Three top Senate Democrats said on Thursday they will vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito because they fear he would not provide an effective check to what they described as President George W. Bush’s bid for expanded power.
This is not opposition. This is pathetic, token pretense. Opposition, real opposition, means launching a filibuster, appearing on talk shows en masse, sponsoring protests and marches in the streets of DC, mobilizing your base to bombarding Senatorial offices with phone calls of opposition to Alito, etc.
Opposition means actually doing something, not just talking about it. These senators mouth protest, saying they fear Bush’s power grab, yet they are doing nothing substantive to stop it. Thanks so much. Let’s see, Bush lied about WMD, thinks torture is swell, wants to invade more countries, attacks civil liberties, spies on citizens, yet this pretend opposition in DC can’t do anything but mumble a few feeble words of disagreement?
Just what will make them get up and fight? Their constituents increasingly oppose the war and are outraged by the spying and torture, but still Beltway Democrats do nothing. It’s like Foghorn Leghorn talking to the little chickenhawk, “Is any of this getting THROUGH, son?”
Apparently not. But then the Senate is a clubby atmosphere of multi-millionaires who are totally out of touch with the electorate. None of them want to seriously challenge the status quo because, among other reasons, this might threaten their ruling class status. It’s class interest right down the line. Their class vs. ours.
They won’t act until we the people force them to. The problem with reformists and many progressives is the odd belief if they can somehow explain to the ruling class the error of their ways, then things will change. Like it’s all just some tragic misunderstanding or something that can be rectified once the rulers understand where they’ve gone wrong.
Not bloody likely. We will not get change by asking the ruling class to do so, a bizarre tactic that leaves them still in control, with those doing the asking as supplicants. We need to do it ourselves – force them to change and replace them if they don’t. Besides, you think the Dubya’s of the ruling class will change because reformists point out the error of their ways? A laughable notion, but you see well-meaning progressives do this all the time. Gee Mr. Cheney, torture is harmful to children and other living things, so could you stop it, please?
Our ruling class has become unresponsive to the public. Greed and corruption are common in DC and board rooms. It’s time for a change. The people can change this. It’s happened all through history. Rulers become corrupt and uncaring, then get overthrown and replaced by those more beholden to the populace. It’s time to do it again. Don’t waitfor DC to act. Start now.
Update: It now appears Democrats will have the votes to invoke a filibuster but in their usual do-nothing cowardice, they won’t. Is there anything they will fight for?
Our Finest Hour
By Jon Gold
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all.”
Do you remember what it was like to be a kid, and having to say those words? For me, it always seemed like a chore. Having to get up every morning, put your hand over your heart, and say the Pledge. A kid has better things to do with their time, don’t they?
That being said, there were times when I felt proud to say those words.
For instance, do you remember when the United States’ hockey team beat the Soviets in Lake Placid during the 1980 Olympics? WOW. I was only 8 years old when that happened, but I watched A LOT of TV as a kid, so I remember the coverage from Philadelphia’s Action News. I remember saying the pledge in 2nd grade, after my teacher reiterated what I had seen the night before, and thinking how proud I was to be an American. It didn’t bother me to say the pledge that day.
That was then, and here we are today.
more…
Oh, but they are fighting. Fighting for the only thing that matters to them; their positions in DC as rep of corp interests. All else is trivial to them.