The Democrats' First Test

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Sunday November 12, 2006 · 7:28 PM PST

2006/11/12 · 19:28

The number one concern on the voters' minds during the Democratic Tsunami of 2006 was corruption, according to the exit polls. And that's good, because corruption in government is among the most insiduous anti-democratic forces to be reckoned with. Now that Democrats are in charge in Congress, we need to see that our representatives there are fully on board with us and with the voters where it concerns this issue of paramount importance.

I see the election of leadership in the House as the first big test on whether the Democrats will bring needed change, and hold out an example that will help us keep our moral authority, and the voters' attention. And the move toward Congressman Murtha for Majority Leader is a first step in the wrong direction.

Why Ford Really Really Lost

smijer

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Friday November 10, 2006 · 7:59 PM PST

2006/11/10 · 19:59

I appreciate this diary. It expresses my own feelings about Ford to a degree. In fact, it may be the real reason he lost. I don't know. Personally, I held my nose and voted for him. On the other hand, maybe if he had inspired me to part with $25 that I felt was better invested in my family than in his asshole candidacy, that would have helped him.

It's true that he irked a lot of people with the Memphis Meltdown. He probably lost a lot of votes there. Petulance is unappealing in someone who asks to represent your state in the Senate, and it probably moved some undecided voters from his column to Corker's. Hell, it's one of the reasons we despise GW.

But the reason I think he really lost, above and beyond his obvious sense of entitlement, is twofold:

1)He failed to offer a compelling alternative
2)He was dishonest, particularly with regard to his own positions

Tennesee - a reminder.

smijer

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Saturday November 04, 2006 · 10:29 AM PST

2006/11/04 · 10:29

Principled folks have said they cannot support Ford because he is anti-gay and pro-torture, among other things. This is just a quick reminder that failure to support Harold Ford is equivalent to support for Bob Corker, who is also anti-gay and pro-torture, among other things. Ford will vote for a Senate Leader who will oppose the anti-gay and pro-torture platform of those currently in power, among other things. Let's get him in office. Then, let's spend the next few years recruiting our very own Ned Lamont.

You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.

smijer

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Wednesday September 20, 2006 · 6:11 PM PDT

2006/09/20 · 18:11

Sorry everybody. This is very silly. But it would be so nice to get the word out, because then I won't feel someone has dragged their fingernails down the chalkboard every time I spend any time reading comments here.

"Keep(ing) your powder dry" does not mean the same thing as "choosing your battles," or "saving your ammunition from this fight for a later one" or anything like that.

To keep your powder dry means to keep it from getting wet so you can use it to shoot someone. It's an ironic statement of Oliver Cromwell, made on the eve of battle, and in full context it means that we're going to need faith in God, but also a supply of dry gunpowder.

Uhh...
That's all.
Sorry I mentioned it, really.

Harold Ford, Jr. - I'd like to make a request.

smijer

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Wednesday September 13, 2006 · 8:42 PM PDT

2006/09/13 · 20:42

Ok, a front page piece in the Chattanooga Times Free Press today gives a surprisingly fair reading of Corker's attacks on Ford as a liberal, and Ford's actual position. Great. But, deep inside, where the column is continued on page A6, is a quote from Ford that has rather disquieted me in my support for him. Here it is:

Liberals in Washington think I'm too conservative because I love Jesus and I'm head of the faith-based caucus, and I like the military. I support spending on them.

smijer

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Thursday September 07, 2006 · 4:21 AM PDT

2006/09/07 · 04:21

Dear Mr. Bolten,

It was with great interest and disappointment that I read your September 5 replyto Senate Democrats' September 4 communication to President Bush. I had hoped that you would acknowledge the failures of the overall strategy and specific tactics the President and Pentagon have adopted so far in Iraq, and reassure not only Harry Reid, but also the American people that the Administration was committed to repairing the worsening situation there.
Read More

Shoot the Messenger (Global Warming Hit Piece on Gore)

smijer

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Monday August 14, 2006 · 8:12 PM PDT

2006/08/14 · 20:12

Right Blogistan is abuzz today, quoting and riffing upon this article by Peter Schweizer in yesterday's USA Today. Unable to refute the science of global warming, the anti-conservation right is hoping to kill the story by shooting the messenger. It doesn't matter much that he is one messenger among thousands of environmentalists and scientists. He is the one who has a movie - he is the one who has a name - and he is the one who is carrying the narrative right now. I fear that his credibility among those we are trying to reach may become damaged.

Our side has virtually nothing out to deflect Peter Schweizer's bullet. Over the coming weeks and months, his narrative will be replayed in every major media outlet that will have it - and that probably means all of them. And, unless something changes, it will be played without response from our side. Read More

Time for Bullet Points, Megaphone

smijer

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Wednesday August 09, 2006 · 8:36 AM PDT

2006/08/09 · 08:36

Ok, this isn't anything anyone here doesn't know already. But it's worth stressing, and it's worth putting into a bit of a framework.

If you thought Joe Lieberman was singing from the Republican Hymnbook from 2002 to early 2005, just wait until you see the next three months. He will be their choir director, and the media will dutifully pump the organ.

Lieberman's message is dangerous because it is conventional wisdom already, and the media is poised to re-inforce it to the nth degree. If it is to be countered, and if the Connecticut miracle is to be the theme, rather than the downfall, of the 2006 elections, then the contrary message must be just as pervasive, just as simple, and must take the place of the reigning conventional wisdom. Thoughts below the fold: Read More

Clinton Waxing Wonkish for Ford

smijer

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Friday August 04, 2006 · 5:03 AM PDT

2006/08/04 · 05:03

I wrote Rosalind Kurita in on my Democratic primary ballot yesterday, but I watched the streamed video from Harold Ford's victory celebration. It was the first time I've seen him speak for any length of time, and I was rather impressed with his political skill. He introduced Bill Clinton with high praise, and Bill took the stage.

Clinton's speech, as so many of his do, had me nodding my head and wishing the rest of us could articulate so clearly the difference between the worst of the Republicans and the best of the Democrats. Read More

Positive Agenda: Building Families

smijer

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Thursday June 23, 2005 · 5:32 PM PDT

2005/06/23 · 17:32

Did you know that James Dobson's Focus on the Family is not just a religious-right hate group? Maybe you did, but I bet you don't think about it very much.

In fact, according to an apology from one of its co-founders, "When we began Focus, in 1977, the seven founders had only two objectives: 1. To help Americans raise their children, and 2. to help us maintain our marriages."

Though Focus on the Family often gives poor advice on child-raising, and has an unfortunate tendency to reinforce negative gender stereotypes in giving guidance on maintaining marriages, the fact remains that building families was their original mission. It is still their core mission. They exist to meet needs. It is because so many people needed exactly what Focus offerred that they gained so much popularity and political clout in the first place.

Best I can tell, moderates and liberals have not done a good job providing institutions designed meet the needs of individual families. On the flip, I suggest that we pick up some of that slack, and do it in a way that is consistent with our values. Read More

The Irresponsiblest President

smijer

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Saturday October 09, 2004 · 5:26 AM PDT

2004/10/09 · 05:26

Passing the buck: a way of life for Bush

One of my biggest beefs with Bush is this problem he has with his own fallability. I want to start with his answer to Kerry's charge that he didn't provide enough troops for the occupation and didn't heed Shinseki's advice. At a time when it is absolutely clear that there were mistakes in the post-war planning, Bush's response is to inform us that he met with his generals and put the question to them: "do you have what you need?" Kerry's response to this was dead on, but he should have prefaced it with the attack that goes to the core of Bush's weakness. "Mr. President, Harry Truman said the buck stops here. You cannot place the blame for your failure to plan for a post-war Iraq on the men and women in our military." Or something else that more eloquently expresses the fact that Bush was, in his subtle and conniving way, maneuvering to shift the blame for his failures to his generals. This isn't just a rhetorical dodge. Asking the generals what they need only makes sense in terms of the invasion. The occupation is a complex political process that is has to be handled by the state department and defense together. As Kerry correctly pointed out, the generals' job was to win the war - the Presidents' job was to win the peace. What with all the fluff that will be rehashed in the media from this debate, don't expect to hear too much more about this very important point.

Bush shows his true lack of humility or sense of responsibility by identifying his three biggest mistakes as being appointees. We all know he means appointing people like Paul O'Neill, John DiIulio, and Paul Bremer (among others) who have the temerity to publicly disagree with the President. This is true hubris. I'd like to see that message come out from our side in force. Bush's biggest mistake in his own eyes is not appointing enough yes-men!

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