Yeah, yeah, I know. No one comments on threads about other people’s representatives. Well…I’m going for a ride in the car…maybe take a peak at a dreary and overcast Chesapeake Bay. The Allen Boyd piece is cross-posted over Taylor Marsh’s blog, where I will kind of be substitute/guest blogging next week. I’m still trying to figure out all the administrative tools and whatnot. I met Taylor at Yearly Kos and she’s super cool. You should check out her radio show and her blog.
Natasha did her Bush Dog profile on Collin Peterson. Check it out.
Matt Stoller explains what we’re trying to do with this Bush Dog campaign.
The first step in stopping this behavior is to identify the people engaging in it and offer up criticism. There are a few reasons for this. One, many of these members feel no pressure to vote correctly or uphold progressive values. Criticism is the signal they are relying on to let them know when they err. Two, some of these members may need to face a primary challenge, and it’s useful for potential primary challengers to know that there is criticism of these members. Three, other members considering joining the Bush Dog caucus may be dissuaded if they know there will be criticism. Four, candidates running for office will finally have a signal on how they should talk about being good Democrats that are willing to take tough votes.
So, it’s really about you, even if these reps are not your reps.
Link:
i met taylor at the first ykos (back when i was still talking w/markos) and yes, taylor is the super-coolest.
fein, who appeared with John Nicols, of The Nation on Bill Moyer’s Journal: “Tough Talk on Impeachment” last month, takes madame speaker to task over “impeachment is off the table” at Slate.com:
recommended.
lTMF’sA
I really don’t understand why the leadreshio is being given a free pass on this.
The leadership has whips that count votes and try to persuade. If they can’t persuade, they have to adjust accordingly. If they have the votes they have no more excuses not to do what we ask of them.
As this is an open thread I want to say that Ari Fleischer is such a despicable, sorry excuse for a human being, (see his performance on Hardball), that he shouldn’t be accorded any platform to speak to civilized people ever.
Anyone who can say that “…we all sacrifice everytime a soldier is hurt…” [approx. phrasing] is not fit to be a member of the human family
After their pragmatic approach we get pragmatic quasi-republicans in office and now stoller wants us to rise up and challenge the people him and kos etc rammed down our throats?
go sell it somewhere else stoller. you guys blew it.
keep on keepin’ on with your deadly anti-purity pragmatism. we know the result now. we ain’t buying what you guys are selling anymore.
this is the path of hillary clinton.