Feingold: It's us vs. the Clinton consultants

[Cocoa]

http://davidsirota.com/index.php/2007/02/05/feingold-its-us-vs-the-washington-consultant-class-on-iraq/

Feingold: It’s Us vs. The Washington Consultant Class on Iraq

Following Republican shenanigans on the floor of the Senate tonight whereby the GOP filibustered Sen. John Warner’s (R-VA) non-binding Iraq resolution, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) held a conference call to discuss exactly what the hell is going on. You can listen to a three-minute audio excerpt in Windows Media format here and MP3 format here - it is an exchange I had with Feingold about the power equation at work behind all the rhetoric coming out Washington.

After the election we had on November 7th and after polls have registered the public’s deep anger at the President for trying to escalate the war, you would think Democrats would be pushing legislation with real teeth and not just non-binding nothingness, especially if the GOP was going to filibuster anyway. Well, you’d be wrong. In the audio excerpt, I asked Feingold if this is because of Ben Nelson-ism - that is, because of conservative Democrats who are willing to use a brinkmanship progressive senators rarely use. As you can hear, Feingold says it’s even deeper - he says this is a battle between Democrats’ Washington consultant class and the rest of the country - and he specifically targets the D.C. elites from the Clinton administration, who he accurately notes largely supported the war from the get-go.

Whether you agree fully with Feingold’s analysis or not, the Wisconsin senator’s view of what’s going on is fascinating and bold, in that he bluntly talks about a subject too often considered taboo inside the Beltway. His statement once again reminds us of why there has to be real pressure from the outside such as the Progressive States Network’s Anti-Escalation Campaign and/or Act for Change’s latest call to action. Listen to the excerpt - it’s pretty refreshing to hear a U.S. Senator talk so candidly about the Washington power structure and how it really operates.

[usregimechange]

1. K & R

[babylonsister]

2. Here's Sirota's related article on Ben-Nelsonisms:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=261166

[Norquist Nemesis]

101. Sirota's spot on with the piece, IMO

Thanks for the link! All one has to do is look at the Democratic members of the "Gang of 14" and their best buddies. Lieberman/McCain come to mind...

[DaveinMD]

3. where do I fit in

I'm a small consultant, but not a Clinton consultant.

[lancdem]

41. lol

[ulysses]

4. thanks, Cocoa.

[Guaranteed]

5. This is important. K & R. nt

[David Zephyr]

6. K&R.

Thanks for bringing this to us here, Cocoa.

[katsy]

7. I don't have mp3 anything.

Will a transcript be made available?

:cry:

[Bjornsdotter]

10. It's also in

...Windows Media Format, if that helps you.

Cheers

[katsy]

12. Thanks! nt

[salib]

8. k&r

[blm]

9. Thanks for saying it out loud, Russ. Confirms what many of us have believed for

a long time now.

Some Dem strategists have enabled TREASON by staying quiet to protect WH who they KNEW outed Plame when it first happened.

Some Dem strategists SABOTAGED the 2002 and 2004 election by refusing to secure the election process and would not counter RNC's rampant election fraud.

Some Dem strategists SABOTAGED us on election night by calling the WH on election night to offer their observations directly into the ENEMY's ears.

[truedelphi]

141. Would love it if you elaborated. I remember someone here at

DU explaining that Carville held sway over Kerry in terms of convincing Kerry to concede.

[blm]

142. Carville called Matalin at the WH and told her Kerry was going to challenge provisional

ballots. There were 250,000 at that point, enough to pull Kerry ahead. Matalin tells Bush who calls Blackwell, and some time later Ohio election officials tell Kerry campaign there are only 150,000 provisional ballots, the earlier number was wrong.

So, it isn't that Carville had sway over Kerry, he kept the enemy informed who would hold sway over the number of the provisional ballots.

If DNC had a strong infrastructure in place in Ohio, the Dem election officials there would have overseen a secure process at every point. But the Ohio Dem party infrastructure at that point was one of the weakest in the country.

[Samantha]

163. My gut feeling was there was an inside deal

Originally offered in the first Bush* term that if the Dems allowed Bush* to have that second term, 2008 would be a skate for the Democratic nominee, Hillary.

This is the same deal the first Bush* commander-in-chief offered Bill Clinton when his candidacy threatened to dethrone George H.W. Bush* in 1992. Bill, as we know, turned the deal down and was hounded, I repeat, hounded during his terms in office as "payback" for not playing along. That "payback" included the impeachment process.

Now older and wiser, when the second offer of this nature came from the Bush* family for the second Bush* to have that second term, the Clintons agreed. 2004 was a goner for the base of the Democratic party before the polls ever opened. That's why Dean was derailed and Kerry slid into frontrunner status. He was taken out as was predestined and Bush* slid into that extra second term (despite our amazement) because the deal was done between the elites of the party without our input (we naively thought we could vote a new guy in).

That's why Hillary is the predetermined so-called front runner, and that's why the Republicans won't block her. She played ball with the Bushes in 2004 (and so did her longstanding friend Carville) and now it's her turn to come to bat, and they (the Republicans) will adhere to the game. Carville, et al., will slide right back into power for holding up their end of the bargain.

That's my theory and I have posted it repeatedly here in the past. No links -- just political guts talking from the watching for a number of years how the game is played here inside the Beltway . Some called it a "fix" -- and properly so.

[blm]

165. Bush2 needs Clinton 2 to coverup for him the way Clinton1 covered up for Bush1.

http://consortiumnews.com/2006/111106.html

[truedelphi]

167. Very astute thinking on your part. And Gawd it's maddening

Bev Harris said on national radio in Spring of 2004 that in primaries across the East, where the electronic voting machiens were in place, Kerry was top runner - where the machinery was not in place, Dean was.

[truedelphi]

166. Thanks, BLM here's what that makes me chew over -

>>If DNC had a strong infrastructure in place in Ohio, the Dem election officials there would have overseen a secure process at every point. But the Ohio Dem party infrastructure at that point was one of the weakest in the country.

Was that weak Dem infrastructure deliberate? Accidental? Deliberately accidental?

[blm]

168. I think deliberate. Terry Mac is Hillary's campaign chair now. You would think that

after the 2000 election fraud hearing the Dem party would have worked 4 years to counter the typical fraud committed by RNC operatives and put security measures in place long before the 2002 and 2004 elections, especailly in crucial states like Ohio where it was always expected to be THE battleground for 2004. Oddly, though, the the infrstructure was weakened even MORE in that state in 2002 and 2004.

It doesn't make sense that it would have been allowed to happen, but it seems that after 9-11, the DNC figured that Bush and GOPs were going to win anyway, so who cares about party infrastructure? Terry was spending DNC money like crazy in DC, though. Getting ready for Hillary 2008.

[zulchzulu]

175. Carville Le Renégat needs to be exposed

The word renégat = turncoat in French. Being that he's Cajun...

[blm]

178. That's a good one - will steal at every opportunity, zul....heheh

.

[stevedeshazer]

11. Thanks for posting this

That's a real window inside what is happening. As a progressive, I'm disturbed and disgusted by this.

We've got one huge fucking opportunity to move America upwards, and these guys, ostensibly on our own team, are standing in the way.

They had their chance with their third way bullshit and lost.

[monmouth]

13. Russ hasn't lied yet and has always been "right on" - Hill has got

to be knocked out early in this game. Another dynasty in the making, don't think so. How we going to do dat???

[Demeter]

35. Give Hillary Enough Rope, and She'll Do It For You

She may not have as much experience as Joe Biden, but she's a quick study!

[Jackpine Radical]

154. Zing.

Nice shot.

[mazzarro]

49. Ditto !

I am with you on that - she needs to be knock out clean and quick - IMO. The DLC/Clinton-group is furiously backstabbing the progressive movement again and we have to fight them back aggressively.

[pampango]

81. Targetting the perceived leader in the primary race is a tried and

true strategy. Kerry stumbled but was able to recover in 2004.

Let us just be careful about creating the perception that we are going after the woman first and then, if we support someone else, turn on Obama, the African American, and try to knock him out of the race, assuming that he still has a lot of popular appeal at that point. That would leave a field of primarily white males which would have kind of a "repub" look to it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

150. I don't care if it's all white males or black females or Asian transgendered people

I want candidates with guts who will take on the Washington establishment and the Beltway consultants instead of buddying up to them.

[Tom Joad]

14. Again, its not just "non-binding" but it is in essence, a reaffirmation of the war.

http://www.counterpunch.org/feingold02032007.html

Finally, the resolution tacitly rejects the idea of Congress using its power of the purse to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq. By warning against "the elimination or reduction of funds for troops in the field," the resolution embraces the same misleading rhetoric the White House uses to prevent any discussion of Congress' ending the war. Every member of Congress agrees that we must continue to support our troops and give them the resources and support they need. By setting a date after which funding for the war will be terminated -- as I have proposed -- Congress can safely bring our troops out of harm's way.

[porphyrian]

15. I'll definitely kick that. - n/t

[leftchick]

16. Corporatist is the word

and it isn't just the clintons it is the majority of Dems in congress. Feingold and a few others are the only real gems.

[blm]

17. Clean Money, Clean Elections - Time to resubmit it, Senators.

.

[flpoljunkie]

158. Especially now that Hillary will have $1M bundlers! How obscene is that to the democratic process!

You know all that "of, by and for the people" stuff.

[MelissaB]

19. Yeah, scarry isn't it?

How the hell did we get here and how do we fix it?

[leftchick]

24. greed is how they/we got there

how do we fix it? I have some ideas and it does not include letting the DLC/AIPAC/M$M pick the Democratic candidates. Grassroots education of those Democrats blinded by the corporatists is key.

[PreacherCasey]

28. "Grassroots education of those Democrats blinded by the corporatists is key."

BAM! :nuke:

While we're at it, we need grassroots education of anyone who will listen! I spread the word on PNAC, Carlyle Group, Military Industrial Complex, Globalization, Corporate Tax Shelters/Accounting Frauds, ect, wherever I go.

[MelissaB]

80. I can't believe I misspelled that.

:blush:

[cascadiance]

23. Yes, I believe "Clinton consultants" is a code word for the DLC!

And THAT folks is what we need to keep out of the White House in 2008 if we're going to do any meaningful change in uprooting the corporatocracy we have in place now!

I hope he can pass us more hints about who of the current crowd of presidential candidates is being "serviced" by those "Clinton consultants" besides Hillary herself.

Even the recent Obama "stories" smell like something that's being orchestrated, and it's still hard to tell who all the players really are, and if Obama is an honest victim, or part of the play himself. I'd like to believe the former, but with folks like Carville and the others that play in that crowd, I wouldn't put it past them!

We really need to get the candidates to state unequivocally what they feel on issues like public campaign financing, the bankruptcy bill, and other legislation that we know the corporatists hate and want to shut down! Whereever we can, we need to press them on this, since the press themselves won't ask them these questions to avoid them having to deal with it.

Still hoping for "Gore/Feingold" in 2008!

[glitch]

60. Wouldn't that be awesome? "Gore/Feingold" in 2008! nt

[nebenaube]

109. I'll vote for that! n/t

[joeunderdog]

139. Methinks there's a shot at Hillary in here somewhere.

If you're no fan of the Iraq Invasion, you can't be a fan of Hillary.

[MannyGoldstein]

18. Feingold Just Hates Powerful Women

I'm glad he decided not to run for President - he would be a terrible President, way to honest and forthright.

Imagine: voting against the war.

[cascadiance]

25. Please tell me you forgot the following smiley!

:sarcasm:

[Canuckistanian]

63. Hmmmm....

:eyes:

[Stephanie]

74. a little missing vowel confused you - should have read >

"way too honest and forthright"

[Stephanie]

73. lol!

You Are Too Funny!

[happydreams]

157. Nice one!

:hi:

[cool user name]

20. Thanks for posting. Damn, I wish Russ would run.

A Gore/Feingold or Feingold/Gore ticket would be out of this world.

[cascadiance]

27. So far only Feingold has dismissed running for the top spot!

I'm hoping that Gore is being intentionally cagey now to avoid the "corporate consultant" onslaught that went after Dean and now is going after Obama (or at least made to "appear" that they are going after Obama).

I'm also still hoping that Feingold feels like he can still be in the VP slot after doing a lot of the hard work in the Senate that he's said he needs to do as the reason why he can't spend a lot of time on a presidential campaign now.

[cool user name]

29. Let's hope both scenarios work out.

Damn, Gore/Feingold gives this straight guy a ragin' hard on.

:bounce:

[wicket]

55. I wish he would run too

n/t

[cool user name]

21. "People who refuse to pull the trigger ...

... It's an historical tragidy."

[patrice]

22. Isn't what consultants say biased by the fact that they are paid to

say it? Why doesn't that matter?

[blm]

26. It was 'strategists' who downplayed electronic voting machine fraud. If machines

were secured then Democrats would win, and they couldn't pay their expensive DC mortgages by advising them to move to the right or kiss some corporation's ass.

[patrice]

32. I'm not surprised some would do that.

I'll bet these "strategists" and consultants are pretty a-moral.

[patrice]

30. Does this unity08.com deal with this issue ?

http://www.unity08.com/

[sandnsea]

33. Keep pushing that

I looked at it earlier and nothing jumped out. But keep pushing, somebody might connect the names to an agenda.

[sandnsea]

31. Finally

There we go. It's about time. This is why Hillary cannot win this nomination.

[SaveElmer]

34. Ok Russ...you are a United States Senator...what are you going to do...

I hear alot of words without much in the way of a plan...

Your one shining success in Washington was campaign finance reform...

You worked hard, built coalitions, worked with enemies...worked within a power structure in Washington with a vested interest in its failure...and you got it passed...

Yet now all we seem to get are complaints from the sidelines...calls for dramatic change without a plan for executing that change...complaints about a Clinton consultant class (but precious little criticism of Republicans)...but you don't name names...you don't identify who it is in the Democratic party that wants to stop a non-binding resolution...

So what are you going to do? What concrete steps are you going to take to either get a binding resolution passed, or to defund the war...what coalitions are you going to build, what political enemies are you going to work with?

What is the plan?

[Jacobin]

36. I believe he's frustrated because he can't do it by himself

The Clinton money people like this war.

[SaveElmer]

37. Bull...

That is a talking point...and inaccurate...

If he has some kind of evidence that the "Clinton money people" are behind the Republican filibuster he should name names...

He is acting more like Dennis Kucinich when he should be acting like Paul Wellstone!

[Jacobin]

38. then who do you suppose it is?

[SaveElmer]

39. I have no idea...

But it sounds like an excuse not to put the legwork into getting it done..

[Hardrada]

40. Well, we get the general idea anyway.

Better to make some sense than to keep us confused and in the dark about all this. I am myself getting interested in the role of the insiders.

[Tellurian]

83. It's the same thing as the Edwards triangulation

last weekend, saying Edwards consulted with former Clinton people when he con-sponsored the IWR Res-
He whispered in Feingold's ear and now we're hearing, no name Clinton consultants. Clever bunch they are!

Names? You want names? The Clinton haters need their daily self affirming hate FIX- as just one more Hillary excuse.

[adigal]

124. Why has Hillary not said, "I made a mistake."

She says, We all made mistakes, blah, blah, blah, and then says, "No options are off the table for Iran." But she won't use that personal pronoun, I, and until she does, and admits she was fooled, I won't support her for President.

And she and Bill are getting big, big bucks from fat cats and corporations, so please...she is a corporate candidate, not a little guy candidate.

[jgraz]

66. Ooh...bashing two of Hillary's rivals in on sentence...nicely played

And pretty much your only option when your own candidate is out of ideas and principles. I particularly liked it when you complimented the dead guy.

Tell us, Elmer: when's the last time Hillary acted like Paul Wellstone?

[SaveElmer]

69. Kucinich and Feingold are lightweights...

Paul Wellstone was not...and Bernie Sanders is not...

They work(ed) the system to accumulate a solid record of accomplishment....

So in terms of actually getting something done...Hillary has acted more like Paul Wellstone recently...

[Stephanie]

94. OMG, you are hilarious!

Comparing Hillary to WELLSTONE? Give my regards to Peter Daou. :hi:

[SaveElmer]

171. In terms of solid accomplishment as a legislator...

You bet!!!

[dogday]

96. What are you smoking?

Russ Feingold has more Patriot in his little finger than most.... He knew enough not to sign the Patriot act and the IWR. He has been working the legal process hard and doing the legwork... It is not his fault these middle of the road Democrats won't get behind ending the Iraq war.....

[SaveElmer]

172. It's his fault...

He won't find a way to work the system with the hand he was dealt...instead of whining over what he doesn't have...he did it with campaign finance reform...he can do it again...

[John Q. Citizen]

126. Poor analysis, but you have a right to your opinion.

[mvd]

169. Not to mention that an individual Senator can do more than..

one House member, like Kucinich.

[SaveElmer]

173. Thank you...

I disagree however

[jgraz]

129. Elmer, you're so much more effective at destroying your credibility than I could ever hope to be

I'm just gonna shut up and let you work.

[John Q. Citizen]

132. What has Hillary done? Promised if she wins in two years she will get out of

Iraq?

Reminds me of the Nixon pledge.

I guess Hillary has a secret plan, because she sure doesn't have a resolution in front of the Senate to bring them out now.

[jgraz]

140. A resolution?? You mean an actual concrete proposal? From Hillary????

You must be kidding -- that would just be grandstanding. Even worse, it might cost her a couple corporate donors.

[John Q. Citizen]

164. I hear there is a first time for everything. someday..........

[PassingFair]

59. Maybe he's advising the HOUSE.

Your constant "What is the plan?" motif
sounds an awful lot like the republicans
bleating.

The democrats have GOT TO TAKE A STAND, even
if it makes the YEA voters look bad. Even,
dare I SAY it, if Hillary's career goes down
in flames for her political missteps.

Iraq was a TERRIBLE SNAFU.

[snot]

61. Isn't blaming Feingold

for not having the solution in hand a bit like Koppel blaming Carter for the Iran hostage crisis?

The excerpt does not indicate to me that Feingold's just throwing up his hands and giving up.

[jgraz]

65. No, it's more like Bush blaming the Dems for not having an Iraq exit strategy

The continued "plan" posts are attempts to distract from the real effect Feingold and the progressives are having on the corporate wing of the Democratic party. Don't let yourself be pulled in by it.

[SaveElmer]

68. If Feingold didn't have a history for this type of tactic...

Usually starting by criticizing fellow Democrats and the Democratic leadership...I would be more forgiving...but this is his MO...

He's gone down the other path...got campaign finance reform passed...why his first instincts now seem to be to run to the microphone to criticize Democrats I don't know...but if his goal is to work to get this stuff passed...it is a very poor start...

[dogday]

97. The truth hurts and Feingold is only

telling the truth.....

[MessiahRp]

147. Sorry but the obstructionist DLC Dems need to be called out

They're hiding behind a Democratic majority as if they and their pro-Iraq War views were what people voted for in November rather than an uprising against this war. Feingold's stance has the sentiment of the voters on November 7th and as every opinion poll shows THAT is what the Democrats should be doing.

We already know most the Republicans are tools that follow their personal financial best interests first. So voters gave Democrats a chance to be different and take us in a different direction and that means STANDING up to Bush not saving his ass by helping Republicans continue this war.

I am a strong Democrat but when some of our own need to be taken to task, it should be done. We need not become stepford Republicans who sit back and be quiet no matter how horrific the actions of other members of their party. See: Mark Foley the Child Predator and Republican reactions to it if you need proof of why this is a bad idea.

The DLC can eat it. Nobody wants more Republicans, especially when they call themselves Democrats. They cost us 2000 and 2004 almost as much as the voting machines did. It's time to kill this faction of the party off and let the majority rule.

Rp

[jgraz]

64. Apparently it's US against the Clinton consultants, too

Seriously, learn a new song. This one's been stale for a few days now :boring:

[Cocoa]

85. attach anti-war language to the 9/11 Commission bill

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/020707/surge.html

<snip>

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said yesterday that the 9/11 Commission bill, slated for floor debate after the continuing resolution that is next up for the Senate, is a “good opportunity” to bring up his proposal for a binding funding cutoff for future deployments to Iraq.

Feingold said he and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the only other Democrat who indicated he would oppose the Reid-backed non-binding resolution, are amassing consensus among anti-war lawmakers: “We’re working very closely together with a number of senators who think we are not going far enough.”

Reid told colleagues on the floor after Monday evening’s failed cloture vote that the 9/11 bill, which House Democratic leaders trumpeted in their “100 Hours” agenda, will be open to war-related amendments. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who unveiled his own binding troop proposal yesterday, said yesterday that the 9/11 Commission bill is his preference.

“It’s very possible” that binding limits on the war could hitch a ride on the new aviation and port security funding in the 9/11 measure, according to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), chief sponsor of a troop-ceiling bill that currently sits on the Senate calendar.

[Stephanie]

93. God, you sound just like George Bush.

"What is the Democrat PLAN?"

[bvar22]

103. Reminiscent of the Repube mantra of "Dems have no plan".

First step: Identify the Problem.

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[zulchzulu]

176. If you REALLY want to read Russ' plan, here it is...

http://feingold.senate.gov/issues_redeploy_factsheet.html

If you want to whine that he doesn't have a plan or is a "lightweight", please continue to make a fool of yourself....

[omega minimo]

42. That's why when he runs for president, he will win

"...the Wisconsin senator’s view of what’s going on is fascinating and bold, in that he bluntly talks about a subject too often considered taboo inside the Beltway....it’s pretty refreshing to hear a U.S. Senator talk so candidly about the Washington power structure and how it really operates."

[Time for change]

48. I'll second that -- very very refreshing

I hope he gets drafted for President.

[omega minimo]

51. Stands alone and speaks the Truth to Power-- THAT is leadership. He looks more like a president than

any of them. He has the bearing, the courage-- a throwback to pre-Reagan concepts.

He has taken crucial positions on many insane Bushco. issues when NO ONE ELSE WOULD.

:patriot:

[Jackpine Radical]

155. Russ says he's not running.

I believe him. Russ generally does what he says.

[tom_paine]

43. Not good. Apparently, the Dem Power Structure is indeed the battered wife

Time to start acting like Farrah in the Burning Bed, metaphorically speaking!

[bigtree]

44. Clinton bashing shit again

he should be held to account for his own ability to effect any of the changes he wants, along with the Democrats he's ripping on.

Now it's the Washington (Clinton) Consultant Class who's keeping poor Russ down. How is this any different from the republicans who use Clinton to bash our party with?

[LittleClarkie]

62. To be fair, those aren't Feingold's words

just the OP's. He never mentioned Clinton.

[sandnsea]

67. "previous Democratic administration"

That's exactly what he said. "washington consultants, especially those who were part of the previous Democratic administration", and then goes on to describe how the leadership is threatened with the Republicans tearing them apart. I suppose one could come to the conclusion that Clinton-era consultants were no longer following a Clinton political agenda, but I don't think that's very likely in reality.

[LittleClarkie]

70. Ah, sorry, didn't read closely enough

He does seem to be referring to Clinton then.

[sandnsea]

71. It's on the tape

I listened because I wanted to make sure what Feingold said for myself because I was surprised he would point to anybody in particular at all. He didn't say Clinton specifically, and I suppose he could backpedal if he felt like he needed to, but taken in whole it sure sounds like he's targeting the Clintons. Can you listen, or do you want me to transcribe some more of it?

[dogday]

106. He also said it's a whole lot of Democrats including

middle of the road Democrats, and even Liberal Democrats, and even people who voted against the war, refuse to pull the trigger. Politicians want to play it safe and it is against his conscience to put up with that, he wants to end this war...

[sandnsea]

110. On the advise of Clinton consultants

It's the Clinton insiders who are afraid of standing up to Republicans, meantime we can't even get a non-binding Iraq resolution to the floor. Their pundit was just on MSNBC and didn't say a word about what Republicans are doing. It's pathetic.

[dogday]

113. Pathetic describes it accurately.......... nt

[blm]

130. It was evident who it is now - Kerry-Feingold withdrawal vote showed who is who.

By early last year, everyone in DC knew everything there was to know about the lead up to war and the current civil war in Iraq.

They ALL voted based on the SAME knowledge about Iraq, not like the IWR vote where crucial evidence was and intel was manipulated or left out completely.

[cui bono]

72. lol.

[InsultComicDog]

77. No it's not

And it's not just Clinton, it's Rahm and the DLC in general.

In other words, those in the party who have been trying to suppress the progressive wing of the party for several years now, and have helped to marginalize anyone left of center as "the angry left".

The same people who did nothing for the Democrat in the Connecticut Senate race, either backing the candidate of the "Connecticut for Lieberman" Party or at least expressing only lukewarm support.

The same people who want us to donate money and then shut up.

Well, I still vote for these people if they make it through the primaries... they're far preferable to their Republican counterparts. But as long as they continue to suppress and marginalize "the lefty bloggers", they will not go unopposed.

[bigtree]

92. the whole'Rahm' uproar was nothing but a weak attempt to leverage power

by trying to pull the representative down with generalizations and un-sourced, third-hand quotes. It's a sleazy way to elevate oneself, and it trivializes the real obstacles which our agenda faces against the current balance of power in the two Houses. These 'lefty bloggers' need to provide us with more than the sour grapes act. Where's the effective legislative vehicle for their proposals, given the current balance of power in Congress and the WH's veto power?

[bvar22]

102. Hi, Rham!

How's that ole
Repub-Lite thing working out for ya?
Are the big single source Corporate funders getting scared and starting to call you at dinner time wanting to know how you are gonna stop all this populist crap?
You know they expect performance for their money!


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[bigtree]

105. I don't belong to ANY organization other than the Democratic party

I read and critiqued something from the DLC site in defense of Kerry, but, that's all I've ever bothered to read or listen to from the DLC.

I think this obsession with tearing down the Democratic representative is counterproductive nonsense. The entire tiff over his role in our WINNING campaign for the House reads like a food fight in a junior high school cafeteria.

Rahm . . . sheesh.

bigtree

ron fullwood
15625 posts
Member since Sun Aug 17th 2003
columbia, maryland
homepage: http://www.returningsoldiers.us/

my article archives at OpEdNews.com:
http://www.opednews.com/author/author176.html

[InsultComicDog]

111. It's not an obsession

Just a fact that we disagree over the direction that our party should take.

And we're not going to sit around and let the DLC make that sort of decision for us.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/07/AR2006110701697_pf.html

In private talks before the election, Emanuel and other top Democrats told their members they cannot allow the party's liberal wing to dominate the agenda next year.

He was saying, anticipating a Democratic win, that after the election, liberal opinions should be discarded.

And as usual, the media is reporting this as "inclusion"...rather than what it is, which is EXCLUSION.

Who's starting up with whom here?

[bigtree]

114. that's the cheap shot report I'm talking about

Find me ONE, just ONE other reference where Rahm Emanuel has said the things the article alleges. They couldn't even put the statement they attributed to him in quotations! Moreover, the twice, thrice removed 'quote' is couched in an OPINION PIECE which is overly critical of Rahm. It's all self-serving nonsense.

There are no reputable quotes of the representative saying any such thing, and he has repeatedly denied that he has such an agenda. I posted on this here. bigtree and Rahm should pull it all up in a search.

[InsultComicDog]

118. OK then

Well, whether Rahm was in agreement with it or not, what did you make of the stuff Carville was saying about Dean shortly after the election?

[bigtree]

122. He has a big mouth. He's nothing but a hired gun.

where is he now?

[InsultComicDog]

148. Well if he's a hired gun

someone must have hired him...

[John Q. Citizen]

131. Only if you believe Russ is alone in this country wanting to get the hell out of Iraq.

If you agree with government run by consultants, then I see where you are coming from.

I want our troops out. Now.

What do you want?

[Larkspur]

149. Thank Goddess someone has the courage to attack Clinton when Clinton and

his staff are wrong. They were wrong about Iraq and they don't want to be held accountable for it.

Russ Feingold rocks! We need to shake out the parasites that the Clintons and their cronies have become. Like Bush, the Clintons don't care if others die for their bad judgment. Chelsea isn't in the military so it's not personal for them.

[Warren Stupidity]

45. So how can we help?

What can we all do to get back control of our party?

[Stephanie]

95. Join a progressive coalition such as PDA.

And work to get progressive Democrats elected to Congress. Just think if we had a dozen more like Feingold. Think if our side of the aisle was full of Wellstones and Boxers and Conyers's. It can be done.

[bvar22]

108. Many things:

1) Stop funding the monster.
The DSCC and the DCCC are especially offensive. They are the vehicles that the Corporate owned insiders (Rham) use to suppress grass roots populism in the Democratic Primaries.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=160&topic_id=14207

Send all contributions directly to progressive candidates or the Progressive Democrats of America.

http://www.pdamerica.org/


2)Expose the Evil
Spread the Word. DU is nice, but an echo chamber. Visit more moderate Democratic sites and spread the word.

3)Become active in local politics.
Most local politicos are beholding to the entrenched beltway interests. These are the guys who were manning the apparatus before 2000, and most are mini-fiefdoms. ALL remember a visit from a beltway big-wig Dem, and that was enough to earn their undeserved and unquestioning loyalty for years.

(In 2002, I was stunned to observe our precinct and district apparatus in action. MOST of the old timers resented the Progressives as newcomers. The old buzzwords of electability and coalition building were used to trump Progressive ISSUES and dictate support for the Corporate Owned beltway Dems and the Status Quo!

Progressive MUST take over the local apparatus!


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[Robbien]

46. This is why DC politicians keep talking about bi-partisanship

and keep pushing the idea the Nov 7th vote was all about the voters demanding bi-partisanship.

We said no such thing. We don't want bi-partisanship.

The Clinton consultants are the ones pushing that meme.

[bigtree]

50. Democrats won't overcome the balance of power without convincing republicans to sign on

like we did in the opening session in the House with the bipartisan advancement of legislation the republican leadership had been blocking.

I don't know why folks think we can afford to throw away the votes of republicans who want to work out compromises on important issues like Iraq. I don't know why some seem to be willing to leave our soldiers in place while they stand on their 'principles'. A partisan bill which had all of the Democrats voting and the miracle of overcoming the inevitable republican filibuster would still face a certain veto when the bill reached the White House - in effect, making the entire effort worth nothing more than a protest vote; ineffective and accomplishing nothing.

On the other hand, the non-binding resolution would stand without a presidential signature. It provides bipartisan pretext for the Democrats next announced move to use the budget process to put the lid on the escalation and pressure Bush to end his occupation. It also lays down a bipartisan pretext for any future action which intends to hold Bush accountable for ignoring the (bipartisan) will of Congress and the American people - something which shouldn't just be presented in a partisan way, out of the blue, if we expect such an extreme rebuke to get the support in and out of Congress it needs to succeed.

[Robbien]

54. No one said anything about throwing out GOP votes

I said there is a meme going round DC which states the voters want bi-partisanship. The meme says the November 7th vote sends the message the voters want bi-partisanship.

The November 7th vote said no such thing. The voters said no such thing. No where in the election where GOPers were kicked out and Dems were voted in does anything lead anyone to believe the voters where asking for bipartisanship.

I posted that all of a sudden the day after the election, a bi-partisanship meme started up in DC which kept being repeated by the DC pundits and DC congresscritters. The meme came from somewhere.

[bigtree]

56. what is bipartisanship if it isn't seeking republican votes for our legislation?

[Robbien]

58. self delete

sorry

[sandnsea]

112. No, we need to call their bluff

Somebody needs to get on the tube and say "Republicans want to permanently fund anything Bush wants on Iraq, any number of troops, trillions of dollars, as far as the eye can see". These Clinton Democrats need to get it through their heads that Republicans NEVER cooperate and are only interested in power, that's why we're in Iraq. They believe in bullying their way around the planet and they're going to do that in Congress and these Clinton Democrats better wake up to it.

[bigtree]

115. that doesn't sound like it would do anything but give us a defeat on an effort to stop Bush

There's no guarantee that it would move the republicans. It would likely end up looking like what it was: a defeat.

what then?

[sandnsea]

116. We're not stopping Bush

They are calling the shots on what reaches the floor in a way Democrats never did in the minority. The weaker Warner resolution, PLUS permanent war funding AND no Kennedy binding resolutions or withdrawal legislation can even be introduced. Now you tell me what the hell Democrats are winning.

[bigtree]

117. taking this portion of the effort and making it the defining moment is not accurate

"Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate have pledged to their rank-and-file that a vote on a nonbinding resolution opposing the troop buildup would merely be the first attempt to pressure Bush to shift course in the war. Other legislation will be binding, they said."


http://dwb.sacbee.com/24hour/politics/story/3547524p-12762379c.html

[sandnsea]

119. ???

I have no idea what you mean.

[bigtree]

121. I know.

We obviously haven't stopped Bush. If it was so easy it would have been done in January.

Almost all of the things the critics have been advocating have been in process and are being pursued by the leadership. That's what the article referenced. That's what the leadership has been saying all along. But the critics are portraying the non-binding resolution at the end all/beat all. No one has suggested that it's the end game. That's what makes all of the hand-wringing so ridiculous, as if these were new notions; as if those of us on the outside are the ONLY ones who care about stifling Bush.

The Democratic leadership is engaged in an effort to stop Bush, with due consideration for the limits placed on achieving effective legislative rebukes by the balance of power.

[sandnsea]

123. The resolution is stalled

Do you understand that?

[bigtree]

125. I don't need your patronizing

ALL RESOLUTIONS, BILLS, INITIATIVES, BINDING OR NON-BINDING, ARE STALLED

But that's not, by any means, the END of the process.

[sandnsea]

134. Who is letting people know why??

Democrats sat down with Republicans and Republicans played partisan games. You seem to be suggesting Democrats continue down that same tired path, despite the fact that the people want a different course. Republicans are demanding another blank check for George Bush. How hard is that to say and why do you think it's a bad idea to call their bluff on their partisan games? That's not patronizing, that's just asking questions.

[bigtree]

137. They will have to bend eventually unless they've sworn off bacon for their states and benefactors.

On calling a bluff? They've been ignorant enough to keep us bogged down in Iraq so far, I imagine they'd be just as consistent in ignoring our legislators' 'bluff-calling'.

[cascadiance]

160. I've talked to some Republicans in my office on Feingold...

I sent one guy the link of Feingold's speech the other day and this audio clip from this article. Many Republicans are as frustrated with beltway politics as we are, and with their own party!

It's really how you frame it, and I like where Feingold is going with this. If he really makes this where the strong part of his message is more populist (for the PEOPLE) and not being "liberal", he will win a over a lot of Republicans too. This guy who's been a Republican said he would vote for Feingold for president as he's liking how he's been talking lately too.

It's really how you frame what is going on to folks "in the middle" or "on the right" as you talk to them. You can acknowledge that there may be many issues that many of us disagree on, but if we don't prevent the system from being taken over by corporate interests, neither of us are going to be heard, and the agenda will be more to serve corporate interests than either they who might be concerned about things like gay marriage or their tax rates and immigration effects, or us and how we're concerned about other things from a more liberal perspective. Say that we want a TRUE democratic system where we both have equal power as "human beings" to talk out issues and influence those who represent us to come up with legislation that serves a majority of US in a similar fashion, and not serves those that buy them off at all of our expense, which is so rampant in today's system and which is being hidden by our media today, both right and left.

I think Russ speaks directly to that concern with talk like this more than any other politician in the beltway now, and if people hear it for what it is, I think it can be a powerful unifying force. It will be hard for that message to be echoed properly, as the MSM will also work harder to tear it down than either "conservative" or "liberal" agenda issues on capitol hill that don't affect corporations directly. It's up to us, the "grass roots" to echo his message and push those to look for leadership like his and others like him (whether they be conservative or liberal) that want to take down the corporate consultant/corporate serving beltway infrastructure and put in place things like public campaign financing, etc. that will keep it out!

[goforit]

47. Feingold deserves a medal of honor once this is all over!

[mmonk]

52. I've hinted that in some of my posts

regarding such matters and impeachment. I didn't go right out and post it flatly (naming that 08 candidate) because I knew I would be told to offer proof (and be taken to task by some supporters).

[mzmolly]

53. Rec. # 45

:kick:

[Pierzin]

57. Thank You Cocoa!!! Adding Sirotas site to my favorites page

Because he's one of the few journalists with the cajones to tell us what is really going on. You fucking rock!!!!! David Sirota was defitely on my radar before, but now he's someone I'm gonna watch.
Kick this to the greatest page!:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[Stephanie]

75. yeah thanks, I will do too

He lives in MT! :toast:

[w4rma]

76. That sounds about like what I had thought was happening. Those consultants are all pro-DLC. (nt)

[JNelson6563]

78. K&R

:kick:

Rock on Russ!

[Skidmore]

79. Russ is right and

yu can see it on these forums at times as well. I have become convinced over the past few months that DU gets played by hired consultants. The firmly entrenched and their hired guns out to protect their jobs and not the soldiers or the people. This is the rotten stench at the center of it all that some of keep talking about and are accused of somehow being the enemy. We do not need to be Republic lite. We need to stand for principles and our elected representatives need to stand up for the principles the people who put there have asked them to represent. If standing together has become not standing together for what is the right thing to do versus the politically expedient thing to do, then we have become Republic lite. I will stand with those who recognize that shell games, mirrors, and slogans do not contribute to good governance or ethical decisionmaking. The most cynical and unprincipled stand that one can take on this war are those espoused by those very people that Feingold was talking about.

[Stephanie]

99. Two words: Peter Daou

Look him up - blogger hired by Hillary during the NY Democratic primary. He shut down his own blog and went down the rabbit hole. She's paying him a ton of money, so what is he DOING? Whatever it is, whereever he's blogging, it's not under his own name. Yes, we're being played.

[blm]

120. Pete did not start out like that - he was truly one of us last election cycle. Clintons co-opt

and corrupt. They can make it seem like selling out isn't selling out. I think Pete was hoping to have more weight to push the progressive agenda there, but I doubt he can get them to budge much.

I am angry with Pete, but still feel sorry for him. Hard to believe he believes in their way of doing things. Hard to believe he could be the kind of soulless being that Carville and Co. became in the 90s.

[redqueen]

128. It's been said that we all have our price.

I for one don't believe it's true...

[blm]

133. Same here - and I can't help but feel that Pete can't be completely on board with them.

Or are they just THAT good at mind manipulation that even someone like Pete can get sucked in to believing that their way is the ONLY way?

[redqueen]

136. I think they might be, actually. n/t

[welshTerrier2]

179. where did his DU posts go?

Peter Daou used to post here on DU. I've searched for his posts under his old username but have not been able to find even a single post.

Were those posts removed on request? Shouldn't they be a matter of public record and remain intact in these forums?

Am I just not searching for them in the right way?

It would be interesting, at least to me, to look for comments Daou made about the Clintons specifically and also about the invasion of Iraq and the IWR.

[farmbo]

82. Next time name names, Russ. Is it the Agin' Cajun?

Or Bob, 0-8 but ready to win, Shrumm?

[Senator]

84. Go Get Feingold an HDTV

I'm reminded of that TV commercial for HDTV with the hapless golfer wandering through the tall grass while the viewing public at home (with their HDTVs) are pointing at his white ball screaming "there ... it's right there!!"

Here we have Feingold, et. al. sitting around (on a closed "euphemedia" conference call) whining about how others won't "pull the trigger" on the latest (oxymoronic) non-binding resolution to resolve to be better postured for ... what exactly? ... hitting them in the knee with your purse? ...or is this just part of the 2008HorseRace thumbsucking that occupies so much of the beltway waking hours?

This from a guy whose strongest action to date has been to suggest that a censure be slapped on the wrist of what he admits is a criminal regime in order to, he says with a straight face, "bring them back within the law." (Yeah, that's what your oath of office demands you do with Constitution shredders and war criminals. That's the ticket.)

OK, now for the white spot.

Unless someone's recently discovered a magic potion to circumvent "rule by signing statement," the spanking-new DC-Dem majority is entirely devoid of conventional power.

The current (actual) national unity, expressed in the election and polls, is not merely "About the War," but rather about the regime (go ask Curtis Gans).

History demonstrates that there is but one way to "stop a war" and that is to confront the warmongers -- on any and all "fronts."

The oldest GOP joke in DC still has them chuckling: "Gosh, for a minute there I thought they might actually DO something."

Do you see the ball yet???

Only Impeachment is a substantive act. Everything else is just masturbatory blather.

It IS our positive agenda.

And our ONLY moral, patriotic, anti-war option.

--

[tomp]

88. nicely put! nt

[zulchzulu]

177. Feingold has a double set of brass balls...and you have the audacity to diss him

Ferchrissakes, the Dems ran like weenies when Feingold called for the censure vote...he didn't rule out impeachment in case you didn't do your homework... people like Kerry were ready to do to battle, but the usual claptrap came from the "leaders"...

Feingold has been front and center calling it out for truth. Just because the truth hurts doesn't mean it's going to go away.

[donheld]

86. Maybe Russy baby needs to reconsider running for President

I wish he would.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

87. Never trust anyone who divides people up into "us" and "them" and blames everything on "them".

Most of what is wrong with America at present is the fault of the electorate, who are by and large more conservative than they are liberal and have elected bad, Republican lawmakers whose values reflect theirs.

*Never* buy in to the cosy myth that the problems are all the fault of some shadowy "them", and that if it were not for them then everything would be lovely.

[Tin Man]

90. Yep, "us v. them" is classic oversimplification - reminiscent of W's "widdus or aginus" dichotomy

[porphyrian]

127. Never say never.

You'll be wrong when the exception emerges.

[9thkvius]

89. I think Russ gets it

Unfortunately, what he is pointing out is one of those things that a lot of Democrats still haven't quite grasped - the ability of the "system" to affect even people in our own party that are highly regarded. I love the Clintons, and I would love to see a woman elected President, but I don't think that changes the fact that Hillary has almost certainly bought into that "Beltway" mentality. Her vote on the Iraq war resolution is just one example of many things she has done that have appalled me. She has been on the wrong side of the Iraq discussion far too many times, and some of the other things that she has recently championed are just pointless - video game violence? You have got to be kidding - with all the shit that is going on in the country and the world, THAT'S what she chooses to spend time talking about?!? WAKE UP BEFORE YOU BLOW YOUR CHANCE TO BE PRESIDENT! Why don't you follow Al Gore's example and get rid of all the people giving you bad advice? Speak from your heart, use your mind and stop pandering. It's insulting when the GOP shitheads do it and it is just as insulting when you do it.

The way the "establishment" democrats treated Howard Dean is a great example of the sort of thing Russ is talking about. Even after the 50 state strategy has proved to be a winner, there are still a lot of critics in our party - people who seem to be perfectly content doing things the old way, even if it means that the Democratic party will remain the "abused spouse" of American politics. Fuck that! Time to fight back before these morons get us into Iran or something else equally crazy.

[Stephanie]

100. Welcome to DU!

Great points. :hi:

[goodhue]

91. the tape is a must listen

eom

[PassingFair]

107. It took my breath away.

Like nothing since Howard Dean during the primaries.

Truth DOES that.

Like Bobby Muller during the build up to the Iraq Invasion.

Anyone remember the Veterans for America news conference?

[merh]

98. What the dems need to realize is

CLINTON WAS NOT A SUCCESSFUL POLITICIAN, in the long run.

He showed how utterly stupid he was by getting that blow job in the oval office while knowing full well that he was a target of the right.

He hurt the party more than any dem could hurt the party in the last 100 years just because "he could".

Wise up Dems, don't listen to the Clintons, LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE!

[KoKo]

104. One of the "Clinton People" ran for John Edwards NC Seat when Edwards

stepped down (and was pressured to give up his seat) for 2004 Election. Erskine Bowles was Clinton's chief of staff and had run before and lost to Elizabeth Dole.

A group of NC Business People had a fundraiser for Bowles which I attended. At the "Q&A" period Bowles was asked if we should have gone to war with Iraq and he said: "Oh, yes, Saddam was a terrible threat to the US and it was important for us to deal with him." My husband and I both walked out after he said that. It was then that I knew the Clintons people really believed in Bush's War. Even though it's said Clinton kept the NeoCons in the closet...it seems that their folks had no objection to us going in and "taking out Saddam."

I don't trust anyone who has anything to do with the Clintons because their people are "Money People" from the DC power structure. Clinton himself was a "tool" of them. And,if he took shit from the RW Media Establishment...it seems a price he was willing to pay and put the country through Hell because of it. He didn't veto the "Telecommunications Bill" of '96 which lead to our Dems losing any ability to get election fraud or anything else exposed for the American people.

There's too much that doesn't add up about the Clintons. How they would still be working with the "Power Structure" that tormented them throughout their administration is the Question. How they allowed the Monica thing to go on...when Bushies would have shut that whole thing down. How they allowed Janet Reno to play into the hands of the Right Wing when the Bushies would have controlled it. The only answer is that the Clintons are and were TOOLS. That they allow themselves to be TOOLS without any guilt is very disturbing to me and should be to anyone who has seen what has gone on in the past over a decade.


------------
ERSKINE BOWLES:
Senatorial Races

Although initially reluctant to seek political office, Bowles reconsidered a run for the Senate after the September 11, 2001 attacks and, in October 2001, declared his candidacy for the United States Senate as a Democratic candidate. Seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Jesse Helms, Bowles secured the party's nomination, but was defeated in the 2002 general election by Republican challenger Elizabeth Dole.

In 2004, Bowles campaigned again for the Senate, seeking to fill the seat being vacated by fellow Democrat John Edwards. He faced Republican Richard Burr and Libertarian Tom Bailey in a hotly contested race. The final month of the Senate campaign saw both Bowles's and Burr's campaigns turn strongly negative, with Burr's campaign attacking Bowles's associations with the Clinton administration, while Bowles's campaign attacked Burr on his support of trade legislation and special interest donations. Both campaigns spent a great deal of money, making it one of the most expensive statewide races in North Carolina history.

Despite an early lead in the polls after the primaries, as well as fellow Democrat Mike Easley running for a second term as governor at the top of the state party ticket, Bowles was defeated in the 2004 race as well. President Bush's comfortable electoral victory in North Carolina likely helped Burr considerably. During his concession speech in Raleigh at the Democratic headquarters, he thanked his supporters but seemed to indicate that he would not run for office again. Quoting his father, he said there were "many ways to add to the community woodpile" and that political office was only one of them. Accordingly, in 2005 Bowles accepted an appointment as U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami-affected Countries, once again working for Bill Clinton who was now serving as U.N. Special Envoy.

[shance]

135. The Corporations/Banking interests have essentially taken over both parties.

Look at our candidates. Are any of them true populists and true candidates for that matter?

In my opinion, not at all.

They all appear created, manufactured, conditioned, groomed and trained by their corporate masters and consultants.

Governor Dean was the last true populist candidate that I have recognized.

[Joanne98]

146. Bingo!

[me b zola]

138. Russ is trying to save & heal not only the party, but the nation

Webster's should have a picture of Russ next to the words leadership...and integrity.

[dogday]

143. I really like your answer

Man we are in need of a great leader... :hi:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

144. K&R!!!!!

[Joanne98]

145. I knew it. Another reason to hate the DLC!

[Kurovski]

151. Kick.

[MasonJar]

152. I am shocked by what I am reading here. The Senate dems do

not have a majority on this issue. Senator Johnson is still ill and we all know that Lieberman is not voting with the dems on this issue, Senator Feingold also knows the above, It is not, in my opinion, noble or smart of him to be issuing statements against the dems who are working diligently to stop W. They can only do what they can do. Also I wish the DUers would call a moratorium on Hillary-bashing. Some of us are excited about having a woman pres and think that Hillary would be a good choice. I like all our candidates; just keep an open mind and do NOT blame Hillary for things that she had no control over. In addition give them all a chance; the election is over 20 months away.

[SnakeOilCentrism]

153. This is the biggest reason i dont want Clinton to head our party

Dean is doing a great job undoing the DLC's dirty work, pumping money and resources back into the states, making us a true 50 state party, agitating to get candidates to run who will fight for the people's agenda rather then the K-street and Wall Street agenda.

Hillary will undo all that work and she'll be the impetus to the next Nader to come along and try to split our party.

We need a candidate from the True middle of our party. Not someone from the far-right of our party.

[me b zola]

161. Welcome to DU, SnakeOilCentrism!

...I positively love your screen name! :toast:

[happydreams]

156. hee, hee, hee. The divide between

the Neo-liberal/consultant class and the true liberals is now coming to the surface. A smart liberal politico in this case would do well to mount an aggressive attack on the Neo-liberals for "supporting the war in the first place", as Feingold has done.

HAMMER THE SHIT OUT OF IT!!

What has happened in this country is that the majority of the public have, based upon the election and opinion polls, moved farther to the Left than the Neo-liberals can feasibly go!

The Public wants this war stopped and they will back anybody who will stop it!

I likes it. :bounce:

[flpoljunkie]

159. This political cartoon pretty much sums it up what Feingold is saying...

[welshTerrier2]

180. i like this cartoon

http://cartoonbox.slate.com/hottopic/?image=24&topicid=131

[NashVegas]

162. Well, I'm Standing With Russ on This One

..

[Chimichurri]

170. I love this man.

[Bakunin]

174. Finally

Someone with gravitas saying what needs to be said. I am sick of the Clinton Political Machine and wish they would leave and take their triangulation with them. I want TRUE progressives running our shop and not someone mouthing platitudes every four years to get my vote and then governs to the right.