Craven, Cowardly Democrats Let Republicans Drag Them Around By The Nose Again

Does anyone think they would grow a pair if they had a 70 seat majority in the Senate? No, me neither. How about 80 seats?

Huge victory for Glenn Beck! Only 75 Democrats had the guts to stand up for ACORN today when the not-so-hapless Republican minority forced through a motion by GOP crook Darrell Issa (R-CA) to defund the organization. This is so pathetic-- and a true vision of the Republican idea of bipartisanship (even worse, if you can imagine than the rancid kind of bipartisanship corrupt Democrats like Kent Conrad, Max Baucus, Blanche Lincoln, and Ben Nelson are always pumping for). I want to especially congratulate the Blue Dog coalition, Steny Hoyer, and the freshmen we helped elect who see nothing wrong in selling out our allies in a tough time. Here's the list of the ones who didn't sell out:

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Robert Brady (D-PA)
Corrine Brown (D-FL)
GK Butterfield (D-NC)
Mike Capuano (D-MA)
Andre Carson (D-IN)
Kathy Castor (D-FL)
Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)
Jim Clyburn (D-SC)
Joe Crowley (D-NY)
Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Danny Davis (D-IL)
Diana DeGette (D-CO)
Bill Delahunt (D-MA)
Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Donna Edwards (D-MD)
Keith Ellison (D-MN)
Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
Bob Filner (D-CA)
Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
Al Green (D-TX)
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Rush Holt (D-NJ)
Mike Honda (D-CA)
Jesse Jackson, Jr (D-IL)
Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Rick Larsen (D-WA)
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
John Lewis (D-GA)
Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Ed Markey (D-MA)
Betty McCollum (D-MN)
Jim McDermott (D-WA)
James McGovern (D-MA)
Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Gwen Moore (D-WI)
Jim Moran (D-VA)
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Richard Neal (D-MA)
John Olver (D-MA)
Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
Donald Payne (D-NJ)
Jared Polis (D-CO)
David Price (D-NC)
Nick Rahall (D-WV)
Charlie Rangel (D-NY)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Bobby Rush (D-IL)
Linda Sánchez (D-CA)
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
David Scott (D-GA)
Bobby Scott (D-VA)
Jose Serrano (D-NY)
Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Albio Sires (D-NJ)
Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
Pete Stark (D-CA)
Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
Edolphus Towns (D-NY)
Nikki Tsongas (D-MA)
Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)
Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Diane Watson (D-CA)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Robert Wexler (D-FL)
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

Shame on every other Democrat in the House-- even if they are clucking around how this will be "fixed" in conference. I bet Democrats like Harry Reid, Max Baucus, Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln are running around trying to make sure they can get a shot at voting against ACORN in the Senate too. Nathan Newman, a friend of mine, made a brilliant suggestion when Issa introduced his poisonous motion, although no one in the House took it up:

Can the Democrats attach an amendment to the motion to defund any federal corporate contractor that has been found guilty of violating a federal law with those funds? That would pretty much kill the amendment in its tracks since the list of corporate felons is pretty infinitely long. The fact that corporations with active fraud histories continue to receive federal funds while ACORN is being defunded based on a video of a couple of idiot employees offering advice that was never actually processed in any financial form is incredible.

Instead we got this kind of messaging from Democrats, only too happy to run back to their constituents and validate right-wing talking points for their own political gain:

"With mounting allegations against ACORN, a public outraged by recent videos, and considering the Census Bureau's recent decision to sever their ties with ACORN, I voted to prohibit any future federal spending on this organization. I too was deeply disturbed by the recent ACORN videos that have been played out over the news and am glad that I had the opportunity today to sever Congress' ties with this organization."

The Dust Brothers:




UPDATE: Senate Proves Itself As Cowardly As The House... Big Surprise

Reactionary Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns introduced an amendment and senators were tripping all over themselves to show how big and tough and anti-ACORN they are. Only 11 Democrats stood against Fox News' jidah against reason: Dan Akaka (D-HI), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Roland Burris (D-IL), Robert Casey (D-PA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Pat Leahy (D-VT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).


UPDATE: The Price Of Cowardice: An Escalation Of Attacks... Against Democrats

I hope Jim Webb and Mark Warner are proud of themselves for bending over and taking it from the Republicans yesterday. The GOP made this video (below) in a show of thanks. I'm sure we won't hear much from either senator but at least the SEIU knew how to respond:

"Another prime example of how the right wing is willing to lie, cheat and smear to silence the voice of people who work for a living. SEIU members are janitors, security officers, nurses, Head Start teachers and women and men who go work hard each day in the Commonwealth to make a better life for their families. Ken Cuccinelli could not find a more vivid way to prove that he is not offering what working families in Virginia need right now."