Why do good Democrats do bad things?
Why, indeed. The general consensus is that Democrats have lost their way, so embroiled in the Republican talking points and so fearful of appearing soft on terror that Constitutional principles are set aside for political expediency.
The problem is, warrentless wiretaps and immunity for the corporations that did the Bush administration's illegal bidding are two huge loser issues. And capitulation to an unpopular, incompetent President, makes Democrats appear weak, unprincipled, and nearly as unsavory as the Republicans - the key difference being that Republicans are actively evil, while Dems are apparently just timid and weak. And stupid.
But is this truly the explanation? Find out below the fold!
Again, I ask why do good Democrats do bad things?
The answer, of course, is they are not good Democrats. Some of them are very, very bad. So bad, in fact, that many Democrats are guilty of willfully violating the law right along with the Bush administration.
How could this have come about? Well...
The only thing Bushco does well is politics. They sure as hell don't govern well, they can't manage money, tell the truth, rebuild flooded cities, and I doubt they could even make the trains run on time. But they excel in politics, especially the dirty kind that involves ramming their unpopular agenda down our throats, and they excel in self preservation.
Being totally political animals with a highly developed sense of self-interest, Bushco no doubt realized that their illegal actions would eventually come to light. Political tides can shift, the media might wake up at some point, and even good presidents are booted out of office when their time is up. So the challenge becomes how to ensure that their illegal acts remain secret even if their party loses power?
Simple: Make sure both parties are dirty. Offer certain Democrats enough rope in the guise of "bipartisan" sharing of power, or appeal to the "Blue Dogs" or other conservative-leaning Dems. Play on their worst impulses, get them to assist with your illegal program so that if the truth ever comes out, there's blood on their hands, too.
The beauty is that you don't need whole Democratic party involved, or even a majority. You just need to entice enough key Dems into a significant level of complicity to guarantee they will be powerful advocates for secrecy - as indeed a fair number of Democrats have been. And in protecting their own interests, they simultaneously protect the worst president we are ever likely to see, Constitution and rule of law be damned.
Suddenly, FISA becomes a "bipartisan" scandal - even if only a small handful of Dems are involved.
And Bushco gets yet another "get out of jail free" card.
Obama's disappointing statement about FISA at least shows he's a realist. Obama is going to have to work with the Congress, corrupt as it might be. But you govern with the Congress that you have, not the Congress that you want.
But we can change that for him. And for us.
We have GOT to replace a bunch of these guys.