DHinMI asks: "Why wouldn't most of the Democrats filibuster Alito? The entire point of the Nuclear Option battle was to reserve the filibuster so Democrats could use it to prevent the court from being tipped into the hands of a Scalia-inspired majority."
Yeah, why? I can only tell you that when they made that compromise my impression was that they would never use it. I did not get the impression it was saved, I got the impression that the whole judicial battle was conceded and said so.
I wasn't compelling enough to convince any apologists for the "brilliant move"... but then, that's sort of their problem, not mine. It's not my responsibility to compel you, I'm not here to manipulate your feelings, I have presented ideas on the matter and if you didn't like them, fine, but I do get to say "I told you so".
Even if they filibustered Alito, it's a bit late to claim they really saved up for the SCOTUS battle, he's the third one, man. Yeah yeah, "but we're the minority"... what the fuck does that have to do with it? I'm not blaming them for that, I'm blaming them for not using what they have at their disposal.
I'm blaming them for LYING that they were saving up powder they don't have or intend to use, ever, which was clear to me from the nuclear compromise on. And that's bad of me, eh? I ought to shut up and pretend I didn't see it coming?
And now the same type of people don't want to hear complaints, still. Are your feelings a bit sensitive? Is the worthlessness of their strategic thinking my fault? Face it, your Democratic leaders are not as outraged as you, if you show them how outraged you are, they'll play with it... but they are not outraged.
When the blogosphere was out there threatening them to be a new progressive movement, they jumped up... "we care we care", but now that it's a bunch of "partisan blogs" with clear allegiance and message control... ho hum, they can't think of a reason to be outraged, exactly. When Dean was thought possibly to represent an Independent run they were all ears, but when he's in the DNC and has to follow the rules of political shut the fuck upping... same old same old quiet dems, "well, I can't think of a reason to oppose, besides... I'm an individual and individuals are powerless".
You don't see the dynamic there? You don't help your party by being a faithful puppy for it! Holy shit! Where did you learn politics, you need to kick your fucking party into shape before you leave the house man! They BETTER know you'll leave you are just bullshitting them, and they know this, and further, they have other real threats to worry about.
And you are such whiny babies about it, striking out at those that would give a damn rather than at the leaders, oh yes you do! Claim "no, I criticize the leaders too"... not this way.
NEWS FLASH: it's not my responsibility to make the Dem leaders "feel good" and motivated. It's not my job to motivate other progressives either, it's my job to know how I feel, to express how I feel. I'm a voter, not a wannabe manipulator of the masses. I don't have to pretend the Democratic party is worth a shit if it's not... and yet some of you act as though we're all supposed to convince others things are great, to keep up morale, to keep them on the sinking boat because it's still the best boat out there.
The irony, of course, is all this fucking bullshit about how I'm supposed to be a cheerleader instead of a fucking thinker, all in order to keep us together as Democrats is exactly what makes me not just "a bit wary" of Democratic incompetence as I might normally be, not "cautiously optimistic" as I became when the broad left coalition formed around Dean and dkos... it makes me think of betrayal, it makes me loath the party.
Got that? The face you put on demanding we put on a pretty face for the Dems is itself an Ugly Face, and it becomes the face of the Democratic party... because, you see, that's the face of the faithful. The face of the party faithful in the Dem party is "shut your pie hole! fuck off, you're stupid! you're conspiracies are nutty, mine, entertaining speculation" etc. etc. and worse.
That's the face of the party, the reasonable people are asking questions, they are ranting about incompetence, stupidity, and betrayal (they lied about the powder, period), and these reasonable people are not the face of the party, those are not the party faithful asking reasonable questions or making reasonable criticisms. The party faithful are all "love it or leave it", the party face is conservative and divisive, whiny that failures are not tolerated better.
It's not the face of the party that has any principles or ideals, that does any thinking worth a damn. The face of the party likes "the people" on its side, but then wants to let the cream of the crop (which they have an IV from God to identify, and if they are losers, blame God) decide everything, they don't have any faith whatever that the people have the answers. The people are there to support them, "GOD DAMNIT AND RIGHT NOW MOTHERFUCKERS". I actually believe the ANSWERS are out there in the people, and I KNOW the democratic party doesn't think that.
And many of you so called liberal progressives don't believe that too, and if you don't believe that, I am not your political ally, because you are an elitist, an aristocrat, I'm in a thousand year war to defeat your oppressive philosophy and find freedom.
Lol.
It'll never work you fucking pricks, you'll NEVER WIN this way.
BTW: these are just web sites, you have no fucking real influence, you are well handled by the filters... but your stupid pride, thinking you have to control message and the rest, that you had to abandon peer to peer politics for old school politics (but of course, keep the fancy new netroots rhetoric) destroys what it really did offer, which was tying together a progressive coalition.
We had a progressive coalition forming with all the wings, a core through which all of progressive ideology could circulate, that was something. That's what I've been watching and working for. But that's been trashed by a bunch of frustrated trying to be the new New York Times. Take over old media!
When I started this I had not even read DDs fucked up idiocy, but I saw the recommended diary referencing it, so I went and read it:
This is Daily Kos. It is website started by a Democrat. And this Democrat once described this site as a place where we rant about Democratic politics and Democratic politicians.
Well, they are never getting better if you are chained to their bed as a sex slave. "But they like it"... yeah, they like it, and it doesn't make them win though, it makes them like not give a damn if they win.
"never with the intention of harming the party but rather helping the party. "
Help the party? HELP THE PARTY?!?! What the fuck do you know about helping the party exactly? You are the final arbiter? Ever heard of tough love? Ever heard of proving you are serious? No, because the party does not take your complaints seriously, you are a million miles from proving your complaints are serious.
You, specifically DD, are expert at pitting one faction against the other with gems like this, and fucking shutting pie holes etc etc, and none of it led to wins, but it does lead to a lot of animosity and fracturing in the party, which, face it, you're fine with. You follow this path for personal emotional reasons, NOT because it's "good for the party"... it's bad for the party for you to enable it's dysfunction.
They LIED about keeping the powder dry, period, I said they were not really saving the filibuster, they'd surrendered it... I was right, who's going to come tell me I was right? NO, I don't always criticize the party, it wasn't just luck, from always condemning them, and one condemnation was true, this was a specific case. They lied, and that makes people feel like, "well fuck, I can't trust you"... and YOUR problem is with their lack of loyalty.
That's sort of like when conservatives just think you are a hater to criticize Bush, and you hate America. Right, I hate the democratic party the exact way you hate America... A LOT!
Go to your blog lord and ask for bannings then you weak fuck. I'm not leaving the Democratic party and I'm not leaving dkos unless banned, ask all you want, I know I can treat you the way the Democratic Party treats you, and frankly, you should tell people to shut up and let me, if you want to be consistent, I'm a Democrat, and I say your attitude is bad for my party. There are Greens helping the Democrats more than you, by not being partisan saps that think cheerleading is "helping". The ship is sinking, blame the band, "play louder boys! louder! What we need right now is a good song."
Put your head in the sand. I don't give a damn, but remember, Mr. "For the good of the party"... YOU AIN'T GOOD FOR IT. Further, you care more for it than your nation, I gather... which is exactly the reputation you Democrats have, and I for one ain't fighting against that any more, not because of what Maryscott or any other critic says TO YOUR FACE, but because of you, because you are the face of this intolerant fucked up status quo weak as water won't use the power they have dipshit party. Maryscott's concerns don't make me think of leaving the party, YOUR REACTIONS DO.
You tell us to be more constructive, to help us strengthen the party... ironic really really ironic.
And you don't even know what you lack to win.
You think your style helps the party more than threatening it? You are an idiot, and a patsy, you are an ENABLER, you are part of a dysfunctional system where you "will not have it". It == victory. You ARE your party's weakness.
In my humble opinion, of course.