Democrats Throw Their Base Under the Bus; Cave to Wing-Nuts on MoveOn Resolution

[Sapphire Blue]

Democrats Throw Their Base Under the Bus; Cave to Wing-Nuts on MoveOn Resolution
By Joshua Holland, AlterNet. Posted September 20, 2007.

Another manufactured outrage by the right and another cowering Democratic performance in Congress.

On the eve of the Petraeus hearings, I wrote that if the Democrats didn't call out the general on his partisan, politically motivated spin of the events unfolding in Iraq, they would prove their irrelevance on the issue of the ongoing occupation once and for all.

In the end, it was much worse than that. Today, Senate Democrats took the time to join their Republican colleagues in condemning an ad produced by MoveOn.org that -- accurately -- pointed out Petraeus' previous spin about progress in Iraq and warned that the general would "Betray Us." The resolution passed by a vote of 72-25. Among the presidential contenders in the senate, Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd voted against the resolution and Barack Obama and Joe Biden abstained.

Earlier, a companion resolution offered by California Democrat Barbara Boxer that would have condemned the "Swift-boating" of John Kerry and Max Cleland by GOP operatives was defeated.

In the real world, this is all beyond idiotic. That the Senate would take valuable time to debate something as trivial as an advertisement in the New York Times is an indication of just how unserious the discourse about the war has become in Washington. In that sense, one more "sense of the Senate" resolution is basically meaningless.

But it's far more serious than that. The fact that 25 Democratic Senators voted for the resolution is an indication of how deeply disconnected they are from the values that most Americans share. After all, polls taken after General Petraeus' testimony revealed that his show had barely changed public opinion on Iraq. Before he testified, a majority expected him to paint a rosier picture than reality -- to lie before Congress about the effectiveness of the surge, just as the MoveOn ad accused him of doing.

(snip)

Democrats just helped the Right marginalize the largest progressive grassroots organization in America. What's more, they just gave the Beltway press corps permission to do the same -- anything that Democrats and Republicans agree on is true, after all, right?

With such a boneheaded move, Senate Democrats showed again that there is no limit to their Pavlovian responses to military issues. They stand petrified that they'll be called dirty, America-hating hippies who "oppose the troops" by Republicans, that they'll invite a conservative back-lash if they show spine on ending the open-ended occupation of Iraq or that they'll appear "soft on terror" or anti-military. It is the same unique paranoia about military issues that will likely keep a U.S. occupation force in Iraq until the Iraqis force our hand. The legislative process will remain hopeless as long as there is a group of Democrats who embrace every narrative that the hawks in Congress put out there.

(snip)

I won't mince words: glorifying the military -- placing it above reproach, suggesting that it is inappropriate to question its officers on the same terms as we question civilian leaders -- is a giant step towards fascism. In condemning the anti-MoveOn resolution, Barbara Boxer said: ""This is the United States of America. We don't condemn single ads or organizations. We condemn every attack on the glory of our military." I don't hold members of the military responsible for the decision to invade Iraq, but when we forget that they're serving in an illegal, immoral and unpopular war, and talk about how we have to condemn any attack on the military's "glory," we're getting into serious Kim Jong Il territory.

****************************

Editor's note: MoveOn.org is not backing down. The group sent this out today:

The U.S. Senate just told you to sit down and be quiet when they passed a Republican amendment condemning MoveOn.

Every day, our brave men and women are dying in a bloody civil war this Senate has done nothing to stop. Yesterday, they couldn't even pass a bill to give soldiers adequate leave with their families before redeploying. But they're spending time cracking down on a newspaper ad?

So, we're making clear where America stands. We're releasing a statement from MoveOn members--and anyone else who feels the same way--saying, "We will not be quiet, we will fight back. We will keep speaking out until Congress forces an exit plan for this awful war."

MoveOn is looking for signatures on a poll and financial support to run an ad criticizing the GOP for blocking the Webb Amendment this week. You can go here to support them with either or both.


http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/63160/

[Cleita]

1. I'm wondering what part of the 10% approval rating in the latest

polls for Congress that they don't understand?

[tom_paine]

17. They understand all right. They don't NEED PEOPLE. They NEED MONEY.

And apparently, that is all they need.

I cannot guess where this will all lead, except to say I think it's pretty safe the Democrats have already committed to a loss in the 2008 selection of the next Emperor, because I think that they are in error, and the hundreds of thousands, like me, that they have driven away actually DO MEAN something, even in a Third World country like Amerika with a nakedly corrupt "voting" system.

But such reality does not intrude of the False Bushie Reality Bubble which they have connstructed to keep their own Bushie Drones mentally enslaved but also to do the same to the Democratic Leadership.

As it has worked so well, the Democrats now agree that their base is a bunch of loathsome dirty hippies who it would be insane to listen to.

Now the Democrats are becoming something which only exists in Totalitarian Societies (and why not, is not Amerika hurtling headlong towards such?), a shell and sham and empty frame of an Opposition Party, with fewer and fewer people committed to it.

So their big gamble to keep silent and put on their show, with the supposed intent of not rocking the boat and winning big in 2008, willultimately cost them the big win they NEEDED to win in a "photo finish".

The Democrats CANNOT win the Imperial Throne with anything less than 65% of the actual votes (this will get tem 50.1% in the counted "votes").

And so, they will not, if little changes between now and Emperor Selection Day in November 2008.

Hell, if they keep this up, the Bushies may not even actually have to steal or suppress any votes for ThomBush to get 50% of the actual vote.

Which means that ThomBush CRUSHES in a 65-35% landslide (all those evangelicals in the big cities votin' their morality, don'tcha' know?).

[Zodiak]

19. We are assured that those of us

who don't like what is going on in Congress don't know how the system works.

So what does that tell you?

We. Don't. Matter.

The funny thing is....if I were a big campaign director for a Democrat, I would go headlong into the Republicans and fight like hell because the American people want change from the mis-rule of the pukes. Every poll indicates that. I don't think I am the one who doesn;t understand political reality....it is they who don't understand it. Going against the grain of the American people in general pretty much means they shit on their entire base and a good portions of independents, as well. Who the hell is going to vote for that?

But make no mistake....the big culprits on our side of the aisle are the DLCers. They do this over and over and over again (plus a couple more who do it from time to time that aren't DLC). The typical DLCer does not vote with the Democratic party more than 50% of the time. Hillary is the least egregious one...it's the ones you don't hear about that are too dangerous to keep in the party.

That is, if we want to stop this madness.

[Cleita]

22. If there were a way to recall those senators and mine,

Dianne Feinstein, is one of them, I would be in there doing what needs to be done. There has to be a way to get rid of Senators that aren't doing the job. I can't believe the next election is the only route but I don't know enough about under what laws we could do this. Haven't senators been unseated before because of criminal activity? Maybe this is what needs to be done, investigate those DLC senators for criminal activities and corruption.

[brentspeak]

2. The Democrats need a new Senate Majority Leader.

Reid is in way over his head. Cornyn's red meat resolution should never have come up for a vote in the first place.

[partylessinOhio]

12. Bravo! Truer words have not been spoken. This res should never have

come up for a vote - NEVER! Reid is a mouse afraid of the big cat Repugs. He needs to be recalled by his state and sent home to contemplate his part in destroying America.

[ralphmich3]

13. Global war on Terror - time for Gates to testify

If General Petraeus "doesn't know" whether the war in Iraq is helping or hurting the over-all, global war on terror (because that is above his mission, rank and pay-grade) then it is time to get the Secretary of Defense on the Hill to testify to this question. I would also get the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to testify as well.

Bush - has NO policy, NO strategy, NO exit plan. Somebody better start planning. I guess it will have to be the Congress..

[ralphmich3]

16. Also Time for a report on Afghanistan

And more happy talk from a puppet general...

[ralphmich3]

18. BTW: Joe Klein says White Hs. called Petraeus

during his testimony on the Hill. Should the President be condemned for interfering with the general's testimony.

[Mojambo]

3. I've been saying for a while. We've got maybe half a party.

If that.

[Hydra]

4. Apparently I'm not the only one who views this as a serious problem

Thanks for posting this and thanks to Joshua Holland for calling our party out for attempting to shout us down.

[jmp]

5. You don't understand ... We didn't have the votes to stop this!

:sarcasm:

You think THIS will finally snap all the apologists to reality?

Nah!

[Hydra]

6. Ya, I'm not seeing pigs flying either

The Senate could pass a bill to Nuke San Fran as a favor to Little Boots, and someone here would say that "there is a deeper strategy at play"

[poverlay]

7. Shame on the Dems. I wish there was one person in Washington defending my family and I's interests.

More cowards. More betrayal.

We won't forget Dems. I promise...

[USA_1]

8. Very Sad, But Not Surprising

It looks again as if the Dems do not want to win in November or in November, 2008. In fact, I am convinced of it.

Very sad.

[EV_Ares]

9. Very well said. Thank you for putting it out there. I have already

signed the petition and made my donation and I definitly am going to make another one.

No money for the dems.

I will go with MoveOn and The Nation.

[OHdem10]

10. "It is easier to trash MoveOn than Defend the War.!"

The above is not original with me--Chris Matthew's Show
gets the kudos.

As usual the GOP was able to bully the Democrats. The
Dems should be big enough to defend themselves.
It is obvious some of them do not know what they bslieve.
The GOP is using this to distract from the war and their
agreement with Bush to a non-ending exercise. Some Democrats
decided to help the GOP CTA.

Polls have shown at least 3 polls have shown that not
one Democrat nor one Independent changed their mind on
the war.
Some Republican voters rallied with Pres.

[murray hill farm]

11. On the positive side, I am overwhelmingly encouraged

by the power of moveon.org. I am sooooooo impressed that I just made donation (a big one considering my income) to moveon.org. every year I make one large donation to one charity that i choose for the year (large for me..which is about $250 to $300) and usually I choose St. Judes or some such childrens charity, but next year it goes to moveon.org. I believe, at this point in history, they may be our main hope for saving our country...and I came to this conclusion based on how it has come to light of late, that they are very powerful...very, very powerful and feared by the conservative right wing.

[ThomCat]

14. Again, and again, and again

they throw us under the bus and claim there is some procedural reason why they needed to cave in.

Why the hell is it that the rules seem to prevent Democrats from doing the things Republicans routinely do? Do they really expect us to believe that there are two sets of rules in Washington, one set for republicans and another for democrats?

We need to kick out the cowardly, accomodating, democrats and get some people with ideals and courage in there.

[concerned citizen23]

15. What else is new?

But lets do keep on voting them into office...

Why vote for any of the leading candidates?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3532891

Dennis Kucinich on corporate power
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=post&forum=132&topic_id=3534002&mesg_id=3534002

[pretzel4gore]

20. maybe it's a class thingy...

it's probable that the putschists who stole the 2k election, with PNAC and 'drowning govt in bathtub' their ideal inspiration, have so grotesquely messed up the thing known as the 'USA' that the kerry's and al gores and clintons and all the rest of the dems recognise that CONTROL is the only virtue in georgebushamerica- and if the people find out the truth of what bush has done, and are able to share their discovery among thwmselves (via our own mainline newsmedia) then a revolution is almost certain, with vast bloodshed, and that is not considered an option. So it's SNAFU nation, but under CONTROL of men who will not allow the republican party to be exterminated (hahaha...i wish!) Face it: there is no reason for the dems to act like the gopigs couldn't be finished off like bush finishes off a a juicy steak. all that's left is to lick their lips. But NOOOO! Class consciousness won't allow it, and the greater the call for impeachment etc, the greater the danger, so watch them nip it in the bud by hemming and hawing....

Bush stole the USA,
Harper's stealing Canada,
Calderon didn't have to steal,
Because poor Mexico was born stolen

[Bitwit1234]

21. So this also proves that the questioning

of Betrayed us wasn't as probing as it should be. In other words, they didn't put him under oath and they didn't care what he said. With passing this resolution we see they kiss bush's ass as well as the republicans doing it. I am going to call Kolbachur and email her til I get a satisfactory answer. I am also going to email the DFL and ask them why in the hell they put a whimp like that up for election and told us she was a democrat.

[Triana]

23. K & R and...

...I signed the petition and left a very BLUNT comment. I can't donate right now, - broke. But I did sign the petition. I suggest that MoveOn NEEDS OUR SUPPORT to help them stand up to the blazing idiots on capitol hill - of BOTH parties.

[MasonJar]

24. Sign the petition and donate to Move On; they deserve the support.

They are in the right here. I am really surprised at Barbara Boxer; she usually has better judgement, but I am proud of Dodd and Clinton.