perris @ 7

pretty clear we’ve been infiltrated

remember when we first took the majority I warned everyone that democrats will become as corrupt as republicans once they have power

The infiltration started much earlier than that. Who brought us Emanuel, Carville, the DLC? When did the Democratic leadership make the leap to the right?

I think it goes back to Lieberman being used as the cat’s paw against Lowell Weicker in 1988, if not farther.

I just watched the C-SPAN replay of both Rep. Stark’s original comments last Thursday and his apology today. Thankfully, I do not believe that Rep. Stark apologized to the American people in today’s brief statement – instead he apologized to his “colleagues,” “the president and his family,” and “the troops” in case he gave offense.

Rep. Stark – We, the American people, and I’m sure our volunteer military, took no offense whatsoever from your honest, truthful, moral comments of last Thursday. You couldn’t have been more authentically supportive of our troops, or our future as a nation, in those heartfelt comments. You pointed out clearly the utter hypocrisy of those pretending to care for “the children” while ignoring their fates a mere five or ten years later when they are (literally) getting “their heads blown off” because of an “illegal war” started and blindly maintained by the policies enacted by this Congress and this president.

I agree with pdaly’s comment above:

pdaly @ 295

If Rep. Stark allowed the vote of censure to take place, what would have been the practical fallout for him?

If nothing more than a black mark next to his name, I’d have allowed the vote to go forward and [worn] that black mark proudly–like a decorated soldier receiving a medal for putting himself in harm’s way to save others.

However, what Rep. Pete Stark did today by apologizing in order to keep the peace [so important during a time of violent “war”] in his political party, is to demonstrate how much more of a mensch he is than are the “leaders” of his party or his vaunted “colleagues” who forced him to apologize for telling the truth on the floor of our House of Representatives. He decided that some amorphous Democratic “agenda” [presumably the endless and meaningless PR campaign re ‘Congressional success’ of Pelosi, Hoyer and Emanuel in hidden service to the Hillary Clinton camp, which can brook no dissent] should be protected from his truth-telling, and therefore deferred to party political pressure so as to remove himself, and thus the “insignificant” will of the American people and the truth about our Congress, from the center of attention and discussion in Washington.

So it’s back to see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, for the Democratic caucus and the muzzled Howard Dean. Nancy Pelosi figures the victims (unless they’re Cindy Sheehan) can do the heavy lifting of unearthing and exposing the crimes being perpetrated on us by our government, and that accountability and justice for those crimes can be permanently deferred, at her convenience. Nancy Pelosi’s got corporate CEOs to cater to and grandchildren to enjoy, and thus the rest of the American people, the Iraqi people, and our Armed Forces in harm’s way can all take a long walk off a short pier, led by Pete Stark, so that Pelosi’s “beautiful mind” can remain unperturbed.

After all, “the children,” “motherhood,” and “apple pie” are slogans that sell without requiring Nancy Pelosi to lift a single finger to help change our nation or the world for the better.

For you to blast Rep. Stark for speaking the truth, only continues to demonstrate how you just are not getting it.

I left her a voicemail the other day.

After FISA I, I was over it. But this, this is a clear disconnect with voters….not good for the Dems at all. This is how we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory 101. Way to go nancy. Way to represent for women too. Oh thanks so much. You and hillary set us back with your pandering rich bitch ways.

Still there is an opportunity for someone to emerge and become the leader we so deperatly need. WHO is she the leader of??? We are “WE THE DAMN PEOPLE” doing OUR duty. Take that gavel away from her. She’s NO leader. :-|

I think all this humor is a safety mechanism. Catharsis. We’re laughing instead of crying. But some of us are saying: Now what? What’s next?

Same plan we’ve had for a few years:

Fix the election system.
Take Congress.
Take the White House.
Fix America.

There are activists working on the election system (from state to state) and Rush Holt can do something in the House if he wants. The Senate is tougher.

Getting rid of AG Gonzales and exposing the politicization of the DoJ and their attempts to continue to rig elections was useful. Slowing them is always good, but whether we really stopped ‘em dead in their tracks isn’t yet clear.

On the Net we’re still working on real Progressive control of Congress.

It’s a long tough fight which requires patience and lots of money.