Senate Democrats to Netroots: F@*# YOU!
Twenty three Senate Democrats today showed that they are cowards and will bend to the slightest threat by the right wing. They all joined every single Republican Senator in censuring MoveOn.org's advertisement in the New York Times. The add, now famously known as the "General Betray Us" ad, asserted that General David Petraeus had a record of carrying the political water of the Bush administration and that a less than honest assessment of the situation in Iraq was a betrayal of trust.
It's not rocket science. In fact, none of the people attacking MoveOn even bothered to take issue with the facts contained in the advertisement. Not one. I challenge you to prove me wrong.
Instead, one after another, pathetic, cowardly Democrats allowed the not-so-invisible hand of Karl Rove to make them fear that they would yet again, be questioned as to whether or not they support the military. Seriously, HOW MANY TIMES WILL THEY FALL FOR THIS?
Here's the list of cowardly Senators:
Max Baucus, Evan Bayh, Ben Cardin, Tom Carper, Bob Casey, Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan, Dianne Feinstein, Tim Johnson, Amy Klobuchar, Herb Kohl, Mary Landrieu, Pat Leahy, Joe Lieberman (not that he really counts, anyway), Blanche Lincoln, Claire McCaskill, Barbara Mikulski, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson, Mark Pryor, Ken Salazar, Jon Tester, and Jim Webb.
Senate Democrats running for President that voted AGAINST this ridiculous waste of time include Chris Dodd and Hillary Clinton. Clinton has taken her fair share of criticism from the Netroots and deserves some special attention on this. However, Joe Biden and Barack Obama were nowhere to be seen. Interestingly, Obama voted on another resolution immediately before this, then disappeared. I'd like to know why he didn't hang around to stand up for the Netroots. (Update: Matt Stoller has the answer here at Open Left.)
So far in the 110th Congress, the Democrats that the Netroots worked tirelessly on behalf of, have been one disappointment after another. The support they gave this resolution condemning MoveOn is an embarrassment.
MoveOn has done more than anyone else in this country to bring an end to the war. Anyone. (I can already hear the bitching that folks on the Hill will be doing about this statement.) The fact is that all summer long, MoveOn worked with a coalition of organizations throughout the country to target Members of Congress to influence their vote on ending the war.
Meanwhile, the White House ran circles around the Democratic Leadership in the PR game leading up to the conclusion of August recess. In advance of the Petraeus testimony, MoveOn set to frame the expectations in a provocative, fact-based way.
What MoveOn hasn't told you is that the "General Betray-Us" moniker isn't their invention. It's been reported in the British press to be coined by a retired General.
Critics, including one recently retired general, are privately calling him "General Betraeus" on the grounds that he is too ambitious to deliver a balanced report on the war.
But, the Democrats in Congress didn't take the time to look past the baseless finger pointing and elementary name-calling. Instead, they gave in to cowardly instinct and said a big "F@*# YOU" to the millions of Americans who call themselves a part of the Netroots Movement and have worked side by side with MoveOn to end the War.
If the Senate Democrats can't be trusted to stand up to simple attacks like this, there is likely no way they can be trusted to end this war. What are we to do?
Follow Lane Hudson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tlanehudson
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Again.
I thought that the Fundies were sucker for believing the Republican
If the Democrats did half as much work for urban liberals as the Republicans do for the Fundies Bush would've been impeached by now.
One more example of the neo-authoritarian America.
Did they also decide when the official ceremony to burn all copies of the Constitution will be held?
Moveon should send the GOP some BIG blocks of CHEESE to go with that whine.
no one should be allowed to criticize moveon for this without being asked about all the right wing insults and whether they will renounce them all right now. Develope a list. Will everyone who called Joe Wilson a liar be made to take it back. What about ... Ask them if they feel this ad will adversely affect general P. in some manner, is he so fragile that this will cause him to crack or something. Ask them if it would not be nice if all the other soldiers in Iraq could be safe from real attacks and just subjected to name calling instead? Explain the difference between a verbal attack and a real attack where deadly weapons are used?
The Democrats have the courage to censure an MoveOn ad, but Russ Feingold can't get a single signature for a proposed censure of President Bush.
That says it all. When Democrats think nursery rhymes are more of an affront to the United States Government than violations of the Fourth Amendment, that tells me the Democratic Party needs to be dismantled ASAP.
personally, i don't think the moveon.org ad went nearly far enough. at this late date, i think anything short of putting most of the administration on trial for treason (yes, i said it, Treason,) isn't going nearly far enough.
that said, the ad placed by moveon.org was exactly the right ad at the right time and i'm not at all surprised that the so-called democratic senators that lean towards the invertabrate moved to condemn it.
moveon.org made some waves just a few weeks back when they started publically mulling over the possibility of throwing their considerable clout behind challengers to democratic incumbents in the primary voting cycles. this ad was fact-based, everybody's talking about it and what's most important is that IT WORKED.
the right-wing spin machine has spent months building up to The Great General's speech. typically, when a speech on "progress" and so on as regards iraq is given by the president or one of his pet generals, the support for the war goes up slightly. this time, it went down.
if i was a spineless democratic senator i'd be shaking in my gucci's and tripping over myself to condemn moveon.org, too. i might even need a change of underwear after looking at the poll numbers.
"IT WORKED" indeed. It "worked" to embarrass and split the Democrats during a presidential campaign. A few more ads "working" like that and we may as well call off the election and just let Bush appoint his successor.
Did the ad split them or did this vote split them? Which party gets to call bills up for a vote anyway?
Well said...I hope at least 23 Senators get a heads up after this disgraceful vote.
Dera Mr. Hudson,
Timely and Spot-On! I happen to strongly agree with you. Agape.
Okay MoveOn, it's time to target the real culprits of this mess - the DC DLC Dems. Repubs can not do anything without DLC enablers.
My question is 'when did the military get so above reproach'? Do they not step into their pants one leg at a time like the rest of us do. Do they not breathe the same air, or tell lies like the rest of us.
Where is all this hero worship coming from.
See Lane Hudson's Profile
This is a worthy idea to pursue. Matt Stoller has often argued that replacing a Bush-Dog Dem is better for us than replacing an actual Republican.
Make sure you join MoveOn and participate in the discussion about where the resources should be spent in the 2008 elections and beyond.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Now, why not follow that logic to the DLC's choice for president?
Democrats are absolutely useless cowards.
In a few years, when America is a Facist state, perhaps they will see the error of their ways.
You mean they're not in on the plan?
What transforms MoveOn's puddin'headed choice of words for an ad title from mere naivete to near-comical irony is that it apparently reflects the "we can play hardball too" approach urged by many on the left after years of rolling over in the face of relentless "swiftboating" by the Limbaugh wing of the GOP. [I've watched them practice and perfect the art since the 50's.] The result: A four star United States Army General of impeccable character is implicitly charged with treason. Gee, I guess we showed them!
A suggestion: Vigorously condemn the gutter politics of the Republican party; challenge its leaders to disavow their smear tactics; but, please, leave character assassination to the other guys. They are PROS. We are amateurs.
Somewhere, Karl Rove is laughing his ass off.
Quite a bit of difference between MoveOn`s words and those of the swift-boaters, harvey. MoveOn's words were strong, certainly, but they were not part of a tidal wave of lies like those of the swift-boaters. They left an awful lot of people absolutely convinced that Kerry, Cleland and even McCain were liars and cowards, which is revolting.
No, the problem is wimpy people like you. The right says jump and you say how high. Unlike MoveOn, cowards like you cave. Unfortunately it seems as honorable a guy as "the baby Jesus Petraeus" is his testimony wasn't all that truthful after all. MoveOn was right and the headline was perfect. I just wish they'd called out Colin Powell before that Four Star United States Army General lied to the American people and the world. "Betrayus" was first used by his troops, not MoveOn. That was his nickname so you figure it out.
There is no public outcry. This is all manufactured outrage from the hypocritical Republican's and the MSM. You and a bunch of spineless Dems fell for it. Karl
Rove may be laughing his ass off but that would be thanks to you. You got played and you haven't even figured it out becasue you're so busy eating your own. I gaurantee you Rove and the right are terrified of MoveOn which is why they are desperately trying to marginalize them. So either step up to the plate and get a backbone or get out of the way and take the rest of your apologist wimps with you.
I thought the MoveOn headline was below the belt, and a tactic worthy of FOXNews. Worse, it distracted from the points they were trying to make.
That said, I cannot believe the Senate wasted their time discussing and voting on this.
MoveOn.org had the guts to say what the coward in Congress will not say.
Too bad nobody heard the message because of a stupid headline.
The idea of an ad is to have a catchy headline that will lead people to read and remember the ad. This was successful. That's why the Republicans attacked it.
Everyone knows Petraeus was Bush's monkey on a string, brought in after every single top military person who told Bush the truth - that Iraq is a disaster - was forced out or shoved aside.
Petraeus not only betrayed the American people, he also betrays the entire military by spouting nonsense that he knows is not true, and that he knows will cost the lives of thousands more people. Let's weigh that: say something versus murder thousands. Which is worthy of condemnation?
The Republicans have the lowest ratings imaginable, yet they still attack and many cowardly Democrats say "Well yes, they've got a point."
I think Move on and everyone else should speak the truth every day. Their ads should say that Bush and Cheney are liars, international war criminals, and mass murderers.
Their ads should say that the Republican party is a racist neo-Nazi organization dedicated to establishing a Christian-
Their ads should say that Chamberlain and the Vichy government in France had more courage in the face of adversity than does the Democratic Party which has sold off its principles in exchange for a few pieces of silver.
So no, I don't think Move-On was "below the belt," whatever that means. I would call their ad a good beginning. Now let's go for the rough stuff.
I called both my Senators today. I had to hold for a while, then exasperated staffers asked "is this about the MoveOn thing".
I told them this: The Senate passed an amendment that condemned MoveOn? Are you kidding me? Who do you think you are? MoveOn is not some shadow organization like the Swiftboat vets. MoveOn is 3 million of us and we tell MoveOn what to do, something we apparently don't get to do with our representatives anymore. You don't "condemn" us! You don't get to do that. We've been trying to get your attention and you are not listening. Now that we have your attention, why is it that 70% percent of the country wants what only 45% of the senate is willing to listen to. This is not about a general's credibility, this is about you waking the fuck up and doing what we elected you to do. Are you so afraid of MoveOn that you need to pass amendments? We'll you better be.
Hello! I think they do get to do that. Keep making trouble and they might have to cancel the election. I think they can do that, too.
I have been referring to General Petraeus as General Betrayus for months on a small liberal site called Buzzards Roost when it became clear that he was only going to add his weight to Bush's well-established policy of "stay the course." He sounded so sincere when he first was before Congress about telling the legislators like it is in Iraq but then the talk coming back was that the so-called "surge", i.e., escalation, was working. These protestations were in spite of various studies that showed it was NOT working. I wished that MoveOn hadn't given the right-wingers any ammunition by posting that however. It just gives the Liebermans of this miserable Congress the chance to act like the super-clunk patriots they think they are. I told MoveOn that directly. But no one indeed has to apologize for the ad. Look at what the Repugs did in re Kerry and his patriotism and Swift Boaters. Petraeus is indeed locked in to the neocons. Vice president material this time? Presidential material later???
23 Democratic Senators Betray US?
Now, WHY does this surprise anyone?
Moveon should form the Moveon from Democratic and republiCON misrule Party and run their own candidates.
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