All Posts Tagged With: "DSCC"

The Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot, as usual, by just about handing George Bush — a failed president with a horrendous legacy, a man whose approval rating is the lowest it’s been since they started keeping such statistics, a leader who is the architect of the most unpopular administration in American history — everything he wants. George was given two gifts this week, courtesy of line-crossing Democrats, or what we like to call “Bush Democrats.”

Gift No. 1: Another $163 billion to continue the illegal occupation of Iraq. How generous of our imperial leader and his submissive minions on Capitol Hill to give the new administration a financial running start at continuing on with this absurd war. As if the poor slob who gets elected isn’t inheriting enough problems. This country is in a colossal mess thanks to the last eight years of inept and misguided ideological-driven leadership.

Gift No. 2: A FISA Act that not only gives Bush and the Telecoms retroactive immunity, but also expands his spying powers. It doesn’t get much better than that for a president who blatantly broke the law and committed an impeachable offense. Luckily for all of us, this bill has been approved only by the House. When it moved to the Senate late this past week, Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) managed to prevent it from being rammed through by delaying a vote until after the July 4 holiday. He released this statement:

“I’m pleased we were able to delay a vote on FISA until after the July 4th holiday instead of having it jammed through. I hope that over the July 4th holiday, Senators will take a closer look at this deeply flawed legislation and understand how it threatens the civil liberties of the American people. It is possible to defend this country from terrorists while also protecting the rights and freedoms that define our nation.”

Nevertheless, the chief architect of this travesty, in concert with President Bush, was none other than Democrat Steny Hoyer. He now holds the dubious title of “Bush Democrat.” The propaganda machine was churning out the crap the other day as Hoyer described this as a compromise that not only

gives the government what it needs to protect us against terrorism, but also puts safeguards in place to guard our rights. The bill is anything but. What the bill stands for is a total cave-in by a spineless Congress. Bush and the Telecoms get their retroactive immunity and we reward a president-out-of-control by giving him expanded spying powers. By doing so, the House has legitimized his law-breaking warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. It was not our government’s finest hour by any stretch.

In addition to electing a gridlock-proof majority (as opposed to the slim, ineffectual one-seat majority they have now), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is targeting the “Bush Democrats” for removal. On the House side, they’ve identified John Barrow of Georgia’s 12th District as someone to replace. For the record, Barrow crossed the aisle on both votes. The DSCC is instead supporting State Senator Regina Thomas.

However, let’s make sure Steny Hoyer is on the list. The spirit of bipartisanship is a wonderful thing. I understand the need for being able to work across the aisle with others. However, the two parties were never intended to be a mirror image. The Democrats look like Republican Lite. We need Democratic party members who will STAND UP to the Republicans, not STAND WITH them.