Does John Edwards plan to bring 60 lockstep Dem Senators to Washington with him

[CTLawGuy]

if NOT, could someone explain to me how he is going to pass progessive legislation over Republican filibusters with his "fighting" strategy?

It's very good to take strong positions, and very good to not compromise your principles but that alone doesn't get legislation passed.

Thank you.

[robbedvoter]

1. Same way he "fought" to get all our votes counted in 2004 (and kept the secret)

[peacetalksforall]

16. I believed Edwards when he said that and the annoucement by Kerry

within hours of Edwards silenced Edwards. So what do you think he could have done? Fight the DLC? In what way?

[robbedvoter]

20. Champion the cause. Make sure voters knew they won and were robbed.

Work to get congress to legislate changes. Anything but ignore the whole thing then come for seconds to the same voters he let down (Mind you, I'd say the same to Kerry, if he were running)
The story "but he really wanted to..." became ridiculous the second day of total silence...Some fighter...

[peacetalksforall]

22. I think he may have been stuck. How could he have done that and

not embarass Kerry? If we find out some day that he didn't try to talk anyone into fighting it through the press, or internet, or the courts, then there is a problem with him. But, we are dealing with an unknown. We have to remember that the instinct to recognize that there was a theft was there immediately, but it took awhile for the mathematicians/statisticians and computer people to prove it. By then, he could have been working on what we see - organizing to run again on his own.

[robbedvoter]

23. So he let us down to spare Kerry's feelings? best excuse yet!

Every time when I hear someone say "Bush won the second time" - guess whom I curse...
I respected Gore for trying - and in the process getting the word out that it was a coup.A great deal of the damage of the second coup came from the fact that people thought they lost. A huge blow to the movement that was created now. I remember that site "We're sorry" where people were apologizing to the world for losing the election...:puke:

[peacetalksforall]

30. Are you throwing up at me? I didn't say 'feelings', I said embarassment

in a more political way. Had Edwards tried to go it alone, not only would the Republicans and corporate networks make mincement out of him, the Democrats in charge might turn in a very uppity, deceiving way.

I knew there was a theft instantly for a few reasons:

. We knew the history from 2000 and 2002.
. We knew Rove had not turned into an angel and he and all of them were still riding their horses while reeking of arrogance and confidence in their criminality.
. We suspected they would do it again.
. We knew that the five corporate network thieves had fired their exit polling company that had provided accurate data for many years, inlcuding overseas. No one ever questioned it. The thieving networks told us that the data couldn't be relied on. When we woke during the night to check results we knew the reason - there was no way they could have justified the exit polling with the tally switches that took place around 1 / 2 AM. Being a part of the crime would make it very difficult to allow Edwards a voice, except to mock him. Their grip, including the DLC, was tight aroaund him, one of their own. I believe the DLC were the ones who did not want to be embarassed by Edwards - since they didn't want to cause vote friction. WE KNOW THAT THE DLC HAS NEVER MADE A FUSS ABOUT THE THEFTS OF OUR VOTE. NEVER. I welcome someone proving me wrong.

The next day was a DLC decision - one of the reaon's I despise them so much. And whenever I say this, no one tries to defend and educate me and show me where I am wrong. The DLC, for me, is nearly the same thing as Republican and not even Republican-lite.

I praise Edwards for even getting into it again and he appears to be without the DLC because the gang is with Hillary. I'm willing to be educated.

He is not my first choice because of his Iraq vote.

I do like the Krugman praiae of his health plan.

I like the rhetoric of not letting the corporations own us (my words).

I find I don't need to listen to every word from the candidates as they campaign as I rely on what I know about them from their past. So, Hillary is out. Obama doesn't have much of a past and has been somewhat lackluster on this votes and causes. He is a good orater. I admire Gore and Kucinich the most. The times require guts. Edwards has more than Clinton or Obama, right now, for me.

[ellenfl]

25. i have never gotten over feeling that skull and bones

had all to do with kerry's quick fold. tinfoil hat stuff, i know, but there it is.

ellen fl

[ellenfl]

26. i have never gotten over feeling that skull and bones

had all to do with kerry's quick fold. tinfoil hat stuff, i know, but there it is.

ellen fl

[TwilightZone]

2. Right, because appeasing the Republicans has worked out so well for us.

[gasperc]

3. power of the AG, power of the executive

there are many powers by using of electoral pressure, taking the fight to the people to lean on their legislators, make some changes so politically popular that it would be too difficult for conservatives to oppose. We have to stand up and fight. We do that and progress will be made.

[midnight]

4. John Edwards if capable of making things happen. Their is

a democratic majority in the senate, and house, and Bush refuses to deal with them. I'm not going to know how John intends to use this majority, but you can imagine that he will use it for our good.

[robbedvoter]

8. Except for starting a war after sponsoring IWR, name another thing he made happen

and I am not talking his personal life or career

[peacebird]

5. Do you think that striving for bipartisan cooperation is going to get a progressive agenda

passed?

:eyes:

That has worked SO well for Pelosi and Reid.

[midlife_mo_Jo]

6. It might take another election cycle to get that democratic super majority, but, yes,

I believe we can get enough senators to pass progressive legislation.

I am in a very Republican county in Texas, and I can't tell you how many people are fed up with the Republicans.

[Vanje]

7. Signing statements, Boyo, Signing statements!

nt

[robbedvoter]

10. Glad you guys love W's lawless ways...explains a lot!

[Vanje]

13. I keed! I keed!

The real answer:
There wont be a republican majority in congress after the next midterm.
Did you not notice, The GOP is on the wane.

[robbedvoter]

17. I am relieved. As for GOP - it's dead since '88, but Diebold keeps the corpse kicking

[peacetalksforall]

21. And someone in the Republican Party recognized that and decided

to get some Democrats working on their (Republican) agenda for them? I think so. The fight is now within the Democratic Party (along with some existing Republican fights since the pretense must be maintained - the U.S. exists on pretenses, it seems).

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. It's called the 'bully pulpit'.

Fuck the legislators. Get the PEOPLE behind you and their representatives will have to fall in line or be replaced.

If the republicans drag things to a halt by refusing to compromise (and THAT is where the compromise is needed - we've seen what happens when WE compromise with THEM) the the president goes to the public and lays the blame exactly where it belongs.

Edwards would do that. Obama might. Whoever the president is will HAVE to, or will become irrelevant. If Obama should ignore the CW of the political establishment, he would be terrific at it because he is such a powerful speaker. With his grassroots background, he knows the power of going to the people. but I don't know that he is willing to take on the Democratic establishment at the same time as take on the Republican obstructionists.

[Clark2008]

28. Just like he had the people behind him when he co-sponsored

the war, helped write the PATRIOT Act, voted to destroy Yucca Mountain, supported NCLB and helped usher in new serfdom with the first bankruptcy bill.

Yeah... OK.

:eyes:

[NewJeffCT]

11. Using the bully pulpit, for one

Right now, Bush is using what's left of his bully pulpit to support those 41-45 GOP senators in their filibusters.

If we pick up 5-6 seats in the senate, those solid Republics won't be as big a block anymore - so, we only have to convert a few of them to break filibusters instead of 8-9. Right now, they can get 41 votes and then give a few senators some room to vote against the filibuster in order to appear more moderate for their upcoming election (Norm Coleman for one) If we can get 54-55 Democratic Senators plus Bernie Sanders, it will leave Republicans with very little room to filibuster.

[onehandle]

12. So what you're saying is: "Why bother electing a Democratic President?"

Got it. I'll stay home in November.

:eyes:

[SaveElmer]

14. Edwards would either have worse relations with a Democratic Congress than Carter did...or

He would revert to being the centrist-conservative he actually is...and piss off his left wing support...

I could see him being a one-termer...

Luckily...he isn't gonna get the chance...it's Obama's to lose now!

[cali]

18. That's it in a nutshell

He's been so passionately self-righteous that he'll have a fuck of a hard time working with DEM Congress critters.

And as you said, ain't gonna happen. Thankfully.

[havocmom]

15. With enough votes (and VOTERS) behind him, Congress would be wise to go along with what people want

Part of the job rest on the shoulders of WE THE PEOPLE.

Thinking ANY one individual in the Oval Office will save us is just plain naive. If democracy works, it takes all of us shouldering some of the work. That means forcing our reps to actually be OUR reps.

If Edwards is the DEM candidate in Nov and wins big, Congress might get the message. If they don't, FIRE THEIR ASSES every two years until we get a Congress that will actually be OUR reps.

[suston96]

19. Excellent thread.

In fact, all this precious time being spent on the Obama/Clinton/Edwards feuding has Democrats off message regarding the Congress.

Lemme put it this way: The Democrats do NOT control Congress. Joe Libermann does. Bush has an easy job thwarting Pelosi and Reid because he knows that the Senate cannot be controlled by the Democrats.

Obama can sweep into the White House but without a Congress behind him will get nothing done.

No Congress, no uh, NO CHANGE!

[peacetalksforall]

24. Our problems start and end with perpetual war for personal profits and the

control of the people so that the war perpetrators who keep us in perpetual war are not opposed or exposed. They are the enemies we citizens are at war with. The corporations and their lobbyists and politicians (Rove, Addington, Cheney, Bush, RIce, Wolfkowitz, Rumsfeld (and some Dems)) are turning us into world dominators for their profit and gain using our children and our gullibility.

The corporations and their teams are in the process of winning against us. Which other candidates admit to this?

The real war is within our own country and their target is us and the world.

THIS IS STILL OUR COUNTRY. NONE OF US HAVE SURRENDED! OUR ENEMY IS WITHIN. Which of the candidates have stated what our problem is? Who is it up to end this takeover of us? US - it's not Congress - they are chairs filled and emptied in rotation.

While our enemy in this country is compiling massive data on us as a tool against us - we need to crack the coting thefts and expose the traitors in the Dem Party or they are going to win - again.

[Occam Bandage]

27. Well, we have two options.

1. Either he's the hyper-Carter, and is a complete and utter failure, or
2. He returns to his old centrist ways.

[Orangepeel]

29. Well, by that logic it doesn't matter who gets the nomination

and we might as well nominate the one that we think will do best in the general election

[Seabiscuit]

31. Aw, pfffftt!!! The same gripe could be made about any Dem who proposes any policy the Repukes don't

like.

What a ludicrous thread.

[CTLawGuy]

32. not true

you can do things that will peel off R support, which is how Obama has gotten things done in his time as a legislator.

[Seabiscuit]

33. Try that as a U.S. Senator.

Obama hasn't had any success with that.

In fact, no Dem has since Bush invaded the White House. The Repukes in both houses still march in lock-step with him.