"There is hardly any difference between the parties and it's going to have

[Toots]

to get a whole lot worse before it gets better" IMO very perceptive announcement. A whole lot worse IMO.

[still_one]

1. except for a few people I agree

the exceptions are:

Russ Feingold, Barbara Boxer, Dennis Kucinich, and a few others

The confirmation hearings on Roberts will show how right you are

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. Obama is more concerned with appearances, not substance.

youth and immaturity do that.
what a shame.

[applegrove]

9. people are down on Obama because he didn't answer the "should

Brown be fired question". That is total projection. Bush should be the one to answer that question. I'm glad Obama kept his mouth shut.

But it seems Bush avoided ever answering the question at all. "I'm workin".

I agree with the Dems being very staid on this. It is up the the experts & witnesses & the victims to tell their stories and work out what happened with Katrina aftermath. Then the people & the press.

Democrats are leading. Leading by not giving Bush the "out" he so desperately needs by saying "its politics".

I am proud of the Dem response. This issue is a whole lot more serious than politics.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. are you saying that politics is more serious than politics?

because, it is no game; it is the life's blood of our country. And frankly, we have not been doing to well at it. It is NOT a game, it is deadly serious, as we saw to the south.

In time of need, being staid is like making your own gravestone.

I do not suggest that we go hog wild, but, face it, 5 yrs of bush resulted as much from their planning as our inept leaders. At times, like now, sometimes, we need to go kick some butt.

[applegrove]

15. The facts on the Katrina "stand down" are still rolling in. Bush cannot

find a scapegoat. Dems need to stay out of it until the experts have all weighed in.

[Beaverhausen]

12. oh yeah

:popcorn:

[FloridaPat]

3. I remember the hearings for Thomas. He was on trial but the Senate

was found guilty of stupidity and insensitivity towards women.

[earthside]

5. Many Disappointed Progressives

I also sadly must agree.

My prediction is that there are going to be many disappointed progressives when they see the Roberts confirmation hearings.

The 'inside-the-beltway' establishment Democrats give every indication of letting Roberts on the Supreme Court without much opposition.

I hope I am wrong.

[applegrove]

16. If you want a big tough Democratic machine - you have to vote for

it and fund them.

Right now you have a battered bunch of Democratic representatives. They cannot do all the heavy lifting. Right now the victims, witnesses, experts, journalists & people are doing some work. Let the fact be laid out bare and unfiltered.

Then the Dems can take it from there.

[zanne]

4. Do you mean the party "officials", or....

the people who belong to the party? Obviously, our party officials are acting like Republicans, to the dismay of the people in the party. (US). IMO, speaking like a mere voter, the parties are vastly different.

[iamjoy]

6. This Attitude Is The Problem

because this attitude thinks short term, only looks at legislation. Example, how many Democrats voted for that travesty of a bankruptcy bill?

But, the core difference lies in our Constitution and the role of federal government and the courts.

Essentially, Democrats would tend to fill judicial vacancies with those who respect our right to privacy, Republicans want judges/justices who do not believe we have a right to privacy. Right to privacy is not just about abortion (or even birth control) it is about the right of consenting adults to do as they please in the privacy of their own home (remember the Alabama ban on sex toys?)

Democrats believe that environmental laws are part of regulating commerce. So, while some may vote for/against a particular law that could have a negative impact on the environment, overall, they support the idea or concept of environmental regulation. In general, Republicans do not.

There are many more differences if you stop thinking of one law here or there and think of overall philosophies. Admittedly, Democratic leaders have not done a good job of articulating the message.

[11 Bravo]

7. Nader said the same thing in 2000 ...

and enough people believed him that the race stayed close enough for Bush to steal the Presidency. Does anyone care to try and convince me that there would have been "hardly any difference" between a Gore administration and what this country has been subjected to for the last 4 2/3 years?

[emulatorloo]

8. I used to think "there was no difference" Then reagan got elected.

So take this crap somewhere else.

[teamster633]

14. I took that attitude one step further.

I figured the presidency was a figurehead position and who better to fill it than an actor. At least he'd have experience in playing a role. My only defense of this misguided belief was my age, 20, and the whole hostage debacle. It remains the one vote in my life that I truly regret. As bad as any Democrat might be, any Republican is going to be worse; most of them much worse.

[Lecky]

18. I'm rather sick of it as well...

not to mention it's complete bullshit.

[RallyInDC]

11. that is why i'm not a member. that right there.

i'm an independant instead.

13. I'm certainly not inspired by the democratic leaders

but, it seems like this country is being taken over by corporate interests, so we need to wage battles that not only win small battles, but also the war. I have started listening some to Air America, and though I think think they are overly into ranting and sarcasm, no other radio stations or tv news reports give blunt assessments of things. We are down to single individual blurtings things out before they can be edited out, like the "fuck you cheney" or the "Bush doesn't like black people".

[eridani]

17. Why is everybody forgetting the CAFTA vote?

That was 95% of Dems against and 95% of Repubs for. I'd call that a serious difference.