How would 2005 be for us politically if Daschle were still in charge?

[Ignacio Upton]

I like Reid so far, and I've felt that he's done a good job (although his vote on the Bankrupcy Bill turned me off for a while)in marshall Democrats to stand unified. I've been reading FR and they claim that a Democratic plan to enter a closed session has been around for the last two years, but I seriously doubt that Daschle ever would have acted on it. He was more interested in covering his own back when he was running for re-election (he made comments on Meet The Press a month before the election that Kerry's $87 billion vote was a bad decision and caved in to Republican spin and didn't try to argue). I also doubt that Daschle would have been able to keep our caucus together on the issue of Social Security Privatization; we would be talking about whether or not to invest in stocks or mutual funds right now if he was still in power. What is your opinion> Do you think that Democrats would have been better off had Daschle been in charge, the same, or worse off?

[Kazak]

1. Daschle had all the spine of a wet noodle.

IMO

[MrModerate]

2. I wish Reid had indicated the presence of a backbone . . .

Somewhat sooner (he could have gotten lessons from Pelosi and Boxer), but better late than never.

Regarding Daschle, I think he's too much a politician's politician, expecting the other guys to play by the rules in a civilized and mature manner -- when in fact what they want to do is rip your head off and shove it down your throat. I think he'd have been steamrollered.

[Ignacio Upton]

3. After 9/11, he thought that Bush would be nice to him and

not attack. He was wrong, especially considering how the Republicans used Iraq as an issue in 2002, as well as their capitalization of creating the Department of Homeland Security that they initially OPPOSED and by PROPOSED BY US. Daschle, no matter how quiet he made his rhetoric, allowed Bush and the Right Wing to define him as their new Emmanuel Goldstein (Bill Clinton not in office means they need someone).

[longship]

4. Why speculate?

We just don't know what Daschle would have done.

[MrModerate]

6. Because life is all about recreational speculation . . .

And a bunch of other things as well, of course.

[Loonman]

5. LOL

:spray: