Look guys: It is, what it is. Let's stop making excuses for them

[Used and Abused]

For our spineless Senators that is. I'm not impressed by Kerry's "no" vote. Obviously he caught wind of how freakin irritated many of us were by his blatant absence from the electoral vote thingie. Now out of nowhere he decides to be like Boxer-- trying to latch on to her rising popularity, I guess. But I digress.

The time for covering up, and making lame excuses for why they vote/act the way they do has ended. It's time for 98% of our leadership to be replaced. Grass roots, anyone?

Edited to white out inflammatory part so that the gist of my message can be understood.

[Elwood P Dowd]

1. Time to change the 3 biggest lies list

3 - I promise I won't (#% in your mouth.

2 - The check is in the mail.

1 - We're the Democratic Leadership, and we're going to stand up for
all Americans and fight those republican bastards.

[Vektor]

11. I could forgive Kerry...

for lying about #3.

:evilgrin:

[WildEyedLiberal]

14. Hey

Some of us don't mind that...

[Vektor]

17. Not at all...

and for Senator Kerry, why, it'd be an honor!

[LittleClarkie]

2. Interesting timing

Pluse neither one of you have a profile.

Plus you both have low post counts.

= ploink

Bye, y'all.

[Elwood P Dowd]

3. If you've ever read any of my posts

you would know better. I don't give money to Democrats just for the
privilege of posting on DU!

[Used and Abused]

5. both of who?

And what did I say that was so suspicious? I'm only speaking the truth! How long are we going to make excuses for them? When do we fight back and say enough is enough?!

[Elwood P Dowd]

6. Little Clarkie wants you to have 5,000 posts

and divulge your life history on DU before you're kewl with him! ;(

I registered to vote as a Democrat in 1968. I wonder when he first registered?

[Timebound]

4. Well...

I kind of agree, but I kind of don't. People DO change. After a few years as a very zealous right-wing (evangelical, yes) Christian, I woke up and realized that I was being a complete ass and more hateful than any other group of people around me. (all the while proclaiming that the tree-huggers were 'worshipping mother earth' and being paganists)

One event can change everything. It can change in ONE instant and make you stop in place and turn a 180. I snapped 180 degrees one day and have never looked back. (thank goodness in time to vote Gore...barely...for all the good it did)

My point is that maybe Kerry did make mistakes. Maybe he has so far been without a spine and abandoned us.

It doesn't mean he doesn't regret it. It doesn't mean it hasn't changed him.

Ever seen Braveheart? (**SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT**) When Bruce betrays Wallace on the battlefield after having sworn to help him, the experience of having to face Wallace changes him COMPLETELY. And what happened in the end? Bruce leads Scotland in THE battle that won it's independance.

He saw the error of his ways and changed. And that's kind of how I feel about Kerry. Maybe he sees the error of his ways in the past, and wants to change things. Perhaps he sees maybe he did flip-flop on some things. Perhaps having to face the accounts of thousands of disenfranched voters that he did little to help has changed him.

Should he be ashamed that he promised to make sure every vote was counted and in the end, did nothing? Absolutely.

But shame has a way of changing people. You can either let it bog you down and hamper you, or you can deal with it and become better for it.

If Kerry is changing for the better, I, for one, will not condemn him. Maybe it is late, and I know many of you will say 'too little, too late', but before we are so quick to judge others, we need to look upon ourselves.

Have you ever changed your mind? Has there ever been a part of your life that you sorely regret living it the way you did?




All that being said, yes, I think we should replace the 98% of Democratic leaders who have no interest in what's best for the people.

[Ken Burch]

8. Good points about the human capacity for change,

A capacity the future of Democratic politics depends on heavily.

I think Robert Kennedy represents an example of a person being changed greatly by a personal trauma(JFK's assassaination). Before November 22, 1963, Bobby was an orthodox conservative cold warrior, although he was slowly improving on the subject of human rights. After that, he became aware of the sorrows, injustices and absurdities of the world, and cast aside his past rigidity and
narrow-mindedness. It was because of JFK's death, and the hard look it forced Bobby to take at himself) that Bobby marched with the farmworkers, went to South Africa to denounce apartheid(at the sametime LBJ and DLC guru Ben Wattenberg were defending the Afrikaner regime as a bulwark against Communism)and devoted himself to getting the U.S. out of the nightmare of Vietnam(a nightmare he felt personally ashamed of helping get the U.S. into)

In my view, it was Bobby's combination of increasing progressive openness and increasing electability that led the Establishment in the U.S. to order his killing.

(The "Sirhan acted alone because Bobby was pro-Israel" explanation is obviously bogus, IMHO. By that logic, Sirhan would have had to kill every candidate but George Wallace and Eldridge Cleaver.)

[Timebound]

9. Exactly.

If a death row inmate can win a Nobel Peace Prize, then there truly is the capacity for change in every person.

If Kerry has truly changed (we'll be able to tell this over a period of four years) then we will see a stronger, better man in 2008 if he chooses to run again.

[RafterMan]

7. Kerry went before Boxer

and from his questioning I thought he was going to vote no, then he did.

I can understand why he sat out the vote about himself, so this was his first test for me. If the giant shit the Republicans took on him in the race made him want to come back with guns blazing, I say have at it.

I also felt he looked more natural, businesslike and commanding than any time since he started running. So no Kerry bashing from me today.

[Vektor]

10. It's true, though that Kerry

is a very cunning linguist.
:9
And for that, I'm grateful

[WildEyedLiberal]

12. Well

You need a very talented tongue to be a cunning linguist, that's for certain. :evilgrin:

[Vektor]

13. And that he does....

which do you suppose is mightier, his pen or his sword?

[WildEyedLiberal]

15. Define mighty

Do you prefer strength or dexterity?

[Vektor]

16. A little of both...

goes a LOOONG way.

[ebayfool]

18. Okay, that's it! You & Vector ... cold showers! Right now!

[Vektor]

19. Yes ma'am!!

...just let me get my laminated picture of him in he pool to take with me.

Unnggghhfff.

[ebayfool]

20. Make sure to have a lifeguard at the ready! LOL

[Vektor]

21. I wouldn't mind...

drowning in this one....

[ErinGoBraghLess]

22. Pols are Whores

Let's admit the truth -- mainstream politicians on both sides of the aisle are professionals. They are in it for life, they are in it for money and power and prestige. Being re-elected is more important than anything else because we have made public service in this country tantamount to being a movie star. These people are rich, they get perks we can only dream of, they get a staff of dozens (if not more), they get interviewed by the newspapers and t.v., they get lobbied by every company under the sun, they get wined and dined, they get international trips courtesy of you and me, they get amazing health care, they get generous retirement, and on and on. Plus, the deck is completely stacked against challengers trying to unseat them.

I respect very few politicians. Most of them could be replaced tomorrow and who would really be able to tell the difference? We could do just as well picking people at random out of the phone book and letting them serve.