|
I agree that we need to work with REALITY. I'm the first to say that. And part of that reality is, simply, who these Senators are: Virtually all well-heeled members of a long entrenched establishment, hog-tied to the war industry and the privileged rich. Only ONE THIRD of the Senate that voted for the Iraq War, the Patriot Act, torture, suspension of habeas corpus, and billions and billions of dollars in unaccountable military and "homeland security" spending, was up for re-election this time. Two-thirds of them weren't running for office. Therefore, the American people didn't have much of a chance at influencing how Diebold/ES&S, rich contributors and the war profiteering corporate news monopolies would craft the makeup of the Senate. As it was, Americans voted overwhelmingly for change--particularly as to withdrawing from Iraq--but this loud shout from the American people could barely be heard in the hushed corridors of Senatorial power, where last year's ideas are always current. These folks--and I would include even the best of them, at times--are more loyal to the "ruling class" than to their party, or to the People. They've proven that so often, in so many ways, I think it is undeniable. Cheney's "fuck you" on the Senate floor was a rare breach of "ruling class" etiquette. It simply doesn't matter if one of them is responsible for the slaughter of 600,000 people, or has stolen money hand over fist in Iraq. They are the RULERS, the privileged, the Roman nobility who install and remove emperors, as it suits THEIR class. There are some "good guys" in the "ruling class" (as there were in Rome). But they are one and all lords and barons, each with their own fiefdom, and Joe Lieberman has been a member of that "ruling class" forever.
That's the reality. And, if ya'all will recall, up to the last moment, before the elections, it was touch and go whether the Democrats really could win any Senate seats, let alone enough to gain control of committees. (We distrusted the polls with good reason, given the situation with vote "tabulation" in this country--a gift of the Anthrax Congress.)
However, it IS galling--I have to admit it--that, despite SEVENTY-PERCENT of the American people opposed to the Iraq War, despite SIXTY-PERCENT of the voters saying that the Iraq War was their number one concern, and, despite majority American opposition to this war FROM THE BEGINNING (56% opposed, Feb. '03, before the invasion), war policy will pretty much be determined by Joe Lieberman, who, more than any Democrat, colluded with the Bush Junta to get us into this disaster, and keep us there.
We have a given situation that Congress, though much improved starting in January, will continue to balk at the will of the people. Even with the Democratic gains, Congress still does not adequately reflect the majority of Americans. And the Senate--with Lieberman holding the swing vote--will surely blockade any big change in the status of the Iraq War, or in the staggering cost of the huge U.S. military presence in the Middle East. We have to look to '08 for significant change, and that is contingent upon our achieving transparent vote counting by that time.
That doesn't mean that we can't make progress. I think we can. We have good group of progressive Democrats in the House who are determined at the very least to achieve accountability for the billions of dollars missing in Iraq, and exposure of some of the other crimes of this regime. We will also probably be able to make progress on social legislation and on a fairer tax policy--although I think the "unitary executive" is going to haunt this Congress, and the need for some sort of "Magna Carta" against Bush is going to be more and more apparent. The new Congress will be facing an out-of-control executive, without a sufficient number of real Democrats in the House (and certainly not in the Senate) to reign him in. What happens when Cheney or Gonzales or Gates or Bush ignores a document subpoena, for instance? What happens if Congress rescinds the bankruptcy bill, or one of the tax cuts for the rich, and Bush refuses to implement it? The "balance of powers" has been thrown way off kilter, in fundamental ways that need to be put right. Personally, I think that needs to be the first order of business. If "impeachment is off the table," as the new Democratic leadership has stated--an act that I consider unconstitutional--something else is needed, some sort of "Magna Carta" (curtailment of the king's powers). It likely wont be enough (nor was the original "Magna Carta"), but the "balance of powers" STILL needs to be re-asserted as the fundamental law of the land.
Hardly anyone is speaking to this--the fundamental law of the land, which has been so egregiously violated. And it is these fundamental violations--presidential "signing statements," and non-transparent vote counting--that are making it so difficult for our democracy to correct its course.
The problem is not limited to one policy--whether the war, or unfair taxation--nor to one crime--whether genocide or torture or theft. The problem is fundamental violation of our democratic principles, across the board, with the fascists' assault on Congressional power (theoretically, the power of the people), in direct ways, and also by scandal and disreputable "rubber stamping," being one of the most dangerous things that has happened. And if the new Congress does nothing else but re-establish its power as an EQUAL branch of government, it will have accomplished a great deal. Because that IS the problem. We, the people, have been stripped of our power to change our nation's course.
I am not so concerned about Lieberman, per se. His return to the Senate is the result of a whole lot of corruption that we have no power to deal with, as yet. I am far more concerned about Congress standing up for itself, and, of course, about achieving transparent, verifiable vote counts for '08 and the future. All in all, the future is more on my mind than the present--how to get power back into the hands of the people, whom I am convinced have good instincts, on the whole. Without serious adjustments in the power structure, back toward democracy, we are going to be involved in endless war, we may suffer financial disaster, and we may never get our country back.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
