Dave Lindorff: Democrats are their Own Worst Enemies

[marmar]

Friday, July 20, 2007

Democrats are their Own Worst Enemies

If it weren’t so depressing, it would be entertaining to watch the loathed, ridiculed and remarkably unpopular Bush administration continue to run circles around the supposedly ascendant Democrats in Congress.

Now that Democrats have provided Bush with full summer funding for his outrageous and doomed escalation of the Iraq War, they are finding themselves incapable of stopping even that affront to the American public, which last November made it clear it wanted this bloody madness in Iraq to end.

Having accepted Bush’s terms—that cutting funds for the war is “undermining the troops”—the Democrats in Congress are now unable to challenge Bush’s new line—that they should provide even more money to the troops for raises. They are also vulnerable to the new pitch—that they should “listen to the generals” and give the escalation (still being called a “surge” after six full months) until November. All of this is obviously setting the stage for September, when Bush will come back to Congress with a 2008 supplemental funding request to fund the war through the rest of his sorry term of office.

Of course, come November, the generals, who know who gives out the promotions and who are loath to admit that they’ve lost yet another war, will accommodate their commander in chief and say that they need more time again—say until next February or March. And in this way they’ll string out the war, and keep the killing and dying going on, until Bush and Cheney can safely leave office and hand their mess to a new administration.

If the Democrats want to escape this trap of their own making, they are going to have to do something that has eluded Democrats for a generation—really back to the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. They are going to have to stand up and be leaders. (Okay, Johnson was a war criminal and should have been impeached for the Gulf of Tonkin fraud, but he did stand up and lead on Civil Rights legislation, Medicare and the so-called War on Poverty.)

What Democrats have to do is heed the advice of retired Gen. William Odom, and declare that “supporting the troops” means bringing them safely home, and no longer stranding them in a hopeless and pointless war in Iraq. It means declaring that Bush and Cheney lied the country into this war and that he has no right to be trusted on anything he says about it today. They need to say that they are through funding this disaster and that come October 1, there will be no more money appropriated for war in Iraq—only for removing the U.S. from that country. Completely. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/

[opihimoimoi]

1. Blaming the Democrats for the Nations Ills? Overview..The root Cause is the GOP/Bush....

[Lerkfish]

2. agreed, however, the ONLY ones who can stop him now are the democrats

since not enough republicans were born with a conscience.

in other words, its like police called to a barfight: sure the police didn't start the fight, but if once they're there, they stand by and do nothing, they are contributing to the problem.

[emulatorloo]

5. Write your Republican Senators and Reps. Tell them to put country before party.

I write mine almost every week. I am respectful. I make rational arguments. Some of the replies I am getting seem to indicate I am getting thru. I was even surprised w a vote or two.

From what I hear some headway is being made in the Senate -- apparently there are enough Senators who are privately ready to start voting with the Dems on withdrawal. Enough to get the legislation passed. Enough to block the petty parliamentary challenges from the true Rove-bots in the Senate.

But apparently they "promised" bushco they would hold off until the September Report is in.

The Republicans need to be presurred to do the right thing. Some of them are ready. Who is to say that your letter won't help.

[Dune]

3. Yes

I am a liberal and have been for life. While it is true that the GOP are the sadistic genesis of the need for change.. the Democrats are incapable of making that change. They are so worried about pleasing everybody they in fact please no one. The GOP clearly knows who their masters are and they serve in unison to please them. (I won't get into who their masters are) Dems need to be seen as a group that protects individual rights while perfectly willing to shove a nuke up a foreign enemies rectum in a heartbeat. How? I say they fund Bush's folly right up until they win the next election (if we're allowed to have on by the emperor). Then yank all the troops out and let the sand people kill one another like their ideology says they must. Why should we die when we can allow them to do it like two siamese fighting fish. Then Dems will not inherit the war, they will inherit the power to reshape the debate and really say we gave the Bushies everything and they clearly blew it big time. Now were going to fix it by rebuilding the manufacturing and family farms of America so we're not reliant on a failed global economy. The globalization was never meant for the economy, only cultural respect. end

[emulatorloo]

4. "Anytime you see a Democrat get attacked, please step up and defend them."

It seems that the more the Democrats try to do, the more authors like this and DU'ers attack them.

All you have to do is watch CSPAN for a few minutes and you will see that:

Democrats introduce legislation.
Republicans respond with well-coordinated talking points, silly parliamentary challenges (also coordinated I believe), and then they VOTE WITH AND PROTECT BUSH.

From what I understand there is some headway being made in the Senate re convincing some Republicans to come around and START VOTING WITH THE DEMOCRATS on Iraq.

My strategy is to write my Republican senator and reps and ask them to put Country before Party -- stop protecting Bush and do what is right for the men and women in Iraq. Get them out,. Vote with the Dems.

At any rate, all this Dem bashing is getting on my last nerve.

From an email I received from John Kerry yesterday:
<snip>

P.S. - You and I know damn well what happens at moments like this: the Administration attacks their opponents ruthlessly. They smear, they lie. Yesterday they went after Sen. Clinton. I stepped up to defend her. Tomorrow who knows which Democrat they'll attack. Here's what I'm asking you: I don't care if you have a horse in 2008, or who you're supporting. Anytime you see a Democrat get attacked, please step up and defend them.

<snip>

[MasonJar]

6. I heard on NPR news that McConnell had said September is it; he

allegedly declined to extend the war change to November. He is, after all, running for re-election in 08. He is more vulnerable than he has ever been. Still we are unlikely to get rid of him.