Fear and Vitriol in the Halls of Congress

[Breeze54]

Fear and Vitriol in the Halls of Congress

http://www.counterpunch.org/walsh05012007.html

Edgy Dems Snarl at Their Antiwar Base

By JOHN V. WALSH

May Day Edition
May 1, 2007

Democrats in Congress are growing increasingly hostile toward their antiwar base. David Obey has provided the most notorious example upon a chance encounter with Marine Mom, Tina Richards, in a Congressional hallway. (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS4wHMCc57k). Richards had tried to talk with Obey, her Congressman, for a long time, but he had successfully eluded her until this day. Now she and other antiwar activists were lobbying in the Capitol in an attempt to get "our" Senators and Representatives to cut off funding for the war. Not surprisingly, Obey gave the standard response when Richards asked why he continues to fund the war. "We don't have the votes," he shouted at her. To which the answer is of course: "Congressman, we only want your one vote, and your help in getting the rest. You cannot win if you do not fight." Talk to any Dem politician and he or she will tell that they on your side but the others are the problem. So the votes are not there collectively, but individually everyone is on the side of peace. That is a very strange calculus.

The odious aspect of the encounter was that Obey set about attacking the Marine Mom and the handful of Democrats who, unlike him, refused to vote supplemental funding for the war. "Idiot liberals," was the first outburst, followed by: "The liberal groups are jumping around without knowing what the hell is in the bill"; "You're smoking something illegal"; and "If you guys don't stop screwing it up," we will end the war. Finally an aide pulled him away and he waddled through a door and slammed it shut in Richards face. What is wrong here? Why would he treat this worried mother in such a shabby way?

It is not just Obey; he just happened to get caught on camera......

snip--->

I submit that these Democrats are running scared. They know that their antiwar base is crucial to winning their next election. Without it they might lose in 2008. In strongly antiwar districts like Capuano's in Massachusetts or Obey's in Wisconsin, there is a real danger of losing their Congressional seats, than which nothing is more important to them. And the few genuine antiwar voices in their party, Dennis Kucinich or Barbara Lee, for example, make then look bad by comparison. They wish these bothersome liberals would just go away.

snip-->

The Democrats are in an awful bind. They have been complicit in this war from the beginning--up to their necks in the death and destruction every bit as much as W. That provides an opening for a new start in American politics.

More......

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John Walsh can be reached at [e-mail]. He encourages one and all to join the many thousands who have signed the petition at WWW.FilibusterForPeace.org. It only takes 41 of the 51 Democratic Senators to bring the war on Iraq to an end. They have the power. Why do they not use it?

[saracat]

1. This is such garbage. Why are some on DU bashing our own?

Nice. Do the GOPs work for them.

[Breeze54]

2. ----------->

[saracat]

3. Riiight. How Juvenile............!

Just like the article.

[Breeze54]

4. Tell the author.

I'm just sharing info. ;)

Have a peaceful day! :hug:

[saracat]

5. But you are the OP on DU who perpetrated the biased story!

You have a peaceful day as well;) :hug: Cheers! I wrote the author as well.

[Breeze54]

6. Biased or does it have an element of truth?

Do you think all the elected Dems are voting in the nations best interests?

I don't.

Thanks!! I'll try to have a peaceful day...as soon as that pesky lie of a war is over!

[saracat]

7. Yes. I do believe that all the elected Dems are acting in the nations best interest.

What has been accomplished since the election proves that. Some may not agree with the solutions that all propose but they are still acting for the best.Any article that takes the best antiwar activist of all David Obey and tries to present him as the opposite is not truthful but slanted. And this is a really old story.Someone is trying to give it new legs.