If the democrats WANT to lose control of the house..

[samrock]

I can not think of a better way then to discourage their base by allowing the Bush era tax cuts on the top 3% of tax payers to be continued..

[leveymg]

1. You have a point. Maybe, that is the (breaking) point . . . hmmm

Something tells me, they should have begun thinking about that sort of thing 20 months ago.

[kentuck]

2. They want a Democratic Tea Party?

:-)

[leveymg]

4. We would need another name. But, yes, that's what's going to happen.

Anyone have a silver service and a big supply of cups?

[chimpymustgo]

25. Surprise Party!!

They expect us to be sheeple.

[liberalmike27]

27. Green Party

I've been saying for a while that having 60(ish) Senators has put Democrats in a very uncomfortable position. Thank God (for them) that Franken took forever, and they had two Senators die, so they didn't really have 60 for long, else they'd have had to actually do some things to help most Americans, rather than serving the rich.

I have to say, I agree with the basic sentiment. I don't think they like to be in total control. It really exposes that seedy underbelly of our actual government. Democrats, like Republicans are controlled by corporations. It makes them look really, really bad when they don't do what people need done, when they are capable. It makes them look bad when six or seven of them vote against cloture. Basically, they don't have an excuse for non-performance.

And clearly, if you watch any news media, republicans delight in saying "They've had 60 votes in the Senate, they can do anything." And no one on the corporate media will be allowed on again if they expose the actual truth.

[Selatius]

3. I think we lost quite a lot of energy when we watched the Senate DELETE the Public Option.

The health care bill was a great example of demoralizing the base. That really hit a lot of people in the stomach, despite consistent polling that showed the majority of Americans supported a public alternative to the private sector.

[leveymg]

5. That was what did it for me, too. I will never forgive the Senate Democratic leadership for that,

or the Obama White House. My guts still grumble. I remember thinking, "There goes the ballgame - someone just threw the game."

[BolivarianHero]

23. Leadership my ass...

They're from the same kooky cult that ran the Prop H8 campaign and that kidnapped my cousin's kids and brought them to some dark corner of Arizona (from Eastern Ontario). Do you think such lunatics give a shit about decent folks like us?

[leveymg]

26. You mean with all the 12 year-old wives who live in the desert and took over Hughes, and stuff?

The ones who really believe in their deepest heart of hearts that they're "decent folks like us," and the rest are all sinners and harlots who will surely burn at the End Times while they rise up to Heaven with a host of angels blowing golden trumpets while G-d Almighty smites the wicked with golden candlesticks?

Them?

[zipplewrath]

6. 3 biggies

At least in my mind, I can't speak for everyone.

1) The classification of the torture photos.

It wasn't particularly necessary, basically we knew what was in them. And it is a metaphor for the total lack of action at all on past torture and abuses.

2) The loss of any public option.

Again as much symbol of the larger losses in that including the negotiation of drug prices, secret negotiations with Big Pharma (until the fall when Big Pharma threw 'em under the bus), and single payer not even being "in the room" throughout the whole process.

3) Escalation of Afghanistan

Not just that he continues to engage there, but that he went there in such a big way. I don't think he ever campaigned on tripling the number of troops there, much less putting Patreaus in charge.


And congress has been complicit in everyone of these. Heck, Obama would claim they were the cause of the loss of the public option (I remain unconvinced). But they keep voting for "emergency funding" for Afghanistan. They passed the law allowing the photos to be classified. They haven't exactly been looking for torturers either. Heck, they dropped the whole Federal Prosecutor scandal as well.

It's been a huge disappointment from the rhetoric of the preceeding years and campaigns. And now we've gone from "Change you can believe in" to "Change you should be afraid of".

[leveymg]

11. TARF, a continuation and extension of the Wall St bail-out to big multinational corporations

No foreclosure cram-down in that bad joke of a housing relief bill. Then, the move to attack public sector and teachers unions. That drove the last nail in for me.

[leeroysphitz]

18. You bring up some valid points, ZW, I admit but...

Have you seen the new logo?




Just look at it. How can you stay mad at them?

[leveymg]

20. Looks like the Target logo, only less motivated

Is that thing for real?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. You mean the 7% of dems who were against Obama's health care reform?

I think we'll be fine. That's the same percentage of dems who think he's a secret muslin.

[leveymg]

12. That's also the percentage who are regular party activists, who do GOTV. That's a big percentage

a group with an importance to the Party all out of proportion to its size. No, I don't think "we'll be fine." If you ever worked a campaign, you would know who it is who knocks doors and makes calls - they're activists, and in the Democratic Party, that means committed liberals . . . the very people who are upset and put off about HCR and a dozen other badly mishandled decisions.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Suuuuure it is.

Uh huh.

[leveymg]

14. Where'd you get your 7% figure?

I meant that in a manner of speaking. But, what about you, or do you just make shit up to be contrary?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. It was in the polls in the final days of all the politicking.

Not that I would expect you to have been paying any attention to the facts.

[leveymg]

17. What BS. I didn't think you could cite a reliable source.

But, what else is new with you? Having a nice day hanging on the board, pecking away at stuff?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. Oh, I could cite a reliable source.

I just don't think you're really interested.

[Selatius]

15. 7% is a lot if you're in a vulnerable district. Underestimating that is perilous at best. nt

[Winterblues]

19. So you think Democrats will win by way more than 7%?

:shrug:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. I don't think that there's anybody who's not going to vote because we passed HCR.

I think that counts for 0% of the vote.

In fact, I think anybody who's going to stay home is a worthless fuck with shit for brains, and never cared about HCR whatsoever.

[Matariki]

10. That and the *mandated* purchase from a business part.

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. What percentage of that 2% rich people will be enticed to vote D?

The issue isn't votes, it's campaign donations.

[LynneSin]

8. We have enough room today in the house with a few dems that might stray

but in general Pelosi will never allow the vote to happen until all the numbers are set in stone.

[mmonk]

24. Yep.