Reason No. 794 Democrats are still in the minority

Two weeks ago, in the wake of Jack Abramoff's plea agreement, House and Senate Democrats announced they would have a package of lobbying reforms to present to the public soon.

But, when it comes to actually having that package ready to go, the GOP is first to the pole.

If you can't be better organized than that on a crucial campaign issue, how can you expect to reverse the tide?

Note: This is not a comment on the content of the Repubican package; it's not perfect, certainly, but it's not horrible either.

UPDATE: Thanks for the comments, especially the supportive ones by "swimming." "Bimini" has commented on "negative" posts by me before, especially when I mention voting Green.

First, as noted, I didn't say the GOP plan was perfect on the surface. I didn't even mention enforceability loopholes.

BUT, BUT, BUT, this boils down to what was a HUGE buzz topic here a year ago -- Lakoff's "framing" issue.

And, no way around it: Democratic leadership, with inexcusable tardiness, FLUNKED the framing on an issue with huge electoral importance. Can they rebound? Perhaps. But now it's an uphill slog.

•  Reason No. 795?

  Glass is half-empty posts like this.

  by DBJ on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:17:52 PM PDT

  •  Reason No. 796

    Democrats dont follow diary rules on Dailykos.

    by ablington on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:23:50 PM PDT

  •  Ah c'mon

    And the Democrats are organized and on top of the debate, despite a President with approval ratings of 38%.  Give ME a break -- please.  Let the man talk without your beside the point "edits".

    by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:28:54 PM PDT

    •  I gave you a 1

      
      Because your comment is meant to suppress discussion of observed reality.

      by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:30:30 PM PDT

      •  The perfect place

        to suppress your discussion is in an open thread.

        by Sam Loomis on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:33:29 PM PDT

        •  Meaning?

          
          what exactly?

          I am not a supporter of Democratic Dogma from the blind mice apologist priesthood. I will challenge it where I see it and too bad if you don't like it.  

          The half empty label is crap from a bunch of folks who will take any half assed product from this party and be happy.  Their choice but that is not the case for many of us anymore.  

          by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:41:02 PM PDT

          •  my computer fell off the table

            weighted down by your rhetoric.

            kerplunk.

            by BiminiCat on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:44:02 PM PDT

            •  Three blind mice, three blind mice

              
              --see how they run....

              by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 09:02:15 PM PDT

              •  tell you what

                if it turns out, yet again, that dems actually had done more on the issue but MSM didn't report it, what say you promise not to blame democrats first the next time, ok?

                good.

                by BiminiCat on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 11:30:08 PM PDT

          •  Meaning

            Lots of us could easily suppress your opinion here, but it would be more convenient to do it in an open thread, and more respectful to people with actual diaries to be pimping.

            by Sam Loomis on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:46:23 PM PDT

            •  Suppress away...

              
              that's all you can bring?  Have at it, blind one.

              by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 09:04:55 PM PDT

              •  the insane

                have honestly convinced themselves everyone else in the world is too blind to see the singing bull frog.  or too deaf to hear the voices inside their head.

                by BiminiCat on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 11:31:57 PM PDT

                •  It is not insanity

                  
                  To object and challenge.  How interesting that you see it that way though.

                  But you would fit right in to the old Soviet system of sending people who dissent to insane asylums or re-education camps in Siberia because they don't think like you.  How very enlightened.  No surprise that you support the Vichy Democrats.

                  by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Thu Jan 19, 2006 at 04:09:21 PM PDT

          •  bah humbug

             

            by shpilk on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:54:29 PM PDT

      •  No

        My comment was in regard to the post.  I strongly disagree with it.  I'm sorry that offended you.

        I won't retaliate by giving you a 1.  The fact that you'd give me a low rating just because you disagree with my comment shows the kind of person you are.

        by DBJ on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:41:38 PM PDT

        •  Not because I disagree

          
          But it was "unhelpful" to the point of the diary -- which was to question (in my view appropriately), another issue that the Democrats have let fall by the wayside in their continuing ineptness.  I usually donot do that except when I feel a comment rates it.  Yours was just snide and unsubstantive - meaning -  why did you think that he was just being negative without justification?  

          You blind mice Democratic priests tear me up.  Unwilling to accept that there are any problems with the party and unwilling therefore to fix it.  You just want an uncritical cheering section where many of the rest of us want performance and guts from this party -- something that apparently you differ with.  As I said, a quarter loaf is just fine by you.  Yeah, we're making progress with a bunch of republican ass kissing so called leaders who can't wait to sell us further down the river.  Bah!

          by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 09:10:55 PM PDT

      •  of reality spun

        like an RNC consultant.

        by BiminiCat on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:42:32 PM PDT

        •  You are just being silly

          
          I am most certainly NOT a Republican.  I just want principled opposition by the so called Democrats.  You are ok with their going through the motion while selling us out and I am not going to allow that without saying something.  I could care less what you think about me -- but have enough integrity to allow that the Democrats are not living up to the name of opposition to anything except progressive/liberal values.  

          by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 09:13:56 PM PDT

        •  ease off,

          the diarist is just making a comment on the blueberry cool aid many people seem to be drinking on this side of the fence.

          by MetaProphet on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 10:54:33 PM PDT

          •  and i'm just making a comment

            on the lime or rasberry cool aid many here seem to be drinking.

            after repugs defeated levin's amendment (calling for an exit plan) on the iraq war and then voted for their own amendment (calling for reports) on strict party lines, we had to deal with losers who never heard of levin's amendment and had convinced themselves dems were doing nothing on the issue.

            then when murtha said "redeploy asap" a repug put up a resolution calling for "immediate withdrawal" forcing dems to vote against, WHAT THE REPUGS AND THE MSM CALLED "MURTHA'S AMENDMENT".  which was a lie.  to show somehow that no dems supported murtha.  when no dem, including murtha, supported "immediate withdrawal."  see how that works??  probably not.  so then.  we had to deal with negative nancies who fell for it and started blaming dems for not backing murtha on immediate withdrawal.

            it's the nervous habit of those who have conditioned themselves (either cause they're stupid ... OR a repug) to blame democrats for everything they don't understand..

            by BiminiCat on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 11:23:26 PM PDT

    •  Consider yourself fortunate

      you have not got bombed with zeros.

      - yet -

      by shpilk on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:55:38 PM PDT

      •  Feel free

        Why?  Because I am not giving you a cheerleading chorus?  Is this how you handle dissent?  On what basis would I deserve zeros?  Look me up,and what I write.  Its there for you to see and I have been posting on Kos a long time.  Don't like what I say, fine.  But you don't have the right to censor what I observe and believe and that is that the Democrats are selling us down the river -- much to my great distress and anger.  I have been a lifelong Democrat going back years before you could wipe your nose probably.  I walked MY talk door to door from Chicago to Baltimore to Atlanta and now the northwest.  I put myself in a financial hole last year trying to get lame ass Kerry over the hump (debt that I am still repaying by the way).  You have no right to question my cred on anything!

        by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 09:18:09 PM PDT

        •  What a crock

          There's lots of Democrats here who've done lots of shit - you're no different or no more committed.

          "Is this how you handle dissent?  On what basis would I deserve zeros?  Look me up,and what I write.  Its there for you to see and I have been posting on Kos a long time.  Don't like what I say, fine.  But you don't have the right to censor..."

          That's fucking hypocritical.

          You want to hand out 1s, but you think it would be wrong to give you a 0? Is that how YOU handle dissent?

          by DBJ on Thu Jan 19, 2006 at 05:29:57 AM PDT

          •  I means non helpful

            
            zero means troll - someone purposely fragging for destructiveness sake only.  I deliberately did not give a zero for that reason -- I felt his comments were not helpful to understanding what the diarist was trying to say or fair in its criticism.  As I said, I am no hypocrite.  I evaluated the comment according to our guidelines. I donot believe that I deserve a zero following those guidelines, though you may think I deserve 1's.  Your call. As I said, have at it.

            I in no way am doing any more than many others and did not say that I was.  YOu made that interpretation.  The point I made was that I was and had made contributions to the Democrats in many ways -- not that it was better -- only that I had and therefore had the right to question and challenge.

            by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Thu Jan 19, 2006 at 04:04:54 PM PDT

            •  Say what you want

              I say you are a hypocrite.

              Doubly so.  How?  You "evaluated the comment according to our guidelines."

              Talk about hypocrisy!  The irony is that you are defending a diarist whose very diary violated "our" guidelines.

              But I must thank you for the mojo boost.  It was obvious from all the 4s to the original comment you gave a 1 that most felt it was on the mark.

              by DBJ on Thu Jan 19, 2006 at 06:29:33 PM PDT

              •  Its good to live in a dichotomous world

                
                All black and white.  Those who agree with you are just fine while those who disagree are hypocrites, insane or otherwise infirm.

                Ah, that reality of life could be validated by mojo.  Like that means as much as having the Democrats REALLY stand for something again. If I am hypocritical, you are dishonest.  Never once do the "Blind mice" apologists ever acknowledge that the Democrats have ANY improvements to make.  Its all the happy talk police.

                I accept the label hypocrite from you and anything else you want to hurl -- and throw your little "mojo" marbles in too.  The proof lies outside our mean, nasty and petty little argument The Democrats indeed are the ones who control their own destiny --by their own decisions rather than your wishes.  I truly hope that your wishes come true -- do you really think I want them to fail?  

                Thus far, no one but the Blind Mice could be satisfied with their results.  Calling me names and rubbing your little mojo aint chaingin that. Only THEY can.

                by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Thu Jan 19, 2006 at 08:35:28 PM PDT

•  You nailed it

  Recommended.  So very true.  This is just one issue of many.

  Like: what is the Democratic position on the war?

  1.  It was wrong from the get go, we never should have gone, we should leave now.

  2.  Same as #1, except we should leave slowly.

  3.  Same as #1, except we should get NATO to take over.

  4.  It was okay to start, but Bush botched it.  Leave now.

  5.  Same as #4, except we should leave in a little while.

  6.  Same as #4, except we should give the troops tanks and better armor.

  etc etc etc

  by danheskett on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:18:12 PM PDT

•  Y'mean...

  that package with the loophole big enough to drive a fundraiser through?

  Larry Noble, executive director of the reform-minded Center for Responsive Politics, said he was less interested in the specific changes being proposed than in seeing what steps Congress was willing to take to enforce existing laws and rules and any new ones imposed.

  The House Ethics Committee, he pointed out, has been unable to function for a year, even as problems have piled up. The committee has been paralyzed by partisan disputes over rules and staffing, and has not pursued any investigations.

  "Without enforcement, all these rules are meaningless," Noble said. LA Times (my emphasis)

  by kredwyn on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:29:59 PM PDT

•  oh Christ...not another

  let's bash the Dem's dairy. Didn't we get our fill of them this past week. Just when I thought I could come up for air. btw/ 3 sentences does not a diary make. IMHO

  by Chamonix on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:52:24 PM PDT

  •  thank you

     

    by shpilk on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:53:09 PM PDT

    •  When they act

      
      We stop.  Until then, they will get what they deserve -- criticism and challenge.  This is not a religion folks -- and you are not the priests keeping the altar unsullied from apostates. If they start performing and stand up and challenge -- they will get nothing but praise and support from me.  Until then, they will get WHAT THEY DESERVE.

      by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 09:22:06 PM PDT

•  Crap-o-la

   

  by shpilk on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:56:29 PM PDT

  •  or

    Carp-o-la

    by Chamonix on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 06:58:25 PM PDT

    •  rof

      lmao

      by shpilk on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 07:00:17 PM PDT

•  Democrats suck

  they just suck a lot less than everyone else.  I think I'll go slit my wrists in despair now.  Either that or dye my hair jet black and pierce my bottom lip and get a tatoo.. or maybe join a Nunnery.. or the circus.....

  

  by TeresaInPa on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 07:32:39 PM PDT

  •  well then..."Get thee to a

    Nunnery"

    by Chamonix on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 07:37:57 PM PDT

    •  I'll have to go look in the yellow

      pages.  I wonder if I could get into that one in Canada where Jane Fonda visits you when you are nuts.

      by TeresaInPa on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 07:42:14 PM PDT

•  Despite the negative reaction to this post

  I have to admit while listening to the GOP proposal being discussed on NPR this morning I thought to myself... why the f*&k wasn't ours out there first.

  by dkulju on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 08:08:47 PM PDT

  •  Well -- yes

    Why, why, why????

    Our blind mice high priests of Democratic partyland can't answer but they sure want us to stay loyal while time wastes and literally, people die.  No worries I guess.

    by SwimmertoFreedom04 on Wed Jan 18, 2006 at 09:25:34 PM PDT