For Disappointed Democrats

[lwcon]

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day


Hey, kids: If you found this page while looking for a children's book, you came to the wrong place. It has profanity in it, in response to an obscene law that was just approved by the U.S. Senate.

Oh, thanks in advance for paying off the $9 trillion deficit. And if someone wrongly calls you an "enemy combatant," I hear the southern border is easy to get through. You might also consider Canada, but maybe not. Especially if you were born in Syria.


Yesterday was a good-news and bad, bad, bad, bad, bad-news day.

The good news was that most Democratic Senators stood up for American decency.

The bad, bad, bad, bad, bad news is twofold. Several Democratic Senators didn't, as several House Democrats didn't earlier this week.

And, of course, our country has been deeply disgraced by writing torture into — and habeus corpus out of — our laws.

In various forums, I've seen more than a few comments saying "I'll never vote for (fill-in-the-blank Democratic weasel who voted for this bill)."

Now, I've strongly criticized Democrats here from time to time, and I rooted for Ned Lamont's primary victory over DINO Joe Lieberman.

But if these three words don't send chills up your spine, you've been living like Terri Schiavo these last six years: Ralph. Nader. Florida.

I'm totally fucking disappointed in all the Dems who voted for this bill. I hope the next chance we get, we can replace them with smarter and braver Democrats.

But the fact is that we are living the nightmare of Republican hegemony, and the Donkey party is our only hope.

Thanks to a tip from Elayne Riggs, I finally caught up with quasi-surreal '70s musical 1776, where one of the key plot lines is the standoff between Jefferson (White Shadow star Ken Howard) and the southern representatives who won't sign the Declaration of Independence until the prohibition of slavery is struck from it.

As much as we all love Ben Franklin (and actor Howard Da Silva), it makes your stomach churn to watch him urge on this deal with devil.

The sad fact is that life isn't just full of compromises, sometimes it's full of revolting compromises.

I don't suggest you ever fully trust or admire the chickenshits from either party who voted for this monstrosity.

But don't lose sight of which party is the only one who would have pursued such a bill.

Pop quiz: how many GOP Senators voted against this bill? One: Lincoln Chafee. Apparently, if you're going to be a Republican and not be a dick, you'd better be named "Lincoln."

So tell me, friends, is voting for your local Fidel McEarthshoe from the Free-Range Hemp Party going to help? It isn't, it isn't, it isn't, it isn't, it isn't. You're throwing your vote away, and by gum we need it to help get these motherfuckers out of office.

These fucking fascists don't throw their votes away on symbolic gestures. And in so doing, they're consolidating power to an absolutely alarming degree.

That said, I'm not through being pissed off at the Democrats who voted to make Bush Torturer-in-Chief and taking habeus corpus behind the barn and shooting it.

For god's sake, don't tell me that a Dem who sold out our Constitution and conscience was practicing smart politics. Uggh!

But the bottom line is that we have to vote Democratic this November. Get out the vote, even if it's for one of these compromised fucks — Carper (Del.), Johnson (S.D.), Landrieu (La.), Lautenberg (N.J.), Menendez (N.J), Nelson (Fla.), Nelson (Neb.), Pryor (Ark.), Rockefeller (W. Va.), Salazar (Co.), Stabenow (Mich.) — or their brethren who caved in to the Repubs in the House.

If you do have to hold you nose to vote, remember that you can make a course-correction next time he comes up for a primary. After all, there's one yea-voter that you don't have to sully your conscience with: Lieberman (Conn.).

___

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[no_hypocrisy]

1. Agreed. It's another Rove tactic to manipulate voters who would

have ordinarily voted for democratic candidates to stay at home. Don't give him what he wants.

[gully]

2. Nice post, like I said prioritize!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2246444&mesg_id=2246444

I think we should call every comprmise dem with two messages.

1. You hurt America, our troops, and the democratic party with your torture vote and -

2. While voting for dems is important in november YOU are on your way out in 2008, when we can run a progressive against you!

[Imperialism Inc.]

3. I wish I could but I can't

I like Sherrod Brown. We share positions on many things. On a sentimental note he was Secretary of State here in Ohio the year I registered to vote. It was at a Frank Zappa concert and he came on stage and made Zappa his deputy for the night so he could set up voter registration booths in the lobby at intermission of his concert.

Unfortunately I cannot and will not vote for him after his vote Weds. I understand why people will anyway and I would not try to deter them from doing so, but I personally cannot. I talked about it long and hard with my girlfriend last night. We talked and cried and lamented what has become of this country and I came to a decision then.

At first I didn't even realize he was one of the ones who had flipped and when I found out it broke my heart. I am not from the vote for anyone with a 'D' and anyone who doesn't is really voting for an 'R' school of thought. I am more from the voting for 'D's that act like 'R's only encourages them to continue doing so. But even that doesn't really come in to play here, it is simply a moral thing. It is a thing about how far he was willing to go for political expediency. Alas, I am sorry, I cannot vote for him.

On a personal note I would like to thank you for your cordial tone. It sure beats some of the other stuff on here that takes your stance. This will be my last post on this topic (here or on other threads). I'm not here to try to influence anyone else's position but I did need to take a moment to express mine. Thanks.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. Great idea.

Don't vote for Sherrod and help a Republican win and keep the torture agenda on the docket. Fucking brilliant. And if you couldn't tell :sarcasm:

[brentspeak]

9. "I'm not here to try to influence anyone else's position"

"but I did need to take a moment to express mine."

Judging from all your other posts on other threads, you took about a dozen "moments" to express your position.

[LynneSin]

11. Just the 'DUers for DeWine' folks trying to keep their guy in office

I mean, I'm disgusted I have to vote for Tom Carper but there is no way in hell I'd vote any other way this November and I would strongly encourage others in Delaware to do the same.

Then in 2012, we'll remember what Mr. Carper did not only with this vote but with supporting Lieberman AFTER the primary

[LynneSin]

10. That coming from another "DUer for Mike DeWine"

That's what you're telling me, you'll take another six years of Mike DeWine then at least bringing one of the most progressive members of the house, a man who opposed the war, opposed the Patriot act and has been a major supporter of the working class people.

It totally sucks with his vote but there no amount of money out there that would do anything to enable a republican to continue in office.

I mean seriously, how will Mike DeWine end the war? How will he vote for new judicial nominations meant to change our courts and take away our choice? How will Mike DeWine fight for working class people.

People like you make me SICK - your willingness to allow the republicans to control congress and continue this war. When DeWine lives I hope you are haunted by the people who have died in Iraq because I know that Sherod Brown has been fighting to end this war and you would rather keep a War supporter in office

[lwcon]

15. Though I may be cordial ( to people of conscience)...

... I urge you to recognize that voting for the lesser of two evils is the only tool you have right now to reduce the amount of evil and stop the emergent Fascism in our country.

Letting the more-evil team win is not being part of the solution.

The people on their side do not have consciences* -- which is why they win. Vote fraud? Sure! Lying to and manipulating voters? Sure! Starting wars because you fucking feel like it? Sure! Strong-arming people into approving torture? Sure! Voting for their guys no matter what? Sure!

And if your local Dem has disappointed you, won't helping the Russ Feingolds and Dennis Kuciniches get majority rule do you proud? Isn't that more important than the Phyrric victory of abstaining or symbolic voting?

* Or they're dumb as dirt. Or both.

___

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[Hawkowl]

20. Respect

I respect your conscience. I live in Washington, and with how many times Cantwell has let me down, I was dreading that she would do it again and vote for this piece of shit. Thankfully she didn't and perhaps I can vote for her now without holding my nose. But I had made up my mind to vote for the big "D" anyways. It was a post by Pitt the other day that finally enabled me to put it into perspective. I'm paraphrasing but, you have to envision that you are voting for subpoena powers for the House and Senate to investigate the Bush crime family. You can't stop fighting or else you become an accomplice after the fact. How you say? Because this is still a democracy, where the people are accountable for our leaders and their actions. You are not voting for Sherod Brown, but to STOP the country slide into dictatorship. This could be your last chance. By not voting you are signaling your acquiescence to fascism. Please reconsider.

[Jai4WKC08]

23. I'd give ANYTHING to have your dilemma

Instead, I've only got Roberts and Brownback, either one of whom would be happy to do the torturing themselves, much less vote for a measure that allows it. And nary a serious challenger to either one the last time they ran, and not likely the next. I'll be lucky if Brownback isn't the vice-president in two years.

The idea that you throw away your chance to vote against the likes of those two is outrageous.

Don't you think maybe you could close your eyes and pretend your ballot really said Reid, Levin, Kennedy, or some senior Democratic leader in the Senate? Because that's who you'd really be voting for, to control the agenda and take over the commitee chairs.

However you may feel about Brown right now, if you stay home you're voting FOR whoever would replace Frist. and every single Repub who heads a committee now. Which is EXACTLY what Karl Rove wants. It may well be why the bill ended up worded the way it is and presented for a vote when it was.

[redqueen]

4. It makes me so sad this has to be pointed out...

*sigh*

Thanks so much for your efforts... I'll not stick around this thread to see how many refuse to help.

[sportndandy]

6. Blame Nader = lose credibility

:)

[lwcon]

8. I didn't blame Nader...

... not that he isn't blameworthy for his bullshit "can't tell the difference between the two parties" meme, which has been disempowering (literally or otherwise) to our side.

I reminded people that the other side marches in lockstep, and symbolic "protest" votes just could be the difference in today's divided America.

Yes, I'm quite well aware of the zillion other factors for Bush's selection in 2000, including vote fraud, media lying, butterfly ballots, the Supreme Court stopping recounts, and Al Gore sighing when debating a douchebag.

There is a lot of talk going around right now about not voting or protest voting. Why shouldn't the Democratic Underground community remind ourselves and others about the proven dangers of that?

I see you included a smiley, so perhaps there's an ironic context to your comment, but it escapes me at the moment, so I respond in earnest.

___

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[glitch]

7. FIRST the fascists THEN the collaborators. K & R

[Clark2008]

13. Amen.

But, I'm guessing that if the Dems come into power in November in one house or another or both, then you'll see a lot of these collaborators start siding with America again.

Some of them are running scared of their beltway constituencies (I still don't think most average Americans condone torture - but, maybe they do) and, if the Dems regain some power, it might wake them up to the fact that most Americans either already hate Bush or are well on their way to understanding how awful this president has been for this country: 57 DISAPPROVAL rating for Shrubbie.

[glitch]

17. I don't think waking up will help them retain their seats. We can do so

much better than "reformed" collaborators. They can find jobs elsewhere, if they manage to dodge trial for enacting war crimes.

[opusprime]

12. Great post.

Thanks for helping me pull my head out of my ass.

[lwcon]

18. Honest?

That's somehow an amazingly nice thing to say -- thanks!

___

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[corkhead]

14. you are exactly right. It is IMPOSSIBLE to have representation

that is always 100% right. We are Democrats, remember that "herding cats" party, not herding sheep party. This is an advantage the lockstep repukes have over us, but expecting our representation to vote the way we want 100% of the time is not realistic. Stabenow is my senator, but she needs votes from a lot of people who aren't paying attention as close as we are, and don't understand what we just lost.

[pat_k]

16. voiceoutrage.com

Don't keep the outrage to yourself!!

http://voiceoutrage.com">voiceoutrage.com

Call this abomination what it is: The War Criminals Protection Act

(And maybe give http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2255629&mesg_id=2255629">this one a kick)

[Hawkowl]

19. Remember

If you live in one of these traitorous Democratic Senators states, DO vote for them this election. We must. I've calmed down, but not cooled down. Remember these names, and come next election, during the primary, remember Lamont vs. Lieberman. The time for reckoning will come, it is just not 5 weeks away. Patience.

[Geekster]

21. Kicked!

[HardRocker05]

22. worthless dems *created* Nader, AND they've lost 3 straight elections, AND

they have been silent or outright complicit in the repuke destruction of america. Say what you want about nader or 3rd party voters, until the democratic party and the american people decide to stand up for something, the downward slide into Orwellian hell will continue.

[lwcon]

24. So tell me, friend...

If the Democrats were in charge of our government, would we have just passed a law approving torture and nullifying habeas corpus? Would we be at war in Iraq? Would we have a $9 trillion deficit? Would we have abandoned the people of New Orleans? Would we be refusing to make serious strides to wean ourselves off the environmental and political nightmare that is foreign oil?

To cut and run from the Democratic Party now is the best imaginable way to ensure that the repukes will be permanently successful in that destruction.

___

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