I might be taking the following quote somewhat out of context, but I’m using it to demonstrate the problem with Democrats.
“If you just say you’re standing up for civil liberties, the American people are with you, but if you say terrorism suspects should have civil liberties, it stretches Americans’ tolerance,” said Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), who along with [Rep. Alcee] Hastings represents Congress on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, a human rights monitor. “It’s a tough issue for us.”
Patrick Leahy put it another way.
“People say to me, ‘Well, what about the 30-second spots?’ ” said Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, referring to attack ads.
Let me put it all in context for you.
The terrorism issue came to a head early this month in an explosive final closed-door House Democratic Caucus meeting before the August recess. Reps. Hastings, [Jim] Moran, Melvin Watt (N.C.), John F. Tierney (Mass.) and Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) pleaded with party leaders not to bring to a vote a White House bill extending the administration’s authority to listen in on electronic communications from abroad without a warrant.
Conservative Democrats, including Rep. Allen Boyd (Fla.), argued just as vociferously that Democrats dare not leave on vacation without passing the White House bill.
“The most controversial matters are the ones that people use to form their opinions on their members of Congress,” said Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.), who voted for the administration’s bill. “I do know within our caucus, and justifiably so, there are members who have a real distaste for some of the things the president has done. But to let that be the driving force for our actions to block the surveillance of someone and perhaps stop another attack like 9/11 would be unwise.”
Unwise for whom?
Alcee Hastings has an interesting perspective.
“I don’t think it’s that we’re reluctant to take on Bush,” said Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (Fla.), a senior member of the House intelligence committee. “I think it’s we are reluctant to take on each other. . . . If I can fast-forward to September, October, November, December and see where we’ll be, we’ll be nowhere.”
Who knows what the heck that means?
Let me be really clear. If you are a member of Congress who has taken an oath to protect the Constitution, you better allow yourself to be voted out of office before you violate your oath. Being afraid of a fascist 30-second attack ad is no excuse.
Reps. Lincoln Davis and Allen Boyd do not deserve the trust of any American. They should be swiftly voted out of office. In a primary.
If we don’t primary some of these weak-kneed Democrats we’ll deserve a reputation for having no stomach for a fight. The Republicans are a party of bedwetters, afraid of every dark person, every foreign langauage, every shadow. And, yet, these Blue Dog Democrats fall for it every time.
The Blue Dogs are forcing real Democrats, real Americans, to take them out. If you can’t stand up for our rights against a president as stupid and unpopular as George W. Bush, then you are not worthy to represent us, to lead us, or to even be spoken to in a respectful tone of voice.
This is also available at Taylor Marsh, where I am guess-posting this week, and at Open Left.
in the common wisdom OUTSIDE the beltway. Repubs do not want to identify with the Bush results. They want to keep climbing back into the racist, sexphobic cocoon that existed before, but the Foleys and the Craigs have shattered that shelter. The only part of the coalition hanging strong is the arms complex and upper upper crust love for less taxes and oversight. So the people who wish to still say they are repubs have to pick very carefully along a ghost walk that no longer exists. But even they would vote “none of the above” over the offerings in the presidential pool. It is quite possible the repubs will stay home in droves come election time.
So the bogeyman that the blue dogs have hung up is really just hung out to dry. They need to come to grip with a new reality – one that they can help forge.
I think it is interesting that Gonzo did indeed go, after letting Rove go first. And even Rummy was let go. So this presnit is not totally immune from the tide of distaste and distrust washing his way.
Well Well Well! Now there ya go. If only the members read this – I know from wandering around the sphere that the folks out there want to see a pair af balls!!!! on the part of their party. They made that clear in Nov.
Everyone is wodering about whether the far right will stay home this presidential election.
Well I got new for every one out there- you all better start wondering whether the dems are gonna stay home!
They are really pissed and they will not bother if they feel that they are being lied to!!!!!
BooMan,
There was a day when I would say that your post was far to harsh. Unbelieveably too harsh.
But that day is long past. Afraid of 30-sec spots and not getting re-elected. hell, most of ’em are lawyers. All they got to do is think like a lawyer and frame their re-election campaign proving they are tough on terror.
What a stupid statement by Sen. Cardin…What- standing up for civil liberties only works if you’re never arrested..the whole premise of civil liberties when arrested is that ‘suspected’ people are supposed to be treated as fairly as possible…because ‘suspected’ does not mean guilty.(yeah I know guilty until proven innocent)..Just ask Richard Jewel about that who I see just died.
In Cardin’s defense (and that is why I said I was using his quote a little out of context), I think he was make an objective statement of fact.
However, it is only true that the American people get wobbly on their civil liberties when you scare them. If the GOP were not saying ‘boo’ every two seconds, we wouldn’t have any difficulty winning this argument.
But Cardin’s right that people are less willing to give civil liberties to people if you define those people as terrorist suspects.
And bushco aided and abetted by MSM seems to want to label everyone as terrorist suspects now or that you’re helping the terrorists if you disagree with any of their policies. They’ve made us all into ‘suspects’.
I do agree that they’ve created in the general public a almost pavlovian response to just hearing the word terrorist.
is that the Dems in Congress are mortally afraid of gridlock. They’d rather let the President walk all over them than face the terrifying specter of gridlock.
He’s being very clear, I think.