adults" the Congressman is referring to: the kind of adult who, when their 2- to 4-year-old has a tantrum, bargains with them, pleads with them, is embarrassed by the sheer existence of the tantrum.
Competent adults ride out the tantrum, ignore the 2-year-old and are careful to ensure that the 2-year-old actually *loses* from his tantrum. No spanking, slapping or any other physical laying on of hands is required. In fact, the good parent has to be a good politician: they have to understand when their young child is a disruptive opponent, how to make their disruption their own punishment.
It's a balance beam but it can be donel The current crop of Democratic Congresspeople are either incompetent at this or are too junior and feel that they can't make waves.
supposing the democrats stopped funding the war, would the president drastically cut social programs??
i dont wanna be a democratic apologist, but what woudl happen if the iraq war funds were cut off?? Woudl bush drastically cut social spending??
This is astonishing. Cenk gets it exactly right. If Bush knows that the Democrats who CONTROL Congress won't pass any bill that Bush will veto, then Bush will crush the Democrats every time. The Democrats have fallen into the false Republican frame that, if they pass a bill and Bush vetoes it, then the Democrats have shut down the government. The Republicans would NEVER fall into a false frame like that set by the Democrats.
Furthermore, if the Democrats cannot even pass a bill that does not give $14 billion in subsidies to the oil companies while they are earning record profits, then the Democrats are a total embarrassment and many of them deserve to be tossed out of office in 2008.
I also found it amusing that the Congressman said that the Democrats are the adults here and the Republicans are acting like children, then he went on to say "I wish" at least twice and "if we had our way" at least once. Any psychologist will tell you that those phrases are classic children's language.
Old Billy @ 19:
then you need to review the machinations harry went through to try to ram this bill through.
The Democrats are acting like the weak parents whose unruly kids (Republicans) are running the house. Now constituents (parents) need to start acting like responsible adults and bring their kids (Democrats) under control and force them to clean up their room.
I really agree with this guy.
This congressman is a typical coward. His circular "reasoning" is pathetic. I think he should grow a pair and try them out. Really weak!!!!!!
Shade Tail @ 67:
You're right. The Democrats had it good when they were in the minority. They could make wan objections to every Bush crime, knowing that Bush's (and the Democrats') corporatist agenda would rule the day. But now that Dems are in the majority, how do they maintain the charade of being against the Republican agenda and being for democratic principles? They can't. They barely even try to be convincing anymore. Blame Lieberman. Blame Diane Feinstein. Blame the Blue Dogs. What's the point. Virtually every newspaper has become a right-wing propaganda rag. There's lots of news, but we never see or hear it. We're being ruled by corporations. American freedom and liberty have been dead a long time.
Our representatives do not represent us and never will.
They aren't caving, they're voting their true allegiances.
Lets not overlook the key point here. They're not hearing from us. They're not getting the support to do the right thing. Sure, many would ignore it if they did, but why would we expect them to support positions they don't hear about when the other side is screaming it loud and clear?
Dodd got the word that the political will existed to support him blocking the FISA bill. People have made their thoughts about media consolidation quite clear. It may not tip the scales, but to ignore it and blame the representatives we never contact sounds as proactive as it would be for me to get upset with my husband for not getting me what I never asked for at Christmas. "He should know." Well, if I ask I might not get it either, but it helps.
If every person who posted a complaint invested their time in placing politely passionate calls, it could make a dent.
We know what we don't want. What do we want? Let's tell them.
BTW, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz disappoints me. Initially, it looked to me that she was one of the ones who had the rights stuff, who got it. Apparently not.
Typical DINO
Get rid of these useless corrupt congressmen.
I would, except mine is Mitch.-(SadKyBoy
Extreme lack of leadership in the senate for the democrats ....again.
Reid, please be better than Tom DassHole....
sorry, but whoever is telling you they "never hear from their constituents" that they should stand up to Bush is completely full of shit. they hear it all the time, they just willfully don't listen. what do these people do, lock themselves in a vacant room and ignore the news for years at a time? the 75% of the public disagrees with the guy, but everyone just wants to let him do anything?
who in the world would believe such a thing? the Dems don't go after Bush because half of them are guilty of the same shit and don't want to get caught. and it goes all the way up to Pelosi. and we all know it by now, how long will the public let them get away with it? hehehe. as long as there is a public, i would guess.
I know the problem for the Dems is that they just don't have a strong majority. There are Dems in name only, in both the Senate and the House, who readily vote with Republicans. What we need is very strong majorities voted in in the '08 elections. Therefore they won't fear being hung out to dry. Now it's pretty useless. The upcoming elections need where our focus is, and to hell with impeachment.
I'm comment #100! And guess what? The Congress Dems CAVED AGAIN!
SHOCKER!!!
Rep. Israel discusses "political hostages". The troops have been for many years now and dems have not made a very good effort to, at the very least, provide rest and medical care in between and after deployments. Now they are worried about Bush closing down the government? People not getting their needs met as a result? Are they kidding? This is a long standing problem not new to this particular bill.
The Democratic Party still disgusts me as a whole. I cannot handle hearing the whiney argument they have been in the minority any longer.
One more comment. The above quote “if you play tough, we will have your back", does not need to be stated to these politicians. They have a job to do and expectations to be met. They were elected to stop this out of control republican government and restore civil rights, amongst many other issues. A reminder of these goals is one thing but holding their hands, telling them "it's OK to be a leader" is unreasonable.
One word: "appropriations".
This bill, like all military expense bills, sends streams of money to Congressional districts all over America. Jobs & money = happy voters and prosperous politicians. Congress CAN'T resist sending more money flowing into their own districts.
Military supplies are built in nearly every congressional distric in America.
There is NO REASON other than this for a co-equal branch of government to cave to a president with less than 30% approval rating.
There is no difference between the Dems and the Pubs. Same book, different cover. Until we realize this, and i mean all of us, there will be no change for the better. Our country will disintegrate right in front of our eyes. As it has been slowly doing for over 2 decades of Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush/and maybe even another Clinton next. Let's all stop blindly supporting a group of people who constantly let us down when push comes to shove. Let's look at each individual candidate without blotting them out because they come from an opposing political party to ours. This was the way of success for our country in the beginning. Now, we are political crybabies and cannot seem to stop throwing stones at one another.
The parties are the same (all of them). The individual people are not always limited to their party-line beliefs. In this time of need, an anarchist may be our only hope.
Let's find the one who fits that bill and look into that politician in-depth. If we're not willing to do that, then we have no right to complain when everything crumbles around us and we are standing in the Sept. 11 dust of our own country.
I think the United States has a one party system. Democrats and Republicans both serve basically the same interests of those with money and power. American politics seems to me to be simple good cop/bad cop theater at its TV worst, with a little WWF thrown in for good measure. I believe that the Democrats go to great lengths to appear as if they are opposing the outrageous extra-constitutional power grab Bush and the Republicans have perpetrated. In the end their efforts are ineffective or capitulating because they really don't want do undo the creation of the new Imperial Presidency at all. It is the way that the ruling class want it in this country.
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