What was the Lantos dust up?

Zed…really? even after reading?

I had breakfast with my Congressman, Chris Murphy (CT-5) on Monday, and he didn’t mention the Lantos slight. He was just upset about the whole wiretapping situation and wanted to do the right thing.

We need to keep him in the House and give him about 50 more comrades.

My guess is that they are waiting until September to surrender. That is when the Repugs will roll out the campaign ads and that is when out Democratic “leadership” will decide to give up so we can win in November.

I’m not sure if anyone’s interested, but I am watching Arianna Huffington approach the podium on Campaign for America’s Future on C-span.

d’oh…Hi Jane!
Did you ever get t ask Cecile Richards anything yesterday?

Hi, Jane. Just read Rick Perlstein’s column at TomPaine. I really like his writing and respect his views. Glad you enjoy Take Back America and look forward to hearing about everything there.

More upgrades coming eh?
Cool.

The Republicans called for a quorum call in the middle of the Lantos memorial service, forcing several Representatives to leave.

I forget, but I think the republicans tried to have a vote or otherwise disrupt the service in the House. It’s a pretty damning statement that the Dems only do the right thing because of a slight and not a desire to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

OT but the Iraq report not released by the Pentagon has now been posted online in its entirety (5 volumes). Each volume is a fairly large pdf doc.
Guess the request for CDs was a little overwhelming for these folks. They sent me an email with this information.

http://www.jfcom.mil/newslink/.....32008.html

From Politico, a description of the Tom Lantos memorial disruption…

While I appreciate that the Democrats finally stuck together, I would have preferred that they do so because their position was right and just, or failing that, because they were flooded by angry phone calls.

It is not encouraging that only internal Congressional umbrage is sufficient to foster a sense of unity and purpose among the Democrats.

Another OT, The Right Wing welfare machine keeps cranking out the checks, and the propaganda.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/.....bc-pundit/

Some rather large signs on the freeways yesterday:

http://freewayblogger.blogspot.....ctory.html

I love my job.

The last I saw, the FISA debacle may be on hold until after the elections.

I added a link to AmericaBlog in the post to what happened during the Lantos memorial

http://www.americablog.com/200.....orial.html

I love my job.

I love you doing your job

During what was supposed to be a somber memorial service in Statuary Hall for Rep. Tom Lantos, who died Monday, the House chamber became mired in chaos over procedural votes.

Democrats angrily denounced the GOP as insensitive for calling a “motion to adjourn” — essentially a dilatory tactic — while dignitaries were still giving tributes to Lantos, a Holocaust survivor who was chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. But Republican aides shot back quickly, saying it was Democrats who broke an agreement to keep the House in recess during the memorial service.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/.....neral.html

i find it really hard to believe that the house dem leadership wanted to do the “right thing” after the way they blocked holt’s fisa bill last fall (and then, apparently manipulated the process further). the only reason the RESTORE ACT was improved on (after the house leadership attempted to ram it down everyone’s throat) is because the progressive caucus forced the issue by voting with the republicans to torpedo the bill the first time it came up for a vote.

it’s especially frustrating to me that the progressive caucus isn’t given more credit for having succeeded in forcing the house dem leadership to adopt the better position. as far as i’m aware of, this is the one time (since nov 2006) that the progressive caucus actually won a battle against their own leadership - and they had to do it without our help or even acknowledgment.

of course, i may be misunderstanding what happened last fall - in which case i’d like to be corrected.

typo,

Basically, it was her sense that they were so pissed of at what the Republicans did during

“of” doesn’t belong there

This has surprised me too. The failure of the PAA extension is portrayed as a victory by House Democrats but was as you say the product of an attempt by House Republicans to force the issue on the Senate Jello Jay version and a handful of progressives who saw a chance to scuttle the whole thing.

Yes. It is very troubling that a good thing done has to be the side effect of a very tasteless Congressional pie fight. Actually, it very starkly reveals how little regard there is for actual philosophy of governance in any of them.

Selise, if I haven’t told you lately, I think you’re a genius.

of course, i may be misunderstanding what happened last fall - in which case i’d like to be corrected.

I think the powers are very fearful of the progressives. They would rather look like fools, only coalescing for some perceived slight, than give any credit to the power of the progressive movement.

Seconded … selise is a genius !

I don’t see any connection between the Republican slight and the Democrats sticking together. I think they stuck together because they had a lot of pressure from constituents. The message was getting through. They also knew it was wrong. As the Repugs lose more and more popularity, the Democrats feel less and less like they must follow them. (Except for Harry Reid)

For many years Tom Lantos was my congressman. Weekly I protested his stand on Iraq and his pro NeoCon position. On so many other counts he was a very good congressman and a kind man. He just had this terrible blind spot which I could easily forgive but continue to protest.

Many times he voted with the Republicans and they counted on his vote. It is stunning to me that they turned his memorial into an event for themselves filled with vitriol. I felt they betrayed Lantos and could not resist using him one more time.

On the matter of progressives finding common ground, put thirty progressives in a room to solve a problem and you get thirty different solutions. That’s really the strength of progressives. It’s also the Achilles heel. Basically, it means listening to others after first leaving your ego at the door.

re the lantos memorial. marcy asked me to put these two short clips (from c-span1 from the memorial and then the house floor) up on youtube that day (warning the video quality is not great, all i had to work with as a couple of .wmv files - not my own rip from c-span cable tv).

now you’re embarrassing me. no way i can live up to that… but thanks for the vote of confidence, even if wildly misplaced. ;-)

Yep the circus was definitely in full swing that day.

On the matter of progressives finding common ground, put thirty progressives in a room to solve a problem and you get thirty different solutions. That’s really the strength of progressives. It’s also the Achilles heel. Basically, it means listening to others after first leaving your ego at the door.

right on.

Is there really another thread upstairs? I just can’t spin my head around that fast. I’m just getting a grip on this thread.

I love my job.

it shows. do you great work.

Tula is upstairs, showing that Bush & McCain really hate Americans !

it gave them both the motivation and the cohesiveness to do what they wanted to do anyway, which was collectively say “no” to retroactive telecom immunity.

I’m curious about that “wanted to do anyway” part…if this was so, what was holding them back?

Sorry if I embarrassed you, selise. I just really admire your work.
I’ll stop now.

Jane, thanks for asking the question. Discouraging, but that answer has the ring of truth. I’m suffering total outrage exhaustion and don’t know how to reel myself back in.

Selise’s clarity is genius and never ceases to impress.

My guess is that House Dems figured out paa meant immunity for Bush. It was a battle that was already in play (vs. impeachment). Just my guess.

ygm.

(((SN)))

I felt pretty down (still do) over actually hearing the question asked and the answer I knew was coming from Cheney, reflecting his whole attitude about his fellow citizens: So?

I already knew in my heart he felt this way, but for him to say it. Out loud. On TV. I felt very abused and discounted and hurt and angry. I felt like I was looking into the eyes of one of Hitler’s cronies and realized he was one of our own. An American, doing the unspeakable in our name.

It shakes me to the core. We are no longer a democracy as we have defined it in the past, when it was founded. It’s all a sham. The awful naked truth was broadcast yesterday.

So?

Okay, so how do we get the House Dems pissed at the Rethugs more often? Maybe we could encourage Holy Joe to run some more of those amazing attack ads on House Dems.

Hi selise *wave*

Yea… what Ron said about Selise.

The Dems should vote together on every bill that comes their way. That’s how the Repugs have gotten their way for 12 years.

Seconded. I’ll listen to anybody. I might, heaven forbid, learn something.

Basically, it was her sense that they were so pissed of at what the Republicans did during the Tom Lantos memorial that it gave them both the motivation and the cohesiveness to do what they wanted to do anyway …

Sadly, this rings true, Jane. Congress’ sense of entitlement does seem to be stronger than its sense of right and wrong.

I’m just reporting what I heard from somebody who tries to get them to “do the right thing” on a daily basis.

There is an awful lot of pressure to do the “wrong” thing, which is why we’re in this mess in the first place, and nobody wants to be targeted by those Ari Fleischer ads in their own district. So what turned the blue dogs around? Because something did. And as much as I’d like to believe it was the progressive caucus, I don’t think that was it.

from your link above– Well, they just called one such protest vote in the middle of recently-deceased Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos’ memorial service, which they certainly knew was taking place. This is akin to forcing people to leave a wake on purpose.

=========

truly one of the tackiest things ever done.

so, boehner did this? i can’t wait to pass this around his home district…….very republican district, but i don’t think they’d look too kindly on something like this. of course, i don’t think the dems there can find a democrat to run against him, such a repuclican area, dems can’t hold many offices to get to the level of running for the house. but i’ll pass it on anyway.

Thanks for the much needed hug. Cumulatively this crap is incredibly corrosive. Bless those who consistently recognize and call out the evil.

cobernicus March 20th, 2008 at 10:15 am
9 In response to RonD @ 2

The Republicans called for a quorum call in the middle of the Lantos memorial service, forcing several Representatives to leave.

(Sigh.) I guess shredding the Constitution isn’t enough of an affront to get their attention. Well, a bit of backbone from any source is welcome, I guess, but their priorities upset me.

My congressperson, Neil Abercrombie (D, HI-01) was in a rage on the House floor recently about the new ethics body, arguing with great passion that it was an affront to the Constitution, etc. etc. Oh, Rep. Abercrombie, I am so thrilled that you’re worried about the Constitution! Now, I have a few dozen points in that regard to discuss with you regarding VP Cheney, Preznit Bush, and a few other folks… And I do hope your passion about the Constitution will remain strong!

Bob in HI

Re the download of the JFC Iraq perspectives Project report:

Either the jfc.mil site has monstrous server overload or they’re intentionally dishing it out from the slowest platform on the planet.

EPUville. I tried at lunchtime and didn’t have enough time to download the 45MB Vol 1. Downloading now 4 1/2 hours later and it’s a little faster but my guess is their platform is junk. Why am I not surprised. Corporations can set up a network in no time; the FBI hasn’t been able to get a functional network in almost 10 years. Done. About 6 minutes. (yawn *g*) Now for vols 2-5. zzzzzzzzzzz

Albatross March 20th, 2008 at 10:17 am

From Politico, a description of the Tom Lantos memorial disruption…

While I appreciate that the Democrats finally stuck together, I would have preferred that they do so because their position was right and just, or failing that, because they were flooded by angry phone calls.

It is not encouraging that only internal Congressional umbrage is sufficient to foster a sense of unity and purpose among the Democrats.

I agree.

We’ve been watching the John Adams mini-series on HBO and our current Congress sounds an awful lot like the representatives that wanted to appease the King rather than declare independence. How in the world did we end up with so many non-patriots in Congress? I’m sure our founding fathers and mothers are spinning in their graves.