‘Frustration Over Iraq Could Lead to Dem Primary Challenges”

[Me.]

The point the dems seem to be missing is that unless they act for change they are no more use to us than the republicons. That combined with the fact that we never expected the cons to help us but trusted that the sems would males it something of a woman scorned scenario.


“Anti-war forces, angered over Congressional failure to bring an end to the Iraq war, are gearing up to run primary challenges against Democratic incumbents who support the Bush administration.

Frustration with the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate reached new heights with the appearance of stories describing Democrats' growing willingness to compromise on Iraq legislation, including "Democrats Retreat On War End" in The Politico and "Democrats Newly Willing to Compromise on Iraq" in the New York Times.

MoveOn, which spent a total of $28.1 million in the 2005-6 election cycle, sent out a survey to its 3.3 million members noting:

"Hundreds of thousands of us worked to get Democratic majorities elected. So why don't they have the votes? One reason is that there are a set of weak Democrats who side with the president--especially on Iraq. They're too scared to fight for what's right and what they were elected to fight for.” Cont…

ttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/07/frustration-over-iraq-cou_n_63463.html

[Me.]

1. More

“A House Democratic leadership aide told the Huffington Post, "We understand their frustration, but we need to elect more Democrats in order to affect real change on Iraq." Another top Democratic leadership aide said, "What in the world are they thinking? All this is going to do is increase the possibility of electing more Republicans. Instead of going after Democrats, they should be focusing their efforts on pressuring Republicans to break with the president.

In private, many in the House and Senate leadership contend that if more liberal candidates defeat incumbent conservative and centrist Democrats in primaries, many of them representing Southern and Midwestern constituencies, the chances of a Republican victory in the general election sharply increase.

The MoveOn survey comes on the heels of the anti-"Bush Dog" campaign on the Open Left website created by Chris Bowers, Matt Stoller and Mike Lux.

The "Bush Dogs" -- a play on the "Blue Dog" Democrats, a caucus of center-conservative Democrats -- is made up of the 39 House Democrats who voted on May 24 in favor of the Iraq emergency supplemental appropriation and on August 4 in favor of the "Protect America Act" expanding the administration's power to use warrantless wiretaps.” Cont…

[dubyaD40web]

2. Good.

I think there should be more of this. Let's start Joe Lieberman.

Run again Ned!

[The Stranger]

3. You got that fucking right.

[H2O Man]

4. Regarding trust & loyalty ....

"Trust and loyalty are reciprocal relationships; they have two sides. You can't expect someone to be trustful or loyal if you aren't going to be in return."
-- Joanne Ciulla; ethicist and philosopher; Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

[Me.]

7. That's What Has Been Lost In Recent Months

Between the activists and party leaders

[Bitwit1234]

5. All the people critizing the democrats. Tell us what would you do..

Knock off the republicans so you can replace them with democrats. Be sure you get enough to make a veto majority. That ought to do it. If you have a feasible idea, I am sure the democrats in congress would love to hear it.

[H2O Man]

6. The congress has

control of the nation's purse strings. They gave Bush the money to pay for his surge. The idea of what you call a "veto majority" is not necessary. Bush does not control the purse strings.

[Me.]

9. They Have That

But do they have the will to use their power?

[H2O Man]

10. There are two possible answers.

The first comes from looking at exactly what they have done thus far -- which is funding every request Bush makes.

The second would require that we ignore what has happened, and instead speculate that they may do something different at some point in the future.

[Me.]

11. Already, Talk Of 'Compromise"

which I interpret to be capitulation, leads me to door #1

[H2O Man]

12. I believe that

the behaviors that are known as compromising one's values tend to fall under the first choice.

[Me.]

13. Yep

On BBC News they interviewed Madeline Albright and the host brought up the need for the dems to be bipartisan. In response, Madeline said, usually when there is talk about bipartisanship in reference to the dems, it usually infers a giving over. 'Bipartisanship' is about consensus, she said, a reciprocity of give and take.

[Me.]

8. If You Don't Have The Votes To Do The Right Thing

Voting for the wrong thing doesn't compensate nor does it make any kind of sense.