Harry Reid: <I>Democratic</i> Leader?
By Nicole Belle Tuesday Jan 22, 2008 2:01pmHarry Reid -- who has (a) done more than any other individual to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year to block virtually every bill without having to bother to actually filibuster -- went to the Senate floor yesterday and, with the scripted assistance of Mitch McConnell and Pat Leahy, warned Chris Dodd, Russ Feingold and others that they would be selfishly wreaking havoc on the schedules of their fellow Senators (making them work over the weekend, ruining their planned "retreat," and even preventing them from going to Davos!) if they bothered everyone with their annoying, pointless little filibuster.
To do so, Reid announced that, unlike for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid said:
[I]f people think they are going to talk this to death, we are going to be in here all night. This is not something we are going to have a silent filibuster on. If someone wants to filibuster this bill, they are going to do it in the openness of the Senate.
That is what Democrats have been urging Reid to do to the filibustering Republicans all year -- in order to dramatize their obstructionism -- but he has refused to make them actually filibuster anything, generously agreeing instead that every bill requires 60 votes. Instead, he reserves such punishment only for the members of his own caucus trying to take a stand for the rule of law and the Constitution, those who are trying finally to bring some accountability to this administration. Read on...
Unbelievable. So much for doing the people's work. I'll echo John last night and say this is an opportunity for the Democratic candidates to show some leadership, since Reid is obviously not going to. Clinton, Obama, Edwards? Where are you? This is a no-brainer to stand up for the American people.
As angry as I am at this news (and trust me, it's a good thing John doesn't like swearing in posts, because I've got some words for Harry that would make a sailor blush), and as much as I encourage you to contact Harry Reid, I would also ask that you take a deep breath before doing so. Tempting as it is to hurl some choice invectives and smack down Reid (metaphorically, of course) for forgetting that he is the leader of the opposition party, I'm fairly sure nasty emails will get us absolutely nowhere. Think about how you'd react to a ranting and raving letter. So I ask you to make your feelings known but do it respectfully and in a manner in which you'd like to be addressed.
Login or Register to post comments.
Reid is just another Republican, pretending to be a Democrat.
He doesn't read the bills that he votes on. Why would he read an email?
Opposition? What opposition?
Senator Reid, pleaser resign.... now. You don't seem serious about upholding the Constitution. Leave now.
This is why I don't understand why a Republican running as a Democrat is better than a Republican running as a Republican. Isn't the Republican running as a Republican at least a bit more honest?
Im going to end up voting for Ron Paul if this shit continues. Hillary and Obama better support this,
Harry,
The American public (and me especially) demand justice. You need to do the right thing (not the political thing). We have to move our system away from monied interests. We have to get back to some of the traditions I have come to expect from my country. Saying "we may torture, but at least we don't cut people's heads off" is not what I'm expecting.
We have to stand for some principles if we wish to gain the respect of the public, even if they may not agree, I think they'll come to agree if they see justice being done. Justice, by the way, means not just preventing the innocent from being convicted, it also means not letting the guilty go free. Right now, that is what you are doing. You are showing to the country that there really isn't much difference in principle between the Rs and the Ds. Say it isn't so!
Turns out Harry isn't a spineless weasel afterall.
Just a weasel.
harry reid is a worthless tool. He never should have got the position and I hope he's screwing all the dems who voted for him. Bunch of morons.
This is another chance for Dodd.
Let's do another "tell Harry, and other Americans, what Democrat really stands for". Post up some nice stuff for Dodd to work through, and send him a coupla bucks while we are at it, if that's his thing.
I think talk all night is exactly what we need to happen.
Damn, how many of us would want for that chance. I was just thinking about the last 7+ years... man, so much to unload, and put into the context of this discussion. Reid's actions, and the actions of so many others are just not defensible. Knowing this, to just get up there and keep talking until they fully and completely grok that would be well worth it.
Hope somebody does this. It absolutely needs to be done.
Time to start publicly shopping for a new majority leader, and also a Democratic primary opponent for Reid. He won't be so sanguine about his stinky base then, will he?
I heard today that cheney was going to speak about the FISA bill. It was mentioned on c-span so I am assuming that he spoke publicly. I'm guessing he also spoke privately to Reid earlier this week. What could he threaten Reid with to make Reid take this position?
I can't write to Reid right now and make it pleasant, my mind doesn't work that way when I'm way pissed. There's gotta be a cooling off time first. :evil:
The congressional dems have decided it's best to play centerfield and cheat to right field.
They can't be concerned about left field, where all the action is.
Fuck em.
And let's get our blue candidates to lead the charge to get Harry out of leadership.
My note to Senator Reid:
Dear Senator Reid,
With all due respect, What the heck are you thinking?
Why will you allow items through the Senate without forcing the Republicans to filibuster for them and yet you will force members of your own party to actually filibuster? What sense does that make?
You are supposed to be the leader of the "opposition party" not the "go-along-to-get-along party."
I implore you; I beg you... remember "We The People" are your employers, and as such, I demand you, Sir, at least pretend to act like the Senate Leader of the Democratic Party. Stop opposing your own caucus!
harry, you are a joke. you and nancy should take a long walk off a short cliff.
pissed off patricia @ 11:
Only the people listening in on Reid and his family's phone calls can answer that question Pop.
pissed off patricia @ 11:
blast that son-of-a-bitch for not doing his goddamn job.
I agree with #4 Weaseldog. This baloney about vote for Obama or Hillary (DINO's) are better than having a Republican get in. Balloney. Look what Reid and Pelosi have done for the progressives in this party. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Screw them. If they think I'm going to go out and vote for any of these enablers in November, they are crazy. The only one I would even think about making an effort to go out and vote for is JOHN EDWARDS. Go to Hell Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. You guys disgust me. AT least The Republicans show there true colors up front. The Democrats are a bunch of gutless sneaks. That's worse.
A lot of people incorrectly blame Pelosi for the current, pathetic Democratic Congress. While she has been far too lenient with the Republicans at times for the sake of 'keeping the peace' and running a 'bipartisan' House, it's Reid who has time and again illustrated his staggering incompetence. He is desperately seeking the unmitigated approval of the Republican Party, for reasons unbeknownst to the general public. He will end up with few friends on either side of the isle when all is said and done, a forgotten figure who, when brought up, only makes people want to spit.
For what it's worth, I wrote:
Dear Senator Reid;
My family and I will appreciate your representing the voice of the majority of Americans as you oppose warrantless eavesdropping and immunity for telecommunications companies that may have broken the law.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Some Democrats are better than others. Judge which kind Obama and Clinton are by their action or inaction on this matter.
And then Vote Edwards in the primaries!
Weaseldog @ 15:
My first thought was blackmail. Not the kind we usually think of, but a political kind. Maybe Harry went along with something just because he was asked to even though he knew he shouldn't, and now cheney threatens to expose Harry if Harry gives him any trouble.
I don't know if that qualifies for a conspiracy theory but if it does, I'm sorry. :(
pissed off patricia @ 21:
Or maybe Harry is really a Republican at heart, and ran as a Democrat because he knew it would get him elected?
So what is up, Pelosi won't give up the records that would help the investigators in the Foley affair, and now this crap, again, with Dean?
Perhaps Harry was referring to the fellow senators who are running for the white house when he said a filibuster would disrupt others schedules. I hope not.
Weaseldog @ 22:
Or maybe someone has him by the short hairs. Who the fu*k knows but he owes us an explanation.
My e-mail:
As an American citizen and loyal Democrat I am hoping you will not give this corrupt administration yet another pass and let them get away with immunity for themselves and the corporations who allowed themselves to be illegally strong-armed into spying on American citizens in total contradiction to the Constitution of the United States.
Please go to bat for we the people, not Bush, Cheney and their corporate cronies.
Chris Dodd is a shining star and an example of a real legislator for the people for taking this on.
How do we go about compelling Harry to give up the explanation or face removal/censure/something? This turns my stomach, and I find it hard to believe that Reid would support the 'thugs' on this one... without being either duped or coerced.
Or maybe Harry is really a Republican at heart, and ran as a Democrat because he knew it would get him elected?
Not in Nevada - when he first ran for the Senate this state was about as red as red could get. Still is, for the most part (the number of letters from Republicans demanding his head on a platter is astounding).
My parents have supported him and voted for him for nearly two decades. So have I. But I'm done - if he won't stand up for the Constitution, then he doesn't get my vote.
Too bad we don't have a good progressive challenger for him - we had to import Jack Carter to run in 2006 against John Ensign, and he got his hat handed to him. Most of the Democratic leaders around here are "centrists", not progressive firebrands. And the ones who are (State Sen. Minority Leader Dina Titus, State Asemblyman David Bobzien) won't run for higher office.
Hey, Harry Reid is caught between a rock and a hard place. There's nothing he can do. The Republicans are just TOO POWERFUL because they still exist. Only when we give the Democratic party unilateral, unchallenged ultimate veto-proof authority will we see real change.
Until then, all he can do is appease the obstructionists. Hey, what would YOU do?
So shut up and keep voting for Democrats. As soon as not one Republican holds so much as a county dog catcher seat, you'll get your justice.
Oh yes. You will.
Time for Reid to go away.
He's a total embarrassment.
The Repubs are still in control of the Senate.
goatsage @ 26:
Is it too late to add my name to your letter? I like it.
pop @ 31 - Thanks, it's already been sent. I have no doubt you can make a similar argument with your own words. Civility counts.
http://reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm
reid is a LIEberDem, 'nuff said!
When I click on the BillO post to go to the comments, I get error message 404 that the page can not be found. Just an FYI. It could be found about five minutes ago, but not now. Maybe the page ran out for a potty break or something.
goatsage @ 32:
Civility counts and that's why I'm not in the right mental place right now. I have to find my civility first.
The DoW is up 240 points right now. And the billO post is gone. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone. :roll:
Corporate America controls more than just 100% of the GOP. Their tentacles extend to the Democratic Party as well and Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are just doing what they are told. Nothing to see here folks, move along.
Dear America, We are getting what we voted for. Quit bitchin !
I JUST got off the phone with Senator Reid's DC office. Here is the HONEST TO GOD answer I got when I asked WHY Senator Reid would force Democrats into the well of the Senate to filibuster when he will simply allow the Republicans to phone it in.
On FISA:
"Because Senator Reid thinks it's important to show the nation how important this issue is. He wants people to see Democrats filibustering it"
His little minion also told me the Senator supported the NO retroactive immunity. I asked him then why Senator Reid didn't JUST bring that bill to the Senate floor, I said HE CAN DO THAT CAN'T HE?
My reply:
"Because Senator Reid thinks it's important to show the nation how important this issue is. He wants people to see Democrats filibustering it"
What an idiot
Sent my letter. Take notice....NV voters, look what happened in CT...Lieberman & Lamont.
Isn't Harry Reid's son a powerful player and big-time supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton?
Harry is such a manly man.
Like a Rock Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
The one party thing is a cliche of politics. But Reid makes it a reality in my mind. A pox on both parties.
Mark @ 39:
Thanks for doing that, Mark. It it very revealing.
I think it is time to form a new party. The only requirements to join this new party is to possess a solid spine and not be batcrap crazy.
Reid is a disgrace.
Sorry, I've had it with being nice. Here's my letter:
Harry,
So you've told Dodd and Feingold that they will have to filibuster the FISA bill.
Harry, I've been told to be nice when contacting you, because "nasty emails will get us nowhere". Well, nice emails have gotten us nowhere either, because Democrats in this country have a non-entity as their leader in the Senate. So -- Go to hell, Harry! We are going there together either way.
Reid is a useless POS in my opinion. What the hell has he accomplished?
He needs to be replaced NOW.
Chris Dodd for Senate Majority Leader after the next election.
This is why I refuse to vote for a DINO. If the Democratic Party establishment has the same agenda as the Republicans anyway, why bother? Let them lose until the frauds have been removed from the party.
Reid is using Obama's unity bs.
We waste billions in Iraq but no health care for children:
“We will come back to this floor in the next week or two with a $150 billion economic stimulus package to get us out of a recession,” said Representative Phil Gingrey, Republican of Georgia. “We need the money for that. We don’t want to be squandering money to provide health insurance for those who can afford to do it for themselves.”
The veto vote failed due to pos gop like that. They fail to address the real waste of billions in Iraq and that is pathetic.
annie @ 8:
Wow. Because the decisions he makes will ONLY affect Dems. You should consider the bigger picture before spouting off.
Pelosi sucks. Reid swallows.
getalife @ 49:
A healthcare bill for poor children might free up some money for those that have to choose between food or medicine.
But then, that sort of spending would target the poor. We obviously need a fake stimulus package that gives more to those that have more, as they can pay it back at tax time.
I have called my Senators offices: Boxer will support fillibuster. Feinstein, in her usual weasal stance will support an amendment to the Intelligence bill to send telcom suits to outside judiciary. I asked why doesn't she just vote against the Intel bill, support the Judiciary bill and Sen. Dodd's filabuster. I explained, as I have so often, I will never support her again if she does not do the right thing.
I spoke to Obama's and Clinton's offices: Obama supports the filabuster. Told him he needs to get himself back to Washington to prove it to me. Clinton does not support immunity. Spoke to both her DC office and campaign office. They don't know if she will support filabuster. I told them, if she doesn't she will never get my vote.
Spoke to Reid's office: He is against immunity. Asked why he is forcing full fillibuster on Dodd while allowing Reps 100s of passes on filabuster. He could pull legislation.
We will see what happens. Call your Senators and candidates.
D Feinstein just finished pimping for her immunity claus to the FISA bill. She invoked 9/11, security, and the Repub taking points perfectly.
Well done, Dian, your party must be so proud of you.
What a laugh-fest the Repubs must have every evening over drinks.
I simply cannot believe what is happening to my country.
The destruction seems to be accelerating, or maybe it's just me.
INEXCUSABLE!!! I can't believe this is the same Senator who shut down the Senate while we were in the minority to get our long overdue report on fixed intelligence about Iraq. This past year he lets the repugs simply wave their hands and say filibuster to the point they set a record for filibusters in a Congressional session and the session is only half done. Now he forces OUR Senators to take the floor all night when they want to defend our way of life and Constitution? I'm done with Reid. Kick him out the caucus. Dodd for Majority Leader!!
Senator Reid,
I am writing to urge you to support Senator Dodd in his opposition to the bill granting immunity to telecommunications companies which illegally provided the personal information of American citizens to agencies of the federal government.
This was an inexcusable action on their part and a betrayal of the constitution and the rights of the citizens of the United States to grant them immunity for there illegal actions. I would expect such legislation from the Republican administration but I find it shameful that you would support this bill on the floor.
PLEASE reconsider your position on pushing this bill in the senate. As senate majority leader you have the authority, but even greater responsibility to uphold the rights of American citizens and the Constitution. To fail to do this is a grievous dereliction of your oath and office.
Respectfully,
IF only we had a majority in Congress...
Its time to drain the swamp STARTING with useless DINOs like Reid, Pelosi, Feinstein and on and on
Dear Senator Reid,
I emphatically urge you to oppose FISA immunity. I find it completely incomprehensible that you are forcing members of your own party to openly filibuster and delay a necessary national security bill over this needless provision. Instead, you should stand with them.
Let's allow the courts to decide whether or not any laws have been broken -- after they review the facts. To preemptively cut off the judiciary branch from reviewing this case smacks of the same sort of hubris the Bush administration has shown in using signing statements to limit the powers of Congress.
Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
that's like saying: "Wiley Coyote, Suuuuuuuuuuper Genius!"
We were duped in 06. They ALL need to go.
"There's a saying in Texas, fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame...we won't be fooled again."
Sigh @ 51:
Pithy. Vivid. Accurate and descriptive. I'd give it 9.9 of 10.
Mark @ 39:
Too bad you got hooked up with a robotic moron who could only bleat out the approved talking points. Sen. Dodd should go forward anyway with impunity and call Reid's bluff. And if he is successful publically claim success despite the best efforts of his party's leadership to sabotage his efforts.
kay @ 55:
Dear Dianne;
Thanks for all those Twinkies. And, thanks for getting that great job at AT&T.
Love;
Dan
Tempting as it is to hurl some choice invectives and smack down Reid (metaphorically, of course) for forgetting that he is the leader of the opposition party, I’m fairly sure nasty emails will get us absolutely nowhere. Think about how you’d react to a ranting and raving letter. So I ask you to make your feelings known but do it respectfully and in a manner in which you’d like to be addressed.
And you wonder why these clowns don't listen...
Give it up people. Washington DC is on another planet. They not only don't hear you, they don't care. The vested interests of the presently elected Reps and Sens are more important than anything we care about.
Gary Lensman: You are absolutely right, how any Dem supporter can still believe they have a two party system is beyond me.
"Show me the money"
"Show me the difference"
Harry is not a dem, he is a stealth repuke. Niether, and so is Pelousy...
I have a feeling it's going to take about 5 rewrites to get something civil down on paper. I would also suggest if people can to fax Reid's office as well. There is nothing like the sight of page after page of faxs rolling off the machine. I know it's a waste of natural resources (though the trees already cut down) but in this case I think it's worth it.
Over at FDL they have a list of the Senators that have agreed to help Senator Dodd out in the filibuster. I noticed that one of my Senators is on it but the other is Mikulski who is a lost cause so at least I'm batting .500. I just don't get the Democratic leadership and I swear if Clinton and Obama don't stand up on this I'm going to scream. So much for this disjointed comment, I can't write when I'm PO'ed.
Weaseldog @ 4:
So who cares about honesty?
JasonS @ 29:
oh just pigshit!
ray @ 5:
L Ron Paul wants to privatize all federal lands. Just think that over.
Sany @ 17:
You can go ahead and bash Reid all you like. He's a weak centrist-right COMPROMISE, put into power because the Senate Dem caucus is split down the middle 25-25.
Speaker Pelosi raised minimum wages, increased Pell grants, forced the EPA to list endangered species, COMPLETELY REFUSED ANY OFFER OF TELECOM IMMUNITY, funded Katrina levy work, added GLB rights to the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (which failed in the Senate), supported SCHIP against two vetoes, and quite a few other Progressive accomplishments.
No, she could not singlehandedly stop a coup, and no, she could not send an impeachment to the Senate with Reid being so weak and the caucus being so split -- a split which makes us FORTY VOTES SHY OF ANY CONVICTION.
Blame Reid all you want. Speaker Pelosi is not the evil people think of her.
Go to Hell, Harry.
My e-mail to Obama:
I am leaning strongly towards supporting Senator Obama in the primary but I insist he make a strong, visible stand in support of Senator Dodd and his efforts to hold the administration and the telecoms accountable for illegally spying on American citizens.
No immunity for the telecoms and Cheney/Bush.
This is a very important issue to myself and many of my friends and family. Sen. Obama needs to stand up for the Constitution of the U.S and the rule of law.
Thank you.
Paul in LA @ 73:
shes a sellout and sos ried!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Angry Donkey @ 58:
Feinstain was just reelected by a 20% margin. You missed your chance.
Pelosi is a Progressive Democrat. If you would rather have the DLC in the Speaker's chair, keep on with your nastiness.
And, no, we (if you mean progressives) do NOT have the majority of Congress, and NEVER HAVE. The current Dem vote in the Senate is 25-75 R/DINO, and in the House the vote is 245 R/BD-190 D.
And if you are a Progressive supporter, you already know that, and know that it takes WORK to change those numbers, you don't just get to PRETEND you voted in some new Congress in 2006, and then placidly sit back and throw tomatoes when the fantasy turns out not to be real.
tyree @ 76:
If you consider that a rebuttal, then you are one brain short.
Paul in LA @ 78:
reall paul your not worth reading and as far as brains yours left you in pershing square~
Paul in LA @ 77: How the hell are we supposed to work hard and elect progressives when the leadership (R Emmanuel) and the rest of the party bring in the Blue Dogs every damn election? We work, we phone bank, we send money and give time, and they support and bring in Blue Dogs, who by the way, I will never understand, unless the "knighted" ones know all along what they're doing?
You can't keep bringing in right wingers with a D after their name and vote with the Repubs.
Explain that one to me, Einstein, my ignorant little brain is having a problem with this one.
Oh, by the way, what exactly do you mean by "Pretend"? You mean because we believe the party when they open their mouth and move their lips? Silly us.
tyree @ 79:
You have left out c, and z (at least). If you want to try to write a misspelled sentence with all the letters used at least once, just add the c and z at the end, like:
"reall paul your not worth reading and as far as brains yours left you in pershing squarecz."
I added a period. I guess I was educated in a different era.
[Paul in LA and tyree- Please stop it now. Both of you are valued members of the C & L community. You see some things differently. Accept it and move on, without the personal attacks. Thank you. Site Monitor]
Paul in LA @ 81:
really paul i dont need a clinton licking asshole giveing spelling lessons ,save it for your husband!
[I'm a slow typist, so to repeat: Please end this skirmish before it becomes a flame war. Got it? Site Monitor]
Greenwald's post goes a lot further. Worth reading if you are not pissed off enough yet.
On the Senate floor Reid and the Minority Leader had a prearranged script on Senate floor today.
Big junket to Davos this weekend and most of your illustrious reps. want to get out of town as early as Thursday.
At the same time the Pelosi and the House give Bush his military budget no questions asked.
Are you kidding me right now?
kay @ 80:
Pretend is what I mean. Do you REALLY think you elected a new Congress in 2006? I haven't found anyone here yet who voted for some new Democrat in 2006, to change the message, blah-blah-blah.
What happened is HOWARD DEAN, who quickly realized that the DNC has been run into the ground by the DLC by not running campaigns in every state. Dean then did so -- to Rahm Emanuel's great displeasure (as head of the DCCC)-- and when the Congressional scandals erupted in RED STATES, we were on hand to pick up an unprecedented number of otherwise uncontested seats.
That is what gave us the leadership of both Houses. But you have to have the VOTES as well, and the (loyal) Dems do not. Generally because adding seats (such as via Blue Dog elections) is not the same as adding Dem votes.
My letter to the Majority Leader:
Dear Senator Reid,
With all due respect: What Are You Doing?! Why are you impeding the few members of the Senate (Dodd, Feingold, et al) who are actually looking out for the American people's interests, while giving a free pass to Bush and his henchmen?
Granted, the main stream media won't pay any attention to this until after it's too late, but a lot of us are paying attention despite this.
Please reconsider your actions for the good of country and Constitution.
Respectfully,
Ryan xxxxxxxxxx
Champaign, IL
What is the actual process to change leadership? No one is satisfied with the job he is doing, so why can't he be replaced by someone who will stand up to administration.
How do we help make that happen?
charles @ 83:
Pelosi put forward a Supplemental in the spring with withdrawal dates. It passed (an accomplishment) and was vetoed. Then the Blue Dogs withdrew their supporting votes (for which the pork was ladled on thick), and so Pelosi added minimum wage increase and Katrina aid to the replacement bill, making lemonade with lemons.
NO FURTHER SUPPLEMENTALS WERE PASSED.
Then, at the end of the year, the Blue Dogs and DLC overrode the Progressives, and passed an omnibus bill which put a lot of good stuff in with everything Bushco wanted -- a collapse of political will which the blogosphere did basically zero to stop.
Blaming Pelosi for that collapse is silly and false. She blocked all year -- but she has a DLC Majority Leader who wants her chair, one she tried to block with Murtha if you will recall.
Go ahead, shoot her down. Plenty of black activists like Stokely Carmichael attacked MLK Jr. for comiserating with Johnson at all. It's so much purer to be a pure revolutionary, to be purely right, to be radicalized and certain. Meanwhile, MLK Jr. was a good caucus leader, for which they called him a Tom.
pissed off patricia @ 36:
oops! now DOWn 200+
Paul in LA @ 72:
He wants federal land turned over to the states...
source
[You got your rebuttal in. Now keep it on topic, that topic being Harry Reid. Site Monitor]
it seems to me i heard palosi declare she was going to drain the swamp in washington , seems to me what little shes got done mostly ammounts to just setting on her ass makeing mud pies in shallow water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Steve in PA @ 86:
The only method is to elect better Dem Senators. And that's just about impossible.
There is very little process involved. Reid was the minority leader, because the caucus is split, as I said above. When we achieved the majority of seats, he became the default majority leader. The decision itself rests with the DCCC, a caucus of the whole (Dem) Congress, which votes for the leadership after the elections every two years.
Reid is middle-of-the-road. That's because there are 25 Rockefeller DINOs and 25 Kennedy Democrats in the Senate Dem caucus. The Rockefeller DINOs vote the corporate line, and have supported Bushco all down the line.
That's why the Speaker blocked impeachment, but nevermind. It's like any political analysis is worthless, because pure leftists really can't be bothered to have an analysis other than what they are spoonfed by the radicals.
This fight between pure radicals and impure negotiators/compromisers/realists has gone on forever. The pure believe themselves to be pure, but the litmus testing kills off their opportunities for incremental change -- and the less pure are tarred for trying to 'explain' or justify the actions of those good-hearted people (like Pelosi) who are faced with the conundrum of reality, without recourse to political purist fantasy.
noitaluspacne @ 89:
[Deleted. Off topic. Take it to an open thread, please. Site Monitor]
Come on, folks THIS is Nicole's key point, and she is DEAD ON IT:
To do so, Reid announced that, unlike for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid said: [I]f people think they are going to talk this to death, we are going to be in here all night. This is not something we are going to have a silent filibuster on. If someone wants to filibuster this bill, they are going to do it in the openness of the Senate....That is what Democrats have been urging Reid to do to the filibustering Republicans all year — in order to dramatize their obstructionism — but he has refused to make them actually filibuster anything, generously agreeing instead that every bill requires 60 votes. Instead, he reserves such punishment only for the members of his own caucus trying to take a stand for the rule of law and the Constitution, those who are trying finally to bring some accountability to this administration. Read on…
So, what we get is Hillbots and Obama-ites (that would be me...) dive bombing
each other that "Hillary/Obama better Fillibuster...
THIS IS ABOUT REID!
Why the HELL has he fallen all over himself to be collegial to the Republics,
who shoved a shiv in the back of EVERY DEMOCRAT trying to get a word
in edge wise for the last 7 years...
The locked us out of committees, made secret votes....
Ried had every right to make them fillibuster things that would
have looked horrid to independents, etc...
But, instead, he goes all Pissy on Chris Dodd, who's only sin
seems to be...
Standing up for the US Constituion!
Time to pick a new majority leader. Chris Dodd? Russ Feingold? Maybe Obama if he doesn't get the nomination. Ultimately, though, it should be Bernie Sanders even though he's an independent.
WashStateBlue @ 93:
It is -- Pelosi and all the House leadership have refused any profer of telecom immunity. That remains their position.
But scapegoating Reid will not change much, especially if you alienate him. He is torn between two divergent groups, and leans toward the corporatist side.
So rather than berate him, it might be worth working the 25 'Kennedy' Dems, especially the candidates, for all their worth.
kos has an update from Reid:
"Update: Reid's staff e-mails to clarify that his challenge to Senators wishing to "talk this to death" was intended for Republicans who had been insisting on 60 vote majority on FISA votes. That is, Reid told the Republicans that if they want 60 vote threshold they will have to essentially filibuster to do so. Should the votes start tomorrow, I hope he holds that line."
pissed off patricia @ 21:
Once again I am reminded of the anthrax attacks investigation that just seemed dissapear. Remember it? How the anthrax strain could only be traced back to the types of lab that only the highest levels of our government has access too? Remember how the letters, in a laughable attempt, were made too look like they came from an Islamic extremist and yet they were only sent to those that questioned and opposed the war?
Conspiracy theory or not; what else do they give us to believe in?
That said, Reid is without spine. All great leaders in the past, were great because they feared not death, but laughed in the face of it, as they did what was ever humanly possible to fight evil and coruption and stand up for good and truth. Reid is not a great leader. Reid is not a leader. Oh, and Dick Cheney? He is simply a soulless murderer.
Lets make sure to push the current candidates and make sure they support Chris Dodd and the others standing up for what is right. If they won't do the right thing now when they need our votes how can we expect them to do the right thing when whoever wins is elected.
getalife @ 96:
Perhaps I spoke too soon; wouldn't be the first time. However, the cynicism I have taken in over these 7 years no longer allows me to hold my breath for more than a minute. I simply wait and see it before I even entertain the idea of believing it.
Paul in LA @ 91:
Oops, not the decision rests with the DC, which is currently headed by Rahm Emanuel (DLC) (as someone noted above).
Chris Van Hollen is now head of the DCCC (no longer Emanuel), but Van Hollen is from Maryland, Majority Leader Hoyer's state, so the DLC probably still holds the position (even though CVH is not to my knowledge a DLC member).
Well considering the update from Reid, let's see how this plays out?
He still has a lot to prove to me on this issue....
Retroactive Telecom Immunity is a pure gift to the criminals in the WH?
Anyone that votes for it should be purged from Congress.
I still am skeptical of Reid, I don't care if he is in a tough spot, caught
between blue dog democrats and blue staters.....
This is Red vs Blue, or US security. This is about Crime and Punishment.
The time to be civil and polite has long passed.
Can the revolution still be peaceful?
Yes, let's all go to D.C. and throw a bloodless coup.
Actually, I think the decision rests with the Senate DC (chaired by Reid), not with the general DC (chaired by Emanuel).
Republicans actually separate the caucus chair from the current leader; Dems do not.
So far as the leadership goes, Reid, Durbin (whip), Schumer, and Patty Murray.
Schumer sides with Feinstain on telecom immunity. I don't know where Durbin is on the issue -- he might be worth lobbying.
Stay out of dark alleys Harry. Someone may just put their whole foot up your ass, you traitorous bastard!
pookers @ 102:
The next big protest is "March 19, 2008: the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the beginning of the 6th year of war and occupation, the 6th year of senseless death and massive destruction."
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
Violence supports rightwing gov'ts.
Nonviolent protest is the only progressive form.
GET SOME BALLS reid and pelosi
FILLiBUSTER
IMPEACH
UNION STRIKE
IS WELL OVER DUE...
LEAD or get out of the way
2nd BOSTON TEA PARTY is coming.................
Last time this came up, I wrote both Patti Murray and Maria Cantwell,
told them they had better both support Dodd, or when I get to
DC (going in March for the USSC DC Gun Control Case) I was planning
to stop by BOTH their offices, so they could here from one of their
consitiuants first hand on giving Criminals in the WH immunity....
There is a bigger issue here than just the wiretapping. As the courts have noted, Democracy functions when there is "an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in which truth will prevail" - a marketplace where there is a "wide diversity of viewpoints from a multiplicity of sources."
They have media consolidation to squash that in the broadcast industry, and the corporate owned politicians look to telecom and an end to net neutrality to do the job on the internet. In order to keep the political choices between a bad corporate owned candidate and a worse corporate owned candidate, the corporate owned politicians are going to play ball with the telecom industry.
Since there is no showing why retroactive immunity is necessary in order for the FISA bill to function going forward, the immunity provisions should be severed and brought as a separate bill, where the consideration already received by telecom could be examined. For example, was there more favorable treatment in regulatory approval for mergers; were telecom contracts thrown towards the telcos? Reid and his ilk are a part of the problem, albeit a kinder, gentler corrupt politician, but useless nevertheless. Reid knows by rendering the Congress impotent, that the President can continue to have the free ride he had under the Republican Congress.
And make no mistake about it, they know full well that if they control what people see and hear, they control what people think and say. They need their allies in telecom to fashion a way to control what people see and hear, which is by ending net neutrality.
How can you expect the public to get annoyed at this when
a) They probably won't even hear of it. (Thanks MSM.)
b) Even the people on THIS site, who know about it, probably won't even change their support from Hil/Oba to Edwards, IF Edwards is the only one of the three to support Dodd on this.
What is going on man??? What is the answer to this. Who is Harry Reid representing?
Here is my letter to Sen Reid:
Let's not forget, Dian Feinstein and all the Repubs want to vote for immunity for the telecoms.
But they aren't allowed to see WHAT it is they are being asked to give them immunity FOR?
This is what our government has become?
I got in a lot of trouble years back, when my dear one said to me: "just trust me".
I'm STILL paying for that one.
This theater going on in DC is simply not acceptable governance. We all gripe and bitch and moan, but I don't see a lot of new faces when I spend my retirement to go to DC and "protest" the government.
Get off yer arses and take to the streets during the week. These week end marches do no good. "when the machine becomes so odius ..you have to put your body on the gears." look it up, Berkely, Mario Salvio, gawd I hope I got that right, forgiv me if I mispelled it.
Sigh @ 52:
Afterwards, Cheney leaves $2 on the dresser.
bughunter @ 113:
Why lazy leftists rent the video.
FUCK HARRY REED ! I am sick to my stomach that my gal-pal & I went to Elko Nevada to knock on doors for that spineless Asshole in '04 . Won't make that mistake again . I'll Never vote for a Dino-Shit who supports this crap , even if his RePIGlican opponent has the same position . I'll change my coat from YellowDog Dem to PrepareForRevolution armor 'n arms instead of wasting time voting .
The next question is , how much will this hurt the once Great DemocRAT Party in '08 ?
bughunter @ 113:
nah it takes much more on the table to sell out your party nancy takes bids!
Does anyone here really think Reid is reading any of these e-mails? Really? Do you really think that he will suddenly have a change of heart after discovering that the public, and particularly democrats, are opposed to telcom immunity? What, you think he's suddenly blown into town and this is the first he's heard of all this so called "outrage?"
Please.
Reid is a complete tool and has done nothing but undermine the progressive cause. The only remaining bullet in the progressive gun is elections and it's way past time to stop obsessing about majorities and start bringing the pain to some of the prominent House and Senate leadership. The best way to ensure they use their authority wisely is to take it away.
Sent my letter:
Dear Senator Reid,
It has come to my attention that the FISA legislation will most likely be coming to the floor of the Senate this Thursday the 24th. It has also come to my attention that you will ultimately be forcing Senator Dodd to filibuster the legislation. I find it remarkable that you would force a member of your own party to perform an acting filibuster when you have continually pulled or postponed legislation at the threat of a filibuster from the Republicans. While I understand the reasoning for pulling legislation because of a threat of a filibuster due to the lack of time to pass other critical legislation, it is astounding that you would side with the Bush adminsitration and telecom companies who may have illegally eavesdropped on us Americans. As a fellow Democrat and American, I encourage you to stand up for the Constitution and introduce legislation that does not include immunity for those telecom companies.
Thank you,
Nathan
To the Harry Reid, the Grand Pooh Pah of the Democratic Congress: Geez, Harry, you've allowed BUSH to win again on the FISA bill and to allow Immunity to the Telcoms... are you proud of that?
You sir are as big a failure as is Ms Pelosi... the high princess of Do Nothing Senatorial endeavors.
Count on losing any future elections, because you are aiding and abetting this out of control Republican administration with your inept leadership... and impotent legislative skills.
My letter to Senator Specter:
Dear Senator Specter,
As your constiuent I find it imperative that I inform you that I find it unbelievable and unimaginable that immunity may be granted to telecom companies who may have violated the Constitution. I urge you as my representation in the Senate to stand for FISA legislation that does not include immunity. Furthermore, I urge you to stand with Senator Dodd in filibustering such legislation that includes immunity which will most likely make its way to the floor tomorrow the 24th as standing up for the Constitution is not a partisan issue.
Thank you,
Nathan
gfm975 @ 119 "Harry, you've allowed BUSH to win again on the FISA bill and to allow Immunity to the Telcoms..."
No, the bill hasn't passed.
"You sir are as big a failure as is Ms Pelosi... the high princess of Do Nothing Senatorial endeavors."
Yes, that's because she's NOT IN THE SENATE.
For your next set of scapegoats, please check the boxes:
[ ] I prefer scapegoats with single syllable names.
[ ] I prefer female scapegoats.
[ ] I prefer scapegoats who are women.
[ ] I prefer scapegoats. What was the question?
Paul in LA @ 105:
Paul, the biggest protest the world has ever seen took place before the US decided to invade,maim, torture and kill innocent women and children in Iraq. What did that accomplish? Made Bush smirk, and Cheney say "go f**k yerself".
Some of us were slow to come onboard the anti Vietnam War movement. My family was one of them. Not until my fourth friend came home in a box did I really begin to know it was wrong.
The thing that really helped turn the tide WAS hundreds of thousands of people being beaten in the streets and campuses of America. Make no doubt about it, seeing the carnage every single night on the news had an incredible impact on the psyche of Americans.
The reason Americans can ignore what we are doing in Iraq and Afghan. is because they have NO idea what is happening. This government learned their lessons well, keep it off the television, period.
I was in the streets that week before the invasion, and No one would have ever known. Same as today. In an earlier post I stated I would no longer participate in week end demonstrations in DC.
You have to do it on a mid-week day. You have to gum up the gears and make everyone in the city pay attention. THAT will get the press.
Believe me, the fence sitters would pay attention if the networks and cable news covered what's going on.
I have no idea how you further an anti-war movement without a free and open press, sadly, we have neither.
ConcernedCanuck @ 122:
The continued smirking of dictators and tyrants is no bar to organizing and protesting, which is necessary work, positive work, which accomplishes a great deal--but not necessarily against coups.
A lot of people don't understand protesting, because they think that somehow you protest, and then the media covers it, and then magically the rulers give up their prerogatives and give in. Which is hilarious.
Protest serves two very big purposes: 1) Expression of outrage, and 2) Water the grassroots.
Expression of outrage is very important, because it upholds the moral order that undergirds civilization. If people were simply silent, inactive, the dictators would be TEN TIMES more brutal than they are. Expression of outrage supports free speech, and helps keep information flowing, even during media coups, or media non-coverage. Any well-planned public protest reaches the public that sees it, even without television or newspaper coverage.
Watering the grassroots is as crucial a purpose, and public protesters like myself see that benefit every time we do it. People start out depressed, just driving by trying to get to their hovels, and when they see a protest, they brighten up, they take courage, they again affirm their connection to the human family and to righteousness.
These purposes are a big part of why there will be no martial law takeover of America, or the rest of the hyper-paranoid fantasy. Part of that is that protesters deal with police on a regular basis, and the public response helps humanizes the police, keeping them in contact with the citizenry, instead of merely being influenced by anti-terrorism dollars and training from above.
Your attitudes strike me as entirely unproductive. Again and again you express disempowerment, backed up with scapegoating. Those methods are only useful as science fiction. Where we need empowerment activists, your negativity only produces disempowering attitudes.
Dear Sir,
I happen to love this country very much; i have had the privilege of enjoying it's freedom and bounty. And as I have resided in countries much less free than my own, I have a deep appreciation for the freedom granted to me by accident of birth.
Freedom, as they say, is not free. To remain free requires constant vigilance, strength of conviction, and the courage to do what is right.
As i have watched this session of Congress, it has become abundantly clear to me that Congress lacks the three attributes listed above. This disturbs me deeply. I have heard all about Republican obstructionism; I understand that parliamentary procedure can be difficult to overcome. On the other hand, I must question why you as Senate majority leader have never forced the Republicans to actually mount a filibuster. And i can predict, and even accept, your reasons. However, if you refuse to force a Republican filibuster it does seem somewhat strange that you would be inclined to force a fellow Democrat to actually filibuster. (Sen. Dodd's planned filibuster of the FISA bill)
The discrepancy in your behavior is troubling. Furthermore, it forces me to contemplate the possibility that you actually support the ability of government to listen to the conversations of its citizens without a warrant. Aside from the Constitutional issues here - yes, I fully understand that its just a "god damned piece of paper", the way that you and your compatriots have treated it has made that abundantly clear - you might want to consider the fact that you will be one of the first people spied upon.
You probably already are being spied upon. I assume that I am regularly spied upon, not because I do anything wrong, but because it is clear that my government doesn't have anything better to do.
Take the long view, Senator, and consider how history will judge you. Will you be one of the few who stood for freedom? Will my grandchildren talk about how Senator Harry Reid had courage, dignity, and wisdom? Or will they learn about a man who was cowardly and weak; a man who lacked the fortitude to do what was right; a man complicit in the destruction of the republic that they might have known and cherished.
I understand that you don't care about my grandchildren. If you did, I would have no reason to write this email, because you would do what's right.
Yours in fear and loathing,
XXXXX XXXXXXXXX
~So that's the letter i submitted, as per Ms. Belle's request...
kay @ 123:
You are living in a period of UNPRECEDENTED information technology.
In the 60s, we had 250 underground newspapers, mostly republishing Agent-France Presse articles (which, coming from SE Asia, is taking milk from the bull) and smudged opinion pieces.
We now have internet and cellphones, both radical technologies which are busily transforming our societies in every second.
My suspicion is that people who don't publically protest or otherwise gather with others --in person-- for political work become dissociated from the bombardment of the (actual) newsfeed; and preventing such is a major purpose of protest and local action for change.
I also think that scapegoating and geopolitical generalities deprive people of progressive paths to action, directly disempowering them. We cannot simply jaw about violent revolution some day saving us in some final conflagration before the Great Peace. We have to work, even uphill, even for decades, just like Martin Luther King Jr. said, because we are the only hope the future has.
Oh, and the 60s antiwar protest was mainly a result of the draft, not the media.
kay @ 123:
We don't have the numbers for such direct action, but if you are drawn to it, get training first.
As for mid-week protesting, of course, you do need the public in attendence. There are large protest marches downtown in LA which reach very few non-protesters. Those are even so useful as rallies, but in general a handful of protesters at a busy intersection anywhere in the country can do A LOT to change the world.
"make your feelings known but do it respectfully and in a manner in which you’d like to be addressed."
Well, if I was a walking douchebag like Harry Reid, I wouldn't mind being addressed as such.
This is really huge for me. If Edwards gets off his duff and speaks out against this FISA travesty, and shows up to support Dodd, he has my vote. That goes for Obama and Hillary too, although I can't see either of them putting their necks on the line here. I am so steamed with the democratic party and its craven leadership! Nader was right; both parties are for the status quo and nothing will change until a true third party emerges. After viewing the documentary on Nader, An Unreasonable Man, I realized how terribly wrong I was to blame him for Al Gore's incompetence and for the democrats being out-maneuvered by the repuglicans. Greenwald for the Supreme Court!!!
SueN @ 130:
John Edwards is no longer in the Senate.
The only way he could show up to support Dodd is to stand in line.
OK, I wrote my nice little letter to Mr Reid. So , when do we start the revolution?
Paul in LA @126: Your words dazzle us, you are more than quite adept. But you missed my point completely, now, pay attention:
I'm quite impressed with your explanation of "UNPRECEDENTED " information technology.
I'm not talking about technology, I'm talking about the masses of americans who have no idea about the brutal, destruction of a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. They have never seen a photo or a film of a decapitated child, or a living infant in the headless arms of her mother.
That, sir, is what I am talking about.
You can dazzle the world with your excellent use of the english language, but please refrain from trying to change the subject.
Reid is a made man of the Bush Crime Family. Nothing else explains it.
Fire him. Clear his ass out. He serves no purpose. I'm not writing any letter. I'm going help find his replacement.
Hasn't anybody noticed that Harry and Nancy have been utterly and totally inept? This is the first time you've noticed it? Give me a break, can anyone name less influential leaders, so unwilling to use the levers of power given them, under the pretext that "they just don't have the votes". Believe me, when the Democrats are given more power in the next election, it will NOT be due to a "job well done", but out of desperation. The leadership is nothing less than an embarrassment to the party and the country.
Actually I did write the letter. I told Senator Reid I was looking for his replacement and why.
Rowdy! @ 13:
Reply from Senator Reid to disgruntled voter:
Dear Voter,
You make me laugh!! You are not my employers, the military industrial complex and the associated special interest parties supporting Israel are my employers, and if you would take the time to research these issues, you would realize that this is true. Nonetheless, if you ever did serious research on this issue it would quickly put me and many of my traitorous colleagues who likewise have the same employers out of a job, so I appreciate just how gullible you are while we roll out policies to ensure that any future dissent against these interests is quickly identified and crushed. After all, no matter how stupid you all act, eventually you are going to wake up to how we are killing the country and the economy, and we want to be positioned for when that happens. Hence, the FISA bill.
You think you would have clued in after what we have done since the last election, but as Hitler always used to say, the bigger the lie, the more people will tend to believe it. Still, it is hard for me to believe sometimes how much we can get away with, Nancy and I. Like the whole impeachment thing, how that isn't in the best interests of the country. I still get a giggle out of that every day.
Nonetheless, I want to thank you for continuing to operate under these illusions, because it makes the systematic destruction of America so much easier. By splitting you along Democrat and Republican lines, it keeps Americans fighting with each other instead of addressing the real issues facing what was once a great country.
Plus, after you elect a Democrat President and we continue to roll forward with exactly the same policies that any Bushy would have, you will be so confused that your brain will fry up and then we will use that moment to chip you all. That will eliminate any further need for the illusion of democracy and then I'll be able to retire on some Caribbean island.
Please ignore anyone like Dennis Kusinich, Senator Dodd or Dr. Paul who challenge the status quo -- they are obviously cranks, right -- and continue to get your news from the mainstream media.
I think you all are cattle. You certainly act like cattle, just before they take you to the slaughterhouse.
And don't wait for Hillary or Obama or even John Edwards to seriously oppose any of this: they are actually with us.
Yours truly,
Senator Harry Ried
I faxed this to all of Reid's offices (and sent an annotated copy to my senators, Kennedy and Kerry):
Dear Senator Reid —
I am a loyal Democrat. I’ve been a loyal Democrat all my life, and I come from a family of loyal Democrats; my 99-year-old aunt voted for FDR all four times. But you know something? I, and the rest of my family, are at the end of our rope. Time after time what we get from our elected officials is craven capitulation after craven capitulation.
It is a measure of my desperation and despair that I have absolutely no confidence that anything I can say will have any impact on you whatsoever. It is a measure of my patriotism that I am compelled to say it anyway.
I receive the emails from your organization, curiously titled “Give ‘em Hell, Harry!” Based on your performance so far, it looks like the only ones getting Hell are the ones who voted for a return to a Democratic congress in 2006. As far as the Bush administration goes, your organization would be better off named “Give ‘em whatever they want, Harry!”
All of which is my way of saying that your willingness to go to bat for retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies is utterly deplorable. Senator Dodd is standing up for our rights as American citizens. Please, Sir, I beg of you. Do the right thing. Make the Republicans explain over and over again how they believe the administration they have empowered should be allowed to spy on Americans. Stand against the giant companies and on the side of the “little guy.” Otherwise, you’re just another Republican.
No to telecom immunity. No, no, no.
For the sake of the country we love, please stop “keeping your powder dry.” Please support Chris Dodd’s filibuster; please stop enabling obstructionist Republicans. Please, Sir, for all our sakes, give us back a Democratic party we can be proud of.
Yours sincerely,
{signed}
If Harry Reid has a method to his madness, he needs to make it known...
It is becoming clearer and clearer that the only way progressive voices are going to be heard is only through a third party....It is time for progressives to stop being
held essentially as "hostages" by these arrogant party leaders.
I am donating my $800 check to ImpeachBush.org
Paul in LA @ 127:
Excuse me, but this is not the case, speaking as one who spent three years working in offices full time to end the war amd being a campus radical - with notches on my belt for "doing the time". The movement was a movment! not the watered down, undemocratic mess you see today. The antiwar movement this time has (1) refused to promote the human face of the Afghan and Iraqi oppressed - see moveon as an example (2) kept the same leadership in place and refused to mentor fresh voices (3) has no strategic plan because they cannot get along and don't try to do that - they are as guilty of using "labels" to keep radicals and others from being taken seriously - they set them for the hit. They've turned protests and demonstrations into a form of infotainment with themselves as stars of a long running series.
For shame them, for shame to those who support democrats who ran the country into the ground with the military spending which is going to go up even further next year and to Harry Reid who will allow the fear of retribution to dissenters by allowing FISA and every other item of important to the American people and the world to be turned into a political "game".
The whole movement needed to be constructed with precision that included global solidarity in an age of globalization .. it needed to be planetized with all environmentalists and others involved. Switching the demonstrations is a good idea, not the whole idea, for CHANGE (hate that bloody word!) - but Americans are so full of themselves that even in opposition to the bloodiest regime in history - it's reduced to this .. emailing Harry Reid.
The point of impeachment is not to revive America's prestige and standing in the world, but to help America join the world of nations. I don't think anyone here can point to a single antiwar leader who even tried to accomplish that or is doing that. The impeachment movement needed lots of bodies in malls pushing impeachment, giving out information via petitions, did it do that? No.
The only candidate who would get my vote of support is Dennis Kucinich, who seems to grasp this simple idea. No one Congress is shamed when he passes by them.
The media IS part of the problem but there were ways to remedy that problem and the so-called antiwar leadership didn't use any of them - except when they could be "under the klieg lights" - and it's STILL that way.
Now what is left is the egregious Ron Paul movment, god help us all. Think they'll fight wiretapping - forget it. These guys thinks corporations have fully guaranteed rights.
kay @ 133:
And your analogy was that the reporting was far better in the sixties. Your thesis is wrong, because it's not reporting that is producing this, it's APATHY among those Americans who are not finding their way to the information they need -- which is now more available than at any time in human history.
It's a canard to say that reporting produced the antiwar movement. The DRAFT produced that movement, not the reporting. The reporting FOLLOWED the movement chronologically -- it was reported in glowing terms for most of the early part of the war, and only protested in the media after MLK Jr. and others came out against it.
Many Americans could not care less about what happened to Iraq. They didn't care in the nineties, and they don't care now, and you cannot lead them to drink even if you bring the river to their living rooms. The mass media betrayal is genuinely distressing, but as with the 25 bad Dem Senators and one weak majority leader, it's a problem that exists for reasons other than Walter Chronkite no longer reporting in 1968.
The White House tells Reid to "bend over" and Harry drops his pants and grabs his ankles.
*
I keep telling you, it's one party with 2 different names. Time to vote them out. Time to clean house!
"A NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN!"
I sent Sen Reid a link to Bruce Fein on Youtube
Harry Reid and son Rory and their fellow Dems the Clintons and then Pelosi and the DLC and the Clintons and then the Reids and then the psuedo Dems and then the Clintons. How thrilling that we have them in Congress and the Clintons as frontrunners.Oh how lovely it will be--did I mention the connections and the same old tried and true sell offs.Oh did I mention the Clintons and them being President again? Sure am excited about this crew for the last year==and oh did I mention the sell off Clintons being the frontrunners?? Yes lets just write and yell and put pressure on him.It works so well.
Trittydi @ 144:
I don't think that's correct. Reid is not in favor of the amnesty -- he didn't have (or could not summon) the power to stop the 1/2 of his caucus that wants to grant immunity. It is those folks who are complicit in that elitist and illegal enterprise. He put both bills forward, basically throwing up his hands to a full vote on immunity. That is, after all, democracy in that body, is the argument, and its cowardly, but it is not in itself complicity so much as failure.
Katie @ 147:
Speaker Pelosi is a Progressive. You are lumping her in with the DLC, which is who you put more in power by attacking her as one of them.
We are MUCH better off with a Progressive House Speaker, as she proved last year. And on this topic she has opposed any offer of immunity throughout, along with the rest of the House (DLC) leadership.
You will not be happier with (DLC) Steny Hoyer as speaker. Some of you people need to figure out that you could have it a lot worse than you, but for some of these leaders who have opposed Bushco, steadily, such as Pelosi.
Just because she opposes and she works her ass off to get what she can done (minimum wage, Pell grants, gay rights, environmental oversight, all the things she DID accomplish last year)-- that doesn't mean she can stop a coup. Where is the FBI? Where is the loyalty of the other party? Where is the protest of the Republican public? Where is the Supreme Court?
But you blame Pelosi, as if all these things were her fault. It's absurd, and even morally wrong.
He fears Bush more than he fears the people. What, exactly, is the procedure for forcibly removing (don't allow him to step down, fire him) the guy? I wonder if flooding his office with postcards containing two words -- INDICTED CO-CONSPIRATOR -- would get the message across.
Login or Register to post comments.