So where is the leadership from the Dems?

[Walt Starr]

The Democratic PArty has had a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY the past few weeks for somebody, anybody, to step up to the plate and demonstrate REAL leadership over the major issues upon which the Bush mis-Administration has stumbled.

Yet nobody has really taken the opportunity. Nobody in the Democratic Party is willing to demonstrate leadership qualities.

They are running out of time. Either somebody steps up to the plate, or the Democratic Party will forfeit any win out of the mess Bush caused.

It's frightening that the Democratic Party has a once in a lifetime chance to totally change things around, but they are too busy hiding behind the couch because their shadows scared them away from responding.

:puke:

[Atman]

1. Hear hear! We're a rudderless ship, awaiting a captain

Someone to lead, to step up to the plate and drag America out of this mess. If not NOW, WHEN? For gods sake, WHERE ARE OUR DEMOCRATIC LEADERS? Still cowering under their desks from BushCo's anthrax warning? Come on people...the republicans are cooked. If we don't offer up an alternate course for America, they'll just sit back and accept another plate of overcooked crap from Chez GOP.

[sarcasmo]

2. It's so sad that the only Dem voice I here is on the Internet.

Wesley Clark, please step up and speak out on a daily basis.

[FrenchieCat]

18. Wes Clark has and is working the issues.....

Inside the beltway and out....

Participated and spoke here:
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0616-32.htm
September 20th: General Clark spoke to the 'Out of Iraq' Congressional Caucus
Start: Sep 20 2005 - 7:00pm
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a member of the "Out of Iraq Caucus" and leading voice among Democrats urging a troop withdrawal, said Clark “made a lot of sense,” and confirmed what many have long believed — that this war “did not need to be fought.”

Lee said that while there is a “broad spectrum” of views among Democrats on the issue, most all agree with Clark that diplomacy must be part of any plan to exit the region. She said Clark plays an important role in the effort because of “his background and his experience, he has a clear vision of how we got into this and how to get out.”
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/51_27/news/10609-1.html

He will be attending and participating here - the CBC conference:
http://www.cbcfinc.org/
September 23rd: Annual Legislative Conference in Washington DC
Start: Sep 23 2005 - 9:00am
End: Sep 23 2005 - 12:00pm
description:
General Clark will be participating in the Annual Legislative Conference at the Washington Convention
------------
He has spoken out on Katrina, before and after Bush's speech.....and is currently working via Witt & Associates, pro-bono to make a difference: http://www.wittassociates.com/
The firm, which is based in Washington, D. C., and has an office in Little Rock, is working in Louisiana on a pro bono basis and is charging only for its expenses, a spokesman for the group said.

http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=127775

http://securingamerica.com/node/255

http://securingamerica.com/node/242

http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/583

http://securingamerica.com/node/205
--------------

He is also going around the country speaking forcefully on all things Bush:
Where is the Economic Leadership
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/710

Republicans are only interested in Sex
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2092725

Clark Walks and Chew Gum at the same time
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?
az=view_all&address=132x2092109
---------

I dare say, considering....Clark is keeping busy in a very systematic way considering that his platform, as a non elected individual who the media would prefer not to cover.

[seabeyond]

3. reid, boxer kerry even biden. it is all over. sorry you dont listen n/t

[Walt Starr]

4. Niggling bits, not REAL leadership

Seriously, they are not demonstrating REAL leadership. They nip at the heels of Bush, but never really demonstrate leadership qualities.

[seabeyond]

5. seriously walt. they cannot make you follow

seriously......

i disagree with your interpretation of what these people are doing.

[Walt Starr]

9. Then show me their plans to get out of Iraq

and their plans to rebuild New Orleans as well as the Texas coast. Show me their plans for how to pay for it all. show me their plans to get us back on an economic track. show me their plans for how to take on the REpublican court stacking that is going on. Show me their plans for how they intend to end the corrupt cronyism the Bush Administration uses.

Show me da money.

[sandnsea]

14. You don't know?

All of that has been released, why don't you know about any of it?

[Walt Starr]

16. PLEASE, post some links to this thread

If you've seen REAL leadership, post it here.

[sandnsea]

17. Bullshit Walt

Lots of stuff from the Dem leadership have been posted for days. Legislation, interviews, speeches, votes. The question is, if you don't know it, why don't you? What have you been reading? Or if you choose to ignore it and post this negative shit, why?

[Walt Starr]

21. Not that I've seen

but I rarely haunt this forum.

[sandnsea]

24. Excuse me?

You rarely haunt this forum but pretend to know what's going on, and then come in here to blast the Democratic leadership??? Why????

[seabeyond]

20. he doesnt want to hear. owuldnt be able to say dems useless

then

[seabeyond]

19. repugs do the same. so does media. when ears are closed

you dont hear. it is there. i am not going ot try and convince you walt

[maine_raptor]

6. The Democratic Party lost its leadership a long time ago.

With the exception of Bill Clinton, who I think will be viewed by history as a "political fluke", the Democratic party lost any real leadership back in the 60's & 70's.

In order to have leaders in this century, the Dems had to have leaders to "show them the way" in the times past. Just as the child learns from the parent, so to today's Dem politicians needed to learn from those who were successful while they (todays Dems) were moving up the food chain.

But where were those leaders back then? For the most part in the ground or politically damaged by dirty tricks.

The lack of spinelessness on the part of today's leaders can, IMHO, be traced back to the loss of JFK, RFK, the smearing of Ed Muskie, and so on and so on.

[Cocoa]

7. if I answer you

you'll dismiss it.

[Cocoa]

8. Russ Feingold calls for energy assistance for low income Americans

I guess I don't care if you dismiss it. Here's your answer:

http://www.wisdems.org/index.php?display=ReleaseDetails&i=657825

U.S. Sen. Feingold: Calls for Energy Assistance for Low-Income Americans
Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Contact: Zach Lowe
[phone]

Hurricane Katrina Compounds the Need for Assistance for Families to Afford Rising Costs of Home Heating

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is calling on Senate appropriators to include low income energy assistance in the next Hurricane Katrina supplemental bill. In a letter to the Senate Appropriations committee leadership, Feingold and a bipartisan group of his Senate colleagues asked that the funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) be included in the supplemental in order to avoid a looming home heating crisis due to soaring energy costs as winter approaches. Another emergency supplemental spending bill is expected to be considered in October.

“Because of the tragic effects of Hurricane Katrina, energy costs across the board are becoming less and less affordable for more and more Americans,” Feingold said. “This assistance is critical in helping people in need stay safe and warm this winter.”

Even before Hurricane Katrina struck, the Energy Information Administration predicted a 16 percent rise in heating oil costs. But now natural gas prices are 140 percent more than they were at this time last year. Many American families paying for heating oil may be paying over $400 more than they did last winter. Families paying for natural gas could be paying over $600 more than they did last year.

“Residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina deserve the nation’s full support and financial assistance, and we stand ready and willing to do everything we can to help,” the letter stated. “We feel that preventing hardship for millions of Americans by acting to provide LIHEAP emergency funds before we have another crisis on our hands is an important priority.

[Walt Starr]

15. THANK YOU! There's some REAL leadership!

Please, post anything else you find in this thread!

We need to make certain the instances of REAL leadership get out to the media, especially our guys on AAR because this information needs to be LAUDED!

[Cocoa]

25. you could have found that yourself

sorry, Walt, I'm not buying it. I don't believe you want to see dem leadership. I'm basing that judgement on your original post.

[redqueen]

10. I realized we were on our own back when Clinton had 2 years

with a dem congress, and failed to do anything meaningful.

They've sold out. Not all... but far too many for me to bother having much hope for this party.

[Walt Starr]

11. Okay, here's some REAL leadership from Pelosi

Pelosi Leads the Way on Highway Bill Give-Back
by Andrew M. Grossman and Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
WebMemo #852

September 21, 2005 | |



It is often said that politics makes strange bedfellows, but apparently hurricanes have far stranger effects. On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that she would offer up $70 million, out of the $129 million in highway bill earmarks that she won for her district, to offset the cost of the Katrina relief effort, surpassing the 50 percent target set in the Heritage Foundation’s initial highway bill "give-back" proposal. And on Wednesday, members of the House’s Republican Study Committee (RSC), a conservative group, made a similar pledge. RSC members including Reps. Mike Pence, Jeb Hensarling, and Jeff Flake, all known for their fiscal activism, matched Pelosi and offered up all earmarked projects as part of an RSC spending proposal that contains hundreds of billion in cuts.

These are bold proposals, especially considering the time and effort that Members of Congress put into securing earmarked highway bill projects and the favor that those projects curry back home. It should be no surprise, then, that many other Members are reluctant to give back anything. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, whom we would have figured a more likely RSC bedfellow than Rep. Pelosi, seems “unenthusiastic” about returning transportation dollars to pay for rebuilding

<snip>

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/wm852.cfm

If all the Democrats who won pork in the highway bill would do the same, the game would be up for the Republicans.

[sandnsea]

12. What are you talking about?

Dems are all over the place on this. Maybe you weren't aware, but the big guns have been coming after Kerry ever since his speech at Brown. Read David Brooks today?

Since you're apparently out of the loop, the tp is "Gulf Coast Needs Relief, Not A Right-Wing Agenda From Bush". From the DNC, Pelosi, Kerry and others.

If you don't want to follow, at least get out of the way for the others who do.

[jillan]

22. Kerry has been out there almost on a daily basis.

Along with Kerry has been Kennedy, Pelosi, Reid, Schumer, and even Biden.

If people don't know that, then they haven't been paying attention.:banghead:

[RethugAssKicker]

13. They tried to pass a Waiver on the bankruptcy law fot

Katrina victims... but that got squashed by the rethugs.

But I agree with you fundamentally... There is no dem , that is standing up on a daily basis demanding an end to the corporate cronyism and corruption!

[Q]

23. Very few will understand the type of leadership...

...you're talking about. It's not about writing policy statements or legislation...it's about leading by example. It's about demanding that justice be done in the name of the people. Bush is not just a 'bad' president...he's a friggin charlatan and criminal and should be impeached.

Like Kerry's campaign...the Democratic base is simply expected to vote for anyone thrown at them each election cycle. They don't have to earn those votes...just be a (d)democrat. There's no incentive for change if there is never any consquences for bad or nonexistant leadership.

Four years of the Bush Gang getting everything they've ever wanted...and no sign of them being stopped or even slowed down by the so-called 'opposition party'. Hell...we can't even get the Dem leadership to admit that unprovoked aggression against Iraq is illegal or that there is nothing left to 'win'.

Democrats expect so little from their leadership and that's exactly what they're getting.