The difference between NY and Florida....Sirota points it out.

[madfloridian]

My Senator Nelson voted for the bankruptcy bill and for CAFTA, and he never explained or gave responses...he never does.

Yet in Florida, among our own DEC....we are asked not to criticize him. He is almost worshipped...he is as they say all we have. They say not to criticize him as he is up for re-election. He voted for the war, and other things as well. He voted to intervene in the Schiavo case.

No criticism of Nelson anywhere that I have seen. NY does not seem to take it lying down. Nelson is a good man, he has done good things. But no one in our party should any longer be above criticism.

Then notice Sirota's thread about Meeks from NY. They are standing up and hollering there. That is the difference.

NY Times on Meeks facing local outrage over CAFTA/Bankruptcy votes:

http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=DFA12B3B-0126-1B93-CB2EC2AF86BF06E2

"Rep. Greg Meeks becomes a cautionary tale for Democrats
Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) is quickly becoming an important cautionary tale about what happens when Democrats sell out their working class base. After voting for things like the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the bankruptcy bill, Meeks has been the target of much local criticism in his home district. And he hasn't taken it too well.
First, New York's powerful Working Families Party and top unions held a public rally to demand the House Democratic Leadership remove Meeks from his committee assignments. Meeks responded by having a staffer claim that the criticism of his votes were somehow "racist." Ridiculous.

Now, Meeks' hometown paper hammered him for selling out. Meeks responded by trying to stop other papers from publishing critical stories about his votes (see one of those stories here).

Here's a little advice to Meeks and other Democrats who are consistently undermining their party and America's middle class: if you don't want to be criticized for selling out, THEN DON'T SELL OUT. It's just that simple."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/08/nyregion/08cafta.html
Meeks has staffer claim CAFTA/Bankruptcy attacks are "racist":
http://www.nysun.com/article/18331
Meeks hometown paper hammers him for selling out:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=186...2&PAG=461&rfi=9
Meeks tries to stop other publications from discussing his votes:
http://www.observer.com/thepoliticker/2005...eek-either.html
Piece on Meeks that was nixed after Meeks pressured the publisher:
http://www.shaunrichman.org/cgi-bin/blarg..../20#050820meeks
List of other Democrats consistently undermining the Democratic Party:
http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index...E17D64701D57A07

Big difference.

On Edit: Apologize for the links that don't work. I copy/pasted from an email I got. I think they are all embedded in the post at Working Change anyway. I guess I deleted the email accidentally...very weird. The articles were at at the bottom of the mail.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Being from NYC, I can tell, Meeks is in BIG trouble....

[SteppingRazor]

2. Hell, it's a perfect time to criticize Nelson...

It looks like his competition from the GOP will be Katherine Harris, who stands about as much chance of getting elected as I do -- which is to say, none at all.
Given that, why shouldn't we criticize Nelson, demand better, and even run a more-acceptable candidate against Nelson in the primary?

[Double T]

3. The Democratic 'Sellouts' Might Just As Well Be republicans And.....

we need to vote ALL of them out of political office too. The 'sellouts' make defining the democratic agenda more difficult, because when they vote like a republican, our alternate message is obscured.

[Upfront]

4. Dam!

I am glad I am no longer in Fl. as I could not vote for Nelson, period.

[wli]

5. interesting that Meeks breaks out rethug tactics when called on it

It shows the true colors of the AEI/PNAC/etc. moles. Probably a DLC member, too.

[wli]

6. the link to the list of other DINO's/DLC'ers is broken

If you could fix it I'd be much obliged.

[madfloridian]

7. Here it is. All of them are at the first link in the OP, embedded.

http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=69095EDE-985B-CCEE-5E17D64701D57A07

Nelson is on the first list, but not the second one.

And here is his previous list of the House members who sold out. Again, embedded links, so I am opening up new windows.
http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/07/which-of-15-dem-sellouts-should-start.html

He also linked to the cloture vote on the bankruptcy bill, and the senators who sold us out there.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00029

There were 6 total Democrats who voted for CAFTA and who voted for cloture on the bankruptcy bill (and thus in support of the bill): Carper, Lieberman, Lincoln, Bill Nelson, Ben Nelson, and Pryor.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00029

He also links to Working Families parties.
http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/

And here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/08/nyregion/08cafta.html?ex=1124942400&en=101082e2aa11bf28&ei=5070

You have to read the post to get all the links. As I explained in the Edit...I can't find the email where I got those links. I must have deleted it.

[wli]

8. thanks, good stuff n/t