A good friend tells you when you're wrong, and it's time to be good friends to our Senators. Any Senators who voted to "censure" MoveOn.org for an ad which raised legitimate concerns about the Bush Administration's politicization of the military simply blew it. They rubber-stamped the right wing's effort to paint sensible discourse as out-of-bounds while validating (by not censuring) extreme right wing abuses.
Here are just a few examples of outrages our Senators chose not to censure: Ann Coulter advocates executions to "intimidate liberals," writes books accusing Democrats of "Treason," and chides terrorists for not blowing up the NY Times Building. Rush Limbaugh claims liberals want people to get AIDS and openly advocates anti-gay bigotry and racism. Bush and Cheney warned that a vote for a Democrat would invite "mushroom clouds" over our cities. Republican TV spots morphed Democrats including then-Senator Max Cleland into bin Laden. Our Senators took no action. No resolutions condemning these attacks on our national character.
MoveOn deserves better treatment than the Senate gave Sen. Joe McCarthy! It can't be that MoveOn's Petraeus / Betray Us ad was less acceptable than Republican hate speech. MoveOn was far more generous than Petraeus' immediate boss Admiral William Fallon who called him an "ass kissing chickens***." It's self-defeating for Democrats to intimidate MoveOn. This vote is politically tone-deaf. It is dangerous for the U.S. government to attack citizens participating in legitimate discourse. The Senate voted to condemn Americans who have been correct about Iraq rather than the Bush Administration which lied us into war. Polls show Congress dropping toward a single digit.
James Carville wrote (seeking donations for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee):
Dear Mike,
I want to let you in on a not-so-secret secret: George Bush ain't the decider. Not anymore.
We're the deciders, and we don't need to wait until November 2008 to decide to strengthen our stick-thin majority in the Senate. Republicans have to defend Twenty twoincumbents whose records are, frankly, indefensible. On top of that, there are three seats that are wide open. We've already got some amazing candidates, and Chuck Schumer is out there recruiting more each day.
It's our job - heck, it's our patriotic duty - to make sure those candidates have everything they need to get themselves elected to the Senate. As a dedicated Democrat, you know what an important time this is.
[snip]
Come next November, we're going to reap what we sow. Like I said, we're the deciders. Let's decide now to plant the seeds for a big victory.
It's on,
James Carville
Dear Jim,
How many Democratic Senators supported Sen. Feingold's effort to censure Bush? Not many. "I'm amazed at Democrats ... cowering with this president's numbers so low," Feingold mused after the Republican leadership sought a vote on his measure to hold Bush accountable and Democrats blocked the vote. How many Democrats voted to censure MoveOn? Twenty Two. I agree with you, Jim, " Come next November, we're going to reap what we sow." That's what I'm afraid of!
Twenty Two Democrats can't read the results of the 2006 election which loudly and clearly said: END THIS DAMN WAR! What does that augur for 2008? Not any "big victory." Nothing good. Maybe these "Timid Twenty Two" Senators can't even read the Bill of Rights as far as the First Amendment. The entire planet wants this war to end now. That includes most Americans and most Iraqis. Support the troops? Most them want to come home.
I'm not donating anything to anyone who doesn't see it as their "patriotic duty" to defend legitimate criticism of anyone who lies to the American people or pushes Administration spin, such as Gen. Patraeus. MoveOn is correct. The American people are on this. Where's our Senate? Censuring MoveOn while falling for another Republican dirty trick. The Republicans tricked these Twenty two Senators. Again.
Twenty two Democratic Senators ignore astonishing abuse and hate speech from Bush and Cheney on down, but they've summoned enough courage to attack a moderate, measured voice representing millions of MoveOn members and the majority of voters. Twenty two timid Democratic Senators joined with the Bush Administration that claims a vote for a Democrat invites risk of a nuclear attack.
These Democrats rejected the vast majority of Americans to embrace the tiny, dwindling pro-war base and declared passionate, principled opposition to a war based on lies and deceit out of bounds: Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Conrad (D-ND) Dorgan (D-ND) Feinstein (D-CA) Johnson (D-SD) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Leahy (D-VT) McCaskill (D-MO) Mikulski (D-MD) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Salazar (D-CO) Tester (D-MT) Webb (D-VA) Lincoln (D-AR)
This goes beyond coming down unreasonably on those engaging in civil discourse.
Once again, Democrats took the bait Republicans gave to them and got hooked into talking about talk about the war rather than talking about the policies involved in the war so we could move closer to bringing troops home.
The Democrats are bowing down to intimidation from Republicans and the Bush administration who are questioning Democrats' patriotism and accusing them of obstructing "progress". However, the Democrats cannot unite on a way out of this. The field is split and divided with about five to ten plans that could solve this. One plan is ignored and never talked about (H.R. 1234). That plan, H.R. 1234, involves defunding, which to me would be a fine option because there would be no need to worry about lining up votes (and we all Democrats have proven themselves to be incapable of lining up votes).
The protesting cries to get out aren't good enough. We need to form citizen think tanks while our leaders are lagging and start feeding ideas from the bottom up so we can get out. It's hard, difficult, and awkward when considering we elect officials to lead us. But they are confused spineless people right now. They need us to give them some direction.
Obviously.
by
Kevin Gosztola (168 articles, 82 quicklinks, 62 diaries, 674 comments)
on Sunday, September 23, 2007 at 5:44:42 PM
