"politics is the art of compromise"

[ulysses]

Indeed, it is. At least it is when your opponent shares that same view.

When that opponent does not share that view, the game changes. One does not, can not, compromise with an opponent whose goal is the erasure of you and those who believe as you do.

We face such an opponent now. What did Bill Clinton get in return for welfare "reform" and NAFTA? Impeachment.

Neville Chamberlain has long left the building - there is no "peace in our time". We can't afford to play with these motherfuckers in the Republican party any longer. When you chop wood, you aim past the wood, not at it. We have to aim well beyond appeasement.

[JeffR]

1. first rec

there wll be many more

well said

[ulysses]

2. thanks, but we'll see.

It'll probably sink like a stone.

[man4allcats]

3. Hear, hear!

"politics is the art of compromise" when politics is an art. When, as you note, it descends into corruption and hypocrisy, the stakes change. Prior to BushCo, the most recent glaring example of such change was Hitler's Third Reich. Adolph now seems to have been reincarnated in the person of George Dubya, a fate I'm sure even Adolph would have hated (Whatever else that bastard was, he wasn't STUPID. Such an ignorant and terrible reincarnation serves him right for being the evil son of a bitch he was.). And as for Dubya and his ilk, I hope they all share a fate on a par with Hitler's.

[Jai4WKC08]

4. More like the art of the deal

One of the quotes from Wes Clark that I've saved is from an interview he did with some magazine back in 2003. Having seen the video of his Senate testimony in 2002, I can picture the table slammin' part. Clark gets it. But I got an honest feelin' that a lot more Democrats are catching on.

Somebody once told me in business that when you're going to negotiate a business deal, you stake out (Clark slams the table) your position and stand on it! Don't go in there and ask what they want. Say, 'Here's what I want!' (slams table again)

You've got a Republican Party under Gingrich and Tom DeLay that says, 'Here's what I want' (slams table again) Then you've got the Democrats over here saying, 'Yeah, ah, yeah, we could, some of what you say makes pretty good sense.'

The result is the American people don't see the full spectrum.

Before the 2002 election there were a lot of Democratic politicians apparently who said, 'I don't have the information. I can't battle with the president on the information. He's got the intelligence. What if there is a smoking gun in there? I can't fight the president in my congressional district.'

What we've got to do is stake (slams table again) out our position. For instance on tax reform, stop (slam) saying (slam) you agree (slam) with simplification of the tax code. . . . We stand (slam) for progressive taxation. We're proud of it. If you make more, you should pay more, period!" (slam)

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Can I aim at their

never mind.

The thought of holding an axe in front of a Repukelican got me a bit excited for a minute there.