It should have been signaled to Bush about a week ago that there would be no immigration bill passed through Congress until Bush replaced Gonzales...
But Steve, that would require LEADERSHIP. The Dems behave as though they're afraid to exercise their power.
Posted by Christopher at June 12, 2007 09:11 AMNotice how the Pugs pulled off, as a minority, precisely what they scared the Dems away from doing on scAlito. The Dems had every right to screech govt to a halt, since the WH never turned over promised docs, they stonewalled and ran out the clock (on a falsely set deadline) and scAlito wasn`t forthcoming with his answers.
Notice how the Pugs weren`t labeled as obstructionist, unpatriotic, zomshoa dishonest for preventing an up or down vote, or threatened with the dreaded ...
DUNH DUNK DUNNNNNNNNNNNNH
... nuclear option. All that other punkass drama sent the Dems scurrying back to their mousehole. They learned NOTHING from that experience.
.
Well, yes, the Dems could use one very ruthless politician. One who would cheat to win elections, one who would stab anyone in the back to get a win. One who would guarantee that those who oppose him would be ground under the heel, forever. One who could take a minority and make it seem to be the majority, and treat the majority like a minority and get away with it, every time. And who could run government to suit himself, regardless of the effect on the country, it's Constitution or it's people. One who resolutely believes that laws were written for his adversaries, not his friends. One that could play hardball all the time and never even think of compromise. It really is sad that the Republicans have so many politicians that could fill this need, yet the Dems have none.
Posted by T2 at June 12, 2007 09:30 AMYou're right, the Democratic leadership really does fail to show a cleverness (or even understanding) about how to play hardball. There aren't enough Dems to pass anything in the Senate, so they keep trying to tame everything down to peel off enough Republicans, a strategy that doesn't actually work. AAAAARRRGH. (If there were enough Republicans with consciences for that to work, we wouldn't be where we are.)
They keep trying to compromise with a gang that sees that as weakness, and so accelerates the attack. We need some leaders who are not afraid to be complete hard-asses and clever bastards in the pursuit of the good. The voters gave them a job to do in November, and while the hearings were a good start, it's about time for them to amount to something.
I hear Reid was pretty good against mobsters in Nevada, so what's his problem with facing down the ones in DC?
Right, on Ellie. Not even the lapdog media called the Republicans on their hypocrisy nor the Democrats on their cowardice.
The Dems in the House and Senate are hopelessly spineless and rudderless.
Yesterday's failed "no confidence" vote in the Senate underscore's the Democrats' inablility to maximize their narrow majority over the GOP.
Instead of striking while the iron was hot weeks ago, Reid deferred this meaningless vote until after the Senate returned from break then after the Bush-Kennedy "grand bargain" bill was thankfully filibustered.
It was too late by now, because media and public attention had moved on to wondering who was going to get whacked in the Soprano finale, and about the spoiled whack-job's jailhouse conversion.
Posted by fafnir at June 12, 2007 10:26 AMI have nothing to add to the months and months of talking about the lack of leadership of the Democrats and their complete and total lack of hitting back hard and often. The bottom line is that no investigation is going to go anywhere, Gonzo will continue in his AG role, no one will be brought to justice for leaking a CIA agent, illegal wire tapping of American citizens will continue helping to build a file against those who oppose this WH, the occupation of Iraq will continue for years, and torture will continue to be the choice of sadists. Is it any wonder that Bush was surprised at losing Congress, just barely, in the last election. He gets what he wants, and no one is stopping him, least of all the Pansey Ass Congress. Why don't we just turn the Country over to Bush and get on with life.
Posted by Judith at June 12, 2007 10:26 AMI have nothing to add to the months and months of talking about the lack of leadership of the Democrats and their complete and total lack of hitting back hard and often.
From my world perspective, I see no difference bewteen a Democratic Congress that gives the republi-cons their way or republi-cons who simply take it when they are running the show.
The Democrats are like a shitty Kung Fu movie. You have the lone republi-con standing in the middle of a pack of Dems who attack him one at a time. So why don't the Dems attack him all at once? They would kick his ass. And that's why they don't attack all at once.
Democrats! The few, the gutless, the spineless, the ball less! God damn, but ain't they a grand pack of incompetents to watch flush 08 down the drain?! And they are doing a damn good job of so.
Posted by phidipides at June 12, 2007 10:54 AMExcellent and thanks for nailing this issue. Agree completely with the Immigration connection, especially as you noted in light of the judge scam.
For me it's Feingold, not Durbin. And, in addition, Webb as point man on Iraq. I was disappointed in his funding vote, but it might not have had to come to that if your strategy was followed and someone like Webb kept daring the thuglicans to ante up.
I hate to say it, but the Lieberman treatment seems to have been the best indicator of how weakly the Dems were going to proceed.
Posted by Wilson at June 12, 2007 11:36 AMGood work on this post, Steve. I agree that democrats need a shake-up and change of leadership in the Senate. The fumbling in the Gonzales matter is especially disgusting. These have been missteps we simply can't afford.
Posted by Copeland at June 12, 2007 11:47 AMSo why don't the Dems attack him all at once? They would kick his ass.
phidipides,
ROFL! Yeah, aren't the Dems a sorry lot?
There is Little Boots with a 28% job approval number and the Democratic leadership is STILL kowtowing to him. They treat him as if he still had political capital to spend. It's unfucking real.
Posted by Christopher at June 12, 2007 11:51 AMROFL! Yeah, aren't the Dems a sorry lot?
Pitiful. Simply pitiful.
But...it's all related to they just don't have the votes. My math shows that using this calculus meant the republi-con Congresses since 1996 didn't have enough votes either. So who is punking who? Madam Princess Sparkle Pelosi and Reid the Lobbyest Greed Machine are punking us.
Expect an end to net neutrality because, well, they just don't have the votes. And it gets rid of the naysayers to boot.
Posted by phidipides at June 12, 2007 12:34 PMyes, when the GOPers had the slim majority, Bush got whatever he wanted. Now when the Dems have it, well, apparently they don't have it enough, so Bush gets whatever he wants...and believe me, he could care a dog's butt about Oversight Hearings and so far, that's all the Dems have given us. They are fun to watch, but a hundred or so dead GI's a month kinda takes the chuckles away. Imagine where we'd be if the GOPers still had the majority? I'm with Snark (I think), it's a bit unrealistic to think electing Dem majorities would erase years of Dictatorship in 5 months. A runaway train is hard to stop, no matter how much you want to. But, eventually, it stops (by it's own friction) or runs off a cliff. Too bad lots of kids have to die in the mean time.
Posted by T2 at June 12, 2007 12:48 PMWell, folks. I certainly do hope I see you all again. Thank God for Paris Hilton and the Sopranos, because just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down so well.
Posted by phidipides at June 12, 2007 01:07 PMOh boy!
Visions of mushroom clouds!
Where have I seen that used before?
Posted by snark at June 12, 2007 01:19 PMyes, when the GOPers had the slim majority, Bush got whatever he wanted. Now when the Dems have it, well, apparently they don't have it enough
Because they don't have the presidency as well. Big difference, especially with a power mad VP. A slim majority ain't shit when you don't have the presidency. At least now, we have some oversight goin' on, which we didn't have before.
Posted by iamcoyote at June 12, 2007 01:38 PMIf you don't like the way the Senate does business, and I certainly don't, demand that they change Senate Rule XXII
Principle would seem to demand it.
Posted by snark at June 12, 2007 01:51 PMEllie, excellent point. Not ONCE have I heard the msm frame in in a way that repukes were obstructionists and wouldn't allow for that "up or down" vote that they have such a fondness for when they are majority party and the minority was threatening to filibuster. Nope only heard how those hapless weak Democrats failed with Vote of No Confidence. NOthing about those damn filibustering obstructionist minority party who were afraid to allow an up or down vote..nope didn't hear those words ever uttered by the Majority party or media.
And lest we forget, never once did I hear about the threat of invoking the "nuclear option" in the Senate if the filibuster of the minority carried the day. Funny that. I mean it was only about 5 months ago those types of continual headlines were used against the at the time minority party Democrats by every repuke and by every msm outlet. Nary a peep about it now, my how times have changed and how quickly it's all forgotten.
Plus Funny didn't hear any republican pundits and consultant warning those repukes to keep their powder dry and wait for another more important issue or vote and urging them not to filibuster for fear of creating a constitutional crisis and nuclear option.
What were the Democrats gonna do, stop them. Ha ha. nice one! Way for Democrats to live up to that msm conventional wisdom and reputation about being weak and afraid to take principled stands. Oh well another day and another predictable democratic political blunder. This is politics and only one side is really playing it.
Not infrequently, Reid does speak a good sound bite. Unfortunately, his appearance and delivery are so boring that they don't make for good TV. Plus all too often, Reid retracts his edgiest (for him) statements.
But Steve's right, Reid isn't a good majority leader. Oddly enough, that's the job Hillary should be auditioning for.
Posted by Marie at June 12, 2007 02:24 PMYeah, and remember all those Karl Rove emails. What ever happened in that situation? Oh, yeah, I forgot, NOTHING!
Posted by Judith at June 12, 2007 02:39 PMMarie; you are dead-on correct. Hillary should be the Majority Leader, but it won't happen now.
She's learned how to do soundbites, learned how to stick the knife in, and learned how to cut a deal when the timing is right. And yet she won't get the chance because she has to climb over Schumer first, and because the 2008 campaign should finish her off.
Posted by Steve Soto at June 12, 2007 02:56 PMWhat a difference seven months make. I seem to recall, hear that, I recall, all the things Democrats were going to do now that they're in charge. Tick, tick, tick...where's all the accomplishment? Nowhere to be seen. Now Congress even lags behind this weaken president with a 27% approval. Just seven months to get to this point. Talk a good talk, but it's all gas. Where's the new tone, the higher standards Democrats were to bring to government? The words of Pelosi are being discarded left and right and she's allowing it to happen. Inept leadership, maybe the Murtha thing followed by the Harmon thing were indicators of things to come.
All the good Democrats seem to leave government for the private sector or university jobs. Didn't like where the Party was going. LBJ, forget it there isn't one of those available to Democrats now. Democrats have forgotten how to lead. Being in the minority for twelve years has had its effects. The last six years they got in the way a lot. They learned that job too well and forgot how to lead. Many here scolded me on Lott and McConnell's choice for Minority leadership post. Look who's doing the better job now. Look who's smiling now.
Keep placing those votes in front of the American people. Those votes that accomplish nothing. The American people will remember that their business wasn't attended to. That this Democrat controlled Congress was just about the politics. Start steeling yourselves for disappointment next year in November. Get ready for President Guliani.
I wonder if a Speaker Hoyer would do any different? Speaker Emannuel? I'm sure Republicans would help Stenny out if he wanted the job. Maybe he could be the Speaker of the whole House better than the current one.
Posted by peter at June 12, 2007 08:04 PMWow, just saw Reid's approval number is at 19%. No wonder this president is eating Reid's lunch. Pelosi's must not be much better.
Posted by peter at June 13, 2007 07:46 AMThe American people will remember that their business wasn't attended to.
peter is absolutely correct. Yet the republi-cons will still have the taint of Iraq, torture, and shitting on the Constitution. So it will be an interesting election.
And Guilliani as president? No problem. He'll get everything he wants, especially if Congress is still held by the Democrats.
The Republicans and those Democrats that just gave Bush the blank check Phid. 30 Democrat Senators and what 70 House members.
Posted by peter at June 13, 2007 07:36 PM