Blue Collar Politics

[BREAK] Here's one reason why it is so hard to get excited about being a Democrat, or to have your heart race while hoping for a Democratic majority. It is often said that the Republican leadership promises the base everything, but delivers little. (No abortion ban, but making obtaining one harder. No direct Church-State alliance, but faith-based tax dollars delivered onto the collection plate, etc.) But, with the Democrats, you often get even less. No promises of rose-garden policies during the campaigns, and when elected, the Democrat's base gets "bipartisan" crap like a "Free Trade" bill that allows American workers to compete with workers from Chinese prisons and "U.S." lands like Saipan and the other 13 Northern Mariana Islands, where sex slavery and forced abortions take place, while US Repugnant politicians like Tom DeLay cavort in the resorts. While we progressives battle for years to get America back on course, the mainstream Democrats avoid us like the plague. But, when the recent polls begin to show that America's voters are siding with us, the same politicians begin showing up a Progressive/Liberal meetings and begin courting the top bloggers. Worst of all is watching some of those bloggers fall under some bewitching political spell and quickly forgive all manner of political sins if they can only interview/accompany/wash the car of someone who voted for the awful bankruptcy bill and/or supported the Iraq madness until polls changed in the last handful of weeks and/or played the "I don't support the war the way Bush handled it, but I can't support a timetable for withdrawal!" BS. But this year, when/if the Dems become the majority and morph into Republicans we can't pretend any naive outrage. They are giving you fair warning! Even Nancy Pelosi has become more of a Republican than the Republicans of just a few years ago. We all know of the contract fraud/war profiteering going on under the Bush administration, in Iraq, as a result of hurricane Katrina and who knows how many other areas. Halliburton would seem to have a case for trademarking corporate thievery greased by the blood of our troops. We know of lies told, blatant lies, to the American people in order to send our troops to attack, invade and occupy a non-aggressor nation. And on, and on. We know that John Conyers, the Michigan Congressman for over 40 years, has wanted hearings by his Judicial Committee for years now. And we know that, should the Congress change, Mr. Conyers will be Chair of that committee, and will have the subpoena power needed to make the hearings a revelation. But, why would Conyers fight for such investigations, if he knows that, no matter what is uncovered, his likely Speaker has ruled out the ONLY way the sitting President can be legally tried, if the hearings uncover crimes. Pelosi on CBS:

"not going to impeach the president, it's just simply not going to happen," she said. "impeachment takes away the time we need to build the future."

If that is the reaction of the current leader of the Congressional Democrats, and likely Speaker for the next Congress AND the politician seen as the icon of Liberalism, we are in deep crap in this country. Here's more:

What won't be seen is any serious move to impeach Bush, even though the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, has introduced a bill calling on Congress to determine whether there are grounds for impeachment over the government's warrantless wiretapping program. Conyers already has been overruled by Democratic leaders including would-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who dismiss any talk of impeachment. And there's no talk of gun control measures _ anathema to the 40 or so pro-gun Democrats in the House _ nor even much speculation about steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions thought responsible for global warming. For starters, would-be Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., is a staunch supporter of his state's automobile manufacturers.

If Nancy Pelosi sees no duty for Congress to hold accountable this administration (one that has shredded the Constitution, redacted almost all of the Bill of Rights and given the US a reputation of war mongering, torturing corporate toadies), Amerikan Corporate-Christo fascism can come out of hiding in the back of the Mainstream Church closet and proclaim a Straussian victory, for it is all over folks! Now, does that mean I won't vote to throw out the Repugnants? No, I'm not crazy. But what it means is that, wherever possible, I'll vote for the Democrat on a ballot line held by the more Liberal/Progressive party. If, in your state (as in NY), a Democrat may run under lines of various parties, and each vote for her/him is counted together, choose the most progressive party/line. If you have a true Liberal Party line, Progressive Party line, or other, left leaning line for the Democratic candidate, vote on that line. If a Democrat is run under the Democratic line, and appears under the Green party, vote Green. And be vocal when you attend (or get captured at) a meet-and-greet. If you get to speak with the candidate, even if it's only one line as you wait for a bus or enter a train station, say "I'm going to give you my vote so that you'll a chance to investigate the administration and take back America. Please don't disappoint me." We want to elect a Democratic majority in both houses. Unfortunately, we don't seem to have Democrats running for many of the seats. Just opportunists who place power above principle, and are already pandering to a Repugnant line even as they ask us to "change" things. So, vote for the faux Democrats, but continually let them know that their lust for power depends on YOU, NOT on the folks sitting in the White House. The word "investigation" is NOT a partisan one. Investigations should be impartial.

But they must be done if America is to be taken off life support!

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