Comments on: Wither Democrats?

By: Al Swearengen

Al Swearengen — Fri, 26 May 2006 15:30:13 +0000

You make a case for term limits Jane. It’s not that everyone needs them. It’s just that this is what happens when you don’t have them.

Your comment about fear (of waking the baby and losing) is on point, but what you leave out is that mostly about power. Some clearly re-imagine their leadership postions, but you need only consider their relationships with the camera to know it is about power and self, not the rest of us.

None of this bodes well for the common citizen. What’s the euphemism about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? Increasingly we see the subtle and not so subtle posturing in pre-election anticipation of power, all while our constitution, economic and physical wellbeing are put at risk.

Tom Vilsack appeared on Charlie Rose last night. It was a singular milt toast moment brought to the viewing public by the makers of the DLC. I simply cannot remember seeing a politician painstakingly avoid taking some many political stands than Mr. Vilsack did last night.

His fear of making a mistake or getting caught taking a stand was enough to curdle milk. With leadership like this, who needs Republicans?

Absent real change within the party, this is my last election in support of Democrats. Though they may be far better than the Republicans, they are simply not good enough.

By: alank

alank — Fri, 26 May 2006 14:13:07 +0000

They should just vote no, without giving a reason. That would be the loudest message.

They probably figure no one who winds up at the polling booth this fall is paying any attention to any of this, anyway. So, why deliver any message. They’re not getting the feedback they need from their constituencies to react. And they’re certainly not forward-looking enough to lead. The whole lot on both sides of the aisle are cattle.

As are the populace, at large. The attention of the latter is continually diverted to trivial things that, after all, interest them most, helped along in this direction as they are by the corporatized, entertainment-oriented press. Such a jolly situation. Blame it on the schools.

By: Steve Weisert

Steve Weisert — Fri, 26 May 2006 11:12:52 +0000

Not one of the Dems had the guts to ask Gen. Hayden if his people actually conducted warrantless wiretaps, and then said if this was the case, Gen. Hayden and his team violated the FISA law that requires warrants within 72 hours of the eavesdrop. None of the Dems had the guts to tell Gen. Hayden, in a public hearing, “General, if your people conducted warrantless wiretaps, they broke the law ! If you condoned that, you are a CRIMINAL, and you don’t deserve those 4 stars or the office to which Bush is appointing you !”

By: Talcott

Talcott — Fri, 26 May 2006 05:34:11 +0000

I wrote DiFi at the nomination of Herr Listner, please don’t give me a reason to not vote for you with a link to the famous 4th amendment “….if it’s one thing we know at the NSA…..” vidi.

So………a third party fu vote is in the works.

By: drouse

drouse — Thu, 25 May 2006 15:09:32 +0000

My paranoid thought is that the republicans are going to steal elections again. Wedge issues to stir up a small but very vocal group and then use their turnout to explain suspicous vote swings.

By: professor rat

professor rat — Thu, 25 May 2006 06:03:33 +0000

I’m a long way’s away but it seems some structual reform is overdue over there.
Some new way to adress the subtle (or not-so-subtle ) rural Gerrymander and the voting machine thang. This involves supporting those at the coal face like Dean, Feingold, Boxer, Murtha and even the other few who sometimes do something useful for a change.
Then we keep doing what we do well - sniping at Vichy’s and knocking them off in favour of genuine populist, oppositional netrootz grounded delegates that remain 100% accountable to the base in real time and at all times.
A loss in November should be spun by us as the Vichy’s fault and empower us to take them out en-masse. A victory must be a signal for full speed ahead investigations whatever pearlclutching and fainting goes on.
I’m even all for an ‘ open -source’ phase 2 investigation right here - right now. ( Or at one of the emptywheel/eriposte style blogs)
While we’re waiting for Fitzo this would keep our tummies from henia wouldn’t it?
Another project I would support is research on an entirely new netbased justice paradigm for global governance. Thinking really big and why not - this net thing is practically infinite.
This new paradigm would feature a) Large open source distributed and translucent databases.
b) Rotatable, revocable and recallable delegates selected for very specific and limited tasks by constituent assemblies such as the FDL swarm community.
These delegates would have to volunteer to live in a virtual ‘ Brinworld’ or big brother house and their lives would be an open book while they were on-the-job.
c) Public order and income redistribution to be done through net based market forces ala the Policy Analysis Markets or PAM plan. Participation in this to be voluntary and anonymous.
Jane Hamsher to be nominated for the UN ( united networks ) A guy can dream can’t he?

By: Mash

Mash — Thu, 25 May 2006 05:05:20 +0000

Here’s a strategy for Democrats to take on the Hayden nomination vote that is politically smart and principled. They should abstain. This is why I believe this is the best course of action.

By: George

George — Thu, 25 May 2006 05:03:45 +0000

The answer my friend, is blowin’ in the mighty wind of voter dissatisfaction that sweeps this corrupt, dead-ender failure of a Congress out of Washington and elects new people like Ned Lamont to change the way our country is governed.

By: Richard Goblin

Richard Goblin — Thu, 25 May 2006 04:51:57 +0000

Carl Nyberg:

It’s not ‘if’ its ‘when’. I think 2008 will be a redux of 1992 through 1994 - when the dems had it all and blew it.

But hey, I really hope they prove me wrong.

By: Carl Nyberg

Carl Nyberg — Thu, 25 May 2006 04:22:44 +0000

Mr. Goblin if the Dems take control of Congress and the presidency and fuck it up, it will be too late to start a third party.

The next wave of Republicans will make the current crooks look like moderates.