It’s time to Fight Them Harry!
Posted: December 17, 2010 Filed under: DADT, U.S. Politics, We are so F'd | Tags: REPEAL of DADT VS. START 21 CommentsOur country is being held hostage by our political class. Every day the headlines just keep getting worse. This lame
duck session of congress has put partisan excess on display. Now is the time to stand up to the Far Right. Democratic leadership has been far too conservative and far too pliable.
Here’s the Appalling headline setting Peace against Civil Liberties via Wonk Room:
Sen. Corker Threatens Reid: If You Bring DADT Repeal For A Vote, We’ll Walk Away From START
Other Republican Senators — including McCain and Graham — have privately hinted that they would oppose ratifying the treaty if the Senate voted on DADT, but Corker is the first lawmaker to publicly threaten to walk away from the measure. Last night, Reid filed cloture on DADT and DREAM and promised to hold cloture votes on both measures on Saturday, before returning to the START treaty. Reid has also promised that he would accommodate six or seven days of debate on the measure.
Corker’s description of DADT as “partisan” is surprising in light of the increasing Republican support for the measure. Republican Senators Susan Collins (ME), Olympia Snowe (ME), Scott Brown (MA) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) have pledged to vote for the stand-alone repeal bill. The measure is also supported by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the overwhelming majority of the American people. A new Washington Post/ABC News poll released earlier this week found that 77% of Americans support ending DADT, the highest level of support since the poll began asking the question.
This is surreal. Corker thinks that issues like Civil Liberties and treaties negotiated in the interest of the American People are just “campaign promise types of issues”. Listen to what this man’s says and be prepared to be outraged. Any decent Republican should distance themselves from Corker’s misguided attempts to confuse public will with his narrow political interest.
Lindsey Graham is indicating he may not vote for START because of the DADT repeal. This is the new Republican Meme: It’s “poisoning the well” despite it being the will of the majority of the people and in keeping with our constitutional precepts of equal rights.
This is a tweet from ManuRaju from Politico:
Sen. Graham may vote against START, saying DREAM/DADT push has “poisoned the well.” “The lame-duck is beginning to smell up the place.”
What smells is that it’s taken us nearly TWO years to start discussing the issues that Democrats were elected on. We expected immigration reform. We expected discriminatory laws against the GLBT community to go away. We expected bold steps to end the recession brought on by 8 years of reckless GOP war profiteering. These are fights for basic Democratic party values that should have started a long time ago. Senator Reid only has a few weeks left to do the right thing by the voters. My hope and prayer is that he stays and fights. The president leaves for Hawaii tomorrow morning having used what little prestige there is left in his office to push through the Tax Cuts for Billionaires plan. Obama obviously doesn’t care enough about these issues to stay and fight! Please let Henry Reid behave like something other than a Reagan Democrat. Stick to your guns and your voter’s intent!
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
I don’t understand why Obama thinks Tax Cuts for Billionaires will save his Presidency. What am I missing? Instead of landing the Repubs with a failed policy, now all the Dems are tainted with it, and, as usual, they look like unprincipled, phony, they’re-all-alike-a-pox-on-both-their-houses hacks. How is this a positive?
It’s still probably the idea that we have no place else to go. I may sit this next election out. I can’t stand what’s going on… you shouldn’t consider people’s civil rights to be negotiable.
If these assholes (sorry but I am pissed) will not pass the 9/11 first responders bill, because they wanted to make sure the tax cuts would pass and make more money for the wealthy… they will think nothing of using DADT as a bargaining chip. It is beyond disgusting. Not voting is looking like an option I skipped the recent midterms, cause none of the candidate were worth a crap and NOTA was not an option. What can we do? I am watching all these horrible things getting passed, at least I can vent my frustration here. I just wish there was something more substantial I can do.
We may not have any place to go, but he doesn’t seem to be accounting for the millions of people who have no party loyalty one way or the other. Maybe he’s looking for the Bipartisanship Elf, as if passing an unpopular policy that won’t work will have people swooning in the streets because bipartisanship is bipartisanship is bipartisanship.
I think this is a play for independents. I don’t know how any one could possibly call him a socialist after all he’s been doing. I think folks are getting that scent of crazy from the Teabots too. Sharon Angle and the P-Woman say the craziest things! Huckabee’s off the wall too. I think Reid and Pelosi should let them bloviate on public record a lot. People will know exactly how wacked they really are.
Independents hate this crap. I am one and I hate it as does everyone I know. What he has done from the standpoint of an independent is prove that he absolutely cannot be trusted.
If DADT were repealed, Obama would be a hero. 77 percent of Americans support it. I just don’t get it.
They would rather risk blowing up the planet, than give American Gay service men and women their Civil Rights and Basic Human Rights. It is insane, they would bite off their nose to spite their face, just look at the former Chairman of the Republican Party…Gay as could be and working against Gays!?! Go figure?
Maybe they figure once the gay rights shoe drops, the next logical step is equal rights for women. And that’s just too, too taboo.
House Republicans Block Child Marriage Prevention Act
Hey, another FU from Republicans on another bill dealing with Human Rights.
Like the Repubs have any standing on bills that are ‘too costly’.
Good grief.
“… could lead to more abortions…”
Good grief! Gotta save those beautiful babies so they can get married when they’re 9 years old and be forced to have more babies. God loves babies!
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
In fairness to the Republicans, they can do just about anything they want since they are unopposed. Nancy capitulated in the House in terms of the tax cut bill, and if they can delay some of these more liberal issue til after the new year, Boehner will just kill them all on his arrival.
Maybe what Obumbles is hoping for is to be able to use Congress as his new scapegoat. Let the country get ‘Republican bad’ and then claim that he is the only thing standing in the way of utter chaos. The question is whether the public will believe it again.
Hillary 2012
Dear POTUS in HAWAII:
It is not more vacation we need – it is more vocation. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
I love this quote Dak.
I assume Republicans are going to insist on what they want by holding any and everything hostage whenever they feel an itch. And why not, Obama handed them that strategy.
See, the other thing Obama doesn’t understand is that having Republicans as adversary isn’t like any opponent he’s ever had. There was a big to-do over Obama beating the Clintons but what Obama and his supporters couldn’t bear to admit was that the Clintons here or there let a battle opportunity pass that Republicans won’t. Bill and Hillary can fight Republicans full throttle but they held back with Obama, just enough, that slightest thing that gives the lesser player the help he needs, the way some do in a battle with a family member, in a way Republicans won’t. Republicans relish a revengeful fight and would love nothing more than to diminish Obama and Democrats any way they can, and Republicans don’t care what gets destroyed in the process. The Clintons only wanted to win a Primary and lead good policies, they didn’t want to scorch the earth leaving Democratic debris the way Republicans are only too happy to. Also, Obama was motivated to beat the Clintons in a way he isn’t motivated to beat Republicans (that’s where, psychologically, to me it gets even more interesting).
Republicans may not get everything they want, but with a Dem President and Dem controlled Senate following 2 years of total Dem control, to Republicans like McConnell and Kyl the attention and power they get from the fight alone is a victory. Getting the legislation they want, too, is gravy.
“Poisoning the well.”
What? Either Graham doesn’t know what that means, or he’s just being an asshole.
Unless, of course, he means it this way.
My guess is he doesn’t know what he’s saying but using it any way. I’m amazed at how many people don’t know all the logical fallacies. I had to take a logic class at University as an undergrad. Is Nebraska the only place that makes you do that?
I just do not know what the problem is about. Schedule the nuclear treaty first by itself and then do the others. Then if he objects with a filibuster, let him stand alone in the well and defend himself for the absurd position he is advocating.
The problem isn’t scheduling or procedure, this is all about power.
Obama has been, completely unnecessarily, handing over power to Republicans for two years and now they’re exercising to see how strong they are and how they can strengthen themselves.
Obviously they’re going to pass START, it’s a Reagan-rooted treaty and Republicans aren’t opposed to it. But they probably would rather pass it next year and take credit for it.
They just tanked the Dream Act. Repealing DADT got a cloture vote. It’s looking better today.