Pelosi is "ready to work with Bush"

[PSU84]

NO! No, Nancy, this is NOT what we want! People need to write to her and tell her to oppose the Bush agenda. The job of the opposition is to OPPOSE!!! We must not let the Democrats in Congress roll over and give in to Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, and George W Bush. Tell them to stand and fight for us!

Democratic Leader Ready to Work With Bush

By ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Days after her party lost congressional seats and the White House race, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi struck a conciliatory tone, saying House Democrats "stand ready to work with" President Bush in his second term. The message from the House minority leader, speaking Saturday in the weekly Democratic radio address, was in stark contrast to the pre-election combativeness of late September when she used the same forum to call Bush's Iraq war a "grotesque mistake."

She called for "more discourse and less discord" in the Congress but still pledged to not budge on issues where the two parties diverge.

Describing the country as one divided along partisan lines, Pelosi said the split, "rather than being an excuse for inaction, must be a call to compromise and common sense. ... I hope that in this term President Bush will fulfill his renewed promise to be a uniter, not a divider. A new term is indeed a new opportunity to bring America together. House Democrats stand ready to work with the president."


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&e=3&u=/ap/20041107/ap_on_go_co/democrats_pelosi

[Walt Starr]

1. We do not have the power at this time to fight Bush

We must have a divided Republican PArty, then we are in the driver's seat.

Pelosi is sending a message to both moderate and rightwing Republicans. She is saying, "We recognize we are too weak to fight you. The direction taken by the Republican Party is in the Republican Party's hands."

Now the Democratic Party can become more powerful than two factions of teh Republican PArty fighting against itself. Basically, the Democrats have to power to back either side in anything. The moderate Republicans are going to have to play ball with the Democrats or their rightwing brethren will win the debate.

This is playing our greatest weakness into our greatest strength.

The stakes have never been higher, but the Democratic PArty has never been weaker in living memory.

[Teaser]

3. It's not at all apparent that "fighting Bush"

would yield anything of import. Instead I think we should take the traditional role of the "opposition party". You offer a different agenda every time there is a vote. You'll lose every time, but it is a communication tool.

Instead of "fighting Bush" I recommend a campaign of abstentions, saving outright opposition for the really big ticket items, while offering our own agenda when possible.

It allows the country to see a real contrast.

[Bridget Burke]

6. But even the role of "opposition party" is too strong a stance.

Forget abstentions or outright opposition to any item, no matter how big.

Learn to love Big Brother.

[Walt Starr]

8. In many cases, yes.

Put the fear of zero opposition into the more moderate elements of the Republican Party. They will be TERRIFIED, especially of their own positions, and will cross the aisle for our help on their pet issues.

By doing this, we will force a government of coalition as well as forced gridlock of the Republican's own making.

[whosinpower]

2. BUT - There will never be discourse with Bush

Either you are with him, or you are with the enemy.

Get at my back and stay there! That is the Bush creed.
What discourse could there possibly be - how fast they can undo "The New Deal"???

[Atlant]

4. It's what Democrats do best.

> Days after her party lost congressional seats and the White House race,
> California Rep. Nancy Pelosi struck a conciliatory tone

It's what Democrats do best, proven in election-defeat after
election-defeat since 1994.

Atlant

[SoCalDem]

5. Lap dogs..all of them

:grr:..

He kicks them in the head, and they just grovel, roll over and get kicked in the head again..:puke:

[NewJeffCT]

7. It's for the perception war, folks

Pelosi is saying this publicly so that when she opposes something strenously in the future, she can point to those quotes as saying, "Well, I was going to work with Bush & the Republicans, but this issue is so extremely bad for the average American that we must oppose it."

[ohioan]

14. Just like Bush saying he wants bipartisanship

She's talking nice for public consumption.

[NewJeffCT]

17. exactly

And, it is up to us to help Pelosi & the Democrats win the spin war. We very rarely win these days. The only recent times we've won the spin were the presidential debates & with the judicial filibusters.

[UdoKier]

9. STFU, Nancy.

You had better be ready to work against Bush.

It's never standing up for anything that's making dems lose election after election. Enough with the conciliatory crap. I wish McKinney would take your job,

[AntiCoup2K4]

10. Another goddamned DLC sellout

her daughter flies around with the Chimp and makes cutesy documentaries about him. Hardly surprising that she's another sellout.

[SoCalDem]

11. The daughter was on Topic A yesterday and pretty much blamed Kerry

for everything that went wrong.. She's in it for her career..that's all

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. Pelosi is a liberal Democrat and not associated with the DLC

Please stop spreading lies.

[JohnKleeb]

24. neither is Reid for that matter

We throw the label DLC on any Democrat who displeases us and I frankly think thats bs, because there are a lot of good democrats out there who are DLC.

[htuttle]

12. When this is all over and done with...

...I say we shave her head like a supporter of Vichy France.

[zulchzulu]

13. It's politics...don't worry...she's playing poker with the bastards

In case you forgot, new terms always start off this way.

[demokatgurrl]

15. I'm so sorry to hear that, Nancy.

I wrote her two letters last year commending her for her backbone.
What the hell has happened?????

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Great, she can step down and be friends w/ **. Let Dennis K have

her job.

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Help expose the election 2004 voter fraud today!
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[Cocoa]

19. Barak Obama said the same thing

did anyone notice, on two TV programs yesterday, Obama was highly conciliatory with Bush. People discussed his appearances here on DU, but no one said anything negative about this aspect. I wonder why it's so unacceptable coming from Pelosi, but yet Obama remains probably the most popular dem here at DU.

[JohnKleeb]

23. because people are more willing to forgive their heroes

and we make the same damn mistakes the republicans make which is thinking in black and white.

[StickNCA]

26. He's the sweetheart now

and immune to criticism

[theboss]

20. What else is she supposed to say?

"Even though we are in a shrinking minority, we are going to fight everything Bush proposes like partisan maniacs. We aren't even going to read legislation; we're voting no on everything."

She's in the House. She doesn't have the filibuster on her side.

[TeddyKGB]

21. Stop bashing Pelosi. This is how the game is played.

She meant "willing to work with Bush" about as much as Bush meant "willing to work with the Congress".

Both statements were made to make them both appear as post-election moderates. It's politics.

[ibegurpard]

22. I guess you skipped over this part:

She called for "more discourse and less discord" in the Congress but still
pledged to not budge on issues where the two parties diverge.

[UdoKier]

25. There's the rub - we diverge on EVERYTHING.

At least 95% of everything.

Flat tax?

Anti-gay amendments?

More wars for resources?

Privatizing social security?

Where is there any common ground?

[ibegurpard]

27. And that's why it's LUDICROUS to jump on them when

they haven't even gone to session yet. If Nancy Pelosi compromises with George Bush on the issues you've listed then let her have it.

[Cocoa]

28. Obama mentioned tax reform

he said he agreed on the principle of tax reform, but said it needs to be done in a way that does not make them more regressive. Specifically, he mentioned closing certain loopholes.

edit: I think he also mentioned funding for troops in Iraq. Even though Obama was against the war, he has said we need to fund the war effort now that we're there.

[UdoKier]

29. Increased regressivity is all they ever want.

Is the tax code any simpler now than it was 4 years ago?

[Snivi Yllom]

30. She it taking Daschle's place willing to serve her masters so quickly

Who voted this woman in charge?