The great right wing disconnect from reality

[Timbuk3]

On an obscure message board that I freqent, someone posted the following Buckly quote:

"It challenges the imagination to wonder productively what will be the political declamations at the Democratic convention in 2008 if the Democrats are to be the party that kicked out sitting Sen. Joe Lieberman six years after he was named their vice presidential candidate, notwithstanding that 90 percent of his Senate votes have been with his party, opposing President Bush."

— National Review's William F. Buckley

Here's my reply:

>>It challenges the imagination<<

If Mr. Buckley ever had an imagination, it's obviously gone, now.

It's no secret that Lieberman's support for Bush's "stay the course" policy of continued failure in Iraq has cost him support, and the "libruhl media" spares no effort to see that the lion's share of Americans believe that's the only issue.

But what you, Mr. Buckley, and the "libruhl media" all fail to take note of is the continual backstabbing of the Democratic party by Mr. Lieberman since the election of 2000.

It may be true that "90 percent of his Senate votes have been with his party, opposing President Bush", but when it really mattered he was used by the GOP to project the false image of "bipartisanship" in the most divided congress that I have seen in my lifetime. The same can be said of the "moderate" Republican senators like Lincoln Chaffee. When push comes to shove, they will support the party, and we have two of the worst SCOTUS judges in history to show for it.

I find his use of the phrase "sitting Senator" particularly comical when he fails to take note of the fact that 25 GOP Representatives, and 5 GOP Senators (Mike DeWine, OH Jon Kyl, AZ Rick Santorum, PA Olympia Snowe, ME Craig Thomas, WY) running hard for re-election signed the "contract on America" in 1994 pledging to limit all legislators to 12 years of service. Now, "sitting Senator" is used as if it's Mr. Lieberman's "right" to hold onto his seat and the "contract" is long forgotten.

If I had to sum up Bush, the GOP, and the current one-party government in a single phrase I might be tempted to use this one: "If you disagree with us your opinion doesn't matter." Liberals, progressives, Democrats, and anyone who sees another way to solve the myriad problems this nation faces are demonized not only by the ever-present right wing noise machine, but by our government itself.

The message has been sent, and it has been received loud and clear. If you are of "the left" or "the center" you don't matter to this government. The extreme right will accept no compromise, and as long as they hold power they will TELL US how things are going to be.

"Sit down and shut up" is not an acceptable policy, foreign or domestic.

I have a hard time believing that the Democrats will retake the congress in 2006, but you can only "margerineralize" the majority for so long before they will react forcefully at the polls, and there is no doubt that the American people are disatisfied with this President and this congress.

Your extremist views may hold sway a while longer. Hopefully, extremist government will end in 2006, but the day of reckoning is coming, sooner or later.

This is OUR country, too.

[Deja Q]

1. To coin a phrase,

"Life is what we make of it." :(

[Timbuk3]

2. Funny coincedence?

Here's my next post in the series. His comments are between the >>comment<<

>>what mr buckley and i are not seeing is how a man who has voted along his party line 90% of the time can be accused of backstabbing that very same party.<<

Lieberman quotes:

"The Bush recession would be followed by the Dean depression."

"Howard Dean has climbed into his own spider hole of denial if he believes that the capture of Saddam Hussein has not made America safer. Saddam Hussein is a homicidal maniac, brutal dictator, supporter of terrorism and enemy of the United States, and there should be no doubt that America and the world are safer with him captured."

Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for "principled reasons" shouldn't be forced to do so. "In Connecticut, it shouldn't take more than a short ride to get to another hospital."

He told a Detroit congregation never to imagine “that morality can be maintained without religion.” This position was denounced as “unsettling” by no less than the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith (ADL), which released a letter to him arguing tartly that “To even suggest that one cannot be a moral person without being a religious person is an affront to many highly ethical citizens.”

He said Kerry is not a ‘mainstream Democrat,’ saying, ‘Just look at his record, look at what the Republicans are already saying about him.’"

His fate was sealed with a kiss, planted on his cheek by Bush, just after the President delivered his State of the Union address. “That may have been the last straw for some of the people in Connecticut, the blogger types,” Lieberman told me. But he is unapologetic about his defense of Bush’s Iraq policy, saying, “Bottom line, I think Bush has it right.” When I asked if he was becoming a neoconservative, Lieberman smiled and said, “No, but some of my best friends are neocons.”

But what you REALLY seem to miss is that CT is a very "blue" state. Lieberman's acquiesence to the most heinous of Bush policies (and judicial appointees, let's not forget he refused to back the filibuster of that slimy Alito) as well as the statements above are OUT OF THE MAINSTREAM where his CONSTITUENCY lives. Its THEM that he has to represent, not Kansas or Texas.

>>display to the american people that the dems do in fact have a better way of doing things, and then go out and win yourselves an election.<<

It went right over your head, didn't it? The current government DOES NOT represent the vast majority of the people. Sixty percent are disatisfied with Bush, and 80% don't like Cheney or the current congress. You seem to think that "If you disagree with us your opinion doesn't matter" equates to "if 'we' win, 'we' have the right to do that to you." I strongly disagree. It's extremism no matter who does it.

As to the tired "win yourselves an election" argument, the current government MAY NOT be defeated this time around, but things WILL change and the extreme right wing WILL be removed from power.

Will it be the democrats that do it? How the hell should I know? The democrats falling all over themselves to support Israel's utter destruction of Lebanon doesn't exactly endear them to me. They may not be the party that I want to support even now, but THIS election, and the election of 2008, are about getting the power out of the hands of the extreme right wing, and they are the only ones who can do it in short order. If they don't do it now, they or someone else will do it, later, but there's no question that it will happen.

The current Bush/GOP "conservative" policies are ruining this country and all but a die-hard 30% can see it.

[Joanne98]

3. Good description of what's going on! K&R!

[Timbuk3]

4. If you're interested

Here are the 25 GOP representatives who signed the "contract on America" and are now failing to live up to their pledge to limit their own terms to 12 years:

Charles Bass, NH-02
Steve Chabot, OH-01
Tom Davis, VA-11
Mark Foley, FL-16
Rodney Frelinghuysen, NJ-11
Gil Gutknecht, MN-01
Doc Hastings, WA-04
J.D. Hayworth, AZ-08
John Hostettler, IN-09
Walter Jones, NC-03
Sue Kelly, NY-19
Ray LaHood, IL-18
Tom Latham, IA-04
Steven LaTourette, OH-14
Sue Myrick, NC-09
Robert Ney, OH-18
Charlie Norwood, GA-09
George Radanovich, CA-19
John Shadegg, AZ-03
Mac Thornberry, TX-13
Todd Tiahrt, KS-04
Dave Weldon, FL-15
Jerry Weller, IL-11
Ed Whitfield, KY-01
Roger Wicker, MS-01

Hat tip to Kurt Kaletka: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/4/27/193528/108

(Edited to correct a typo/omission)

[liberal N proud]

5. Ohio Senator Mike Dewine signed that Contract ON America also

[Timbuk3]

6. Agreed

But I had already listed him in the main post. I was just adding the representatives.

"I find his use of the phrase 'sitting Senator' particularly comical when he fails to take note of the fact that 25 GOP Representatives, and 5 GOP Senators (Mike DeWine, OH Jon Kyl, AZ Rick Santorum, PA Olympia Snowe, ME Craig Thomas, WY) running hard for re-election signed the "contract on America" in 1994 pledging to limit all legislators to 12 years of service."