What is wrong with us?!
The top recommended diary is one that smacks Nancy Pelosi around because she refuses to come and listen to our petulent demands.
Kos takes Obama and Clinton to task for not jumping up right now, right now, I say and disclosing to us and the American public everything they are thinking about Iraq.
Kid Oakland mopes that nobody listens to us anymore and that we've been used by our guys.
The most stupid and pointless use of our time right now (other than creating this diary) is to beat up on our side. Why?
Because it isn't ALL their fault.
Let's look at the big picture:
Kos is calling them out. And he should. Hillary and Obama need to make statements and soon. But attacking fellow Democrats is not the way to go and Edwards' statement did a masterful job of laying it all the Dem's feet. Oh, I'm not saying he doesn't have a point but this is not a problem Democrats can solve all on their own. Whatever Clinton's and Obama's plans are for Iraq if one of them becomes president, they have to be somewhat vague to avoid the shredding that the GOP would give them. Edwards is taking a risk in this regard. More power to him, especially if they are good ideas. But let us acknowledge that the dearth of publicity of Edwards' campaign has forced him to be less cautious than Clinton or Obama might be.
And now the White House is rolling out the big guns: a new Osama bin Laden video, just in time for 9/11. Just the thing to reinforce the association of Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, World Trade Center, falling bodies, falling buildings, falling debris, while at the same time presenting the Petraeus Report, followed by "give me more money or the troops die!" request.
Coincidence?
Democrats don't have the frickin' numbers. You can't squeeze blood from a stone. I love to pound my head on the wall because it feels so good when I stop. All this venting might feel good but it doesn't get us anywhere and it looks really bad in the media. It makes Democrats look weak and divided and it makes the Republican stubborness look strong.
Don't forget that earlier this year, the Democratically lead House and Senate managed to send the President a fairly stern funding bill and he vetoed it. And there is no way to overturn a veto without Republican help. So, Congress opted to start diluting the bills with the expectation that one of them would be acceptable to the GOP.
But the GOP reason for being until 2008 is to frustrate Democrats in any way possible. The president will ALWAYS veto and the Republicans will ALWAYS back him up. They announced this as their intended modus operandi on Fox News right after the 2006 election. Their base LOVES it because they think Democrats are the enemy.
So, why are you beating up on Democrats for at least trying to compromise? The media has been on their case to compromise for months now. The GOP wurlitzer rolls out the "support the troops" meme until every stay-at-home mom knows what it means. And now, the White House has another OBL tape to pull out just at the convergence of funding bills and surge reports and 9/11.
And we're getting on the Democrats case?!
I'm just as disgusted with the Blue Dogs as anyone but the mixed messages their constituents are sending them probably has a lot to do with their reticence. "Stop the War! Stop it right now! Bring them home! But don't do anything that would hurt the troops." What's a congressperson to do?
When I think about why Democrats are holding back, I keep coming back to the same place: constituents are still fearful. It is no coincidence that Osama is making a reappearance next week. It is a perfect syzygy of fear, surge, 9/11. The argument that is being made is that the surge is the only thing that stands between Al Qaeda and defenseless Americans. We need to continue the war to protect ourselves. And if we pull out the troops now, we leave ourselves and THEM vulnerable to attack.
So, how is attacking Democrats going to help the situation? What we need to do is:
1.) Put pressure on Republicans, especially ones in vulnerable districts like the one I live in, NJ-07. Mike Ferguson claims to be disgusted with the war but votes with his party all of the time. Why is that? Well, as far as I can tell, no one is attacking Ferguson. They're too busy throwing stones at the Democrats. That's got to change.
2.) Someone in our party has to assume a leadership position and say we will not be afraid of our enemies at home or our political operative enemies in the White House. It is time to stop being afraid and do the right thing even if the GOP has a royal hissy fit. And it is time for the GOP congresspeople who have been intimidated by their leadership to wake up and smell the coffee and join us.
3.) If you must beat up on a Democrat, direct your ire towards Steny Hoyer. It is small minds like his and the other Blue Dogs that are undermining Pelosi. This really pisses me off. She is the Speaker but they are acting like she doesn't count. This is just typical male behavior (you women out there know what I'm talking about) but it has no place in Congress. If she is Speaker, they'd better fall into line. It's hard enough keeping 220+ Congresscritters in order without Steny and his middle aged white male attitude f$%^*ing things up. They act like they can just ignore her whenever they feel like the 'support the troops' crap is ruffling their feathers. Steny's and the other Blue Dog's behavior shows absolutely no respect for her and I really resent it. So, get Steny on the hot seat.
Please, people, stop shooting each other. It is just so typical of our side to start eating its own and throwing blame around whenever we run into an obstacle. It looks like panic and indecision. It's looks really baaaaad. If I didn't know better, I'd think there was a political operative or two among us, subverting our support for Congressional Democrats. The Blue Dogs sure as hell have a lot of explaining to do but let's not put this all on the Congressional Democrats. Up to this point, they've tried to do the right thing and they've tried compromise. They've been good little Broderites because the Beltway demanded it. They are looking at another year of stalemate no matter WHAT they do. Give them encouragement, not a bash on the head.