Public approval of the job Congress is doing is now down in single digits. You can thank FISA for killing off any progressive support. People are tired of sternly-worded letters and capitulation. Everyone hates Bush and the Republican Party and yet absolutely nothing is changing. With every metric showing blowout wins for the Democrats, they just are not willing to rock the boat.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Congress was in single digits long befor FISA.
Would you fucking get a new act.
This is a warning.
Factless dickishness is a potentially bannable offense.
Here’s another resource. Care to find me the single-digit poll that you are referencing?
Here’s a fun little Tin Foil Hattery for you. . .
Congress. . .specifically those long time high profile ones . . .has been warned or even threatened, perhaps. All these years (Feb 2001 and since) of unfettered wiretapping and snooping into everything in at least congress critters lives has produced to juicy or potentially juicy tidbits that would at the least be quite embarrassing if not somewhat difficult to explain to the general public, especially when they are shown through the BushCo lying lens of distortion.
So warning taken seriously. . .congress WILL give Peznit whatever he wants. And they do and continue to do so.
Just a fun little venture into What If? . . . .
“With every metric showing blowout wins for the Democrats, they just are not willing to rock the boat.”
True. And if every metric was showing a very, very tight race up and down the ticket, they really wouldn’t rock the boat. And if every metric was showing blowout losses for the Democrats? Well, something tells me they’d really be in a defensive crouch then, like back in 2001-2002.
It’s almost as if they are not worth a shit regardless of the metrics. Almost.
Bada-bing.
Jeff wins the kewpie doll.
The incumbent protection racket known as “federal elections” makes it possible for do-nothing cowards to do nothing and prosper.
Why fight for principle when it’s nearly impossible to be thrown out of office? All you have to do is make up a lot of bullshit about “hope and change” (they all do it), and once you’re in, you’re like a herpes sore: you never go away.
Think Salazar in Colorado. He will be a senator as long as he wishes to be. Let’s not forget he’s the one who presented Gonzales to the Senate for consideration as AG.
Sickening.
I don’t know what’s worse; watching the Dem leadership lack of spine over FISA or the anxiety of anticipation of next Jan when Americans give them a majority in Congress and a Dem president and then the next session opens and then…nothing.
Oh shit, CNN reporting Russia pissed over the missle defense system and threatening to go beyond diplomacy in retalliation.
There’s a madman in the building with a bomb. He’s daring anyone to try to grab the bomb. The objective is to get him to leave the building without setting off the bomb, which does not seem to be his preference.
Bush can create a terrorist attack and blame it on being blindsided by the failure of FISA. He can use this as a pretext for war with Iran. He can also use this to throw the election to McCain. None of this is beyond the Republicans morally or logistically. This is why FISA is passing, why the Iraq War is proceeding unmodified and unchallenged, and why impeachment is off the table.
Why even bother talking about it?
How long has this been going on?
Yes, one could,accurately,call me cynical.
NOT Tin Foil:
After a two day visit, JCS Adm. Mullen tells Israel, “You do not have a green light to attack Iran.”
But since there’s a human need to keep war as an option:
Russia threatens military response to US missile defence deal
This is a bimodal distribution…
Say 40 percent say Congress is not progressive enough, and 40 percent don’t like a Democratic Congress, that leaves only 20 in the “OK” zone. But virtually every report I’ve seen on MSM has tried to lump the two dissatisfied groups into one.
FISA is the worst example of a Congress trapped by its own cowardice. Just read a summary of testimony today that said that 95 members of the House and dozens of Senators knew about this. And we wonder why they don’t want trials? THEY would be plaintiffs.
go to the Majority leader page and drop Steny a note.
I challenged him to find a way to get me making contributions again.
open thread?
how about this. newsweek evaluation of mcshames’ latest ad in spanish. i suggest that it should be read.
“…….they are not willing to rock the boat”. And it is driving me out of my G D Mind! Whose F boat is it anyway? It’s GW’s God D boat. Instead of not rocking it, we should be sinking it!!! When will these zombies wake the f up?! There is an election out there begging to be won. Don’t know if they have noticed or not.
ah yes, you’ve touched on the heart of the matter. to wit: it’s important to maintain the appearance of democracy by maintaining the illusion of it by having elections every 2 years…low-intensity democracy is a better tool for keeping a diverse population under control than is an outright dictatorship. however, the mechanisms and tools of fascism are still applied, albeit, quietly.
l would suggest you peruse mussolini’s dissertation on fascism circa 1932 for a fundamental rationale of the conditions that have lead to the situation we are faced with today.
welcome to the future.
Bravo!
Bull’s Eye.
That’s it!
Thanks for hitting the nail on the head.
I’m in the process of reading Naomi Klein’s shock Doctrine, it’s all there for us to read. You are absolutely right about the slow creep of fascism infiltrating what was a democratic system of governance.
Why can’t the damned wussy democrats send their capitol police squad to arrest Mukasey, Miers, Rove and Bolten. Jeez – working alone, Pelosi could subdue and cuff all four of those decrepit weasels without working up a sweat. With a couple of brawny, armed officers of congress it would be a piece of cake and absolutely epic political theater to boot. People would be standing and cheering from sea to shining sea. It’s not some long drawn out impeachment that would ultimately be voted down. This is an absolutely straight-up, legitimate excuse to frog-march all 4 of those vastly unpopular, slimy villains under the klieg lights.
NINE FREAKING PERCENT! What are they waiting for?
I got a giggle out of this article – if you make a mess then it’s your responsibility to clean it up.