Rooting for the Democrats is like rooting for the Chicago Cubs...except it has only been about a half-century since Democrats have won a championship.
Here's a quick summation of the last several weeks: Democrats failed to pass anything to change course in Iraq, then ended weeks of Congressional deadlock by helping Republicans resolve to condemn MoveOn.org for exercising their free speech. Then, to top it off, Democrats passed on an opportunity to hold Republicans accountable to their own standards by condemning Rush Limbaugh, who compared an anti-war soldier to a suicide bomber.
How could it get any worse? Seriously. I'm looking for ideas. Please post them below. I might feel better about my life.
To find out, we're going to have to consult yesterday's New York Times. And the missing part really reads (drum-roll): "A Democratic bill to be proposed Tuesday in the House would..."
Wow. Really? Because I thought... No. Come ON! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That sound in the background is my armchair going through the living room wall and landing on my neighbor's cat.
Retroactive immunity? Why would you need immunity if you never committed a crime in the first place? My inquisitive mind leads me to guess that crimes were committed and our honorable Representatives are actually working against our better interest to see justice served by protecting the powerful.
Apparently, according to the experts, Democrats are helping President Bush consolidate power so that they don't look weak on terrorism. In reality, Democrats don't have to worry about looking weak on terrorism because they look weak practically every day they go to work and let us down. They're like those sickly-skinny guys in the gym, who do a few free-weights so they don't look weak on weight-lifting. Who the hell are they fooling?
But the Upper-East-Side liberals are not the only Americans who find wire-tapping and domestic surveillance insidious. Nobody wants this government snooping around underneath our covers. The terrorists who hijacked four planes and killed 3,000 Americans didn't succeed because we lacked the ability to receive warnings. No, no, no. They succeeded because the Bush Administration and senior-level FBI officials repeatedly ignored or suppressed warnings.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid must not allow the Bush administration to continue operating outside of former wiretapping surveillence laws.
It's foolish and it's disgraceful for Democrats to give away more power to the executive branch. It will come back to haunt us all.
Dean Danger Powers is an international man of mystery.
The Democrats are scum, but they will have no difficulty
in "fooling" a large proportion of the voting population. This is because the general level of political consciousness in the US is so abysmal that the dangerously illogical argument of "lesser-evilism" is sufficient to carry the day.
It doesn't matter that lesser-evilism makes no real sense. In terms of getting more than 50% of the vote, all that matters is that more than 50% of the public should fall for it. And more than 50% will doubtless fall for it.
Take for example the fact, as you mention, that the Dems essentially capitulated to Bush on spying on Americans. This should matter a great deal to Americans. And it would -- if they were politically conscious. But as things actually are, people will go to the polls, and all they will remember is that Dems have a more "people-friendly" style of rhetoric. People would rather have their 4th Amendment rights taken away by smiling Democrats than by scowling & scary Republicans.
This is why things will never change in this country. A simple trick like forcing voters to choose between a "smiley" Dem warmonger, and a "scowling" Republican warmonger, does NOT result in widespread anger directed at the system itself, for compelling such an atrocious choice. Instead, it results in endless arguments that the smiley Dem warmonger is not as bad as the mean nasty Repub version. Or, if you actually LIKE warmongers (or believe we "need" them), as many Americans do, you might well prefer the nasty Repub version.
There is no possibility of change until the general level of political consciousness rises enough so that most people are able to see through the "lesser evilism" fallacy. Even after everything that's happened since Bush stole the 2000 election, we're still nowhere near that point.
by
Richard Mynick (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1120 comments)
on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 10:50:39 AM
The so-called liberal democrats are neither liberal nor democratic. They are totally spineless and really don't care about our constitutional rights. They are beholden to the same moneyed folks as are the republicans, who are not conservative nor are they republican. Those of us who truly care about our Constitution are out here weeping at how Congress is complicit in its destruction. Without major actions soon, we will have only a shell of our country left. Say good by to your rights....
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paz love (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 70 comments)
on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 4:38:36 PM
... but I lost hope in this country decades ago and the only thing I have seen since is a steady decline of what was already a bad situation.
The whole political awareness aspect is dead on. Sometimes I feel like a Gorilla in a pink Tu-Tu when I'm talking to people trying to make them aware of what is going on and what is about to happen. Even those I consider to be intelligent and somewhat aware keep swallowing the bullshit spewed out every day by our so-called representatives of the people. Most seem simply too scared or wallow in their self comfort and denial. I try to make them know that there is no hiding from the situation. They can try to escape into whatever world they wish and it still won't protect them. Doesn't matter. Even when I do happen to punch though and they gain some level of enlightenment the next thing out of their mouth is, "What can I do? If things are as bad as they are, what does it matter?"
I'm afraid for this country. I live in New Orleans and saw first-hand what every city in this nation is going to go though. Blackwater will be coming to a street near you soon. After the attack on Iran (and make no mistake, it's coming) all hell will break loose and the full force of the Police State will roll through this country faster then it did in Nazi Germany. And it won't make any difference what party is in office. The major parties are our enemy. The elections are just a ruse to give the people the illusion they have some say in policy. For if we truly had a real democracy, we'd be out of Iraq and most likely would never have gone in. We'd have National Health Care. We'd have schools that actually educate. We'd have bridges that don't collapse, streets that are safe to walk down, and a host of other things that the 1%ers keep from us and for themselves and we'll never see unless we change the equation.
But, as I began, so shall I end, I have no hope in seeing that happening.
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Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 1254 comments)
on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 4:43:05 PM
It seems intentional. The Democratic leadership are doing everything possible to ensure an apathetic electorate and low voter turnout in 2008....especially among the base. Why?
Wall Street has decided that Hillary will best serve their intersets in the near future. Will the base turn out for Hillary? Will anyone? I think the Republicans could win it, and I find it increasingly difficult to care.
JP
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JonmarkP (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 64 comments)
on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 at 12:44:54 AM
I used to call my representatives on a weekly basis. I would call them when they did a good job and thank them. Right now I am thinking of voting green in the next election. No sense voting democrate it's like voting for a republican. The last straw was when they went on vacation after Harriet failed to show up for her hearing. It's been almost 3 months folks and still she walks. The blank checks for the war, there is no stopping george and dick. It just makes me sick.
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beccy (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 87 comments)
on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 at 8:09:11 PM
