CONGRESS CAPITULATES-- GIVES BUSH A BLANK CHECK DESPITE AMERICANS' OVERWHELMING OPPOSITION TO CONTINUED OCCUPATION OF IRAQ
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Although the Democratic-led House voted to include a raise in the minimum wage as a sop to their base, it is a ruse unlikely to work. Americans are angry about Bush's occupation of Iraq and his never-ending escalation. Democrats are even more angry. And now Democrats will be able to focus that anger on Democrats they can make pay, namely the traitors Steny Hoyer and Rahm Emanuel, the leaders of the Democratic-end of the Cheney coalition.
Basically 86 Democrats joined the Republicans to give Bush a blank check in Iraq. 140 Democrats voted No. (Only 2 Republicans voted against the war.) So who are the worst Democrats, the ones who, after all these years, still think Bush should have a free hand in Iraq to do whatever the hell he wants? The leaders of the rebel Democrats:
Rahm Emanuel (IL)
Steny Hoyer (MD)
(Emanuel's puppet and stooges, Tim Mahoney (FL), Heath Shuler (NC) and Melissa Bean (IL) all voted against Democrats, against progressives and against America)
Let's look at the Democrats who have been endorsed by Blue America. These are the courageous men and women who voted against endless war and against Bush and Cheney and for the American people:
Mike Arcuri (NY)
Bruce Braley (IA)
Steve Cohen (TN)
John Hall (NY)
Paul Hodes (NH)
Jerry McNerney (CA)
Patrick Murphy (PA)
Jerry Nadler (NY)
Carol Shea-Porter (NH)
(Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the DCCC, voted against Emanuel, Hoyer, Bush and Cheney)
These are the freshmen supported by Blue America who stabbed us in the back and joined Emanuel, Hoyer and Cheney today:
Chris Carney (PA)
Kirstin Gillibrand (NY)
Ciro Rodriguez (TX)
Joe Sestak (PA)
UPDATE: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO YOUR WARMONGER REP IF YOUR SON DIED USELESSLY, TO PROTECT BUSH'S SICK EGO?
Professor Andrew Bacevich is a right-wing Republican military expert. He recognized Bush's policies as absolutely catastrophic for America and he has been adamantly opposed to the Regime's war agenda. A couple weeks ago his officer son was killed in Iraq. "What kind of democracy is this," Bacesvich posed on NPR-- when the people do speak, and the people's voice is unambiguous... but nothing happens?" Only 14 senators had the guts to stand up against Bush and for the American people. That two of them were the front-runners in the Democratic nomination for president-- the cautious Clinton and Obama-- says something about who is paying attention to the American people and who doesn't believe in basic democracy. The Democratic senators who can hold their heads up high:
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Hillary Clinton (NY)
Chris Dodd (CT)
Russ Feingold (WI)
Ted Kennedy (MA)
John Kerry (MA)
Patrick Leahy (VT)
Barack Obama (IL)
Bernie Sanders (VT)
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Among the cowards too scared to vote were both my Brooklyn schoolmates, Chuck Schumer (NY) and Norm Coleman (MN).
Hillary made a good statement after the vote:
Tonight I voted against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill because it fails to compel the President to give our troops a new strategy in Iraq. I believe that the President should begin a phased redeployment of our troops out of Iraq and abandon this escalation. I fully support our troops, and wish the President had followed the will of the people and signed the original bill we sent which both funded the troops and set a new course of phased redeployment. But the President vetoed Congress's new strategy and so Congress must reject the President's failed policies. I will also continue to press with Senator Byrd for our legislation to end the authorization of the war in Iraq.
While I am deeply disappointed that the supplemental does not provide for a new course in Iraq, I want to recognize the many worthy parts of this bill: funding to help those sickened in the aftermath of 9/11, additional relief for Katrina and Rita victims, homeland security funds for high-threat cities like New York City, resources to protect parts of New York affected by recent flooding, $650 million for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and the first federal minimum wage increase in ten years. I support these measures but cannot support this Emergency Supplemental which will not change our course in Iraq.
What the hell is wrong with Biden? He votes with the Republicans in favor of their hideous corporate bankruptcy bill and now is supporting Bush's war agenda.
Labels: Iraq War support, Rahm Emanuel, reactionary Democrats, Steny Hoyer
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 4:35 PM
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16 Comments:
Howie, As someone who volunteered a lot of time, raised money and gave money myself to Joe Sestak, I am beyond disappointed. I called his office and no one was even there taking calls. However, I will be at his Media office or one of his parades to get my questions answered. I can't believe it, the people in his district are going to be livid.
link to roll call vote on 425
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll425.xml
McNerney did well-also one of the "7"
Pleasantly surprised by Acuri, given his "blue dog" alliance.
my rep is Kirstin Gillibrand, for whom i worked and to whom i contributed. delaying only to peel the "Gillibrand for Congress" bumper sticker off my car, i sent her an email making it clear that she had pissed off one constituent enough to ensure that she'd never get another minute of my time or penny of my money (though i admitted that i might have to vote for her, given the likely options).
i am furious and don't know what there is left to do, short of waiting for the revolution.
Quick fact-check: Despite what Artur Davis (D-AL) said in the article quoted by Ken, he voted AGAINST the bill. It was Susan Davis (D-CA) who was the Democrat named Davis that voted for the bill. Which is surprising, because she voted against the war. Not excusing the guy, but, just saying...
Biden is all about Biden. Blowhard.
And added thought (p.s. I was anonymous in the second comment, and forgot to add "VG" aka Valley Girl to sign off on that.
So, Biden says:
"I believe as long as we have troops in the front line, we're going to have to protect
them," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. "We're going to have to fund them."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/24/national/w084743D00.DTL
D'oh. Don't these guys ever think about the "logic" behind what they say? Circular "reasoning", I'd say. I trust I don't have to explain "circular reasoning" to you, Howie.
So, what Biden is saying, in essence, is that the occupation will last forever. (At least until the US and the US economy are raped and strafed into oblivion.) Seems that a lot of "Dems" are suffering from the same circular reasoning re: Iraq.
VG/ Valley Girl
More of (your) the so-called "Blue Americans" are now showing themselves to be 'out-of-the-closet' "Blue Dogs"! I hope you will hold these people to a higher standard before awarding them "Blue American" status. This is no little issue as such endorsements practically guarantee that we progressives will contribute to their campaigns.
p.s. This "circular reasoning" goes way beyond Biden. Yeah, he might have been first out of the gate on that one, but nonetheless, seems to me that this is a much bigger issue. Maybe no one else was stupid enough to have put the underlying thought into such obvious words, but it is behind a great deal of the "Dem" "thinking" on this issue. And voting.
VG/ Valley Girl
re: 8:32 anon comment.
I am very sure that Howie has already had your very same thoughts, and is tracking the previous '06 BA candidates closely, for future reference re: BA choices.
Howie has taken BA endorsements very seriously in the past, and as he was stung a few times on that account, I have no doubt that he feels the sting as much as we do.
And, that he will continue to give grief to/ hold accountable those who either flat out lied to him (Carney) or others who didn't come through as a true BA candidate.
Howie works hard to promote progressive ideas and progressive candidates. I'm sure that he is just as pissed off, if not more so than we are, at BA candidates of '06 who have let us and him down. And, he will hold their feet to the fire.
VG/ Valley Girl.
Of all people one might have expected to vote against the Emergency Suppplemental Appropriations Bill it would have been Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio. But he voted "yes." Sen. Brown was elected only because he opposed the war in Iraq.. and for no other reason, no matter how he spins his experience and qualifications. When the chips were down, he folded.
Marcia
Did I call it or what? I've been saying all along that those motherfucking SPINELESS DEMOCRATS would cave. That's all they ever do. That's all they know how to do.
As far as I'm concerned, the entire Democratic Party can be scattered to the winds. We can pick up the pieces and start again.
"(though i admitted that i might have to vote for her, given the likely options)"
See? That's how they get you, every time. Don't fall for it!!
Let the "Dem" lose to a scumpublican. You're better off with an enemy than a false friend.
And by the way, I do NOT give a pass to the senators who voted no. They could have filibustered! They could have shown some leadership!
Marcia/ anon at 10:25
Yep.
The ActBlue pages have been totally reconfigured, so I can't track the BA history Sherrod Brown at Blue America/ Act Blue. So, I am relying on memory.
My recollection, however, is that Sherrod Brown briefly had BA support in the run-up to '06, and that Howie quickly withdrew support for him based on his pre- or post-election performance.
I'm sorry that I can't find the original links, even via google cache.
VG/ Valley Girl
looks like i'm going to have to run against bean again
http://tofubo.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html
Here’s what Keith Olbermann had to say about the war funding bill –
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052407A.shtml
It's easy to point fingers, though, on such a complicated issue. Yes, the Democrats have lacked backbone, but who ever claimed politicians to be vertebrates?
The Republicans would have liked nothing more than the Democrats to stop the war funding. Then in a year's time when utter chaos spreads from Syria to Saudi Arabia, the Republicans can blame the Dems, elect another Republican president and have all the excuse they need to invade Iran. Maybe they'll even be able to nuke them and get it over with if Israel hasn't done so already or our ignorance hasn't allowed a reconstituted Al Qaeda to slip under our radar and nuke us.
So, is there an easy answer? No. The longer we stay in, the more we waste lives, decimate families and become targets for generations to come. If we leave, though, we're still to blame. We did break it after all. We are responsible so, if we pull out now, we have to provide a long term strategy to go along with it. That bill didn’t exactly provide much in that area.
Personally, I think only the United Nations could do anything to take the stank off us, but that's theoretical, of course. Talk about no backbone! In my dreams there would be a Muslim cleric that would shake Islam to their sandals and say, "Hey, Mohamed tells us not to kill. Stop this in the name of Allah!" Or maybe we can enlist Rodney Bingenheimer and Kim Fowley to help us find 72 virgins for each potential martyr now instead of promising them when they get to heaven.
I'm taking a wait and see attitude. I think the Democrats are still caught in the headlights of success still pinching themselves that Pelosi is third in line for the Presidency. Harry Reid means well, but he's a little drunk on power himself and ends up saying some pretty stupid things that could backfire. You just don't say we've "lost the war" when there are still 19 year old kids in the trenches lonely and scared to death.
For all this talk about useless Democrats, I haven't heard Dennis Kucinich mentioned. For a little guy, he's got the biggest balls of anyone out there (with his wife as his secret weapon). He's a third party candidate in Democratic clothing. Why don't we give him more than a bat’s chance?
If only Keith Olbermann was running, but alas, he is not.
Peace in ourselves, Peace in the world,
Kevin
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