Well, to hell with them all. That sound of one hand clapping was

[Skidmore]

both sides of the aisle, on their feet, last night reinforcing our very own Little Boots. I watched the first 20 minutes last night and watched the Dems leap to the feet while the little dictator dragged out 9/11 and dusted it off, bellowed and swaggered that we're somehow right to threaten the entire world with destruction if they don't see things our way, and yammered about glowy fuzzy patriotic symbols and faith. The children of the world will still be fed to the meat grinder.

So this morning I get up and caught the last 20 minutes or so of that Rovian propaganda, and what do I see as the Texas Chainsaw Demon outlines how he plans to finish shredding our economy? Dems on their feet applauding.

Now I'm hearing Bill Thomas being interviewed saying that * is just asking for bipartisanship and Dems should not critize any of the Rs plans.

Fuck this. I said the real F word. I try not to do that on the board. But, fuck this!!! What the hell does it take?

[W_HAMILTON]

1. I've wondered...

...if it wouldn't be best to almost purge the Democrat politicians out there -- essentially vote them out of office -- to get in real Democrats in the future, instead of this Republican-lite movement that far too many Democrats seem to be partaking in lately.

Before, I was of the mindset that I wanted any Democrats in Congress, no matter what they thought. But especially with the Alito stuff, I began to wonder, even if we do get a slim majority in either the Senate or the House, what's the point if we have so many Democrats that would be willing to go against their party and vote along with the Republicans anyway?

[wakeme2008]

2. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[W_HAMILTON]

3. Thanks

I've been reading for awhile (heard someone mention this place one morning on CSPAN), but just finally got around to registering, since I couldn't read the message board yesterday unless I signed up :P

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. I hope the vets coming home who are running will be that sort

of democrat... the sort to wake the rest of these brain dead mfers up. Welcome to DU W_H and isn't it interesting that both of your messages both say that you have only 4 posts.... hey mods, what's up with the counter?? W_H deserves one more. That is all.

[northamericancitizen]

5. Refreshing to read you guys. 4MY and Skid

[FreedomAngel82]

16. There's already fifty veterans running as democrats

I believe forty-nine of them are running for Congress. Hackett is running for the Senate. Or is anybody else running for the Senate? I think this year will be the year of the veteran.

[FreedomAngel82]

14. Just wanted to say

it's democratic. NOT democrat. Sorry just a real big pet peeve of mine.

[Cooley Hurd]

17. First off, it's DEMOCRATIC, not Democrat...

Only FREEPERS call our party the DEMOCRAT party.

Regardless, welcome to DU.

[Skidmore]

19. Thanks, Cooley.

I so wanted to comment on that but was afraid I would get sanctioned somehow. I noticed a couple of responses that set off alarms for me.

[Cooley Hurd]

22. DU's been a weird place the past 24 hrs (with freeper incursions)...

...and my freep detector's on hyper-sensitive.

I heard that fuckwit Jim DeMint on the senate floor the other day calling our senators "Democrat senators." :grr::grr::grr:

[W_HAMILTON]

25. That's actually another reason I put off on registering

Because I've seen a couple of new people post, but they got called Freepers because they said something innocuous like I did. I'm not all that well-versed in politics as some, I'm only in my mid-20's and never paid much attention to politics until the last couple of years. I don't plan on getting into some of the more esoteric political conversations that go on here since I'm not as knowledgeable of our political system as some are, but I do have alot of opinions about what has been going on in our country, even if I make a mistake and not word something properly because I've never really entered into political discussions before.

[Cooley Hurd]

27. I didn't call you a freeper, I simply corrected your poor choice of terms

Best to have a thick skin when you post on an internet message board.:thumbsup:

[W_HAMILTON]

32. Oh, I do

I've taken part in plenty of contentious internet debates before, just not so much pertaining to politics :)

I just was afraid that I would get called a freeper and dismissed as one (or banned) from the start, because of a mistake, or because I probably won't * out Bush's name, or because I admit to having sat thru one of his press conferences before (well, at least three minutes of it, usually I cut it off when he spouts one of those cliches like "as Iraqis stand up, we'll stand down, yadda yadda).

I'm definitely a liberal, I despise Bush as much (if not more) than everyone here for something he's done, I believe in equal rights for everyone, and I believe along the lines of what Bill Maher said, about how people shouldn't legislate their beliefs onto everyone else. I just didn't want to have to defend myself from people that I share alot of beliefs with, or be meticulous with every post because I might have said something "freeper-ish."

So if you wanted to correct me, that's fine, now I know. But I'm not a "freeper." When the lady on CSPAN called in and mentioned this site, she said it was a good place to have good discussions with like-minded people who detest what this administration has done to our country, and that's what I came here for.

[Cooley Hurd]

33. In the past 48 hrs, DU has been inundated by trolls...

...and your use of the phrase "democrat politicians" is freepspeak. Now, you're aware of that fact.

Like I said in my inital post to you, welcome to DU.:hi:

[madokie]

20. Welcome to the Du world where right is right and well,

wrong is still wrong. I myself just want some representation, us okie's haven't had any since Mike Synar, may he rest in peace.

[fasttense]

6. NO true bipartisanship will ever happen as long as he has

his spin machine attacking liberals day and night. If he wants this country to come together and heal our bipartisan wounds, then he will have to get Rush Limpball, Ann the Man and O'liely to apologize first. Then he can move on up to the slanderous things Cheney and Rove said about liberals. Until they apologize, no bipartisanship will ever happen. The ball is in their court and they haven't even looked at it.

[Skidmore]

8. You miss the point.

Bipartisanship is the problem right now. Everyone's so busy trying to be bipartisan that the Congress only serves as a rubber stamp for lots of bad policy. Has nothing to do with apologizing. Has a lot to do with governance and accountability. I don't want apologies and kissy-kissy stuff that serves as sincerity. I want the party that I have voted for to represent the platform that we put forward instead of trying to move the rank and file to adopt the R platform.

[madokie]

24. Couldn't be said better, thanks

[sendero]

26. Exactly..

.... and was this point addressed in the response? I'm betting not just no but hell no.

I still claim that the reason Dems get no respect from the voters (and face it, with the abject failure that this administration owns in every sphere, we should be polling through the roof but we're not) is that the voters see Republicans kicking sand in our faces over and over and over and we sit there like pussies and don't even mention it.

Being a punching bag is not a centrist position. And nobody wants the country to be led people who bend over and take it again and again and again.

[Skidmore]

29. Absolutely. This is the message I want leadership

to hear. How can we deliver it? Who does this message go to? What is the most effective way of delivering it? My problem is that in my state we don't have anyone running this term. Elections are fine vehicles, but we need to slap the leadership, who think that a wink, a nod, a pat on the head is enough to mollify the base. Then it's business a usual.

[sendero]

30. I don't have that answer...

... being in Texas, I'm all but shut out of national politics. Sending a letter to Hutchison or Cornyn is a waste of a good stamp and envelope.

If I were giving the Dem response, on the bipartisanship issue I'd have said:

"The president calls for bipartisanship. Yet, Democrats have been routinely shut out of the legislative process since Mr. Bush has taken office. Our ideas, our contributions are scoffed at, we are expected to merely rubber-stamp Mr. Bush's agenda, and look at how well that that agenda has worked for America. When the Republicans are ready for some assistance, we'll be happy to provide it, it's clear that they need it."

Ok, that was off the top of my head, I could do better with a couple rewrites, but you get the message. The Republicans are in 24/7 attack mode, and with the exception of Dean and lately Kerry (and a few others who never get much exposure) - we hear nothing but this conciliatory "please stop hurting me" crap from the Dems, who then wonder why they get no respect.

It's sad. All you misquided folks who think that tough rhetoric "turns off the center" are clueless. That is the exact reason Dems continue to poll low on National Security, the only damn issue Bush holds over us.

[Tsiyu]

7. WE need fresh blood.

People the NSA hasn't caught in adultery or group sex or petty drug use. People who aren't beholden to the system.

I suspect many more angry heroes are going to step out of the woodwork and make some noise. They will have a tough row to hoe, so we must seek out and support those brave people who will stand up to the cowards posing as our leaders.

Something is wrong when Democrats are reduced to being mere puppets who dance and kneel whenever the Republicans pull their strings. Something is deadly wrong.

[Skidmore]

10. I agree. Something stinks really bad in DC.

I really would like to see someone step forward and say this bunch is blackmailing me for "insert wrongdoing here". That it is an abuse of power to do this and it is illegal. If noone has the balls to do this for the nation, we need to clean house. And the sooner the better. People are dying because of this game they play.

[northamericancitizen]

15. I have absolutly no doubts that your entity called" We The People"

is alive enough to "courtcircuit" the wrongness of you collectives actions.

And please don't forget that you have a growing numbers of friends outside the US.

[Skidmore]

21. Thanks for the support.

It gets kinda lonely sometimes out here on the prairie.

[Tsiyu]

34. Thank you for your support

Had a 17-year-old ask me last night how soon I thought she should leave the US. SHE brought it up.

Never in my 46 years have I heard so many young people who want to leave this nation. When the kids lose hope, we have a very serious problem.

[Hubert Flottz]

9. Bush's spies must have the goods on every democrat there!

Pictures of them beating their mother-in-laws, wives, children and grandchildren? Kicking Dogs and Cats? Stealing candy from little kids?

[Skidmore]

11. I'm sure there is something else to the NSA spying that

is very much Nixon reduxe. After all, many of *'s henchmen cut their teeth in the Nixon WH.

[Hubert Flottz]

12. Yes Bush has every republican felon that is still alive working for

the neocons. He even steals ideas from the dead ones!

[FreedomAngel82]

18. Exept John Kerry and Ted Kennedy

And obviously Lincoln Chafee. I'm still surprised with that one.

[Hubert Flottz]

28. They had to have that pub vote with the democrats so they could

scream...We were nonpartisan! It's like how the crooked lobbyists pay a few democrats campaign cash too, so the propagandists can say, "both parties took the payola!"

We might not be able to hold the god damned republicans accountable for their traitorous, intolerable acts against the most helpless Americans, but we damned sure, can hold the democrats accountable on election day...

The message we need to send our guys is this..."WERE MAD AS HELL. AND WE AREN'T GOING TO TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE!"

[FreedomAngel82]

13. The elections

Show them we mean business. Anyone there now playing nice with shit gets voted out. We can send a message in the midterms. We did pretty well with such short time on the filibuster and we can in 2006. Any traitors will get voted out. That's what we have to do.

[ComerPerro]

23. I do wish the Democrats would stop showing him respect

its not like the Republicans respect Democrats.

As you said, the Republicans' idea of bipartisanship is "shut up and do what we say"

[On the Road]

31. I Had No Problem with the Applause

For most of Bush's lines, the Democrats sat in stony silence during Republican standing o's. (My daughter, who hates politics, thought it was hysterial.) The biggest applause came when Bush referred to his Soc Sec proposal being defeated.

The times when Democrats stood up and applauded were mostly for vacuous statements of goals that everyone could support, or for Democratic ideas like alternate fuels. NOT to applaud would depict Democrats as not caring about the country's future in those cases. They made their point by witholding praise for Bush's specific proposals.