TOM TOMORROW TOON: Last week in #Fail

[yurbud]

Last edited Mon Apr 22, 2013, 11:34 AM - Edit history (2)

See more THIS MODERN WORLD AT DAILYKOS.

Here is Harry Reid's DC fax: [phone]

Kindly fax this panel to him:



Here it is, formatted to fill the page.

You can send faxes for free at http://faxzero.com/

[Laelth]

1. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[Scuba]

2. Tom's best ever? K&R

[Fumesucker]

9. Tough decision there.. Recced.

[Walk away]

10. This is excellent in a field of great! nt

[MyOwnPeace]

3. Nailed it!

But can't laugh - it is all too true!

[n2doc]

4. Reid's an NRA guy

He knew what he was doing. This way he gets to play both sides. It is his, and the Senate Democrats, favorite game.

[bvar22]

5. It isn't just Reid.

We have a much bigger problem than Harry Reid.
Our Senate Democratic Caucus ELECTED Reid, a conservative senator from a conservative state,
to be The Spokesman and Lead Democrat in the Senate for this exact reason.
Reid gives all to others cover, and Plausible Deniability for the failure of the entire group of Democratic Senators!
He is doing EXACTLY what he was put there to do.

Watch how long the filibuster lasts the next time the Republicans gain the majority in the Senate.


"...but there was nothing we could dooooooo."

[yurbud]

6. I agree but since he is their leader, he's the poster boy for that deception

[yurbud]

7. a variation of that trick: propose and even pass legislation that other chamber will shoot down

or Republican president won't sign.

Something like that happened here in California with single payer health care: it made it through the legislature to the governor's desk TWICE when we had a Republican governor who wouldn't sign it.

As soon as we get a Democratic governor, the bill can't get enough votes to pass.

[SunSeeker]

12. Yup. Sickening what happened to single payer here in blue Cali.

Shows who is really in charge in the legislature, doesn't it?

[bvar22]

13. Salon did a great piece on this scam.

They are willing to bravely support any progressive bill as long as there's no chance it can pass

http://www.salon.com/2010/02/23/democrats_34/

"The primary tactic in this game is Villain Rotation. They always have a handful of Democratic Senators announce that they will be the ones to deviate this time from the ostensible party position and impede success, but the designated Villain constantly shifts, so the Party itself can claim it supports these measures while an always-changing handful of their members invariably prevent it.

One minute, it’s Jay Rockefeller as the Prime Villain leading the way in protecting Bush surveillance programs and demanding telecom immunity;

the next minute, it’s Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer joining hands and “breaking with their party” to ensure Michael Mukasey’s confirmation as Attorney General;

then it’s Big Bad Joe Lieberman single-handedly blocking Medicare expansion; then it’s Blanche Lincoln and Jim Webb joining with Lindsey Graham to support the de-funding of civilian trials for Terrorists;

and now that they can’t blame Lieberman or Ben Nelson any longer on health care (since they don’t need 60 votes), Jay Rockefeller voluntarily returns to the Villain Role, stepping up to put an end to the pretend-movement among Senate Democrats to enact the public option via reconciliation.

Basically, this is how things have progressed:

Progressives: We want a public option!

Democrats/WH: We agree with you totally! Unfortunately, while we have 50 votes for it, we just don’t have 60, so we can’t have it. Gosh darn that filibuster rule.

Progressives: But you can use reconciliation like Bush did so often, and then you only need 50 votes.

Filbuster reform advocates/Obama loyalists: Hey progressives, don’t be stupid! Be pragmatic. It’s not realistic or Serious to use reconciliation to pass health care reform. None of this their fault. It’s the fault of the filibuster. The White House wishes so badly that it could pass all these great progressive bills, but they’re powerless, and they just can’t get 60 votes to do it.

[tex-wyo-dem]

20. Wow...I've never thought of it this way...

Eye-opening and incredibly maddening, but makes a lot of sense.

Kabuki theatre...

[bvar22]

25. I didn't want to believe it at first,

but began to verify that it was always Just Enough Democratic Senators joining with Republicans to block ANY progress,
and they usually took turns,
and it was always just enough to ensure that the 1% ALWAYS got their way.

One of the most ubiquitous re-appearing threads on DU is the one posted right an important measure fails,
listing the Democratic Senators who opposed,
and asking WHY did (insert your favorite) vote NO on this issue?
It doesn't make any sense.
He/She can usually be counted on to support these issues.

Oh Well. They have a 96% record of voting with the Party.


If you want to read something even MORE disturbing,
try the following piece.

I was in Arkansas in 2010, working to
[font size=3]replace the DINOs in Democratic Primary elections and give President Obama GOOD PROGRESSIVES to help him pass his agenda[/font]
...and what happened there really opened MY eyes.
Remember, Lincoln had NO CHANCE of beating the Republican in the General Election.


White House support for Anti-LABOR Lincoln in Arkansas Democratic Primary

"So what did the Democratic Party establishment do when a Senator who allegedly impedes their agenda faced a primary challenger who would be more supportive of that agenda? They engaged in full-scale efforts to support Blanche Lincoln. Bill Clinton traveled to Arkansas to urge loyal Democrats to vote for her, bashing liberal groups for good measure. Obama recorded an ad for Lincoln which, among other things, were used to tell African-American primary voters that they should vote for her because she works for their interests. The entire Party infrastructure lent its support and resources to Lincoln — a Senator who supposedly prevents Democrats from doing all sorts of Wonderful, Progressive Things which they so wish they could do but just don’t have the votes for.

Ordinarily, when Party leaders support horrible incumbents in primaries, they use the “electability” excuse: this is a conservative state, the incumbent has the best chance to win, and the progressive challenger is out-of-step with voters. That excuse is clearly unavailable here. As Public Policy Polling explained yesterday, Lincoln has virtually no chance of winning in November against GOP challenger John Boozman. And while it would have also been difficult for Halter to beat Boozman, polls consistently showed that he had a better chance than Lincoln did. That’s unsurprising, given how much better non-Washington candidates are doing in this incumbent-hating climate than long-term Washington insiders. And it’s rather difficult to claim that Halter is out-of-step with Arkansas given that they elected him their Lt. Governor. Whatever the reasons Washington Democrats had for supporting the deeply unpopular Lincoln, it had nothing whatsoever to do with electability.

What happened in this race also gives the lie to the insufferable excuse we’ve been hearing for the last 18 months from countless Obama defenders: namely, if the Senate doesn’t have 60 votes to pass good legislation, it’s not Obama’s fault because he has no leverage over these conservative Senators. It was always obvious what an absurd joke that claim was; the very idea of The Impotent, Helpless President, presiding over a vast government and party apparatus, was laughable. But now, in light of Arkansas, nobody should ever be willing to utter that again with a straight face. Back when Lincoln was threatening to filibuster health care if it included a public option, the White House could obviously have said to her: if you don’t support a public option, not only will we not support your re-election bid, but we’ll support a primary challenger against you. Obama’s support for Lincoln did not merely help; it was arguably decisive, as The Washington Post documented today:"

<much more>

http://www.salon.com/2010/06/10/lincoln_6/

[ctsnowman]

29. All great posts. So sad.

[yurbud]

26. aka "whack a mole."

[yurbud]

27. Tom Tomorrow should make a toon out of that excerpt you posted

[arcane1]

31. This deserves to be an OP

[yurbud]

8. a variation of the fax:

Send it to your own senators and ask:

Do Democrats in the Senate repeatedly fail to pass filibuster reform because:

A. You chose a weak, incompetent leader.

B. You agree with Republicans on economic, trade, spending, regulation, and other issues, but you don't want to vote with them because your constituents don't agree and would vote you out, so you hide behind the Republican filibuster.

[Scuba]

16. Should be asked at every presser.

[yurbud]

28. every question the DC press sounds the same to me:

"I can't believe I'm paid to be here asking you questions, and I don't want to ask you anything that will get me removed from this room. What's the most inconsequential thing I can ask you that sounds urgent and probing and require one of your prepared talking points in response?"

[ctsnowman]

30. Exactly.

[Fuddnik]

11. That is SO getting faxed!

Maybe the White House too.

[jonthebru]

14. Thank You Senator Harry Reid.

movetoamend.org

anticorruptionact.org

Two very long shots, but among precious few other efforts, our only chance at reclaiming our Democracy.

Clear the distractions, focus in on the organizational setup...

[yurbud]

18. it's hard to get people to look at the big picture

but it's worth a shot.

[xtraxritical]

15. I'm fairly sure with all the DINOs in the Senate Harry knew it would not sail.

That's just opinion and I will have to do further research.

[Skittles]

17. THANK YOU TOM TOMORROW

[Warren Stupidity]

19. Nailed it. Again.

Half of du is not liking box #2. That mirror must be broken.

[yurbud]

21. I think it's the half that's paid to be here.

[NuttyFluffers]

22. my god, just about each panel can be reposted throughout the year.

it's like the year in review for several years now...

[burnodo]

23. Kick and rec

[myrna minx]

24. K&R