In recent days, I've posted "The Opening Statement" in this incremental work I'm calling, "What Should Be Happening Now," and I followed by adding an additional component, entitled, " When Your Champions Run From the Field Rather than Fight." Then came "The 'What Kind of Man Could Do This?' Dramatization."
Now, the newest increment, entitled: "Honoring the Presidency Requires Dishonoring this President."
The NEW part is easily distinguished from the old part: what is new today is in BOLD while what was published previously is in regular font.
I plan on one more installment after this one.
************************
The great disappointment of this moment is that George W. Bush is still able to dominate the politics --the agenda, the discussion, the chosen course-- of the United States. It is that the Democrats who constitute the majority in Congress have been unable to wrest such power from this president. This despite the fact that the president is deeply unpopular in the country, despite the fact that he has accumulated a disgraceful record of crimes and lies, despite the fact that the primary venture of his presidency --his war of choice in Iraq-- has proved to be a huge disaster for this country.
When Your Champions Run From the Field Rather than Fight
This president is not in a strong position. But still the opposition shrinks from the necessary fight. The polls as of the beginning of November reveal that George W. Bush just set a record for the percentage of Americans who STRONGLY DISAPPROVE of him, breaking Richard Nixon’s old record around the time of his impeachment inquiry (at 48 percent).
HALF OF THE PEOPLE STRONGLY DISAPPROVE. YET STILL THE OPPOSITION COWERS.
Half the people –people who can be counted on, one would infer, to welcome and reward politicians who confront and oppose this presidency vigorously—enough to win an election. But still, the Democratic opposition holds back.
Here we have one more example of the disastrous polarization that has occurred in America along the right-left divide: the right wing has been taken over by power-lusting thugs, people who habitually turn every issue into a war and conduct that war in a “take no prisoners” fashion; and the left is led by people who do not know how to fight.
Perhaps that is the explanation of the question, why do the Democrats seem cowardly and ineffectual: perhaps it is because they do not know how to fight.
But we need for these, our representatives, to fight. The plain facts of how power works in our system dictate that, when confronted with a lawless president, we need for these people to be our champions. A champion is the one who leaves the field a victor. The word itself connotes a warrior: derived from the word for “field,” the champion is one who triumphs on the field of battle.
In this case, the battle is not merely a competition between individuals, or between sides. It is a moral struggle. So it is not just our team or our tribe or our high school we want to prevail, but more importantly it is the good, the true, and the beautiful. We need for them to be our champions in the fight to make the truth predominant again over the Lie, after all these years when Bushite lies have ruled the country. We need for them to be our champions in the fight to give the values of peace their due weight.
We need for them to be our champions in the fight to maintain the legal and constitutional structures that safeguard our lives and that –far more than fascism—help create the circumstances where decency and justice have a fighting chance.
Yet, even while it is urgent that these battles be waged now –with all the ferocity that Achilles brought to the field of battle—our champions keep fleeing the battle without even having fully joined arms.
Andrew Bard Schmookler's website www.nonesoblind.org is devoted to understanding the roots of America's present moral crisis and the means by which the urgent challenge of this dangerous moment can be met. Dr. Schmookler is also the author of such books as The Parable of the Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution (SUNY Press) and Debating the Good Society: A Quest to Bridge America's Moral Divide (M.I.T. Press). He also conducts regular talk-radio conversations in both red and blue states.
Well written as usualThe problem here is one of perspective. It is one thing to say that in my opinion GWB is the worst president in living memory (which I believe he is). But it's another thing entirely to beat up the Dem because they can't, don't think it's wise, or won't try and impeach him.
I have to point out apart from the anguish on sites like this one there isn't a demonstrable majority of the population who believe he should be impeached (currently 30%). We need to be clear to differentiate between impeachment and popularity they aren’t the same.
The same differential analysis could be run by those who want the Dems to stop funding to Iraq and those who want the US out.Both actions would be viewed as partisan politics ending years under Republicans or a national schism along existing fault lines. Add to this the lack of real evidence that he has breached any laws warranting impeachment. Again we must distinguish between hearsay, circumstantial and actual hard convictable evidence. Under the US legal system the presumption is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.
Neither can the courts be a fishing trip. This is why cases have discovery...you show me yours and I’ll show you mine. Judicial fishing exercises are part of civic law as practiced in France and Italy et sec. All this tends to reduce the moral imperative to over ride the people to attempt to impeach him.
The two objectives ie stopping finance to Iraq and impeachment of Cheney Bush are of limited value collective efforts should be looking for alternative remedies.
Forcing candidates to commit to reversing that which Bush implemented and finding specific ways to lock out repeats, upgrade the constitution. Taking judges elevation to the bench out of the hands of politician. The real problem, his legacy.
by
Andris (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 531 comments)
on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 8:19:11 PM
In terms of your criticism, I need to point out that the point of this article is not, as you seem to have taken it to be, that the Democrats should impeach this president. The point, rather, is that they should work to fully expose the true dark nature of the regime, and thereby to strip the president of all his authority and respect. This is not a man who, whether he completes his term or not, should get an attentive and respectful hearing, as if his were a voice worth listening to for either honest or thoughtful statements.
Here's a passage from the article:
"But even if those developments --on Iraq, or on impeachment-- did not come to pass, the thorough discrediting of this disgraceful presidency would be no small thing. It would, indeed, accomplish that most important thing for our time: the repudiation by the American body politic of the Bushite fascism, and the defense and protection of America's constitutional democracy."
by
Andrew Bard Schmookler (314 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 146 comments)
on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 8:49:33 PM
You use the words "lack of real evidence" and "law" in bold as though there were no evidence and no crimes this administration has committed - some already admitted to - and that the crimes weren't so damn obvious. Excuse me for saying this but you'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to name at least a half-dozen off the top of your head.
"Sideshow"? What "talking points" Q-card did you get that from?
No ... impeachment is no sideshow. The framers of the Constitution put it in there six different times EXACTLY for this reason.
I have a question for you and Andrew. If you woke in the middle of the night and found a burglar in your house, what would you do?
There are a lot of answers to this question but the one thing you would NOT do is go back to sleep, hoping they wouldn't steal too much, and maybe rape and kill you and your family before they leave. And that's what you're proposing, we pull the covers over our heads and maybe the thieves will feel sorry for us hiding under the covers and be ashamed to kill us until we reach Jan. 08'.
I have one word for this, BULLSHIT!
bush&co. have an enormous amount of time to inflict tremendous damage. They're NOT DONE KILLING YET! And I don't think it's prudent to wait till dawn.
And if don't think there's an majority of Americans that want these war-mongers held accountable for the massive carnage they've inflicted I suggest you and the writer of this article take walk down Main Street.
I'm sorry if I offended either of you, but when this many people have been murdered the pseudo-intellectual crap seems rather trite. How do you shame the shameless? Embarrass him? What do you think this is? You think bush and cheney give a shit if you have any respect from them or not? They want you DEAD, and you want to slap them across the face with your glove. Not me, and not a majority of people I run across. We want some JUSTICE NOW!
by
Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 15 diaries, 1696 comments)
on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 10:39:01 PM
Excuse me? Were you meaning to comment on some different thread?
I've read your comment, and of course I'm familiar with what's in my article. And damned if I can see what there is in the latter that corresponds to all you're so eager to attack with the former.
by
Andrew Bard Schmookler (314 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 146 comments)
on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 11:07:50 PM
I said that you (we) have no court decided proof that GWB/RC neither have been to court at this point certainly neither has been convicted of any actual crimes. Therefore like it or not all claims are alledged and have no standing.There maybe circumstantial evidence that the administration has been guilty actual crimes, there may even be circumstantial evidence of complicity from the Deadly Duo but not enouh proof to sustain a prosecution. While the congress has slightly different powers it is still bound by legal principles. What I did say was that under the legal system that applies in US there a presumption of innocence UNTIL PROVEN IN A COURT OF LAW. To do anything else would doom America to the the court of public oppinion (mob law). That is found and rightly condemned in the isolated pockets in the deep south ie Jenna
That the GWB/RC are guilty of catastrophically poor ideologically driven decisions there is little doubt amongst those who deplore them but as shown by figures published on this site that is about about 30% of all voters.
I accept your passion that you're part of that 30% but all claims remain legally unsubstantiate opinion and meaningless name calling.I could also suggest that the proverbial shooting the messenger approach is clearly counterproductive to your argument. Neither is ridicule a good strategy particularly when you're wrong as it reduced what you say to the same level as those you despise. Like the song "jokers to the left ,clowns to the right".
Your reference to being killed in my bed while colourful its accuracy is proplamatic If we exclude gang related and organized crime related deaths in which to perpetrator is know to the victim and is as aresult of lifestyle choice.
In one major city for which I have stats for read like this. The number suburban murders per 10k per population har increased 10% in 15 years. It is also known that 70-80% of murders the perpetrator is know to the victim . Girlfriend, boyfriend Wife, husband,son, daughter. The moral is be nicer to your family. You've got more chance of falling from a train.
True school murders have jumped but from a very low base. Neither is a new phenomenon there were uni shooting in the 70's
By the way most cases of child abduction are also by esstranged spouse.
Most paedophile cases involves people known to the family.
The DEA should test Chicken Little for steroid abuse to paraphase Mark Twain the death of America is much exagerated. Sure there is risks out there but let's get them into perspective.
4000 died in 9/11 tragic but what do you call 40000 die each year on US roads 1000000+ from obesity related disease, 22000 die with breast cancer, similar number prostate cancer. Guess which frightens me most? Hint terrorists are down the line I've got more chance of being his by a cab
I'm here for discussion, exchange of views, leading to practical workable solutions (objective and factually correct) and you?
by
Andris (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 531 comments)
on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 9:42:35 PM
If Bush and Cheney are evil, what about Madade Speaker and Dingy Harry? The cause celebre from San Francisco and the Mormon from Nevada ran on the platform of change - can anybody tell me what has changed?
While we remove the Republicans from office, let us remove Nancy Pelosi for Cindy Sheehan. Let us replace Harry Reid.
by
Barker (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 120 comments)
on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 9:29:18 AM
8 comments
How would you rate this?
You must be logged in (if signed up) to do ratings.
It's free to signup! And easy. And takes just a minute or two....
Must Read (
Well Said (
News (
Touching (
Funny (
Supported (
Interesting (
Inspiring (
Valuable (
