If Daschle votes for the Energy Bill, how do we get him replaced?

[frank frankly]

I mean it, if he goes for this abomination, a main effort among DU should be to get him replaced as Senate Leader.

I don't know how, but I am beside myself in anger about this. Ugh!!!

How long can this party stand for nothing?

:shrug:

[Eric J in MN]

1. I am against the bill, too, but

I am against the bill, too, but let's not judge Daschle on one thing (unless you oppose Daschle's leadership for other reasons).

Please send a free fax to your Senators against the Republican engery bill at:
http://www.citizen.org/fax/background.cfm?ID=243&source=31

[LastKnight]

2. just remember...

he has a huge republican constituancy to appease, and the last thing we need to do is lose another seat.

-LK

[TomNickell]

3. Give him a pass on this one...

Ethanol-as-motor-fuel is a big deal in farm states. Grown-up politicians have to bend sometimes.

The Iraq war vote might be a different thing....

[RichardRay]

4. We don't....

I've met Tom Daschle, and his AA for many years is an old friend of the family. For what it's worth I'll provide a personal testimony that he is worth having in the Senate regardless of his vote on this bill.

I would bet that the negotiation went something like this: Somebody counted heads and determined that either the Dem's have enough votes to stop the bill without Daschle's vote, or they don't, but that either way Daschle's vote wouldn't make the difference. Asking Daschle to vote against the bill is tantamount to asking him to fall on his sword, since his constiuency is heavily influenced by the ethanol issue. So, why ask him to vote against it? Let him vote for it and get beaten by the rest of the Dem's; he can go back to his corn farming constituents and say "See, I tried!" and they'll vote for him. Or, he can vote for the bill and be part of the overwhelming majority and not worry about it, and they'll vote for him. Either way, he keeps his seat.

He can do this sort of thing, he's got the clout in the party to protect his seat and he's earned it.

Is this pretty? Nope. But we all know about sausages and politics.

[knight_of_the_star]

5. Not taking him out of his seat

Just replacing him as Senate Minority Leader. We need someone with a little more spine in there who is NOT afraid of speaking out. Daschle, because of who his constituents are, can't do that. We needeither Boxer or Kennedy or someone who isn't too worried about losing their seat any time soon.

[frank frankly]

6. yup

that's the point