Following the Script
(Cross-posted at Unclaimed Territory)
Sometimes it's all so predictable. Yesterday I wrote that despite the bipartisan consensus that President Bush acted illegally, Sen. Feingold "will undoubtedly be labeled as a rabid partisan by the GOP, someone 'extreme' and 'out-of-touch.' And if history is any guide, this characterization will be reinforced by Feingold's Democratic colleagues who will immediately try to distance themselves from his proposal in order to be seen as 'reasonable.'"
Sure enough, the AP story opens with the following:
The Washington Post leads with this:
The reason the John Cornyns and Bill Frists of the world are so sure this will backfire on the Democrats is because they know the Democratic party, true to form, will not stand together. They're confident they can bluff their way into another disjointed, fractured vote. If the Democrats would just stand together and say what every single one of them thinks (and what many of their Republican colleagues think but lack the courage to say), there is no way the Republicans will succeed in painting them as "extreme" or excessively partisan.
Do these "strategists" read the polls? Yesterday--while all this was going on--Gallup reported that the President's approval rating hit 36%, an all time low. Those are close to Nixon levels. And a recent Zogby poll found that 52% of Americans support impeachment if the President is found to have wiretapped American citizens without court approval (which, by the way, he has admitted to doing). If that many Americans are willing to support impeachment, doesn't it stand to reason that even more would be willing to support the far less drastic step of merely declaring, for the record, that it's not okay for the President of the United States to openly defy a criminal statute?
We're faced with a situation where the President has admitted circumventing a longstanding criminal law designed to protect the constitutional rights of the American people. The White House has successfully strong-armed its Republican colleagues in Congress into abdicating their oversight responsibilities and thwarting any investigation into the administration's surveillance activities. If the Democrats in Congress believe the President has violated the law (and I'm confident every single one of them does) and there is no possibility of further investigation (which there isn't), seeking censure is the responsible, principled thing to do. If the Democrats would just speak with one voice, confidently, clearly, the American public will respond. This isn't a difficult concept to explain to people. Most people no longer trust this President or his apologists in Congress. Most people believe strongly in the rule of law. This scandal has percolated long enough for the national media to understand it, and they will only treat this resolution as "extreme" if large numbers of Democrats shy away from it.
And like it or not, Senator Feingold has put this proposal out on the table. It can no longer be ignored. Either the Democrats will vote their consciences and come across as confident and principled, or they will once again look fractured and cowardly, uncomfortable in their own skin. The GOP did not take back Congress in 1994 by shying away from what they believed or pulling their punches when it came to criticizing an unpopular president. They were vocal and confident and combative. People weren't sure what GOP leadership would be like, but they knew it would be different and they could sense that the Republicans were sure of themselves.
Democratic strategists always seem to think that swing voters are looking for some milquetoast moderate to vote for, someone agreeable, someone who doesn't rock the boat. They're wrong. Most independents are just as fed up with the way things are going as liberals are. Look at the polls. What these voters are looking for is brand differentiation. They want to vote for a party that seems competent and confident, a party with courage of conviction and a plan for change. They won't be scared away by strong words or harsh criticism.
This is a pivotal moment for the Democratic party. The Democrats can either play by the normal script and feed every negative stereotype about the party, or they can chart a bold new course by voting together for something they all believe to be right. Fortune favors the brave.
Sometimes it's all so predictable. Yesterday I wrote that despite the bipartisan consensus that President Bush acted illegally, Sen. Feingold "will undoubtedly be labeled as a rabid partisan by the GOP, someone 'extreme' and 'out-of-touch.' And if history is any guide, this characterization will be reinforced by Feingold's Democratic colleagues who will immediately try to distance themselves from his proposal in order to be seen as 'reasonable.'"
Sure enough, the AP story opens with the following:
Democrats distanced themselves Monday fromThe article goes on to say:
Wisconsin Sen. Russell Feingold's effort to
censure President Bush over domestic spying,
preventing a floor vote that could alienate
swing voters.
Throughout the day, Feingold's fellowWell, that's going to be a long wait because the always reasonable, never extreme Republican members of the Intelligence Committee voted last week NOT to investigate. Did these Democrats sleep through all of last week?
Democrats said they understood his
frustration but they held back overt support
for the resolution. Several said they wanted
first to see the Senate Intelligence
Committee finish an investigation of the
warrantless wiretapping program that Bush
authorized as part of his war on terrorism.
The Washington Post leads with this:
Some party strategists, however, worried thatAs usual, blowhard idiots like Cornyn, who have never worried for one second in their entire political careers about being seen as overly partisan, are able to scare Democrats into submission with a series of childish taunts. The article continues:
voters will see the move as overreaching
partisanship, and Republicans pounced,
practically daring Democrats to vote for the
measure. "The big question now," said Sen.
John Cornyn (R-Tex.), "is how many of his
Democrat colleagues will follow him over
the cliff?"
Several Democratic strategists saidMaybe someday these "strategists" will learn something by watching how their opponents operate. When was the last time the Republican party let fear of appearing "extreme" stop them from doing anything? And they now control every branch of government. GOP strategists long ago realized that, in politics, the only difference between an "extreme" idea and a "reasonable" one is the number of politicians willing to endorse it.
surveillance issues are not Bush's most
vulnerable spot, and they fear the party may
appear extremist.
The reason the John Cornyns and Bill Frists of the world are so sure this will backfire on the Democrats is because they know the Democratic party, true to form, will not stand together. They're confident they can bluff their way into another disjointed, fractured vote. If the Democrats would just stand together and say what every single one of them thinks (and what many of their Republican colleagues think but lack the courage to say), there is no way the Republicans will succeed in painting them as "extreme" or excessively partisan.
Do these "strategists" read the polls? Yesterday--while all this was going on--Gallup reported that the President's approval rating hit 36%, an all time low. Those are close to Nixon levels. And a recent Zogby poll found that 52% of Americans support impeachment if the President is found to have wiretapped American citizens without court approval (which, by the way, he has admitted to doing). If that many Americans are willing to support impeachment, doesn't it stand to reason that even more would be willing to support the far less drastic step of merely declaring, for the record, that it's not okay for the President of the United States to openly defy a criminal statute?
We're faced with a situation where the President has admitted circumventing a longstanding criminal law designed to protect the constitutional rights of the American people. The White House has successfully strong-armed its Republican colleagues in Congress into abdicating their oversight responsibilities and thwarting any investigation into the administration's surveillance activities. If the Democrats in Congress believe the President has violated the law (and I'm confident every single one of them does) and there is no possibility of further investigation (which there isn't), seeking censure is the responsible, principled thing to do. If the Democrats would just speak with one voice, confidently, clearly, the American public will respond. This isn't a difficult concept to explain to people. Most people no longer trust this President or his apologists in Congress. Most people believe strongly in the rule of law. This scandal has percolated long enough for the national media to understand it, and they will only treat this resolution as "extreme" if large numbers of Democrats shy away from it.
And like it or not, Senator Feingold has put this proposal out on the table. It can no longer be ignored. Either the Democrats will vote their consciences and come across as confident and principled, or they will once again look fractured and cowardly, uncomfortable in their own skin. The GOP did not take back Congress in 1994 by shying away from what they believed or pulling their punches when it came to criticizing an unpopular president. They were vocal and confident and combative. People weren't sure what GOP leadership would be like, but they knew it would be different and they could sense that the Republicans were sure of themselves.
Democratic strategists always seem to think that swing voters are looking for some milquetoast moderate to vote for, someone agreeable, someone who doesn't rock the boat. They're wrong. Most independents are just as fed up with the way things are going as liberals are. Look at the polls. What these voters are looking for is brand differentiation. They want to vote for a party that seems competent and confident, a party with courage of conviction and a plan for change. They won't be scared away by strong words or harsh criticism.
This is a pivotal moment for the Democratic party. The Democrats can either play by the normal script and feed every negative stereotype about the party, or they can chart a bold new course by voting together for something they all believe to be right. Fortune favors the brave.
posted by A.L. at 2:58 PM
4 Comments:
Feingold is Sisyphus rolling a stone up Capitol Hill. Oy.
I have e-mailed all my Hawaii House and Senate Representatives to let them know I want them to stand up for the rule of law via Feingolds censure motion and Conyers HR 635. Either they are for a nation run by the rule of law or they are against it.
I too am baffled by the Democrats lack of willingness to stand up for the obvious. They have been in Washington too long and it is a world unto itself,divorced from reality or more likely the big fear is that they won't get enough campaign money from corporate contributors if they raise to much of a fuss.
The bottom line is that the government has effectively been stolen from the people when the people we send there won't vote the wishes of their constituents.
the government has effectively been stolen from the people when the people we send there won't vote the wishes of their constituents
Good points, but the government was stolen in 2000 -- and they did not do this to "vote the wishes of thier constituents."
In many ways, what we are seeing now is what should have been obvious in 2000...
Not that looking back or blaming anyone will help, but I think we need to talk about the fact that chimpy and gang never intended to be guided by the will of the people.
They are making this clear now, but it has actually been the driving force of everything since 2000.
Government stole my ass!!! Gore wanted to keep counting Florida until he won!!! What a whiney brat!!! You liberals are just sore losers. Did you forget the constitution????
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