If Jack didn't Vote for Democrats we're all in trouble

[ThomWV]

And old neighbor of mine stopped by yesterday, he used to live a mile or two down the road but moved to town ten or fifteen years ago. The fellow lives for politics and has been as strong a Democrat as you could find as long as I've known him; a delightful fellow.

He told me yesterday that he had mailed in his vote. I vote in person myself. Jack told me he voted for the Independent running for Robert Byrd's Senate seat rather than our sitting (D) Governor. He told me he skipped over the race for the 1st District Congressional seat - and I shook my head knowingly - and of course he voted a straight Democratic ticket after that as well as voting for a new School bond.

The Democratic Governor he voted agains is anti abortion, pro gun, a coal broker who is against cap and trade, and a candidate who has, on the stump, vowed to repeal at least parts of the new health care law. The Democrat who is running for the House seat has near identical views.

And I'm sitting here thinking to myself, Jack did the right thing. Now, what am I going to do?

[pkz]

1. this blue WV gal is goin' straight Dem

We all know Joe is a sell out...but he is way better than "I don't create jobs, I make money" Raese

[BzaDem]

2. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thanks him. For the next 2 years, the Senate is just useful for

judicial and executive appointments (given the likely loss of the House). So all your friend did was allow McConnell to become majority leader, which means they will block most of Obama's judicial appointments and move the federal bench further and further to the right (with consequences lasting for decades).

Hope he's happy.

[frustrated_lefty]

6. You're soooooo right.

How could Jack screw us like that, the ingrate?!

We need more anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti- cap and trade, repeal health care types in congress, so they can vote in favor of anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti- cap and trade, repeal health care types in the courts.

[BzaDem]

7. Um, have you ever read the Constitution? Obama appoints judges.

Can you name a SINGLE judge that Obama has appointed that is an anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-cap and trade, repeal-healthcare type?

Furthermore, given that you cannot name such a person, can you name a single Democratic Senator that has ever filibustered any of Obama's judicial nominees?

<crickets>

[frustrated_lefty]

9. And the senate has the final say.

As to the stellar job the dems are doing in the senate, lets see...

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/121775-senate-blocks-recess-appointments

By Alexander Bolton - 09/29/10 10:59 PM ET

"Senate Democrats struck a deal Wednesday night with Republicans that will keep President Obama from making recess appointments while Congress is out of town campaigning for the midterm elections."

Now, kindly explain exactly how electing "anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-cap and trade, repeal-healthcare types" is going to help accomplish anything?

[BzaDem]

10. How is your recess appointment link at ALL applicable? You really think Obama should appoint judges

for one year (recess appointments), instead of life terms (normal appointments)?

"Now, kindly explain exactly how electing "anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-cap and trade, repeal-healthcare types" is going to help accomplish anything?"

They will all vote to end a filibuster on every single judge Obama nominates. If your views are at all progressive, that should be ALL you need to hear to get you to not walk, but RUN to the polls to vote for Manchin.

[defendandprotect]

3. Understandable question ....

You could try looking at it this way ...

i.e., the need to knock out as many Republicans as we can --

and then doubling back to deal with our own party's pro-corporate Democrats -- ???

[ThomWV]

4. That is the argument I presented to him - again - yesterday

His thinking was that whoever got in there would only hold the seat for 2 years and then we'd deal with them but anything was better than Manchin right now. Who was to say 'no'? When it comes to Oliverio, I could no more vote for that slug than I could for a dog turd. The man is worthless - no, worse than worthless - he is destructive of everything I consider to be an ideal of the Democratic Party, and like Jack, I will not vote for him.

[BzaDem]

5. Are you voting for Manchin? n/t

[ThomWV]

11. The more he campaigns the less inclined I am to vote for him

The man is campaigning on being for just about everything I am against. The only argument that is in his favor as far as I can see is that I would expect him to vote with Democrats on all procedural votes - if he says he will do that, then I'll vote for him, if not then no, I won't vote for him.

[BzaDem]

12. He will certainly vote with Democrats on procedural votes for all judges, and that is basically the

ONLY important function of the Senate that will happen for the next 2 years and likely the next 6. (Even Ben Nelson, who is much more conservative than Manchin, never filibusters a judge.)

That alone is reason to RUN to the polls to vote for him. The right-wing turn in the courts has the potential to do much more long-term damage to progressiveism than any single election, and allowing Mitch McConnell to become majority leader means most if not all of Obama's nominees basically die before even getting a hearing. This will have implications for a generation -- there is still a nominee from President Lyndon Johnson on the bench.

You should also note that he is likely much more progressive than he acts. When asked about the healthcare bill right before it passed, he said he would vote for it. It is only now that he is making noises against it. The former statement is a much more likely barometer of his real views than the latter statement. Furthermore, cap and trade is dead for at least then next 6 years, which makes campaigning against it very easy and of no policy consequence. Same with gun control, abortion, etc. They all produce easy campaign ads, but the Senate has very little effect on these policies (especially when Republicans have the House).

You should realize that elections are really about party, and not at all about individual candidates. Politicians try to manipulate voters into thinking that individual candidates are at all relevant, but by and large they are not. They vote with their party 90%+ of the time, and usually only vote against their party when their vote isn't decisive (for show). Ben Nelson was making the same noises about Healthcare that Manchin is now, but when it became clear that his vote was THE decisive vote, you magically saw him voting to pass the bill (likely sealing his defeat in 2012 in Nebraska).

[defendandprotect]

8. Agree ... you have a particularly poisonous situation .... but that's what they

will more and more be presenting us with -- IMO.

Same problem with what I'm suggesting -- if we do make Dems the overwhelming

majority there is also the chance they might knock out everything that's left ... ???

I'm shocked that we haven't seen liberals/progressives make much more noise -- and

especially that we haven't seen Democratic liberal/progressive candidates and elected officials

begin to make a move toward a new party? Maybe recreating the Democratic Party outside of

the Democratic Party?



Maybe Democratic Labor/Women?

That was always Susan B. Anthony's dream --

We are after all all labor -- except for the very few -- and we are overdue for a new

labor movement, as well!!

We have a non-functioning government and either we get this straightned out with the

"vote" -- or we're moving on to find a way to "dissolve" it!!

[AndrewP]

13. I think that's exactly what we need to do