The Democrats Could Learn A Lot From Larry Craig's Balls
As we all know, Senator Larry Craig is an anti-gay, right-wing zealot and fantastically gifted hypocrite who was arrested while allegedly attempting to solicit gay sex in an airport men's room; he was booked on charges and nationally disgraced.
Despite all of that, Senator Craig has brazenly defied his party and has returned to the senate to help filibuster and obstruct every important piece of legislation the Democrats introduce.
Meanwhile, the Democrats, who we specifically elected to end the occupation of Iraq and, to a lesser extent, check the power of the president, allowed the Republicans to filibuster, 1) an amendment that would've restored habeas corpus, one of our most cherished constitutional rights; and 2) an amendment that would've supported the troops by giving them more family time between tours.
Prior to this embarrassing week of events on the Hill, the Democratic majority has acquiesced on war funding and have fallen over themselves backpedaling as fast as their trembling legs could carry them in the face of everything President Loser and the Republicans have farted in their general direction.
It's clear that the Democrats could learn a lot from Senator Craig's comparatively mighty balls.
(And I hasten to note that there is a dozen or so senate Democrats -- Senators Webb, Dodd, Leahy, Feingold, etc... -- who are most definitely not indicative of their party's recent castrata status.)
Unlike the era prior to the 2006 midterms, suddenly 51 votes -- or 56 votes -- aren't good enough. Somehow, the Democrats have allowed the White House and GOP to obstruct so vigorously that attaining 60 senate votes is the only way to bring a piece of legislation to a vote in the first place. 60 votes, plus or minus a Lieberman. But other than in the blogosphere, we're not hearing protests of obstructionism. We're not hearing vocal demands all across the media spectrum for an up-or-down-vote. Instead we get the idling hum of Senator Reid's voice and a distraction from MoveOn, bless them.
And the president, in his special needs press conference* this week, continued to bully the Democrats as if he's still performing his Vincent Chase from Entourage strut in that flight suit (one of the early indications of the president's move towards, as Keith Olbermann called it Thursday night, a military junta) waving his giant stuffed cod piece with more vigor than Britney's saddlebags at the VMAs.
There is no reason whatsoever why the Democrats need to even acknowledge the existence of the president and his childish disciples in Congress. "Who's that talking? Cornyn? 'The hell's a Cornyn?" After all, the American people want everything the Democrats say they stand for: a rapid end to the war, a restoration of the Constitution, universal health care, clean energy, less outsourcing, and all the rest.
So why, given the choice, do the Democrats, at the expense of their voters, continue to flinch when confronted by the unpopular and widely disgraced Republican Party?
It's because they're locked into bad habits established prior to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. I call it the Dreaded Lieberman-Gephardt-Stockholm Syndrome.
They somehow continue to believe that if they fall too far to the left -- if they take too bold of a fuck you posture -- Karl Rove and Roger Ailes will cold cock them with a rubber bullet -- a massive legal (and illegal) propaganda campaign labeling them as "with the terrorists" or "too French" or whatever lowest common denominator bullshit they yank from their white asses in order to jazz up their ignoramus base.
Restore habeas rights? With the terrorists! Give the troops more time off? The Democrats hate the troops!
This week, for instance, the Democrats should've carpet bombed the media with quotes including the phrase "obstructionist Republicans". The big ticket amendments this week should've been unofficially nicknamed "The Military Families Amendment" or the "Save The Constitution Amendment".
This way, they could saturate the media with quotes like, "Why is Senator McCain against saving the Constitution?" or, "Why is Republican Senator Lieberman against military families?" For fuck's sake, I at least hope the DNC is saving some of the floor debate video for next year. An entire campaign's worth of TV buys could be produced from yesterday's White House and senate floor performances.
But instead of a bold and aggressive Democratic Party empowered by the support of legions of Americans as well as a disgraced and unpopular GOP, we get this bungled and botched week of wet-bread politics. I know we're not supposed to eat our own, but screw that. The Democrats embarrassed, disappointed and pissed me off this week. Have I made myself clear on that yet?
And if that wasn't bad enough, on the campaign front, we have a Democratic presidential frontrunner who released a health care plan this week that's nothing more than a veiled GOP health care plan -- with an extra step or two between your tax dollars and gigantically profitable insurance companies. I'm sure if you asked a policy staffer (in private) why the plan is so fucking awful, they might admit to something like, This is a plan that will actually pass (because of lobbyist support and more bipartisan votes).
It's a plan that smacks of lobbyists and preemptively bipartisan cooperation, when, in fact, Americans are starved for something a thousand times more courageous.
Bill Maher told Wolf Blitzer this week that Senator Craig might bring the whole party down with him. I wish that were true. The truth is that Senator Craig only reinforces the reasons why the Republicans won the week and why the Democrats and, in turn, the American people lost.
_________________
* President Bush in Thursday's press conference: "I heard somebody say, 'Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas." First, huh what? Second, Mandela is still alive.
_________________
Help save John From Cincinnati here. Bill Jacks would do the same for you, ya' mope.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Shame is dead.
Why don't the Dems just not bring a single war financing bill to the floor? That would stop the war cold.
You said, "And I hasten to note that there is a dozen or so senate Democrats -- Senators Webb, Dodd, Leahy, Feingold, etc... -- who are most definitely not indicative of their party's recent castrata status.)"
I hate to burst your bubble but Webb and Feingold voted in favor of the FISA amendment giving the administration even more power and us citizens less civil rights.
The whole bunch of them are nothing but sheep. Oh they growl and howl like wolves, but when it comes time to vote they get in line for the shearing.
Pathetic.
Please don't confuse Feingold with FEINSTEIN! He voted against FISA, she voted for it! What's pathetic is people who make that mistake.
From Truthout.org:
"Editor's Note: The following is a list of Democrats who voted for the FISA Bill, which signed into law the Bush administration's authority to eavesdrop on US citizens, making surveillance without warrants, which was being conducted in secret by the NSA and in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, legal. cw/TO
Senate:
Evan Bayh
Tom Carper
Bob Casey
Kent Conrad
Dianne Feinstein
Daniel Inouye
Amy Klobuchar
Mary Landrieu
Blanche Lincoln
Claire McCaskill
Barbara Mikulski
Bill Nelson
Ben Nelson
Mark Pryor
Ken Salazar
Jim Webb
I'm so fucking pissed at the Democrats. I feel like we've been getting fucked by the Republicans since the 80s and especially hard since Bush.
I felt some hope and was actually feeling pretty optimistic after the midterms. Now that's all gone.
The Dems are loosing their base really really quickly. The Repulsivecans are going to take power again in 2008 (Did I take power again? Seems like they didn't lose it).
I agree the Democrats are pissing off their base. But where else do we go? If I had a viable alternative, whom if supported wouldn't throw the election to the RepubliCONs, I would enthusiastically support the alternative. The Democrats have lost me in that sense--they've failed the country. But how do you get such an alternative in a solidly two party system?
It's only a two-party system if you are only willing to vote for two-parties.
Britain has evolved from a two-party system to a two-and-a-half and arguably three-party system.
However, states can change their electoral systems on their own. State initiatives to change the electoral system to bring in runoff elections, ranked-choice voting and proportional representation are the way to allow the American people to vote their first choice.
But, I don't vote for the Dems as the lesser of two evils. I only vote for a Dem when he/she's earned it.
With the cowardice that the Dems have shown since they've achieved the majority, it is very unlikely I will vote for the Dem for Congress. I am almost certainly voting for the Green Party candidate.
But the system will never change and the Dems/Reps will not have any incentive to change the system, nor will they provide good governance if they believe they can scare you into voting for them as the lesser of two evils and that you have nowhere to go.
OK thats it I am only reading your blog from now on. How come there is only one of you? Dont you have a twin or something like that? Two thumbs up Bob.
Let me join in the ranks of those thanking you for saying what we wish we had the platform to say. I'm so pissed off at Democrats, at the MSM, at everyone that I can't form a cogent thought. My wife and I yelled at each other all through lunch today because we're so desperate to yell at someone about this MoveOn vote. Republicans are what they are, nothing can be done about that. But for democrats to stand by and allow these things makes them indefensible. I run a group in my city that sponsors voter registration drives, that pushes the message that unity behind democrats is needed more than anything right now, that a cohesive left can undo the damage of the past six years. I'm having a crisis of faith as a result of this week. I don't know that I can keep arguing in support of these people.
Bob, you are a pussy.
yes, the dems could learn and/or we can replace those we can replace with some people with greater testicular fortitude.
Great piece and 100% dead on the money. I particularly agree with your point about the Democrats failure to do even the basics like giving a memorable name to their legislation. The "Restore the Constitution Act" or "Save the Constitution Act" would have been great.
It is also pathetic that the Democrats simply roll over when they don't have 60 votes. Make the BASTARDS truly filibuster. Let them talk straight through for a month. Make them do it when Bush is crying he needs more funds for the Iraq debacle. Then the Democrats can say the RepubliCONs have tied up the Senate and their is no way to bring up the appropriations bill.
Excellent column. The Democrats are behaving like cowards. For example, previously when the Senate was close to breaking a fillibuster, they would have days of debate and repeat votes.
After three or four votes, sometimes the minority would crack and the majority win.
And the Senate has nothing more important to do. Any legislation that would benefit the bottom 98% of the population will be vetoed by Bush. And then you need a 2/3s vote to override.
The whole performance merely shows what happens when a nation veers far to the right. Even the Democrats (the so-called liberal party) turn out, with some exceptions, to be highly conservative.
So we are left with the choice of fascism and fascism lite.
Facism is what's happening ... we are 3/4 on the way to a full facist government. According to John Dean, former Nixon conserv. - one more Republican president and we're a full facist nation. I think this is what Dems are up against now.
Absolutely! The neo-conservatives have taken this country so far to the right, that now, we are just slightly left of the Third Reich!
Even whimpy-assed dems are called "radical left wing."
Apparently the younger generation has no idea what a real radical is. How could they, most of them weren't even a twinkle in daddy's eye during the sixties.
OUT of Iraq
OUT of Congress
pick one
GREAT COMMENTARY!
Yesterday I wrote all 23 Senators who wasted time on that dumbass MoveOn vote, and told them to go out on the Senate steps and tell Congress they get NO QUORUM for anything NOT ending the Iraq War....NOT ONE THING!
Post Offices can get numbers not names for a year, some person no one has heard of won't get a commendation, some political PORK will go unsavored.
Why are the Republicans even given a chance to bring ANY legislation to the floor in the first place? I seem to remember the Democrats not being allowed to introduce bills or even amendments to bills. I recall once (and I'm sure it happened more than once), a Democrat had a good idea for a bill and the Republicans took the bill, reworked it in Committee, and then re-introduced it as a Republican bill. Why isn't this being done by the Democrats? Why do the Democrats not call for the Republicans to filibuster every time. A full filibuster. At least on every piece of Iraq War legislation. Let the Republicans talk talk talk. And, why don't the democrats attach war amendments to the budget bill? No filibustering allowed on budget bills or appropriation bills. And, last but not least, what ever happened to the "nuclear option" that the Republicans were so fond of and threatened more than once to enact over the Democrats heads. I guess Congressional Democrats are just too polite to do any of these underhanded practices that the Republicans practiced for 12 long years.
Trouble with things these days as far as effectuve protests go is that the style today -- sit-on-your-ass-and-blog -- doesn't shake anyone up. In the business world we'd tell memo jockeys, "Just 'cause you've written a memo don't think you've done any real work." So to you, ass-siiting bloggers we say, "Just 'cause you raised a stink on your website don't think you've done a damn thing to show our President he's a goddam idiot and we're not gonna take his shit any longer." I admit: I too am a guilty blogger.
The MoveOn ad got some attention, but then the Democrats voted against it. Whose attention are we supposed to be trying to get?
Sparxafire!
I LOVE this spear-shaking post! I, too blog my ass off at http://www.statecraftinformer.com, wasting everybody's time with my silly rants and futile fist shaking. What can we DO? RDixon, above, proposes we take over the airwaves. OK. We own the airwaves. Who do I call to get this done? I'm constantly looking for something to DO... besides writing to Congresspeople... which I do, every day... to NO avail. None. Urinating in the Mariah.
I forwarded this column to Harry Reid (crediting Bob, of course) with a few addendums of my own. Don't let your residency stop you, anyone can zoom in to street level of any town in Nevada using googlemaps, and then do a quick reverse addy search at whitepages.com for a viable home address so as to become Harry's constituent for a day!
Grab an addy and head over to Harry's senate site and lay into the fùcker. I'm sick and goddamned tired of bullshit like the imbecile Cornyn's MoveOn resolution even coming up for a vote, much less finding that 22 of our idiot Dem senators voted for it! What the fùck gives, Harry?!?!?
The Democrats don't really want to end the war in Iraq. They know that we are facing Peak Oil and the only way for the US to survive is to occupy the remaining oil reserves in the Middle East. There is no other way to explain their weak-knee capitulation to Mr. 25%.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
