[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
With an ever-present sense of incredulous disbelief I have watched over the past three weeks as Telecom immunity for FISA lawbreakers has somehow been reborn in the House. President Bush feloniously chucked the FISA statue down the toilet, telecoms broke four more statutes to heinously take America into the habits of dictatorship, they got caught before the election but were enabled by the New York Times, and ever since Congress has beat back attempts to change the law and let the telecoms off the hook.
That was the script. Yet in a betrayal that defies belief in scope the Democratic Majority Leader of the House--a man who just months ago precisely advocated that telecom immunity would "be corrupt and wrong"—has scurrilously and furtively engineered legislation precisely for telecom immunity, precisely as Bush wanted all along. Desperate pushback is now underway by the ACLU and Glenzilla in an evolution that’s been described as "a shame" and "depressing."
The stated reason for this galactic outrage? In a rank, slithering crabwalk of cowardice that only produces the most virulent disgust, the "rationale" behind telecom amnesty is that one Senator Barack Obama, Leader of the Democratic Party, of course opposed telecom immunity last year, so the Republicans are gearing up for a hurricane of media fear-mongering timed for the Democratic Convention that accuses Senator Obama and the Democrats "leaving us wide open to attack, we could lose a city because we didn’t grant telecom immunity." Democrats—and apparently Senator Obama—are passing telecom immunity to cut that off.
Ah, depression. One supposes that after the necessary stages of shock, roiling white-hot anger the word "rage" doesn’t come close to describing, and grief depression will be the natural result of this unbelievable betrayal that knifes so many of our post precious principles of Democracy. I’ve noticed that the most stalwart and dutiful members of the Party have evolved a neat little trick in their psyches, they’ve been horribly screwed and betrayed so many times the depression cycle is reflexive. Fuck them over and their brains do a quick little cartwheel of shock, anger and grief, click-click-click, bam, in two hours they’re depressed and donating again.
Unfortunately I don’t think I’ve developed such skill, I’m likely still in shock, so before I become unshaven, muttering, and inevitably deeply brooding in surly, silent depression a few observations are in order.
First I’d like to apologize to the foreign readers of The Left Coaster. Many times I have caught the metric wave and been so deeply impressed and honored citizens from so many other countries read us: Mexico, Israel, Venezuela, Japan, Hungary, Canada, United Kingdom, Peru...I know you remember the America of the past and have been watching us, hoping the Democrats can come into power and stop all this lying slaughtering insanity of Bush.
All this time I’ve been here representing Democrats as a great Democratic, peaceful, just, honorable alternative for 2008, and as we all can see, if telecom immunity passes under the "leadership" of Senator Obama all bets are off. I’m terribly sorry, my own leadership has been lying to me horribly for months—I thought we had the brains and character as a Party to lead this country well again. We don’t. If we win in November I don’t know what will happen in any critical policy area, I just don’t, we don’t have the character to implement any core principle. I’m really sorry to make it appear we did.
Senator Barack Obama, you have been silent on this matter so far. Depression is my implacable fate because I have no where else to go, the Democratic Party is the only path to liberal progression in the United States. You will continue to be my leader and get my vote, the insanity of John McCain is unthinkable.
I’ve been happily looking forward to the arrival of that big brown Union UPS truck, for soon my box of Obama signs, stickers and clothes will arrive, what a happy day it always was to so publicly bang my allegiance into the yard. Now my heart breaks at the thought of it. How can you do this to me, sir?
I would offer with all the gentleness I can muster to my bothers and sisters at Daily Kos, a community I’ve been honored to be a part of for six years, to ask ourselves: what is our mission to our leadership, to be cheerleader or cautious advocates for accountability? To my knowledge only Joan McCarter has publicly called on Senator Obama to respond, and nothing has made the rec list on FISA immunity. It appears that Daily Kos, at this point, generally would be described as acquiescent to betrayal and utter disgrace in abandoning core principles. I’m truly sorry, that’s precisely the message conveyed with silence.
That will not be my path. The Democratic Party and Senator Obama will likely never see another dime of mine for at least a decade, I don’t enable psychosis and betrayal. A vote and a voice for the Little People will fulfill duty quite enough, oh yes. I don’t know what I’m going to do with the yard signs.
I’ll continue to help my brothers and sisters in the blogosphere all I can, the only people who have given me hope and the tools to grow all these dark murdering years. I’m very proud of what’s been accomplished, for in my little way I have tried very hard and done quite a bit. At least in this nightmare of a political life for once I have done well, the results so gratifying. I may be muttering and unshaven, on Prozac and bewildered for years, but I will still be here.