Words don't matter much anymore. Actions count now.

[madfloridian]

Most of us in the party are beyond listening to the words said by Congress and our candidates...it is what they do that matters. The lectures to us to understand just are not sinking in.

A recent post pointed out that many here are making unreasonable demands and putting forth expectations that can not or will not be met by Congress.

Here's the thing. I think when most here are expressing anger at the congressional leadership and the fact they are not standing up to Bush....they are using rhetoric they know is exaggerated.

That is what people do when they realize the party, the country, in fact the world are spiraling out of control. People faced with being unimportant in the party do say things like that. I don't blame them.

They know we don't get to pick the House and Senate leaders. They know that congressmen have to represent everyone. We all know that. It is known factor. Trouble is that most of the people oppose the war and want us out of there. People overall are fearful of attacking Iran and what could happen.

The majority of Americans do not want the government using illegal wiretapping. The fact that congress is about to let the retroactive immunity slip through is angering so many.

Words don't matter much now at all. Only actions matter now. The condemnation of MoveOn and the resulting glee at the right wing blogs disheartened many. Pelosi's telling the activists near her home that they were not her constituents made many of us realize they just don't understand a very important concept.

That concept is that every single vote in Congress affects all of us in every other district. Nancy Pelosi DOES represent my interests, though I am not officially a constituent. I don't think she understands that. I don't think Harry Reid gets it either.

They as a rule look on all the Democratic party who are activists and progressives or liberals or netroots...as a problem. They do consider us a problem because we don't "understand." They say and do things to make us feel marginal and unimportant.

We have done horrible things the last 6 years, and our Democrats are not innocent. Much of it they could have prevented or spoken out about, and they did not. They choose to be silent and complicit.

America has done things that are against everything we stand for. We bombed a country that was not a threat, we killed hundreds of thousands of them, we have used torture. We killed their leader and allowed it to be videotaped, and we had previously killed his sons. We put their bodies on public display.

So please forgive those of us who think Congress has failed us. Forgive those of us who believe the candidates for president are not being forceful enough.

Sometimes people speak out knowing they are not being realistic. One good thing about Democratic Underground, though. There are many here to remind us if we question things too much. Some are much nicer than others and that is appreciated.

I was almost a conservative person politically until Iraq happened. My husband was also. But the day we questioned our church about supporting the war, the day they called us unpatriotic...something changed within us. We are not the same.

Yet I am talked to here the same way as those who are far more left than I am. It is like an effort to "set us straight" if we question too much.

Words no longer matter from our party...actions matter. This is a turning point because our country has never been here before, we have never done things like this. There is no opposition party anymore.

On September 1, 1970, Senator George McGovern spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate when he introduced the McGovern-Hatfield Amendment. I can only imagine the rush the congressional leaders would have made to condemn his words.

Every senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This chamber reeks of blood. Every Senator here is partly responsible for that human wreckage at Walter Reed
and Bethesda Naval and all across our land - young men without legs, or arms, or genitals, or faces or hopes."

"There are not very many of these blasted and broken boys who think this war is a glorious adventure. Do not talk to them about bugging out, or national honor or courage. It does not take any courage at all for a congressman, or a senator, or a president to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Vietnam, because it is not our blood that is being shed. But we are responsible for those young men and their lives and their hopes."

"And if we do not end this damnable war those young men will some day curse us for our pitiful willingness to let the Executive carry the burden that the Constitution places on us."

To those who say "the left" needs to "understand", or the "activists" are just not aware of "how things work".....those are becoming meaningless reprimands now. The burden is on our party which holds a majority now. If they can't fix it, they must speak up.

They must stop passing trade bills and FISA bills covertly. They must stop acting like we don't matter. We do matter. We are the people, they work for us. We are all their constituents.

[NanceGreggs]

1. REC #1 ...

... the first of many.

[madfloridian]

2. From you that means a lot.

Appreciated.

[Larynx Oblation]

3. !st

how do we remove all that corporate moolah from their coffers?

[madfloridian]

4. Good question.

I doubt we can. We are going to have to hope that they look at their inner souls and consciences.

[Mojorabbit]

7. Come to Orlando

PDA is looking to start a progressive caucus at the State Convention. I am really starting to believe that this is going to be the only way to effect change. From within the party. If that doesn't work then I just don't know what else to do.

[madfloridian]

9. I think DFA is in on that. I got an email today.

Right now, though, I have too much anger at Florida to go out in public where the leaders are.

But it is great idea and might work. The email from a Florida DFA blogger was so enthusiastic. I want to get that back again, but right now I am worn out from the attacks because we questioned them on the way they handled the primary date...and the propaganda they used.

[truedelphi]

13. I have no idea how you have kept any semblance of sanity

And I'm glad tio see your OP recommended and on the Greatest Page

[madfloridian]

14. Thank you.

It has stretched us emotionally here. We have had to stop communicating with some good friends for a while. They are outraged we dare criticize the state party.

[TheDoorbellRang]

19. K&R.

I think if more people took the time to pay attention to what's going on around them we'd be able to reach a national threshold of "no more." I think all of us who began to really look at this state of affairs whether after 911 or the beginning of the war, have become deeply alarmed, and are all seeking ways to effect a change/cure to this mess. As burythehatchet said in an OP yesterday, we are not the lunatic fringe, we are simply better informed.

BTW, I really appreciated all your threads on the primary situation in Florida.

[Larynx Oblation]

8. They Have Souls?

Imagine that! Next thing ya know, dogs will be mating with cats.

[vanboggie]

5. Well said - K&R n/t

[DearAbby]

6. Here here

well written piece.

edit to ad a "T"

[slipslidingaway]

10. Well stated, thank you. n/t

[Usrename]

11. Sorting out the hyperbole from reality is not a problem.

I don't think it is possible to exagerate how bad things are, or how crooked this administration is. Or this war are.

Treason (Plame), bribery (commutation of Libby), war crimes (torture), human rights violations (extraordinary renditions), abuse of power (US Atty coersion), witness tampering (advising individuals to ignore subpoenas), all manner of civil right violations (election fraud, spying, unlawful detentions), where does it end? Will it ever end?

[KoKo]

21. k&R..

[truedelphi]

12. The mcGovern speech you offered us reminds me greatly of what Pete Stark

Said just the other day - yet the great Pelosi couldn't stand what Stark said.

[D23MIURG23]

31. That whole situation blows my mind.

What person who has seen W talk about the war HASN'T concluded that he is amused by it? Congress is really telling us that we should read care and concern into his fratboy smirk as he talks about casualties, or shouts "bring 'em on" at the insurgents? W is a narcissistic 2 year old playing toy soldiers with real people's lives. Its about time someone in congress called him out on it.



anyway, yes I agree wholeheartedly.

[madfloridian]

33. What McGovern and Stark said hit too close to home

Our party tends not to like outspoken people.

[bonito]

15. K&R!

[AtomicKitten]

16. K&R

Brava!

[Perry Logan]

17. What's the problem? Democrats backed the majority position of their caucus 91 percent of the time.

"President Bush's success rating in the Democratic-controlled House has fallen this year to a half-century low, and he prevailed on only 14 percent of the 76 roll call votes on which he took a clear position.

"So far this year, Democrats have backed the majority position of their caucus 91 percent of the time on average on such votes. That marks the highest Democratic unity score in 51 years."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002576765.html

Don't let the media rhetoric fool you. The Democrats have acquitted themselves quite well--especially given their bare majority in both houses, and a relentlessly obstructionist Republican minority.

[druidity33]

20. yes, but...

doesn't it feel like they cave on all the REALLY IMPORTANT votes and measures?

just sayin'...

[madfloridian]

22. Percentages right now may look good on paper...

but if you read my OP I refer to specific things they give in on.

If you can debunk what I wrote, please feel free.

They condemn their own more heartily than they try to prevent a war with Iran. They really did try to push trade and FISA bills through covertly.

They may be a small percentage, but they affect the future of our country.

You addressed percentages, I addressed intent and actions.

[robinlynne]

24. In fact, these Democratic bills are often Bush's own bills, negotiated in backdoor rooms.

Using the words "negotiation" and "compromise", the bills can be called Democratic, but they are not.

[robinlynne]

23. You can't be serious. Iraq funding should not come up for a vote. period.

Until they force a withdrawal plan. censuring move-on should NEVER have come up for a vote. This fisa crap, part one in august, and part two now should not be allowed to come up for a vote. We control what is voted on. The dem positions, you cite, are, at least 50% of the time, written by BUsh. example: FISA bill just out of committee. changes came directly from Bush's pen. directly. everything Bush asked for is in the bill. It is not a Democratic bill at all. and yet it is called such, and included in your statistics.

[D23MIURG23]

32. The problem is the substance in that 9%

like Fisa, and Kyl-Liberman, and the "clean" Iraq war funding, and "impeachement is off the table". I don't give equal weight to all the issues included in your average.

[LWolf]

18. K&R n/t

[robinlynne]

25. great OP, as always, madfloridian.

[Hydra]

26. The actions have always been the issue

Words are nothing, excuses are nothing. What did you DO?

We've done too much...way too much. I never dreamed when I was a kid during the Cold War that we would be doing what the Reds did. We read people's mail, we tap their phones, we "disappear" people, we start wars of conquest...and it's not stopping.

It NEEDS to stop! We need to leave Bush, Cheney and Rove's wonderland and return to reality. NOW.

[bdamomma]

27. kick

and yes actions speak louder than words.

[understandinglife]

28. Recommended. It is likely time that we should stop paying their salaries.

For starters ....

[flyarm]

29. Thank You Madfloridian..as always ..you speak the truth well!!

Thank you dear lady!!

fly

[D23MIURG23]

30. Thank you.

I wish I could read this to every member of congress personally.

[Capn Sunshine]

34. kick

because common sense is lacking around here.

[f the letter]

35. That;s a great McGovern quote

Wish someone in the congress/house would speak up today

[Sam Ervin jret]

36. If words didn't matter, They would not have made Stark apologize.

Don't kid yourself. The word is always the beginning. First there was the word. The sound. The energy. Words have power. They know it. They use it to their best advantage. To give up the pen, the word, is to give up the mightiest, most noble weapon in our arsenal.
They use words against us. They use words to control us. They use the control of words to control us and use us. Never underestimate the power of the word. They do not. You do so at your, and our, peril.

It is the alpha, the beginning.

...as for the follow through...

none should underestimate the reaction to the action of a well spoken WORD

[Q3JR4]

37. I agree 100%.

We need to do something to end this charade. I can think of a few things that we can start with, but I may be "disappeared" for suggesting any of what I'm thinking of so I won't.

I will say that when the time comes I will be there to lend another voice, mind, or set of hands to help take back the idea of the country I was born to.

I will help all I can in the next election and beyond.

Q3JR4