The Bad Democrats Begin to Surface

A lot of people have done a lot of complaining about Congressional Democrats, especially Senate Democrats. Were they briefed about torture and illegal wiretapping? Did they know and do nothing? Are they complicit?

And who are they? Things have changed. They are under scrutiny. Ours, and Obama's

Today we know of two who do not deserve trust. Dianne Feinstein and Jay Rockefeller came out of the closet and showed their true Blue Dog colors by opposing Leon Panetta, or at least opposing the manner in which his appointment was announced (or leaked).

We're going to be seeing more of this. And when some Democrats oppose people like Panetta, who was a strong opponent of torture and wiretapping, they identify themselves as the same people who secretly pushed the Bush agenda along in Congress, giving in at every turn.

President Obama is bound to piss off a lot of people, even those who support him. Rick Warren is a good example. I'll take a dozen Rick Warrens bellowing to God in public in exchange for Obama appointees Dawn Johansen, David Ogden, Elena Kagan and Tom Perrelli who will help rehabilitate the Justice Department.

Progressives cannot behave like right-wingers and begin to jump ship when Obama does something that steps on their own personal agenda. Your agenda is yours and Obama's is his.

So far he is living up to his campaign promises, pretty much.

The next time you find yourself getting pissed off at Obama, say these words out loud,"George Bush."

But Blue Dog Democrats be warned. We're watching you very carefully. Your butts are at stake.

Listen to "D'Antoni & Levine" Tom and Art Levine's radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/tomandart. This week Bill Scher will guest. Live Thursday, 2:30PM PT and archived thereafter

Comments

[PlaceboStudman]

I hope people, regardless of political party affiliation realize that it is our responsibility, not just every 4 years, but every single day to question, to challenge and to push the government toward what We The People want in this country. It is absolutely necessary for those who support Obama to make sure he is following the path that he laid out for us, and while his priorities may not always be ours, and vice versa, we must all work together to make sure his vision and our vision come closer together, not further apart.

[maeme]

So pleased that Progressives or Democrats whatever they want to be called are starting to realize that they have several members in the Senate that have become institutionalized and made millions from their public service. Diane Feinstein is one Democrat whose time has come. She is a perfect example as to why we need term limits. Our US Senate is an elite ruling class of mostly millionaires who become richer on our backs and once they are elected it is theirs until death. I see so many activists willing to settle for a compromised democrat than take a chance on outing them with someone new and possibly losing the seat.

[bigbingtheory]

You can say liberal, it's alright. And we've been trying to oust many of these people for years. The middle are the one's who are just waking up.

[marignymitch]

Are you listening, Sen Landrieu?

[SameOldSameOld]

Your are correct 100%. I wrote a letter to Feinstein yesterday, I asked her where she's been for the last 8 years. This is the loudest protest i have heard from her in a long time. She should have been protesting the torture she was privy to. She lost my vote.

[bayviking]

Feinstein's husband Richard Blum has racked in millions of dollars from Perini, a civil infrastructure construction company, of which the billionaire investor wields a 75 percent voting share.

In April 2003, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave $500 million to Perini to provide services for Iraq's Central Command. A month earlier in March 2003, Perini was awarded $25 million to design and construct a facility to support the Afghan National Army near Kabul. And in March 2004, Perini was awarded a hefty contract worth up to $500 million for "electrical power distribution and transmission" in southern Iraq.

Feinstein, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee as well as the Select Committee on Intelligence, is reaping the benefits of her husband's investments. The Democratic royal family recently purchased a $16.5 million mansion in the flush Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. It's a disgusting display of war profiteering, and just like Cheney, the leading Democrat should be called out for her offense.

[Incumbent]

Thank goodness I'm not the only one who's recognized this. Feinstein is no longer a true Democrat; she is an entrenched bureaucrat who will side with any person or policy that she believes will further her career and increase her power. I am a long-time Californian who supported Feinstein for many years. But she has lost her way and I hope and pray that Californians will put up a true Democratic senatorial candidate to unseat her.

[VTya]

President-Elect Obama won by a landslide. HE HAS BEEN GIVEN A HISTORIC MANDATE TO GOVERN BY VOTERS. Career Democrats who have sided with Republicans for their own interests (Feinstein included) should be voted out of office so Obama's team can realy turn a page and bring CHANGE to how politics is done in Washington. There is a reason why Pres. O.
chose Panetta for the CIA ... he does not want people who will conduct "business as usual". The department failed to heed the warnings of the 9/11 attacks and helped Bush to fudge the truth on the reason for invading Iraq. Feinstein went along with the Bush agenda. NO! OBAMA DOES NOT NEED TO CONSULT HER OR GET HER APPROVAL FOR JACK!!

[PATina]

I was pretty much in agreement w/ your article until you stated this...

Progressives cannot behave like right-wingers and begin to jump ship when Obama does something that steps on their own personal agenda.

When did any right-wingers jump ship when George Bush did something that wasn't "conservative"? (i.e. increase the size of government to unprecedented levels). Seriously... one of the biggest complaints we've had w/ Republican­s/conserva­tives is that the went along w/ WHATEVER Junior Bush did and made excuses for him.

So... I would correct your statement to this...

Progressives cannot behave like right-wingers and go along with and make excuses for Obama when he does something that steps on a progressive agenda.

[JohnDewey]

Not only that, but the next part of the sentence is, "Your agenda is yours and Obama's is his." What happened to this being our Presidency? What happened to the lofty rhetoric about how millions of Americans donated and volunteered and so this was our victory?

P-E Obama may very well be thinking it, but I've never heard him say anything like, "Your agenda is yours and Obama's is his." That's Republican­/authorita­rian thinking.

[SayLessDoMore]

"Our" victory requires a synthesis of ideas. Get a grip. We can't very well expect Obama to know, let alone promote, "your" or "my" agenda.

I voted (and worked) for the guy based on faith in character and judgment. That doesn't mean I'm going to get "my way" on the next issue out of the box.

[SayLessDoMore]

Let's not confuse "right-wing" and conservative. D'Antoni might have better said that "Progressives cannot behave like conservatives . . . " inasmuch as right-wingnuts have never really jumped the Bush ship. On the other hand, kudos to any and all true conservatives who abjure the Bush idiocy.

[SF13]

Feinstein , Reid and several others are the living testimony to the case for term limits.

[PresWatch]

Pelosi, too.

[Kidronlewis]

I find it interesting that the blogger in this post is telling the Blue Dogs to "watch their asses" when virtually all of the gains Democrats have made in the past 2 election cycles ensuring control of congress, were in seats now held by moderate to conservative (Blue Dog) Democrats. I think if anyone needs to "watch themselves" it's the far left whose agenda is much more out of touch the majority of the country -- they are the ones most likely to screw this whole thing up, not the moderates.

[PATina]

hahahahahaha... so we should all go along w/ the conservative Dems who assisted in bringing us trickle down economics, the Iraq war and deregulation??? Yeah... that's the right direction to take.

[kellygrrrl]

"Begin"???
DiFi exposed herself as a MilitaryProfiteer and Neo-in-Dem-cloth long ago

[FirstShirt]

"The next time you find yourself getting pissed off at Obama, say these words out loud,"George Bush.""

Yeah. And the next election you will still be looking back and the republicans will be retooled and looking forward.

2010. Republicans retake Congress.

[Maxiesid]

Yes, I am watching them retool even as we speak. It is really good for the real world that they want to 'retool' and be exactly what they have become in the last eight years... no change for the GOP, they are sure it was just a mistake that Obama got in, not a repudiation of every slimy criminal act they have performed in the last eight years. To retake congress in 2010 they would have to completely change from the stupid greedy racist white old guy party to something resembling the voters that are in charge now. Of course as the economy continues it's nose dive that they set in motion, they are really going to have to scramble to figure out how to convince anyone other than the red state deadenders that it wasn't their fault. I know they have come up with some really creative excuses about how poor George was over ridden by all the big bad powerful scary democrats in congress and couldn't stop this financial mess.... but that one is not going to sell to anyone having even half a brain..

[mikep007]

What fantasy planet do you live on? It is IMPOSSIBLE.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Day Dreamer Journal...

[beautifuldisaster]

*yawn*

[UncommonSenz]

Thanks, I needed a good laugh to get my day started.

The republicans are in the process of eating their own and are reaping what decades of praying to the gods of fear and division have sown. Keep on deluding yourself though...

[hopefulinflorida]

Isn't Diane Feinstein's husband a defense contractor? She was always pretty chummy with Bush.

[skiinspain]

Whoa Nellie........Not only is Richard C Blum, Feinsteins Husband, he had two contracts with DOD, one for over 750 Million and another for over 790 Million.....Don't stop there, he formed an Air Cargoe Company with Feinstein's legal adviser, Mr. Klein and they got another contract with DOD...You want some more, he and Carlyle Group seem to have a friendly business relationsh­ip........

Blue Dogs believe that War makes money. If it were not for people like Feinstein, Iraq could not have been invaded.......The Blue Dogs knew Iraq was a "Set Up".and helped push that Invasion down the throats of the American People. What a sin!

[HowietheScreamer]

No that's Nanny P.

[CaptainObvious]

DiFi's husband is Richard Blum, an investment banker with close ties to the defense industry. His company recently held a controlling stake in URS (formerly part of the Carlyle Group), one of the top defense contractors in the US.

[Highwind]

I'm telling you. When need to start putting new and young blood in there. They are all old and gray people that have been in the Senate way to long. It's time for new blood. They don't have to be young, just new and progressive.

[orianna]

There were democrats at hand working the GOP to stop the democratic majority from accomplishing enough during the past 2 years... leading to Dems low approval rating... and, if we didn't have the talent of Obama's campaign, perhaps Dems would have lost the presidency again.... these Blue Dog democrats keep the eternal stagnation in congress... we cannot afford stalmates!... the party must work together.... the losing party wants democrats to be ineffective more than they want America to recover.... we all lose with the losing party GOPs as theyattempt to successfully regain power.... what a stupid vicious cycle and Diane Fienstein and the likes going after personal power are currently exposing themselves as traitors who will see America burn if they don't understand what is at stake.

[FirstShirt]

"the losing party wants democrats to be ineffective more than they want America to recover.... "

This is not true. Any american should want his or her President and Congress to be effective and govern wisely. The problem is that you democrats [I think Obama is an exception] are not practical and spend an inordinate amount of time in hand wringing exercises. the result is that you elect people who talk the talk but do not walk the walk. For example, Spitzer, Edwards. Blogo and now Reid and Pelosi. You elected them, not republicans. Case example is your party's attempt to reject Burris as a Senate nominee. Your party is doing it because of political correctness, not the law. And, as usual, your party completely missed the point.

2010. republicans retake Congress

[jojojo]

RE; those who "talk the talk but don' t walk the walk":

"Mission accomplished."

"I'm a uniter not a divider."

"We'll be greeted as liberators."

And all the lies about WMDs, Iraq as a 9/11 attacker, etc

[humble liberty]

Edwards hasn't been elected for a long time

Stevens
Vitter
Craig
Everyone who said Iraq would be short and cheap
Foley
Coleman

A lot of Democrats will disagree with Obama. Which Republicans weren't beholden to Bush/Cheney? Chafee... umm... McCain sort of. What a list!

HuffPo would or would come within inches of putting Feingold and SML and Kucinich as Speaker, nobody wants Reid/Pelosi.

[Incumbent]

Ted Stevens

Mark Foley

Larry Craig

Duke Cunningham

Tom Delay

Scooter Libby

This is a fun game - and people on both sides of the aisle can play!!

[JohnDewey]

Do you have any idea how elections work in the U.S.? Democrats may have nominated the people you name in a primary contest, but they each won general elections. That means that they received a majority of votes from the entire electorate, not just Democrats.

If you want to illustrate your abysmal logic with an example of a politician selected solely by members of his own party, why not use George W. Bush? Sure, they were Supreme Court Justices, not general election voters, but the example is a lot more accurate.

[cindyfromfalls]

Thank you for this post. I am often dismayed by the progressive posts that would seem to demand that Obama's every decision, every move should please us. It would seem apparent to me that in order to govern an ENTIRE nation in a way that is uniting and productive everyone will at some point be p*ed off. I supported and donated to this man because I trusted that he would see big pictures in ways that I perhaps could not--the very difinition of leader. But seeing the picture and knowing what to do can only work if the leader who sees can make it possible for the those he leads to be willing to follow. Our country needs to go back to acting like the UNITED State of AMerica and to do this our new President HAS to be inclusive!

[hortonhearsawho2]

Our country is going Forward, not back....

[humble liberty]

Progressives want things for everyone. With a few exceptions, and they might not be progressives, it doesn't dismay them to see right-wingers get a good education, breathe clean air, use mass transit, be protected by the Constitution, or be peaceful and productive (well, at least feel that way)!

The Constitution is for all Americans, and we should treat other citizens of the world with justice!

[myke3000]

I believe our country and our world is "sick"...ailing from an illness that was created by "Washington-think". Barack and his administration is the Dr. and medicine we need. Although some may not like the taste of the medicine, it is what is needed to better ourselves.

He's already hit the ground running and is ruffling all the appropriate feathers!