Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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August 30, 2007 2:38 PM
Laughing At the Antiwar Movement, Dems Cite Innocent Bystander Fable to Again Capitulate On Iraq
You know, you'd think that Democrats - after winning the last election based on their opposition to the war - would at least give voters the courtesy of PRETENDING to try to end the war. But, no - apparently, the American public which strongly opposes the war and who voted Democrats into office on their pledges to end the war aren't even entitled to that these days. That's right, in the face of objective evidence from newspapers and the federal government itself that things are getting worse in Iraq, and even before Gen. David Petraeus gives his pro-surge, pro-stay-the-course update, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D) announced that he will be supporting President Bush's request for another $50 billion in Iraq War spending.
Here's the excerpt from the Chicago Tribune:
"In the debate in Washington, the White House reportedly will ask Congress for an additional $50 billion to expand funding for the war in Iraq, a request that seems likely to prolong troop levels at their current elevated number into the spring of 2008, Durbin said. Even opponents of the war, as Durbin calls himself, find themselves likely to vote for the extra money, he said...He said he is likely to approve the increased request."
This is quite clearly the product of Democrats being totally unafraid not only of their own voters, but really of the vast majority of Americans who oppose the war.
With the exception of the Ned Lamont campaign in Connecticut and a recent salvo at Rep. Brian Baird (D), most major antiwar groups have been afflicted with a horrific case of Partisan War Syndrome. Pressure has continued to be brought to bear almost exclusively on Republicans, with many essentially pretending that congressional Democrats don't have the power to end the war - even though those Democrats have majorities in both chambers of the very branch of government that controls the power of the purse. They have enabled what I have called the Democrats Innocent Bystander Fable as exemplified in this YouTube video I put together:
As many of us have predicted for months now, thanks to this one-sided, Partisan War strategy, we are sitting here months after Democrats gave Bush his most recent blank check watching Democrats thumb their noses again, apparently lining up to give him another such blank check.
Let's hope this is finally the teachable moment that ends the Partisan War Syndrome that afflicts the antiwar movement. Let's hope when this next blank check is inevitably cut, the huge amount of resources being funneled into antiwar groups starts going at least in part towards a serious effort - not a sham effort - to hold congressional Democrats accountable.
UPDATE: Chris Bowers has a good post up at OpenLeft about how, even if the strategy is to attach antiwar language to the $50 billion funding bill, the move by Democrats to preemptively announce they will support the supplemental bill hurts that underlying antiwar objective.
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
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The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
You know its amusing and not suprising at all to see Democrats tripping overthemselves in supporting Bush's war.
The thing Democratic pols know that their base is so stupid and inept that they can't figure out they've been had. Doubt it, go to Dkos, MyDD, TPM or any of the other major sites. Sure the nutroots gets mad, but they go right back to chanting "go Democrats go!" and will make sure all these Democrats shitting on the troops and encouraging them to die will get re-elected in '08.
As far as I'm concerned most rank and file Democrats are just as culpable as Cheney for Iraq. They keep voting back in the very same cretins and bastards that have bankrolled this war for the latst 4 years.
WTF is it with the Democratic base? Are they so fucking stupid they can't see they're being conned and that blind party loyalty isn't a virtue but a form idiocy? guess not considering they are voting for liars and outright crooks.
The best thing I can see now is going 3rd party or just stay home in '08. Because the Democrats are so full of crooks and liars as to be worthless and the base refuses to hold them accountable which makes the party unreformable.
It needs to die a quick death.
Now excuse me while I go puke.
This has been clear to many of us for some time. The dems are an arm of the corporate conspiracy to clean out the treasury and have their way with the environment and the population in exchange for massive profits. Anyone who thinks differently is dumber than a sack of hammers. Get over it. 'Speak liberally but vote with your corporate donors' while the world goes up in flames. All of these 'progressive sites' that support 99% of dems are just part of the ruse. I just don't believe that the progressive blogosphere is that stupid. Sorry. Fool me once, fool me twice, fool me three times, fool.
In a Fascist Republic the party's are both owned by the corporates. Groveling only occurs at election time...makes little difference which party succeeds. With the Military Commission Act and Executive Order 51 and Homeland Security Act, you know no new president is going to dump this power.
Can't blame waltc for losing it. Is there any explanation for infuriating Democrat action and inaction? Do they have a plan they can't share with us to ambush the GOP with a political IED that needs surprise for success? It would be nice if our dauntless leader DS would post an interactive answer to some of these cries for help instead of sitting up on Mt Olympus like Sitting Bull performing in Buffalo Bill's circus. I have given up on most of these blogs because their requirements are reprehensibly repugnant to me. They are based on censorship and other control mechanisms. If you don't get posted, you don't know whether it is censorship or too late in the day or what. No one should post a comment on any site that censors comments. To do so is the antithesis of what the internet should be about. Pass the word. I pledge not to post on any site that censors material or delays a post. If they can't take the heat they shouldn't be representing freedom of speech which is what the IE should be about. Fight on waltc. Your views are worth hearing.
Durbin's support of more funding is no coincidence given that he ain't fighting hard to repair IL through the badly needed funding. That $50 billion would be better spent on REPAIRING the entire RUSTBELT up north from PA to MN.
P.S.: Remember when Durbin apologized over NOTHING a few years ago? That was itself a foreshadowing that somewhere down the line, he would also slowly join the pro-war-spending forces. GoodBye Dick !
One other thing.
Given Congress's abject cowardice and assiting Bush on Iraq, it stands to reason Bush is no longer afraid of any political reprecussions should he attack Iran.
There's no political opposition to anything Bush wants. I've never seen such a supine Congress in the last 30 years.
Therefore it shouldn't come as a suprise, that one day we wake up and read about Bush attacking Iran. And a attack on Iran will have very serious reprecussions for us, very serious economic and military ones.
BTW pols such as Reid, Schumer, Pelosi and Hoyer will be directly responsible for any attack on Iran because of their cowardice and refusal to do their sworn constitutional duty. Yet Democrats will once again blame Bush for their own party's collective fuckups and cowardice.
Politically though I don't think the Democratic party will survive a attack on Iran, especially if it wrecks our standard of living. People will want vegance and the gutless, witless Democrats will be the perfect target. But the GOP may not survice such a calamity either.
Concern Troll Alert! Yeah, this is Democracy and it's ugly. But look on the bright side. After Dick bombs the shit out of Iran and gas goes to $9.00/gal. and folks can't get to work blame will be assigned and it will got to those who deserve it: The Republican Party, the Corporatist Media and The 'Democrat' Party.
And for those of you here who are all excited about the 'Democrat' Party's failure to stop George I have a question.
What are you clapping about?
It's your ass on the line too; do you think Bush is gonna invite you to come stay at his digs in Paraguay? Not very likely so if I was you I'd start trying to figure out how to help the rest of us....
Stop this insanity.
As infuriating as it is, we can't give up now. Things are just getting started. Sell-outs are a part of democracy and something we have to expect with this broken democracy. It will take YEARS to discipline the Democrats so that they obey the wishes of the majority on important issues of peace and war. But, we can do it if we don't give way to idiotic ideas like "I'll just hold my breath and stay home."
We've seen what happens when significant numbers of people vote for "third parties." 50,000 Naderites in Florida brought us this mess in the first place. If we succumb to that form of suicide we'll get Guiliani or Fred Thompson for the next 8 years. In that case moving to Canada won't be such a bad idea, because the northern arctic circle will be the only inhabitable part of the earth by 2030. The horrible thing is, that's no exaggeration.
Because as bad as an Al Gore presidency would have been (and he'd have been a sell-out make no mistake) he would never have invaded Iraq. Nor would he be considering an attack on Iran.
It's really our fault that Democrats are sell-outs. They haven't been disciplined by the base, that's all. All we need to do to wake these fools up is to defeat a bunch of them in the primaries. After 4 or 5 Congressmen and maybe another couple of Senators are thrown out by their party base, they'll start to pay attention.
Very sensible comments by Cugel. I've been advising my relatives to buy land in Canada and Alaska. Even intermarry with an Inuit. It'll be beach front property soon and there's lots of it. If it doesn't work out, you can join an Indian tribe in Alaska and start the new Las Vegas North. The new Malibu should be on that island where Scoot died. The primary punishment sounds good. Let's do it.
A.Citizen
Wandered away from DailyKos haven't you?
Its mindless party cheerleaders like you and other at Dkos that put us in this situation. You fools keep voting back in every crooked and fucktard Democratic you can find. And when anyone points out what crooks and liars they are - you koll-aid drinkers pull out the Kossack approved "concern troll" alert and then ban them like the fanatics you are.
Oh I'm not excited about the Democrats betrayal and systematic fuckups. I'm mad as hell and worried as well. I don't want to go through a war induced global Depression and all the social and political upheaval that entails. Which there will be in spades given how sick and balkanized our country has become.
And the Democratic party, well its a joke of party today. Un-reformable thanks to its rank and file that keeps voting back in every crooked and lying politician they can find then they wonder why these same pols shit on them.
The republic has fallen...and it can't get up.
~GENERAL STRIKE DAY~
This September 11th 2007...
Join in and show these Demo-rats that We The People still count..
Until they learn to fear us, more than The Republican Taliban Mafia Fascist swine, we will have no voice or representation..
They're self-serving cowards so treat them like it..!
Simple as that..
What general strike on 9/11?
First I heard of a general strike. Anyone watch the movie "V"? How about a general strike on 5 November? The Gunpowder Plot was about human rights, in fact about the separation of Church and State, in this case the right to not get hung or burned at the stake if you refused to become an Anglican.
I agree with the posters above who say that the Democrats need to be strongly disciplined by their constituency.
I for one am going to NOT vote for Clinton or Obama, or for "Montana Max Bacchus".
I will find write-ins who are populist Democrats, Edwards for one, if he is not the Democrat candidate for president, and my yellow dog if I can't find anyone else. Maybe I'll write in Jag Schweitzer, she's a smart dog, and dogs ARE loyal to their people.
Third parties are agents for the Republicans because they draw votes away from the Democrats, which aids the Republicans in their attempts to steal elections. In close elections, it makes a big difference.
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