Wow - Rethugs may be right on the Stimulus Bill! Lesson Learnt. Campaigning never ends.

[TheBigotBasher]

This may be one of the few times I agree with Republicans, especially the Free Republic. Democratic moderation has cut an awful lot of what would have helped make America great again. To get a few Republican votes - the Democratic Party sacrificed issues that should lay at the heart of any progressive. If you are going to stimulate through Government spending, then make it help the people you represent.

Why should Democrats shy away from delivering real tax cuts to real Americans, not wealth tourist billionaires.

Stupid Republicans were even against allowing Hollywood to have the same investment write downs as every other industry.

The Road lobby loses nothing. The Rail Industry loses everything. A modern economy USA is supposed to be proud that France and bankrupt Japan have better trains?

The help for the poor gets redistributed to the Defence Industry. WTF?

There should be no compromise on

EDUCATION
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
HEALTHCARE FOR THE POOR AND UNDER/UNEMPLOYED
HELP FOR THE WORKING POOR

As it is those issue that the Democratic Party should now exist for.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2180337/posts

The capitulation of a cabal of Republican Senators concerning the stimulus bill is just another example of defeat by moderation.

Political pundits will place blame or credit, depending on their bias, on a few Republican Senators. But they’re only the latest symptom of a long festering disease. The absence of values promotes the absence of disciple, which obviates the opportunity for concerted action in pursuit of a defined agenda. The net result is defeat for the party of moderation. The tumor need not encompass the entire body to bring trauma to the organism.

For complex reasons, the media has defined “moderation” as the first cousin of reason. Moderation has become an honorable stance aligned with the absence of dogma and, associatively, intransigence. In truth, moderate is the absence of commitment. And defeat accompanies the absence of commitment. In politics, in marriage, in parenthood, and, most terminally, in war.

Despite his occasional requisite language to the contrary, the last Republican candidate for President positioned himself as a “moderate.” He meant it to be an advantage in his effort to appeal to “independents.” It didn’t work.

So when his soul brother Sen. Lindsay Graham, from the Gang of 14, railed on the floor of the Senate about how the stimulus bill was not bipartisan, some of us could not help but speak loudly to the deaf TV saying, in effect, “Welcome to the party, Pal.”

Here’s the problem. Once you establish moderation as a paradigm of collegiality, tolerance, and open-mindedness, it’s very difficult to reverse the positive popular image of “moderate.” That image is routinely conveyed by a media not sympathetic to the host philosophy of Republican “moderates.”

At the beginning of his first term, President Bush invited Sen. Ed Kennedy to the White House movie theater and summoned his aid in writing the No Child Left Behind legislation. Following his established modus operandi in Texas, Bush made a good faith effort to “reach across the isle.” He naively played political nice ball. It never earned him any points, with Democrats or the media.

President Obama is from Chicago. He plays political hardball al la the Daley Machine. Gee, what a surprise.

In the jargon of the former USSR, the Republican “moderate’ Senators who’ll vote for the alleged stimulus bill are just more bodies in a conga line of Republican useful idiots. Dick Morris, commenting on Fox Business News on Friday, February 06, 2009, said, “The Republican Party died today.” That assumes it was alive yesterday. It died, operationally, long ago with the birth of moderation.

[Political Heretic]

1. The compromise bill is a fucking sick joke we should all be furious about.

[CJCRANE]

2. Don't you EVER

say that on DU again!

:mad:









;)

[Baikonour]

3. In before shit-storm.

[ShortnFiery]

4. No, this is what we can get NOW. I'm as liberal as they come but don't figuratively ...

throw the baby out with the bath water. :thumbsup:

[donco6]

13. Who says?

As usual, we didn't even try to fight. We just rolled over and let the Republicans gut a good stimulus package to substitute THIS thing. Pathetic.

[TheBigotBasher]

15. Some of our stars did

But if too much is cut - then let the baby go free.

Out of the economic disaster that was Bush, this is a once in a life time package to not only regenerate the economy, but to make America better and stronger for all. Not just the tax tourist billionaires.

To cow tow to Republicans, the Senate has redistributed help for the lower paid to the defence industry. Three of them break the Party line. Too many of our senators still want to suck the balls of Bush and he has gone.

Education, Health care, the Environment, mass transit. Issues people who voted for a Democratic House Senate and President want.

[Kdillard]

5. I didn't know there was a final bill that Obama had signed or

that anyone here or at free republic had read. This is a long way from being over. It is going to be voted on in the Senate on Tuesday. Then it will go to conference I believe. Things will be added back or taken out.

[TheBigotBasher]

7. Not as yet

However the Republicans were able to win the media battle by pointing out just 1% of that bill. When you ask them exactly what it is they object to ethy then argue it should be in an appropriations bill. If these projects are re-introduced then, they will ague Congress has already rejected it.

The Democratic Party has relaxed with regard to the need to campaign. The Campaign network still needs to be running. At street, paper, forum level ordinary Party workers need to defend the bill and the Party needs to be able to email its supporters with briefing points.

President Obama has a large army of supporters. Our Congressional Members should use and fear that.

We need to be able to continue rubbing Republican noses in it with what they fear most - truth and facts. It is not as though Fox can be relied upon.

[Kdillard]

9. That is why Obama has gone on tv so much and why he is planning town halls

across the country. I believe he has some more sit down interviews planned for next week. John Kerry and Barbara Boxer have also been effective in laying the smack down. Yes we do need more Democrats speaking up but I don't believe the fight is over or as one sided as you think. The things I have been hearing about the tax cuts are that they are targeted towards the poor and middle class. That there is spending for the poor and programs that are needed for education, transportation etc. What we need to do is make sure that Obama and our Senators focus on getting the right things included in this bill. I was happy to see that Democrats voted down the bad ideas that Republican were trying to add to the bill. I am just going to hope that on Tuesday the bill passes the Senate and it can go to conference where it will be made stronger. We really need it to work otherwise we are screwed.

[TheBigotBasher]

14. True.

Yet again, Kerry has been a Party Star. President Obama should not need to rescue Democratic Senators who still fear Republicans. They should realise the fact that a lot of them won their seat on the coat tails of Obama and his supporters. has to be a lesson learnt, as the battle over UHC (or near) is to come.

The Senate DINOS giving everything away now, will be the ones doing that on health.

[Optical.Catalyst]

6. The Republicans are NOT right on the stimulus bill

The primary goal of the Republicans is to be obstructionists and disruptors. It is all they can do now that they are powerless to influence legislation.

We are running the show now, after eight years of Republican rule. Now is the time to set things right, and the stimulus bill is the first step in fixing what the Republicans have broken during the Bush dynasty.

Tax cuts only enable the top 1% of the wealthy people in this country to continue to pocket 20% of the money produced. Taxes need to be increased, especially on the wealthy and those who collect a disproportionately large share of the money.

[TheBigotBasher]

8. I know that they are not right on the bill -

they never were. They are right about the attitude towards moderation. The little guy who supported Obama is paying a big price for the Democratic Party fear of the filibuster.

The GOP has no one who could do it. Which one could hold their bladder for a start?

[DCBob]

10. Why do you find it necessary to post an entire diatribe by some wacko freeper?

It is a waste of good board space.

[TheBigotBasher]

12. Lol

Democratic "Moderation" resulted in the poor losing out to the Defence Industry.

Republican "Moderation" despite what the Freeper says has won them the tv war.

So for once, I agree with the Freeper. Screw "cross party", especially when Franken is seated.

[lonestarnot]

11. Samuel Gomper's!

IBTL

[firedupdem]

16. If the republicans were right on the stimulus bill, the tax cuts that

President Obama promised wouldn't be there. That bill would look totally different. It's not a done deal yet and while it's not perfect it's much better than what they wanted. Did you notice all of the amendments rejected that they wanted in this bill? Fuck the republicans and freeperville.

[TheBigotBasher]

17. Read beyond the headline

Fuck the Republicans is the point I am makimg.

Compromise and moderation is not always good. Especially when our Senators have given away to Rethugs Education, high speed rail, support for the under / un employed.

All of that was Pork, but the large boost to the already fat defence budget was not?