Vice President Biden noted yesterday that he hoped that the Tea Party might finally get Democratic and liberal votes out of their “lethargy.” The comment struck a nerve with me since various Democratic leaders have expressed surprise and mild criticism over the lack of enthusiasm by Democratic voters. What is striking is the fact that Biden and others continue to consider their own failure to give voters a reason to become active after years of broken campaign promises and outright betrayals of core values. The best that they can come up with (yet again) is that the other people are worse than we are.
It is unclear why Biden thinks, for example, civil libertarians should be energized after the Obama Administration embraced and expanded Bush-era policies in the war on terror. President Obama has shielded Bush officials from any investigation, let alone prosecution, for torture and has fought to block any cases that would hold companies or agencies responsible for violations of human rights or privacy.
It is unclear why Biden thinks environmentalists should be energized after the Administration opened up pristine areas of the East Coast for oil exploration and, even after the BP disaster, downplayed the spill damage to lift the moratorium.
It is unclear why Biden thinks that peace advocates should be energized after the Administration continued both wars and the gushing of both American blood and treasure.
It is unclear why Biden thinks gay and lesbian activists should be energized after the Obama Administration fought in court to preserve Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and then appealed to limit the major victory enjoining DADT.
For over a decade, the Democratic Party has based its demands for political support not on its own performance but on the “lesser of two evils” argument. They simply cannot understand why voters would be less than enthusiastic in fighting for them to retain power. Indeed, from the very start of this Administration, the clear message to liberals has been “you have no where else to go.” What the Administration and congressional democrats did not consider is that liberals, civil libertarians, and environmentalists could decide to simply go no where and stay at home.
Biden was speaking(at a fundraiser in Chevy Chase, Md. when he noted that “[m[aybe the best thing to happen to us lately is the Tea Party wins. Maybe it’ll shake some of our constituency out of their lethargy.” Biden seems to welcome that there is finally a compelling reason for voters to take to the streets: even worse people are running for office.
How about another option? The Democratic leaders could actually fight on principle over things like torture and give voters a positive reason to care about their future. If you want voters to care, you can start by giving them something to care about — other than the job security of Democratic officeholders. If the Obama Administration did not actually jettison these issues for political convenience, it might not have been more popular, but it would have been more respected and it would have garnered far more enthusiasm from Democratic and liberal voters. Instead, the Democratic leadership has repeatedly conveyed that they are concerned only about retaining their offices and power at any cost — hardly a motivating message for votes.
So here is my suggestion for a new campaign motto: “Fighting Lethargy With Leadership.”
Source: The Hill
Excellent, excellent post ‘Fesser T.
I agree mostly with Tony C.
We have 2 years to make some changes; therefore, since I respect the opinions herein from the many very good, decent people, please provide me–a lifelong registered Republican–names of potential presidential candidates of any political persuasion for whom I might cast a vote. Lacking such a tenable list, I simply cannot and will not vote for the common phrase “the lesser of two evils” as I have done too many times previously.
I will NEVER vote again for Mr. Obama. He is fraudulent liar of the worst sort and he is exceptionally naive and gullible–the gulf oil disaster illustrated that without a doubt.
To date, there is only one person for whom I would unequivocally cast a presidential vote—Jonathan Turley is his name, integrity is his fame, and Constitutional Law is his game.
I agree with every bit of dissatisfaction and frustration with the Democratic party and its elected officials in the Senate. A couple of things come to mind though: never in the past has it been normal to require a 60+ vote to get any piece of Democratic legislation passed and a Democratic Senator is not necessarily a liberal Senator. We don’t need more Republicans in office and we don’t need more Blue Dogs in office. We need more Liberals in office and they need to be voting to craft and pass liberal Democratic legislation.
Off Topic:
From The Nation
US Businessman: Blackwater Paid Me to Buy Steroids and Weapons on Black Market for its Shooters
By Jeremy Scahill
September 23, 2010
http://www.thenation.com/blog/154977/us-businessman-blackwater-paid-me-buy-steroids-and-weapons-black-market-its-shooters
Excerpt:
A Texas businessman who has worked extensively in Iraq claims that Blackwater paid him to purchase steroids and other drugs for its operatives in Baghdad, as well as more than 100 AK47s and massive amounts of ammunition on Baghdad’s black market. Howard Lowry, who worked in Iraq from 2003-2009, also claims that he personally attended Blackwater parties where company personnel had large amounts of cocaine and blocks of hashish and would run around naked. At some of these parties, Lowry alleges, Blackwater operatives would randomly fire automatic weapons from their balconies into buildings full of Iraqi civilians. Lowry described the events as a “frat party gone wild” where “drug use was rampant.” Lowry says he was told by Blackwater personnel that some of the men using the steroids he purchased were on the security detail of L. Paul Bremer, the original head of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Lowry also claims that Blackwater’s owner, Erik Prince, tried to enlist his help to win contracts for Blackwater with the Iraqi government using an off-shore security company, Greystone, which Prince owns. The purpose, Lowry says, was to conceal Greystone’s relationship to Blackwater.
Lowry made his statements in a deposition on September 10 as part of a whistleblower lawsuit brought by two former Blackwater employees. The suit was filed in 2008 by former employees Brad and Melan Davis. They allege that Blackwater tried to bill the US government for a prostitute for its men in Afghanistan and for strippers in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The lawsuit claims that Prince personally benefitted from alleged fraud. The Nation obtained Lowry’s deposition from publicly available court filings.
Blackwater, Lowry alleges, paid for the steroids using company funds and the purchases were coordinated by Blackwater’s Iraq country manager. “Not only did I purchase the pharmaceuticals,” Lowry said in his deposition, “but I was also given money and asked to acquire syringes and other forms or modes of injection as well.” Lowry said that Blackwater used him to purchase the drugs and other devices because, unlike Blackwater personnel, he could move freely and discreetly around Baghdad. Lowry says he personally witnessed several Blackwater operatives injecting themselves with steroids.
Lowry says in the deposition that he was a close friend of Jerry Zovko, one of the four Blackwater men killed in the infamous ambush in Fallujah, Iraq in March 2004. Zovko, Lowry says, “provided me tremendous insight into the company and confirmed that the use of steroids and human growth hormone, testosterone, were pretty endemic to them and almost companywide.” Lowry said that it was a “wide-ranging problem, and this included individuals that were on [L. Paul] Bremer’s personal detail.” Bremer was guarded by Blackwater when he ran the CPA from 2003-2004. Lowry says he would purchase the drugs for Blackwater “by the case,” adding, “It was as large a quantity as I could get, which was usually a case.” He said that the “volume I was being asked to purchase on a daily basis was going up substantially as time went on.”
There is absolutely nothing that could tempt me to vote for ANY Republican this November. I prefer not to have our country go from bad to worse…from the frying pan into the fire. Even though I’m not happy with the Democrats who are a mixed bag of apples and not all that trustworthy–for the most part–I think the Republicans in Congress have become a despicable lot.
Tony C Punishing is never a good solution. What happens is the policies move more to the right with each attempt to punish. I disagree that there ” has never been a safer time to impose those consequences on Democrats.” We have Sarah Palin and the tea party at our door.
I plan to do for the Democratic Party what the Democratic Party has done for me since gaining majority of the house since 2006…
Nothing, zip, zero, zilch, nada.
Bye Bye!
I am a liberal progressive without a party. I won’t vote for any national Democrat. I have a Democratic President that can veto anything truly horrific, and if he refuses to do that, it is HE that is responsible for the mess, not I.
Democrats must be punished for betraying us. We have to throw the thieves out. And frankly, in the face of Obama’s enthusiastic embrace and continuance of the Bush/Cheney war crimes and war on our civil rights: I would rather have a stalemate.
There won’t be a better time to punish Democrats, so that next time we can get a REAL liberal progressive. Do not donate a dollar, do not cast a vote. Let the other side win.
Choosing the “lesser of two evils” produces a spiral of greater and greater evil, because there are no consequences for being EVIL, and plenty of reward for it, and plenty of advantage to it in getting elected. You have to PUNISH evil to stop it. It must have consequences. There has never been a safer time to impose those consequences on Democrats.
Mike, I agree. In 2000 they said there was no difference between Gore and Bush. Once the right wingers takeover and institute their policies, it is extremely difficult to reverse them. That is what we are witnessing now.
The article resonates with truth and the comments do also. The age old problem is even more critical today, a “Tea Party” takeover will provide us all with disaster. We can be holier than thou and watch the disaster overtake us, or hold our noses and continue with those who thus far have performed disappointingly. Remember well the “Law of Unintended Consequences.”
If your product is failing, start your analysis at customer satisfaction. A happy customer is a return customer.
Hit the nail on the head JT! Unfortunately as the past two years have shown, i don’t think the dem leadership is listening or even care to.
I have been a loyal Democrat for 35 years and I am really upset that the Democratic party appears to be against Pro Se Rights. Of course, I don’t know that the Republicans are in favor of Pro Se Rights. Pro Se Rights are the defining issue for me.
I am also upset that the new federal judges President Obama nominated for my district weren’t affirmed. I can’t understand that at all.
AY:
:-))
I am not Repuglickcan, I am an Independent….but as AY goes the nation does not…..
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/meet-the-iinos-indies-poised-to-vote-in-big-numbers-and-vote-gop.php?ref=fpb Independents are moving to the right and plan to vote for the republicans this fall.
Yippee….I am like so excited about the elections coming up….wait….phone ringing……now what were you saying….oh yeah….hell let the south go Texas or Ar….phone rings again….back…what were we talking about…Fried Beer at the Texas State Fair….yeah now thats good stuff…..
Excellent post, Prof JT! Right on. Or as we say up here in Vermont, Right arm.
Is he saying that it could be a Titanic mistake to go over the falls at full speed instead of paddling for the bank?
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2010/09/titanic-mistakes-using-w-compass.html
P.S. I like the new motto!
And no public option in the healthcare bill…and a watered down financial reform bill…and no repeal yet of DADT…and President Obama saying recently at a fundraiser that Democrats “congenitally, tend to see the glass as half empty”
and Robert Gibbs saying liberals should be drug tested. And remember what Rahm said about a certain group of liberals being fu*#ing retarded?
At least Larry Summers will be leaving by year’s end!
🙂
Maybe Tim Geithner will leave too? One can always hope.
Wish President Obama had more people like Elizabeth Warren working in Treasury and as financial advisers in his Administration.