In a time when Democratic Senators control the Senate and when there is not reason to cave, Harry has done it again. Heaven forbid he stand his ground on this or any other issue. Not only did Harry surrender on one issue but on everything the Right wants. Remind anyone of the FISA votes ?
Reid said Democrats would allow votes on GOP amendments that would permit new drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf; the development of oil shale in western states; construction of new nuclear power plants; as well as a vote on broader legislation Republicans have dubbed "drill more, use less," which includes offshore drilling, conservation initiatives, the development of battery technology, and language to curb speculation in the oil futures market. Reid putting offshore drilling to a vote
As a aside Mitch has yet to accept Harrys offer, he may want still more don't you know.
Today at Salon Glenn goes into a detailed discussion of why we are going after the Bush Dogs/Blue Dogs. Here is how Glenn lays it out for all to see.
Earlier this month, Rasmussen Reports announced the humiliating finding that "the percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings has fallen to single digits [9 percent] for the first time in Rasmussen Reports tracking history." That extremely negative view of Congress cuts across partisan and ideological lines, as only small percentages of Democrats (13 percent), Republicans (8 percent) and independents (3 percent) believe that Congress is doing an "excellent" or even a "good" job. Perhaps most remarkable, some polls -- such as one from Fox News last month -- reveal that the Democratic-led Congress is actually more unpopular among Democrats than among Republicans, with 23 percent of Republicans approving of Congress compared with only 18 percent of Democrats. One would be hard-pressed to find a time in modern American history, if such a time exists at all, when a Congress was more unpopular among the party that controls it than among voters from the opposition party.
That a Democratic Congress is so deeply unpopular even among Democrats may be historically unusual, but it is hardly surprising or difficult to understand. On key issue after key issue, it is the Bush White House and Republican caucus that have received virtually everything they wanted from Congress, while the base of the Democratic Party has received virtually nothing other than disappointment and an overt repudiation of its agenda. Since the American people gave them control of Congress, the Democrats in Congress have given the country the following:
Unlimited and unconditional funding for the Iraq war. Vast new warrantless eavesdropping powers and retroactive amnesty for their telecom donors -- measures the administration tried, but failed, to obtain from the GOP Congress. The ability to ignore congressional subpoenas with utter impunity. A resolution formally decreeing parts of the Iranian government to be a "terrorist organization." A failure to outlaw waterboarding, to apply the torture ban to the CIA, to restore the habeas corpus rights abolished by the Military Commissions Act of 2006, to impose the requirement of congressional approval before President Bush can attack Iran. Confirmation of highly controversial Bush nominees, including Michael Mukasey as attorney general even after he embraced the most radical Bush theories of executive power and repeatedly refused to say that waterboarding was torture.
And now Harry has once again proved he should not be the Majority Leader of the Senate. He is all too willing to be pushed around, refuses to tell it like it is, and allows votes against what the base wishes as a majority. Has Harry allowed Lobbyists to have their way on this one ? It's hard to say no to that one and maybe we should start following the money to find out why Harry has surrendered.
Glenn goes on to ask the key question that any Democratic activist needs to ask themselves when deciding how they will act in the next 6 to 8 yrs and maybe longer.
The critical question, then, is not who will control Congress. The Democrats will. That is a given. The vital question is what they will do with that control -- specifically, will they continue to maintain and increase their own power by accommodating the right, or will they be more responsive, accountable and attentive to the political values of their base? Let's give "Blue Dogs" the boot
I urge everyone to read Glenns piece and the rebuttal to it by Ed Kilgore. The 2 pieces will show you the difference between progressives and those afraid to rock the boat just to save a incumbents seat at any cost.