Framing "Capitulation"

I would have thought that many people here would understand how important framing is to public debate.  Currently, the Washington Post has a headline discussing Bush's "victory" and everyone here is proclaiming how devastating this is to the Democratic Party.  However you feel about the bill itself, it's important to remember that the aftermath is as important to perception as were the pre-vote statements.

By admitting we were defeated, we are granting Bush power and setting ourselves up for a loss come September.   Therefore, it is important to look at the positives in this story, no matter how upset you may be.   Put the positive spin on this!  Talk about progress and how we are moving forward and how Bush's position is weakening.  Don't give the republicans power they don't deserve.

The storyline should not be that Bush won a victory.  The story is that, for the first time ever, Bush is seeing a real challenge to his authority and his days of free reign are over.  Democrats are not defeated.  They are encouraged and will continue to put pressure on Bush to bring our troops home.

•  How about

  Bush "won" through obstinacy the right to continue pissing away lives and money in a hopeless sinkhole that two thirds of the public has grown weary of?

  by Superribbie on Fri May 25, 2007 at 09:51:31 AM PDT

•  Reasoning with an angry mob

  will get you nowhere.

  We walked right into this one, despite numerous warnings. When Obama said he thought it was a bad idea to get into a game of chicken, he was vilified as a surrender monkey.

  Well, we got into a game of chicken and blinked. Our strategy here has been flawed from the beginning. We put the cart before the horse.

  There is no appetite in the public for cutting off funding. This should be obvious, but an angry mob will not see the obvious. Rage trumps reason. "Courage" trumps strategy. It's a martyrdom position and it has failed miserably.

  Will the lesson of building public support for a position BEFORE you attempt to enact legislation be learned? Not if you read what you see here today. Now, the mob has decided to turn its anger on its own leaders.

  Like all angry mobs in a democracy, it will either be jailed or ignored.

  by brooklynbadboy on Fri May 25, 2007 at 09:52:05 AM PDT

•  My favorite (because I thought of it) frame:

  Too many Democrats are using gamesmanship in conceding this round to GWB; this enables GWB to engage in human sacrifice in the Iraq quagmire for a few months more.

  On the other hand, 99% of Republican legislators rubberstamped the same blank check Bush has had for 4+ years.

  Whatever you may think of the Democratic leadership (Reid & Pelosi could have not done worse message management if they tried), the GOP has again exposed itself as the psychotic party of endless war and endless death.  To sum up: Dems lost, but the GOP didn't win.

  by Greasy Grant on Fri May 25, 2007 at 10:04:44 AM PDT

•  How about:

  3/5 of an Iraqi boy thank the Dems for allowing Bush to continue bringing Democracy to Iraq?

  

  by Kingsmeg on Fri May 25, 2007 at 10:15:50 AM PDT

•  Nonsense.

  
  The fact is that The Democratic Party leadership did once again capitulate on Iraq and there is no way to spin it or get around that.

  With the wind at their back and the public now overwhelmingly against Bush, against Cheney, against Iraq, Pelosi and Reid have still decided to abdicate their own power and let the "unitary executive" have his dirty War and everything that he wanted. They also refuse to even hold hearings into the clear lawless and genocidal conduct of Dick Cheney and George Bush.

  About the only thing that this Democratic Party is committed to is ensuring that Bush & Cheney won't be held publically accountable to the law.

  
  
  
  

  by LiberalWithBalls on Fri May 25, 2007 at 10:30:21 AM PDT