Discussion

• FLGibsonJr :

  I am absolutely not surprised by Obama's vote on FISA, and you better get used to votes very much like it. This is of course after his change of view on NAFTA. I guess this is what his "change" was all about.

  Early on, I was really so hopeful this election might be different this year. I thought it was possible that a populist candidate like Edwards could get elected. Now we essentially have two anti-populist candidates in McCain and Obama. It is starting to seem hopeless, even in hard times like this we end up with such rotten candidates.
  

  Posted on July 10, 2008 10:25 PM

• scottknight :

  David,

  Just wanted to thank you for a brilliant piece, I wish your column would have been about this topic because it is such an important issue. Progressives need to realize you can win the battle(the election), but because of the lobbyist and others you will loose the war(the issues). Which is why people must understand we have to organize around the issues, not the candidates. For they are only a means to a end, I encountered this problem in Iowa's third congressional district, we had a former state rep. Ed Fallon, Bush Dog Democrat Leonard Boswell, who has voted for every free trade bill that has come up, so what did the unions do, they endorsed and helped Boswell win the primary, talk about committing suicide. But anyway I won't waste anymore of your time, thank again for the article.

  Scott

  Posted on July 11, 2008 10:53 AM

• scottknight :

  David,

  Just wanted to thank you for a brilliant piece, I wish your column would have been about this topic because it is such an important issue. Progressives need to realize you can win the battle(the election), but because of the lobbyist and others you will loose the war(the issues). Which is why people must understand we have to organize around the issues, not the candidates. For they are only a means to a end, I encountered this problem in Iowa's third congressional district, we had a former state rep. Ed Fallon,who challenged Bush Dog Democrat Leonard Boswell in a primary. Boswell has voted for every free trade bill that has come up, so what did the unions do, they endorsed and helped Boswell win the primary, talk about committing suicide. But anyway I won't waste anymore of your time, thank again for the article, and all the great work you do, been a fan since I first heard you on the Al Franken show.

  Scott

  Posted on July 11, 2008 10:55 AM

• A.Citizen :

  Stoller....Bowers...

  You can pick 'em David. I was banned from Closed Minds OpenLeft over a year ago because I had the audacity that whoever was elected, Obama or McSame, there would not be a dime's worth of difference between 'em.

  Haahahhhhahaaaaaaaaa

  If Matt and Chris ever own up to their utter stupidity about what is going on in D.C. I will be very much surprised.

  You are not lookin' too good either pal. Remember all those attacks on Sister Beelzebub. The Evil Witch....

  Me?

  I didn't take sides..still don't but you guys don't seem to know how to play the game.

  That's okay. Folks at Calitics, guys like Eden James and women like Edie Irons and yes Cindy Sheehan do know.

  So why don't you folks STFU! at least until this Barkey the FISA Dog thingy blows over a bit.

  Posted on July 11, 2008 2:13 PM

• JWVerez :

  The progressives have been getting not only rolled but flattened out by the Democrats for a looooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time, at least 16 years if not longer. It's pathetic that Mr. Sirota, even as Obama keeps showing his tilt to the rightwing vote after vote issue after issue, still has the nerve to hope that Democrats will change for the better after it. A true progressive would leave the Democratic Party in the dust bin and help build 3rd/Independent party candidacies who are progressive/liberal for a change. For at least 16 years, if not 28, the Democrats never learned their lessons. Just like there was no hard decision for Clinton on NAFTA, there was no hard decision for Obama on FISA. He could have kept his promise to filibuster and vote against FISA in the end but he obviously LIED and broke his promise. There was virtually little debate in the supposedly Democrat-controlled House and Senate especially when you look at the huge margin of YEA votes to NAY. The Democrats have gotten less and less confrontational with the GOP year after year as the party's voting record and lack of using their powers to force a real debate bill after bill issue after issue has shown. In fact, the Democrats went out of their way to bring up the war-spending bill in Iraq AGAIN and yet complain that they cannot somehow bring up the healthcare bill(s) again. The Democratic Party has been DEAD for at least a decade and that has been obvious year after year unless you REFUSED to pay attention. Obama offers no hope other than for the rightwing scumbags if that's what you want. Instead of complaining about Obama even when you knew a long time ago starting in 2005 that Obama was a TRAITOR to the Democratic base, the smart thing to do would be to give other parties and independent candidacies that are progressive/liberal a chance rather than ignore them as non-existent. A vote for Obama is a vote for Bush/Cheney/Mccain as Obama has made clear. But hey, don't let that stop you from allowing the Democrats to ABUSE your votes and say F**K YOU when the election is over. Either you learn to give others a chance or stay a LOSER with the Democratic Party and rot with them.

  Posted on July 11, 2008 6:58 PM