First Rule: When your opponent is making a mistake, don't interrupt.

[patcox2]

The dems played it perfectly. Sometimes the best way to win is to give your opponent exactly what they want. I am talking about the Schiavo thing. There is too much knee-jerk "those traitors, they should filibuster everything" criticism, most of it based on simplistic analysis and ignorance of tactics and strategies.

[Cuban_Liberal]

1. Never jump in front of a perfectly good train wreck.

Anyone with political sense knows this.

[achtung_circus]

14. Also known as

when they are digging their own hole, don't offer to hold the shovel.

[thinkingwoman]

2. there are a few here

on DU who understand how the game is played.

The only smart way to have navigated the Palm Sunday situation was how it was played--make it as difficult as possible without actually obstructing.

Thre was no reason to draw attention away from the naked power grab that isn't playing too well in Peoria.

[Walt Starr]

7. The key was not allowing it to actually be passed on Palm Sunday

That was too important to the propaganda technique being used. Denying passage on Palm Sunday was a key maneuver in this thing psychologically.

[thinkingwoman]

24. Very true

Forcing them past midnight in the house was important.

[Walt Starr]

28. Yeah, we would have heard endlessly about the "Palm Sunday Life Bill"

It would have been enough to make anyone puke.

[thinkingwoman]

29. I'm really hoping

that she doesn't die on good friday.

[Walt Starr]

30. It would be more likely she would die on Easter

But the most likely time will be next Monday.

[thinkingwoman]

31. I'm hoping for either Thursday

even though I know it's early...or Monday.

[MemphisTiger]

3. Good point, this goes for any issue

[smoogatz]

4. Good call.

The Schiavo case is an excellent preview of the reproductive rights battle that's coming down the pike, and the American people don't like it one little bit. Schiavo is the kind of issue that resonates with the media and the AJ (average Joe)--it's about life, death and emotion, not just columns of numbers on a chart.

[flamin lib]

5. I have to agree.

With 70% of the electorate saying this is a decision for the husband and 80% saying Congressional Republicans are acting strictly for political ends it has got to hurt them in '06.

[On the Road]

6. That Appears to be Correct

I was afraid that the GOP had another stupid winning emotional issue. But the polls say a majority disagrees with the president.

Looks like the "don't they have more important things to do", "let her die in peace" and "it's a family and state matter" memes are winning.

[TahitiNut]

8. Tell that to the Congressional Dems who climbed on board ...

... the Panderwhore Express. :shrug:

[mondo joe]

9. well no need for the filibuster then.

Or opposition to anything, war included.

[iconoclastNYC]

13. Those are different issue.

Poster is talking only about Schaivo. How do you think the Democrats should have reacted differently on this matter?

[mondo joe]

15. If the strategy was to let the repubs expose themselves, abstain.

Don't join in.

[iconoclastNYC]

10. Amen brother! You said it.

Give them enough rope!

I'm all for Democratic Backbone, but this is playing out beautifully for our side.

They look extreme and hypocritical. The are violating the tennats of thier party which is conservatism, states rights, etc.

The Dems are doing exactly what they should. Seem above it all.

[BrainRants]

11. Now that they're drowning, it's time to throw them an anchor...

No Surrender! Kick the bastards while they're down...and go after the Bug Man for his ethics violations, and get Frist's medical license revoked for "practicing" medicine through a video.

Then again, they've already tied anchors around their own necks, time to watch them squirm...

[Karmadillo]

12. We've pretty much mastered the "don't interrupt" strategy.

n/t

[woodsprite]

16. My daddy always said "Give 'em enough rope,

and sooner than later they will hang themselves." My daddy was a smart man :)

It's taken me a while to learn that though.

[flamin lib]

22. My dad was smart too.

Some of my favorites:

Don't hate a man just because of what he is. Get to know him. Find a good excuse.

Hey, seen two, you've seen 'em all!

Just because you got a fist full of cash don't mean they really like you.

[bigtree]

17. Ignorance

I don't see it as so fucking intelligent to let the majority walk all over you like a good deal of these Democrats seem content to do. I, for one, elected my Senators and Representative to actively oppose this administration, not constantly angle for their political viability. When will this body of Democrats actually stand together against this destructive pack of republican corporatist shills?

Even more ridiculous is this notion that sitting on their hands or, as half in the House did, actually voting in agreement with the conservative majority, was some sort of strategic victory, especially in the light of polls which show that the public would have actually agreed with their opposition to the Schiavo bill. Further, the majority of those polled saw the affirmative vote as a political ploy. Here we had the majority of Americans with us on an issue that we should have been unified on, but instead of standing up and opposing the constitutional meddlers many opted instead for a duck-and-cover response which left many, like me, to wonder where the opposition was. Nesting?

The sheepish response of these timid Dem legislators seems to me to be an inviting the perception of a party which stands for nothing but the preservation of its political future. This is the same calculated meandering that gave us the ANWAR legislation, the Bankruptcy bill, and a continued occupation of Iraq. I'm sickened by the political maneuvering of the bulk of this crop of elected Democrats which has resulted in devastating defeat after defeat and augers for more of the same in the years to come.

Folks who think this is some smart strategy are just rationalizing away the abandonment of those who elected these legislators to actively oppose Bush and his minions. I don't see a grand strategy being exercised by our elected Democrats, I just see fear and craven self-preservation at the expense of the needs and concerns of their core constituents. It's hard for me to see any victory, Pyhrric or otherwise, coming out of this 'avoidance' ploy (if in fact that was what it was). I just see the morphing of our party into a weak confederation that can be counted on to effectively roll over at the slightest hint of political danger, at the expense of basic tenets of Democratic values and Democratic principles.

That's not "knee jerk", "simplistic", ignorant, or any of the other insults you want to dish out for those of us who expect more from those we give our faith, sacrifice, money, and votes to at election time.

[depakid]

18. Maybe- but the cross over Dems

acted as atrociously as ever- and THAT cannot in ANY WAY be said to be a welcome development.

More of the same, sell out AND hurt the party in the process crap, IMHO.

[gratuitous]

19. I'm not sure if the Democrats are that smart

Although the Republicans certainly are that grasping, and overreach is inevitable. That being said, I also understand the time constraints and physical logistics involved. The Democrats, many of whom were out of the town at the time the Republicans decided to make this an issue, didn't have time to caucus or form a coherent counterstrategy. Their initial response was all over the place, as every Representative and Senator either followed his or her conscience or bravely stuck a finger in the wind to try to define the prevailing course.

But now that it's pretty apparent the Republicans overreached their greedy, ham-fisted grasp, it's time to lower the boom on them. Get a strategy going, come out with a unified message that upholds Democratic party principles (follow the laws as written, respect the wishes of the family, honor the marriage of Michael and Terri and allow Michael to speak for his brain-dead wife who can no longer speak for herself), and call the Republicans on their political grandstanding.

Bring out that odious memo that spurred the Republicans into thinking this was a political opportunity to exploit, rather than the incredible private tragedy it is. Draw parallels between this and other Republican intrusiveness, and insist that they quit meddling in private affairs and get back to running the country, which they aren't doing a very good job of right now.

Characterize them as attention deficit-addled adults, distracted by whatever shiny issue crosses their path, while they let our budget get wildly out of whack, our trade deficit grows, the job pool shrinks, and rapacious corporations enslave our citizenry.

Go get 'em, Democrats! They've gone way out on a limb, and now is no time to be squeamish with the chainsaw.

[kaitykaity]

20. Somebody else described this as their

Caligula moment (appointing the horse prime minister or
something like that because he could). I think that's
a pretty spot-on diagnosis.

For them to behave this way is inevitable given their
stranglehold on power in Washington and their arrogance.
It would be sweet if this issue began their unravelling.

[Hamlette]

21. with the astonishing propaganda out there about poor starving Terri

and her apparently greedy and abusive husband, I worry that polls will turn in Delay's favor. I hope I'm just paranoid.

On the other hand, there isn't a family in America who hasn't faced the choice. We all know from experience it is a choice you don't make lightly.

[bigtree]

23. Living will reps report a sharp increase since the case in applications

reportedly up to 2000 a day. That would seem to indicate that the main concern of the public is against government meddling, not some soap opera, fundie propaganda.

[LuminousX]

26. Every American Will Face Death

and every American, while wanting to cling to every thread of life, wants to die in dignity. What is happening to Michael Schiavo's wife, Terri Schiavo, is horrific to a vast swath of people in this country.

Many people do look at life and question whether they would prefer to exist in a near vegetative state or be dead. I personally cannot think of a greater hell than being unable to fully communicate my desires, to fully express myself and not even being able to savor and enjoy the food that is being put into my system.

Mrs. Terri Schiavo can't enjoy a movie, television programs, a good book... She can't go to a lake and swim. She'll never be a mother, and never enjoy neices and nephews. What kind of hell are the Schindlers damnign Mrs. Terri Schiavo to? Why are they putting their own selfish desire before Terri's quality of life?

I believe most Americans can see this clearly. They have either gone through end of life issues with relatives and realize just how difficult a decision it is and realize that forcing someone to remain alive like this is usually a selfish decision made by the living with no respect for the patient.

[WoodrowFan]

25. Never murder a man who is committing suicide.

"Never murder a man who is committing suicide." Woodrow Wilson on Charles Evans Hughes, 1916.

[oldcoot]

27. What makes sure think that the Democrats wouldn't be blamed

for this bill along with the Republicans? There are many individuals who view the two parties as identical, and the fact that so many Democrats actually voted for this bill gives them ammunition.

For the record, I do not expect the Democrats to fight every bill. However, I do expect members of both of parties to fulfill their duty to uphold the Constitution by voting against clearly unconstitutional bills.