John Powell, director of the Kirwan Institute…..said “Without these plans, it is very likely that public schools could again become resegregated in Louisville and Seattle over time,” they wrote.

Wow, he really went out on a limb with that prediction. “very likely could” and “over time”.

I hope he gets paid a lot for providing society with such informative statements.

selise- Well sure we want to win em over- but we don’t want 2000 to EVER happen again- and that requires that everyone fess up to what happened.

uh, no. all we have to do is win them over. we don’t need them to apologize.

i think if we fessed up (see NAFTA) first, and second got our own house in order (see DLC) it wouldn’t be a problem (nader could run, but he wouldn’t get any votes).

It’s pretty clear that if Nader hadn’t gotten on the ballot in Florida- Gore would be in the White House- nothin’s certain- but that’s about as clear as it gets in political hypotheticals.

Nader just screwed up. He wanted to push the democratic party to the left by makin the race close- but he sure as hell didn’t want Bush to win. He didn’t think Florida would be close- it was- we have Bush and two fascist supreme court justices- and a bloody war.

even if nader did screw up… he wasn’t the only one. we (the dems) did too. that was my point @ 107 and 111. while it might make us feel better, i don’t think it’s helpful to scapegoat him or the people who voted for him. let’s work to win them over – they ought to be our ideological allies, if we can pitch dlc policies.

Nader just screwed up. He wanted to push the democratic party to the left by makin the race close- but he sure as hell didn’t want Bush to win. He didn’t think Florida would be close- it was- we have Bush and two fascist supreme court justices- and a bloody war.

John- no fillibuster in the house- and the numbers to make a veto proof majority are different from what’s necessary to break a fillibuster in the senate.

In the event that there continues to be a gooper in the White House- dems would need a veto proof majority to pass legislation over a presidential veto.

I get all my information from that Jimmy Stewart movie. Come to think of it, we should elect an actor…wait! What am I thinking!!!!!

johnSwifty @ 157

There always needs to be a way to bring a vote, impeachment or otherwise, to cloture. Remember how the Republican controlled congress went on and on about creating a Nuclear Option to subvert the minority’s ability with filibuster? That this democratic congress has not made noise about changing the rules in such a deplorable way…that is one of the few highlights to the session. But, it goes unnoticed as it is something that is NOT happening to the positive.

That is why a super majority needs to be achieved in the next election cycle for both houses of congress!

Thank you for that explanation, perfect.

But at that point where a supermajority has been obtained in both houses, it is up to us to ensure that there is either no opportunity for the abuse of power, or the need to launch a third party that would effectively keep both Repugs and Dems on their toes from here on forward.

I think we’ve learned most painfully and expensively that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Rayne,

I’m afraid you’re right, it will be up to the voting public to run guard duty. But we should mourn that fact most heavily, even as we accept responsibility. Because, under Jeffersonian principle, THAT is the duty of the judiciary!

rwcole @ 86

“Al Gore”

Well- if you remember- he was a pretty screwed up candidate last time- think he got any better?

A: He wasn’t “screwed up” He would have won if Nader hadn’t sabotaged him.
B: He has gotten better.

I guess the fact that the GOP was going to do whatever it took to win played no part in this? Look at the group of Nazi-like thugs who cut off the recount in Dade; the office of secretary of state decided when the recount started and stopped as is delineated in their consitution; the whole Bush crime family was involved in that, witness consigliere Jim Baker’s involvement; and, lastly, the Supreme Court stepped in where it had no business and issued a per curiam decision based on faulty logic making sure that the fix was in.

Cut Nader a break. The man doesn’t deserve all the vitriol people on the left direct at him.

Nothing stopped Al Gore from going into court to challenge Bush before this got to the Supreme Court…nothing was stopping the people who are now demeaning Nader from gathering in the streets like the people in Mexico did after their tainted election or like the people in Ukraine or Georgia did a few years ago.

There are Democrats still in the congress who are more responsible for what’s happened to our republic and who deserve this ill will more than does Ralph Nader.

In the event that there continues to be a gooper in the White House- dems would need a veto proof majority to pass legislation over a presidential veto.