re: dem turncoats-- how many still here remember the 2002 midterms....

[mike_c]

Remember the feeling on DU the morning after the 2002 midterm elections? How many of us thought-- really believed-- that 2000 was an utter anomaly and that voters would hobble the usurper Bush by defeating republicans and putting a democratic majority in both houses of congress? Remember the sense of desolation the morning after, when it was clear that the politics of appeasment had failed? I remember-- that was the day I began to seriously question whether my committment to the democratic party was wise. That sense of betrayal is how I feel now, even though I don't really think of myself as committed dem any longer-- dems in the House and Senate are still the closest thing I've got to national legislative representation. That's pretty sad, in itself.

[Kralizec]

1. Yes. Exactly.

How quickly they forget. It's TV, I'm telling ya!

[Ignacio Upton]

2. I feel like we are going through 2002 all over again

I remember that our Dems caved in on Iraq, and at the beginning of the year had the chance to capitalizes on the GOP affiliation with Enron, and once the Republican surrogates got on tv claiming it was a bipartisan scandal (which it wasn't) our "surrogates" backed off. Also, I remember US proposing the Department of Homeland Security AND pushing for the 9/11 Commission, both of which Bush opposed and then supported, and then blasted Democrats for not supporting HIS ways of setting them up (such as opposing a anti-union provision meant to hurt government employees.) However, in 2002 the liberal blogosphere was merely nascent, but this year we have a voice.

[depakid]

3. Yep- and as I recall

People like you and I did the analysis and predicted the results of their 2002 "strategy" many months in advance.

Same thing in 2004.

Unfortunately- I now foresee the same thing in 2006.

Been around politics for a long time- and doing something like this, handing them back the momentum- and looking spineless and ineffectual in the process- right before the State of the Union- and just when the Republicans were seemingly on the ropes is beyond self-defeating.

Almost makes me think there's something else going on here. How else to explain such utter and complete stupidity.

[mike_c]

4. I think the "thing that's going on" is simple CYA and cowardice....

The old story. Too many dems view "success" as keeping their heads down and going along to get along. It has become the hallmark of the democratic party in Congress. It's the politics of image control and perception rather than of Mr-Smith-goes-to-Washington-and-kicks-righteous-ass.

[Zodiak]

5. I remember

I have been at this a long time, and you know what? It is the same voice that suddenly gets loudest in the Democratic party at the most opportune time. The voice that says "well, this looks like a defeat, but the REAL strategy is...", or "we are a big tent, so it is okay that a few Demcorats vote with Republicans on this issue...think of their red state", or "sure our candidate is a suck-up to the corporation, but would you rather have someone causcus with the Republicans?".

5 years we have been listening to this same voice within the party, always promising a better tomorrow while we crap on our own principles. No more. They are silent to me now...there is no negotiation. Machiavellis within our own party have trangulated us into irrelevance, and they counsel us now to put up with Alito because elections have consequences.

The DINOs in the party are easy to spot, if we bother to look. All one had to do to find out who was going to betray us is look at the Democratic roster according to how they vote foir Bushco.

DEMOCRATIC SENATOR LIBERAL INDEX
-------------------------------------------
Harkin (Iowa) 89.2
Boxer (California) 85.7
Lautenberg (New Jersey) 85.7
Akaka (Hawaii) 78.6
Durbin (Illinois) 78.6
Kennedy (Massacheusetts) 78.6
Kerry (Massacheusetts) - DLC 78.6
Corzine (New Jersey) 71.4
Dayton (Minnesota) 71.4
Feingold (Wisconsin) 71.4
Levin (Michigan) 71.4
Mikulski (Maryland) 71.4
Reed (Rhode Island) 71.4
Sarbanes (Maryland) 71.4
Obama (Illinois) 67.9
Dodd (Connecticut) - DLC 64.3
Leahy (Vermont) 64.3
Shumer (New York) 64.3
Wyden (Oregon) 64.3
Bayh (Indiana) - DLC 64.3
Biden (Deleware) 64.3
Clinton (New York) - DLC 60.7
Dorgan (North Dakota) - DLC 57.1
Stabenow (Michigan) - DLC 57.1
Inouye (Hawaii) 57.1
Reid (Nevada) 57.1
Byrd (West Virginia) 50
Murray (Washington) 50
Rockefeller (West Virgnia) 50
Bingaman (New Mexico) 42.9
Cantwell (Washington) - DLC 42.9
Johnson (South Dakota) - DLC 42.9
Kohl (Wisconsin) - DLC 42.9
Baucus (Montana) - DLC 39.3
Conrad (North Dakota) - DLC 39.3
Feinstein (California) 39.3
Leiberman (Connecticut) - DLC 35.7
Carper (Deleware) - DLC 28.6
Lincoln (Arkansas) - DLC 21.4
Nelson (Florida) - DLC 21.4
Salazar (Colorado) - DLC 21.4
Pryor (Arkansas) - DLC 17.9
Landrieu (Louisianna) - DLC 14.3
Nelson (Nebraska) - DLC 0.0

Now tell me if we cannot identify who is the worst in our party. By my analysis, 14 of 19 were DLCers of the worst sort (not in the same vein as Kerry, and they are known to vote in a bloc) and 16 of 19 of them vote with their party LESS THAN 50% of the time. This makes them ALL moderate-right by todays right-wing bizarro world standards. Is this acceptable in the party to us..is the right wing the side of the "big tent" we should let in? Can we expect these people to play ball if we had a majority? (I think not)

Then let's get their asses out of office.....take them down in the primary and make them write about the upheaval in the history books. I don't care when the last time a seated Democrat was defeated in the primary (1974)...the ripe time to do it is NOW. At least let these turncoats know they are held accountable to the People and make them fear US for a change!!

[jfern]

6. Yes

History should have been on our side after Bush stole the 2000 election.