House Democrats Say Consensus Is Forming On U.S. Troop Withdrawal

[Purveyor]

March 07, 2007

House Democrats have pushed back consideration of the budget resolution and the Iraq supplemental spending bill because they haven’t been able to resolve differences between those who want to mandate a clear date for withdrawal from Iraq and those who don’t.

But leaders are still saying they expect a floor vote before the Easter recess begins April 2, and they are stressing that they have reached consensus in some key areas.

“What we’re trying to do is make policy, not just points,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Hoyer admitted that leaders are “backfilling” their floor agenda with environmental bills because of the delays. Republicans have begun chiding Democrats for stretching out debates to fill floor time with non-controversial bills, such as the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s dispensing environmental aid to local governments.

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Meanwhile, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) disputed reports that liberal Democratic members will vote against a Democratic plan if it doesn’t set a concrete date for withdrawal.

“I don’t believe it, and I’ll put money on that,” Emanuel told The Hill. “Even people who have been quoted saying that have told me, ‘That is not my position.’”

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http://thehill.com/content/view/64650/70/

[babylonsister]

1. The best I can do: I'm glad to hear they're working on it. I want

results yesterday, but this is politics.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. It is going to be hard

the real progressives and the neoliberals in the party are going to have to somehow make a deal that is workable. The problem for the neoliberals is that the Majority of the population sides with the ideas of the progressives. So I believe the progressives have the upper hand in this. The Progressive Caucus is the largest caucus in congress and public opinion on this matter is on their side...too many obstructionist DLCers are in congress.

[babylonsister]

3. What's the definition of a neoliberal? nt

[Hardrada]

4. International Loan Sharks

[babylonsister]

5. Thanks for clearing that up!

:hi:

[Monkeyman]

6. Blue Dogs

[w4rma]

10. That is often different. Blue dogs tend to be more social conservative than neoliberal. (nt)

[babylonsister]

7. From wiki, but what differentiates them?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberal

Neoliberalism is a term used to describe government policies aiming to promote free competition among business firms within market, notably liberalization and monetarism <1>

Neoliberalism is associated with the theories of Friedrich Hayek, economics departments such as that at the University of Chicago (and such professors as Milton Friedman and Arnold Harberger), and international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (none of whom use the name "neoliberal"). In general, neoliberalism represents a move away from the Keynesian economics that were dominant immediately after World War II. The philosophy promotes a "liberalization" of capital markets (thus called "neoliberal reform").

More specifically, neoliberalism promotes a stable currency, a balanced budget, free market capitalism, and free trade. Characteristic aspects include expansion of the market to a 24-hour global trading cycle, contract maximalization, increase in the frequency of contracts, continuous assessment, and derivative markets.

Opponents argue that neoliberalism is the implementation of global capitalism through government/military interventionism to protect the interests of multinational corporations, as well as the effects of so-called "free trade" on wages and social structures. Notable opponents to neoliberalism in theory or practice include economists Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen, Noam Chomsky,<2> and the anti-globalization movement

[BayCityProgressive]

8. neoliberals

believe that the free market is the best way to have a free society. We are currently living in "The Land of The Free (Market Dictatorship)". Americans have a very funny way of deciding what a democracy is. To us voting once every four years means we have a democracy. I think this is a sham. Is it democratic that the rich among us get college educations and healthcare while the poor and working class (the vast majority of the people) are shipped off to Iraq or relegated to low wage work? Is it Democratic that our elected officials routinely pass laws that the majority of Americans oppose and then gerrymander their districts to protect themselves? Is it democratic that we cannot recall most of our elected leaders? Is it democratic that we have no say in how our workplace is run? Is it democratic that we are forced to live in certain areas due to our income? Is it Democratic that former congressment who committed crimes get their pensions but Enron employees don't? Is it Democratic that almost all of our media are owned by big corporations who donate to the two political parties? We have a free market and that is about all that is free.

[BayCityProgressive]

9. is it

democratic that we only have two parties to realistically choose from? Is it democratic that politicians get their campaign money from the rich and therefore their voices are more important than ours? I could go on forever. We need to escape this small box that our politicians tell us is "democracy".

[yurbud]

11. Democrats vow: we will withdraw from Iraq before polar icecaps melt...

failing that, before our sun goes supernova.

Unless big business objects.