Ostrich Caucus - Democratic Underground

CorpGovActivist

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Wed Feb-20-08 05:25 PM
Original message

Ostrich Caucus

Edited on Wed Feb-20-08 05:35 PM by CorpGovActivist

Some of us who have provided information to Chairman Waxman have joked that he should establish, as the sole founding member, the Congressional Ostrich Caucus.

Yes, Chairman Waxman definitely thinks differently than most on Capitol Hill. He has this quaint notion that Constitutional principles take a paramount position over personal political ambitions.

Take, for instance, http://www.google.com/search?as_q=waxman+presidential+library+donor+disclosure&hl=en&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&cr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=oversight.house.gov&as_rights=&safe=images">his yeoman's work on Presidential Library donor disclosure.

A lot of paid, talking-head Clinton apologists on TV wail, screech, yammer, caterwaul, yelp, whine, teethgnash, and moan if anyone dares to suggest that the donors to the Clinton Presidential Library should be revealed. Now. During the primaries. To rob the GOP of any use of the "gotcha" in the General Election, should she become the nominee.

They nervously assure everyone that the lists: (1) are still secret; (2) even if they're not secret, there are no untoward names on the lists; (3) OK, even if some of the names are shady, "real Americans" won't care; (4) OK, maybe if some Americans whose livelihoods were affected by trade pacts executed with some of the foreign sources *might* care, they won't abandon Hillary in the GE over it; (5) OK, maybe tho some won't be willing to hold their noses and vote for her anyway in November, it's not enough to matter, and the voters are in http://www.google.com/search?as_q=mark+penn+360+electoral+votes&hl=en&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&cr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=democraticunderground.com&as_rights=&safe=images">states that don't count in Mark Penn's 360 Electoral College votes math, anyway.

Oh, by the way, you paid experts and strategerists, Hillary is ahead in the delegate count, too. Just ask Mark Penn to show you "the math," if you doubt it.

But back to Waxman, the Ostrich Caucus of One.

Waxman understands - and nobody from Hillary's camp can convince him otherwise - that to apply a single standard of disclosure, here, now, before the General, is to put the GOP nominee on the defensive far more than the Democratic nominee.

Two Bush Libraries would suddenly become subject to his pending legislation. All those backdoor quid pro quos with Enron, and Halliburton, and State Street Bank, and all the other usual suspects, would be laid bare for the electorate to see, and for John and Cindy McCain to be left defending.

Here's where it gets really interesting: Waxman's bill passed the House. It's in the Senate now, where McCain (and, presumably, Obama) would have to vote on it.

The http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=waxman+presidential+library+donor+disclosure+texas">Texas media is paying attention to the status of this bill. Close attention. Serious, Texas-sized attention.

Why?

1. The location and the likely top donors to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bush_Presidential_Library">Bush 41 Library? - Texas, Texas, Texas.

2. The location and the likely top donors to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush_Presidential_Library">Bush 43 Library? - TEXAS, TEXAS, TEXAS

Now, some Clinton apologists have their heads in a very particular hole on this issue.

But when Waxman sticks his head into a hole, it's usually to the benefit of Constitutional principles, and for the long-term good of the Democratic Party and progressive values.

Oh, and I have it on very good authority that:

1. There will be well-timed stories from top-tier Texas media on the Clintons' convoluted position on the library donors issue, with a heavy tie-in to the Texas angle arising from the two Bush libraries; and

2. The Senate vote on this bill will be scheduled to put Senator Clinton in the position of having to declare her position, both with respect to the Bushes' Libraries, and her husband's.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=110-202+lieberman+1254">Lieberman has helped keep this one bottled up, for Bush, and for McCain.

I expect movement from Senator Reid soon.

The other kind of ostriches probably need a "caucus" right about now (and maybe a change of tail feathers). But the Ostrich Caucus is going to win the day on this.

- Dave