Creature Features with Keith Olbermann
I have just posted about this subject recently, so I hope that I am no being repetitive. The recent decision by the Democratic leadership in congress to fund the war is not a popular one. I also am very disappointed in this event. But I do not feel that whether or not this is the correct decision on the part of our leadership is as easy to turn into a black and white answer as I have seen expressed by some. I am only saying that we are as a party painting the Democrats as monsters very hurriedly, when in fact their options are limited.
Republican leadership has already made it clear that they would not put up with anything that encroaches on Bush's authority as commander in chief. So If bush decides to veto, the democrats don't have enough votes to override. Let us call this little bit of information Cousin IT, for short. Those criticizing the decision made Democratic leadership in congress don't seem to like to talk about Cousin IT.
Keith Olbermann, a man I trust and admire, gave a 9 minute speech about how the democrats are monsters for not stopping the war. His voice and his words were strong and forthright. I respect his opinion on this matter. I just don't agree with it.
Republican leadership has already made it clear that they would not put up with anything that encroaches on Bush's authority as commander in chief. So If bush decides to veto, the democrats don't have enough votes to override. Let us call this little bit of information Cousin IT, for short. Those criticizing the decision made Democratic leadership in congress don't seem to like to talk about Cousin IT.Keith Olbermann, a man I trust and admire, gave a 9 minute speech about how the democrats are monsters for not stopping the war. His voice and his words were strong and forthright. I respect his opinion on this matter. I just don't agree with it.
Because, on the subject of Iraq...
The people have been ahead of the media....
Ahead of the government...
Ahead of the politicians...
For the last year, or two years, or maybe three.
Our politics... is now about the answer to one briefly-worded question.
Mr. Bush has failed.
Mr. Warner has failed.
Mr. Reid has failed.
The people have been ahead of the media....
Ahead of the government...
Ahead of the politicians...
For the last year, or two years, or maybe three.
Our politics... is now about the answer to one briefly-worded question.
Mr. Bush has failed.
Mr. Warner has failed.
Mr. Reid has failed.
Obviously there is truth in what he says. Polls indicate that the people want to see an end to the war. But Olbermann is also refusing to acknowledge Cousin IT. Throughout the entire speech he did not once mention Cousin IT.
He did however manage to bring up Neville Chamberlain, thus calling the Democratic leadership something close to traitors to their country. I think that this is mighty strong language, and a diatribe of that low a caliber only belongs in one place - coming out of the piehole of some mindless Republican. As a party, do we really have so little faith in our leadership?
What little traction they have gained in congress could very quickly erode if public sentiment became "The Democrats are hurting the troops! The Democrats are losing the war we almost won!" With the hamster-like attention span of the American public, I could see the Republicans using that to their advantage, and suddenly the war is perceived as all the fault of the Democrats, and the Republicans gain an advantage in public support.
Maybe Henry Waxman's "drip, drip, drip" method of water torture will work out better politically. Many Republicans are already squirming in their seats. I am not saying that I am right, only that I can see more than one side to the issue.
One might say, "Politically? But American lives are at stake!" Yes, that is the hardest part to swallow, but if you can't gain enough support in the House and the Senate to override the Presidents veto, then maybe the best tactic is to continue to to push sentiment in the house and the senate in your own direction.
Remember that the Republicans failed to impeach Clinton in the Senate after a huge brouhaha and many months of effort wasted. In the end, they did not get what they wanted, and looked like major morons for their efforts. Clinton ended up being a figure of sympathy, and had a very positive public approval ratings when he left office. If the Republicans had taken the time to gain more support, they might have been more successful. "Push comes to shove" is not always the best tactic.
So I figure that if Keith Olbermann can invoke Neville Chamberlain, I can invoke Nazis! Yes Nazis! The unwritten rule is that any time you have a conversation on any subject and the opposing side is compared to Nazis, then you know that you have probably hit the lowest possible point in human interaction, you are at a low tide in rational dialog, you have reached a point of foolishness and buffoonery that is far beneath your dignity. And I am all about the lowest common denominator. "Far Beneath Your Dignity" is my middle name!
So how are those that are attacking the Democratic leadership like Nazis? Hitler lost many brave soldiers on several occasions because he refused to make a tactical retreat, but instead he pushed forward blindly without regard for caution and logic. Oh, alright. They are not really like Nazi, but Olbermann got to invoke Neville Chamberlain - fair's fair!
You know what's worse than a Nazi? A soccer mom! Running on the field and screaming at their kid, "You've got no backbone!" when he or she has made a play that they don't approve of. I say give the kid a chance, the coach might have something up his sleeve. I would certainly not start rooting for the other side and demoralizing the other Soccer mom's on my team. I would stand behind my kid no matter what, if Dick Cheney and George Bush were on the other team. Anyway, it is entirely possible that the little twerps know more about the politics of soccer than I do.
I can understand that many would disagree with what I just said, but consider this - if you were a Republican strategist, how would you like the public to feel about the Democrats in congress right now? You may being feeling exactly how Karl Rove wants you to feel.
He did however manage to bring up Neville Chamberlain, thus calling the Democratic leadership something close to traitors to their country. I think that this is mighty strong language, and a diatribe of that low a caliber only belongs in one place - coming out of the piehole of some mindless Republican. As a party, do we really have so little faith in our leadership?
What little traction they have gained in congress could very quickly erode if public sentiment became "The Democrats are hurting the troops! The Democrats are losing the war we almost won!" With the hamster-like attention span of the American public, I could see the Republicans using that to their advantage, and suddenly the war is perceived as all the fault of the Democrats, and the Republicans gain an advantage in public support.
Maybe Henry Waxman's "drip, drip, drip" method of water torture will work out better politically. Many Republicans are already squirming in their seats. I am not saying that I am right, only that I can see more than one side to the issue.
One might say, "Politically? But American lives are at stake!" Yes, that is the hardest part to swallow, but if you can't gain enough support in the House and the Senate to override the Presidents veto, then maybe the best tactic is to continue to to push sentiment in the house and the senate in your own direction.
Remember that the Republicans failed to impeach Clinton in the Senate after a huge brouhaha and many months of effort wasted. In the end, they did not get what they wanted, and looked like major morons for their efforts. Clinton ended up being a figure of sympathy, and had a very positive public approval ratings when he left office. If the Republicans had taken the time to gain more support, they might have been more successful. "Push comes to shove" is not always the best tactic.
So I figure that if Keith Olbermann can invoke Neville Chamberlain, I can invoke Nazis! Yes Nazis! The unwritten rule is that any time you have a conversation on any subject and the opposing side is compared to Nazis, then you know that you have probably hit the lowest possible point in human interaction, you are at a low tide in rational dialog, you have reached a point of foolishness and buffoonery that is far beneath your dignity. And I am all about the lowest common denominator. "Far Beneath Your Dignity" is my middle name!
So how are those that are attacking the Democratic leadership like Nazis? Hitler lost many brave soldiers on several occasions because he refused to make a tactical retreat, but instead he pushed forward blindly without regard for caution and logic. Oh, alright. They are not really like Nazi, but Olbermann got to invoke Neville Chamberlain - fair's fair!
You know what's worse than a Nazi? A soccer mom! Running on the field and screaming at their kid, "You've got no backbone!" when he or she has made a play that they don't approve of. I say give the kid a chance, the coach might have something up his sleeve. I would certainly not start rooting for the other side and demoralizing the other Soccer mom's on my team. I would stand behind my kid no matter what, if Dick Cheney and George Bush were on the other team. Anyway, it is entirely possible that the little twerps know more about the politics of soccer than I do.
I can understand that many would disagree with what I just said, but consider this - if you were a Republican strategist, how would you like the public to feel about the Democrats in congress right now? You may being feeling exactly how Karl Rove wants you to feel.
9 Comments:
As you have noted, some Democrats are short on loyalty. That is, I supose, a republican virtue but it doesn't have to be that way. Come on people, don't give such an easy victory to Karl Rove!
Besides, now the Democrats have until September to get more votes to override another veto because this issue has just been postponed until then.
OTOH, we now have an increase in the minimum wage to help those at the bottom and that was the result of the democrats working together. No we didn't get what we really wanted but we get to live another day and try again.
Liberality: Thanks! It is nice to hear from someone that can at least look at the other side of this situation. I feel like i am in that film, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and all of the people around me are suddenly acting like they are from another planet.
And I agree entirely, all of this Democratic caterwauling is just Dr. Karl Rove ordered. I refuse to listen to this insanity. It is time to regroup, and redouble our efforts, not pee in our pants at the first sign of trouble.
Thank you for writing this; I agree wholeheartedly and that last line is just chilling. Liberality is right; this is the Democrats regrouping and preparing themselves for another battle, not giving in and walking away. I'm not sure what it is some people want anymore, I just know they want it yesterday. Where were they four years ago when the war needed protesting in the first place? It's always the people who come latest to the party that shout the loudest and demand the most. Nancy Pelosi knows what she's doing, she doesn't have the support she needs to do it. She'll find a way.
I blame Joe Lieberman. If the entire Legislative branch weren't so scared he might swing one way or the other at any moment...
Hi Samurai Frog -
Some of us were protesting this war years ago. I was protesting before the war started. I remember being spat upon, and of course being called a "bed-wetting pink-o commie" here in California for daring to question why we were going into Iraq. There was one day of world-wide protest that was measured in the tens of millions of protesters. You may recall that Chimpy patronizingly called it a "focus group" and said it would not change his mind. So, for some of us, this has been a consistent and ongoing position to take.
While I am extremely saddened by the congress continuing to fund this war, all we can do is continue to fight and protest.
Sincerely,
Tengrain
Or the Dems have until September for more scandals to occur to perhaps get impeachment on the table... even as a bargaining chip against the war.
Great post! I hope this strategy works. And SamuraiFrog is right, Nancy needs more support. I'm cautiously optimistic that things will eventually turn around for the Dems.
SamuraiFrog Yay! Thank you for writing what you did. It makes me happy to know that there are others that have not fallen for the this message of defeatism by so many in our party. The feeling that you "want something now" does not unfortunatelyalter what is possible or logical at the moment. You sum up your point well with, "It's always the people who come latest to the party that shout the loudest and demand the most." I am always glad to hear any vote of confidence in Nancy Pelosi.
As much as I dislike Joe Lieberman, he presence in the senate gives us a majority. I grudgingly have to admit that I am glad that he is there.
Tengrain Clearly you have held your position from the start of the war, as have I. I agree with your position, none of us are happy with the turn of events. It is unfortunate that we cannot do more at this time, or even that the Democratic leadership has decided to go this route. On the other hand, much of the rhetoric against this decision is perhaps unrealistic in it's appraisal of the situation. We are best served by a sober analysis of the events, and a good strategy for the future.
MC Yes! Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Representative Henry Waxman has several promising investigations taking place.
Marius Thank you! I am always happy to hear any kind words about Nancy Pelosi! I have little doubt that any Democratic strategy will better serve the people than a strategy that the Republicans come up with.
What an intelligent comment! I really liked what Keith O. did--and I hope the Dems who voted for war funding watched it and squirmed. Because they need to be able to say to each other and to the GOP, "The people who put us here are getting fed up and the next time it's gotta happen." If Olbermann and the various groups didn't put on the pressure, there would be no bad cop.
I like what you said about the Nazi analogy. I have said that anyone who wants to use the Nazis as analogy for something other than World War II ought to have to pay on a sliding scale of between $250-$1,000 to do so. Imagine the money we could be raking in for good causes!
Nice post. I came here via Samurai Frog's blog.
A lot of fellow liberals have been yelling about this, saying that the Dems gave up, but I'm at a loss as to what they thought they could do. Were they anaware that it takes a 2/3's vote to override? It just ain't gonna happen-- the Republicans have closed ranks. Few or none are going to cross the aisle to vote to de-fund the war.
I think it was a brilliant manuever. By forcing a vote that they knew they'd lose, they forced BushCo to take complete ownership of the war.
And in criticizing Dems who voted for the war, do they forget that BushCo had manipulated public opinion into a belief in the existance of WMD's there? This was not even two years after 9/11. The wounds-- and fear-- were still deep. The war had massive public approval in the beginning. Politicians vote the way their constituencies want them to. It's the way the system works.
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