“Spineless Democrats do nothing!" Oh, really?

The other day, I decided to make a note every time I saw a post about Democrats in action on DU. Since we all know they "do nothing," are "spineless," and "never speak up," I expected of course, to have a very small list. :sarcasm:

I'm not on DU 24 hours a day, so this is just what I happened to see over the past two weeks. Democrat bashers, did you just happen to miss all of this?

10/18/05
Democrats Reject Crony Tax Cuts, Stand With Americans
The Democratic Leadership and The DNC are striking back at the “immoral and financially irresponsible” budget proposed by Republicans. "It is despicable that the Republican Leadership in Congress has decided to pile the costs of their failed fiscal leadership on the backs of our most vulnerable Americans,” said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

10/18/05
Pelosi: Immoral and Irresponsible Republican Budget
"Speaker Hastert and Congressional Republicans are desperately trying to distract the American people from their culture of corruption and cronyism. The real problem with the Republicans' immoral and financially irresponsible budget is that it does nothing to address the concerns of hard-working Americans; instead it gives tax breaks to Republican cronies.

10/19/05
Senate Again Fails to Raise Minimum Wage
A labor-backed measure by Sen. Edward Kennedy would have raised the minimum to $6.25 over an 18-month period. The Kennedy amendment to a spending bill went down 51-47....

10/19/05
Fool on the Hill (Senators grill rice for 3 hours)
In interviews outside the hearing room, committee members Obama, Chafee, and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., all said Rice is not doing a good job in persuading the American people to support Iraqi nation building. (Both Chafee and Feingold voted against the Iraq war resolution in 2002.)

10/19/05
Pelosi, Hoyer and Spratt Urge Hastert to Cancel Budget...
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, and Rep. John Spratt, ranking member on the House Budget Committee, sent a letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert today urging him to cancel the budget resolution amendment that is scheduled to come to the House floor tomorrow. The amendment would make deeper spending cuts to vital initiatives that help working families while increasing tax cuts for the wealthy.

10/19/05
Pelosi: GOP Budget Is Another Rip-off of Middle Class Under
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined other Democratic leaders at a press stakeout today after the Democratic Caucus meeting to discuss the Republican budget and its negative effects on working families. Below are Pelosi's remarks: "Tomorrow will present a choice to the Members of Congress. We can choose to help the people who are affected by Katrina, or we can give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in America.

10/19/05
Senator (Schumer) seeks explanation from Bush in case of outed CIA spy
A top Democratic senator called on US President George W. Bush to reveal what, if anything, he knew about the involvement of senior White House officials in outing the identity of an undercover CIA agent.

10/19/05
HuffPost: Dems Planning Legal Action Against 2 GOP Reps.
The Huffington Post has learned that Democrats are planning legal action against two Republican members of the House, House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) and House Administration Committee Chairman Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio).

10/20/05
VIDEO- DeFazio (OR) from the Floor-YOUR DEMOCRATS calling out BS
What the Republicans are doing to gut entitlements for the benefit of the rich

10/20/05
No More Covert Propaganda - Kerry/Lautenberg Truth in Broadcasting Act
At 2 p.m. today the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Business meeting is expected to adopt legislation sponsored by United States Senators John F. Kerry and Frank R. Lautenberg that will require that “prepackaged news stories” produced by the Administration disclose the government’s role.

10/20/05
VIDEO-George Miller on College Tuition-YOUR DEMOCRATS IN ACTION
What Republicans are doing to cut college for the people

10/20/05
VIDEO-Diane Watson on the Budget-Mental Health cuts

10/20/05
Wes Clark Calls on Pentagon to honor commitment to Ed Schultz
Wes Clark is calling on everyone to help get the Pentagon to honor its commitment to Ed Schultz.

10/20/05
VIDEO- Jim McDermott on the Budget and What Repubs REALLY Do

10/20/05
Sen Schumer's Letter to Dubya

10/20/05
Barbara Boxer on new gun legislation.
"Day after day, we see the power of the National Rifle Association, which is so strong that the Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist took the DEFENSE bill off the Senate floor, in order to pass the sweeping, unprecedented liability waiver for the gun industry to shield manufacturers from most lawsuits. So guns are now one of the only American-made products I know of that have no safety standards and almost no accountability when things go wrong."

10/20/05
Today's Must-See TV: Rice-Obama, Rice-Boxer (Senate Hearing Oct 19 05)

10/24/05
Sen. Harkin talking of high heating prices -blames on tax breaks

10/24/05
Kennedy Speaks Out On Gulf Coast Hiring Practices
Sen. Kennedy, a member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Boarder Security and Citizenship, is speaking out on hiring practices in the Gulf Coast Region. In a statement, the senator responded to reports of undocumented workers who are working for low wages after being hired by federal contractors to rebuild the Gulf Coast.

10/24/05
Dean's own words
On the Democratic Agenda: "The truth is the Democrats are the party of moral values. We are altruists and believe we are all in it together and have a community to sustain. The President's attack on Social Security wasn't just about money and neoconservative nonsense. It was about a fundamental attack on the notion that America is one community and we have responsibility for each other. When we talk about moral values... 67% of America believes that it is a moral value that everybody has health insurance; 60% of Americans believe it's immoral for the federal government to tell families what to do in their personal decisions -- decisions that have to do with their personal lives. So, most Americans agree with Democratic moral values."

10/24/05
Stephanopoulos to Dean: "Will you accept that as the end of the matter?"
Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean is urging Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to bring indictments in the Valerie Plame Leakgate case, saying he won't accept any other result. Dean was asked Sunday by ABC "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos: "If finishes his investigation without bringing indictments and without issuing a final report, will you accept that as the end of the matter?" "No," Dean shot back. "Because I fundamentally don't think these are honest people running the government."

10/24/05
Dean calls for end to 'culture of corruption'
The Bush White House is the most corrupt administration in U.S. history since President Warren G. Harding's, said Howard Dean during his first visit to Maine as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Dean's comments Saturday came as top White House advisers are being investigated for their roles in the outing of a CIA operative and Tom DeLay, the former second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, faces conspiracy and money-laundering charges.

10/24/05
Capuano (D-8th) dismayed after visiting Iraq
If it were up to U.S. Rep. Mike Capuano, American troops in Iraq would come home today. But what bothers him even more than the fact that this won't happen is that President George W. Bush has given no firm timeline or indication for when it will, saying the United States will leave when Iraqis are ready to stand alone.

10/24/05
Helping girls is 'an American idea,' says Obama
A proposed boycott of American Girl dolls over its support for Girls Inc. is "silly" and an example of conservatives being too politically correct, said Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.

10/26/05
Kerry: Bring troops home over Christmas
Sen. John Kerry says President Bush should bring home 20,000 troops from Iraq over the Christmas holidays if the December elections there are successful. "It will be hard for this administration, but it is essential to acknowledge that the insurgency will not be defeated unless our troop levels are drawn down, starting immediately after successful elections in December," Kerry said in a speech prepared for delivery Wednesday at Georgetown University. Excerpts of the speech were obtained by the Associated Press.

10/27/05
KERRY SPEECH TODAY - full text
The Path Forward: "In fact, while some say we can't ask tough questions because we are at war, I say no - in a time of war we must ask the hardest questions of all. It's essential if we want to correct our course and do what's right for our troops instead of repeating the same mistakes over and over again. No matter what the President says, asking tough questions isn't pessimism, it's patriotism."

10/27/05
DiFi seeing the light -- Feinstein Asks: “A War Worth Fighting?”
On the heals of John Kerry’s speech at Georgetown University yesterday, Senator Dianne Feinstein writes a compelling and articulate OP/ED for the San Jose Mercury News on the Iraq War. Feinstein reiterates many of the points made by John Kerry yesterday and suggests that, “America needs to change course.” Feinstein also calls for “Drawing down our troop strength,” in her OP/ED. I congratulate Senator Feinstein for stepping forward and speaking up at time when our Democratic leaders need to make a strong stance against the current Bush administration policy in Iraq. John Kerry laid out a clear and concise plan yesterday for what needs to be done in Iraq. As Chris Bowers suggested yesterday on MYDD, “more Dem leaders need to follow Kerry’s lead.”

10/27/05
Dems try to protect hurricane voters
Concerned that political operatives may try to manipulate the battered Gulf region's voting process in upcoming elections, House Democrats on Wednesday asked the Justice Department to vigilantly defend the rights of people displaced by recent hurricanes.

10/28/05
Dean Statement on the Libby Indictment and Fitzgerald Investigation\
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement: "This is a sad day for America. Beyond the evidence that the White House manipulated the intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq, a group of senior White House officials not only orchestrated efforts to smear a critic of the war, but worked to cover up this smear campaign. In so doing, they ignored the rule of law, endangering our national security and the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting our nation's security. I. Lewis Libby was a part of this internal White House group. This is not only an abuse of power, it is an un-American abuse of the public trust. As Americans, we must hold ourselves and our leaders to a higher standard. We cannot fear dissent. We cannot fear the truth. And we cannot tolerate those who do."

10/28/05
Democrats call CIA leak case evidence of corruption
Some Democrats are suggesting the indictment of Vice President Cheney's top aide is larger than just one man. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says the C-I-A leak case is about how the White House both "manufactured and manipulated intelligence" to boost its case for the Iraq war. Reid also says Lewis Libby's indictment shows the Bush administration tried to -- as he put it -- "discredit anyone who dared to challenge the president." Senator John Kerry, meanwhile, is calling the C-I-A leak case "evidence of White House corruption at the very highest levels."

10/29/05
Feingold urges probe of ‘phony evidence’ for war
Congress needs to “investigate the whole mess” related to “phony evidence to justify a war” in the wake of Friday’s indictment of the vice president’s chief of staff, U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold said Friday in La Crosse.

10/30/05
WP: Democrats Demand Rove's Firing
Democrats demanded yesterday that President Bush fire Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and that the White House fully account for Vice President Cheney's role in the unmasking of CIA operative Valerie Plame, as Republicans acted to limit the political damage from Friday's indictment of Cheney's chief of staff.

10/30/05
Reid Calls for Rove to Resign - WaPo
The leader of the Senate Democrats today called for White House chief political strategist Karl Rove to resign, saying it's time for President Bush to "come clean" with the American people about the administration's role in the disclosure of a CIA operative's name. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), speaking on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," said both Bush and Vice President Cheney owe an apology to the American public.

10/30/05
Democrats must address tough issues, Clinton says (former President)
Democrats can't be afraid to talk about hot-button issues like abortion and should fight back against personal attacks from conservatives if they want to regain power in Washington, former President Bill Clinton said Saturday. "You can't say, 'Please don't be mean to me. Please let me win sometimes.' Give me a break here," Clinton said. "If you don't want to fight for the future and you can't figure out how to beat these people, then find something else to do."

10/31/05
Howard Dean: Indict Dick Cheney
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is urging Leakgate Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to indict Vice President Dick Cheney if he had anything to do with the decision of his chief of staff, Lewis Libby, to leak CIA employee Valerie Plame's identity to the media.

10/31/05
New DNC Web Video Reminds Bush of His Promise on Ethics
In the wake of last Friday's indictment of I. Lewis Libby on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements, the Democratic National Committee unveiled a new web video to remind President Bush of the standard that he himself set for conduct in his administration. DNC Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement calling on President Bush to apologize for his Administration's actions, fire Karl Rove, and adhere to the ethical standards he professed during his campaign: "Given the serious nature of the charges against Scooter Libby, and the significant questions that remain regarding the actions of Karl Rove and the White House Iraq Group, President Bush should take responsibility for this lapse in conduct. He should start with an apology to the American people for those in his Administration who acted on his behalf to manipulate intelligence to win support for the war in Iraq, smear opponents of that war, and cover up that smear campaign. President Bush must also keep his promise to fire anyone involved in the outing of Valerie Wilson by terminating Karl Rove and anyone else in the White House Iraq Group who participated in this conspiracy."

11/1/05
The Hill: Dems hint at filibuster
Senate Democrats appeared to lay the groundwork yesterday for a possible filibuster of Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court, setting the stage for an intense partisan showdown that could culminate with the so-called "nuclear option." "Nothing is on the table, and nothing is off the table," Senate Judiciary Committee member Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said within hours of President Bush's announcement that he had picked Alito to replace Harriet Miers. Miers's nomination to the high court was withdrawn last week amid heavy criticism from conservative Republicans who feared she would not be sufficiently loyal to their orthodoxy.

11/1/05
Hint: here’s the REAL reason you think the Dems are doing nothing.
Oliphant hits at ongoing media spin, CIA leak, Iraq, Bush, and Kerry
For some reason the media will not discuss Kerry's withdrawal plan for Iraq, even though a withdrawal timetable was REQUESTED by many in Iraq's parliament. When Dean tried to talk supportively about Kerry's plan, Matthews cut in quickly and shut him down. (Matthews incredibly rude behavior last night towards Dean was well-witnessed by many here.) And still the media keep the narrative going that Dems complain about Bush but never offer any plans of their own.

11/1/05
Reid cautious about nominee: Nevadan says Supreme Court would look more
Nevadan says Supreme Court would look more like 'an old boys club.' Unlike his appearance with Harriet Miers four weeks ago, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada appeared restrained when he posed for photographers Monday with Samuel Alito. Reid put his right hand on Alito's left shoulder and announced they had just completed a meeting of about 10 minutes in the senator's office. Reid said he was looking forward to Alito's confirmation hearings; the judge thanked him and the photo opportunity was over. There was none of the praise Reid offered for Miers, whom he had recommended to Bush. Earlier in the day, Reid issued a statement saying the Senate "needs to find out if the man replacing Miers is too radical for the American people."

11/1/05
Reid takes Senate into closed session over Iraq intelligence
The Senate's Democratic leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unexpectedly pulled the Senate into secret session Tuesday afternoon in order to have closed discussion of Iraq intelligence, RAW STORY has learned. The maneuver immediately shuttered the doors of the Senate and cleared the Senate press galleries. It has been invoked just 53 times in the history of the body. It was last used during the Clinton impeachment hearings.

that guy drives me crazy- a real dim bulb...

Which is a lot more than 95% of congress.

I complain about some Dems too, but credit MUST be given when they are fighting for us. Too few on DU are willing to ever give anyonwe any credit. I find this odd considering we ARE "Democratic Underground". I have no problem critiqueing the Party, but we must support those who are doing good things and encourage them to do more! Thank you again for a magnificent list. Undoubatably some will say it is "not enough" or "too little ,too late", as though they themselves could have done more, but I am grateful for those efforts you have named.

And lists like this can help ALL of us keep our facts straight.

perfectionist, back-seat-politico assholes have griped about this. They forget the impact of 9/11 of the voting public, they forget about what being completely out of power means for a party, and worse, they ignore those MANY times we HAVE stood up!

Fuck 'em.

how a flurry of leadership in the last few weeks makes up for years of failed strategies and leadership. 9-11 is no excuse.

A lot of good Americans have died for Bush while Dems fiddled around trying to get a coherent plan and message. Sorry, but as a fifth generation Dem, I expect a lot more from my party.

I'm glad they've finally gotten their act together, but we should never have to see this happen again.

Show me some "sticking power" and I'll show you deserved respect and the honor of my vote :P.

Anyone can "talk tough" like that a**hole Joe Biden, but when the "rubber hits the road" and they have to show something *very foreign* to most politicians = MORAL COURAGE, their voices are squeaky and they decry, "It's not my fault." Some of these "gutless wonders" seemingly take turns on who is to stick their head out of the "hidey hole" at any given period of time ... well to keep the payola flowing and to not *really* infuriate their Corporate Masters. :puke:

Will they come through for The People instead of their beloved CORPORATIONS?!?

I hope and pray they will choose TO SERVE The People of The United States before the bloated and corrupt Corporations.

Time will tell. :-) :hi:

...and he just got Minority Leader position in January. Now rope-a-dope is painful to watch but Harry had to get some footing after the 2004 elections. He has found his target and his time and has unleashed everything the Democrats have left.

Can he stop the reThugs? Doubtful..
Can he turn their heads around? Absolutely

The reThugs are going to find out that Harry is cagey and can be a bulldog when permitted. And don't count Howard Dean out, he can be as tough as anyone else on the talk shows.

We have got to support the Democrats NOW. Perfect they may not be, but the alternative is a one-party fascist theocracy.

Criticism is fine but undermining them now is not. If you don't like them toadying to the corporations, sign up for Howard Dean's $10 a month grass root fund raising. He needs 2 million democrats.

I've signed up, have you???

during sparring matches. A former occupation doesn't tell me all that much.

When it counts is when I'll sign on. :-)

I'm glad they're finally growing some spine, but I've still got a list, too. It's shorter than DBE's, but no less important:

1) Laid down when the Republicans stole the election in 2000.
2) Laid down to a crooked Supreme Court that stole it.
3) Laid down again when the Republicans stole the election in 2004.
4) Laid down for the "Patriot Act". Twice.
5) Laid down for President Satan when he sat there listening to "My Pet Goat" for seven minutes because he knew that all was going according to plan.
6) Laid down and voted for President Satan to invade Iraq on the basis of lies, even ignoring Saddam Hussein's offer to go into exile and avoide the war.
7) Laid down to turning the U.S. into a wholly owned subsidiary of Halliburton.
8) Laid down while corporations lowballed American workers and sent the jobs they had overseas.
9) Laid down while the oil companies made record profits by price gouging, and then laid down when the Republicans rewarded them with massive subsidies.
10) Laid down while Republicans did away with any scintilla of progressive taxation by doing away with the estate tax and instead made it harder for those forced into bankruptcy by their evil economic policies.
11) Laid down while the Republicans made the U.S. media one of their wholly owned subsidiaries.
12) Laid down while the Republicans erased the seperation of church and state along with the rest of the bill of rights except the second amendment so they can keep killing for Jesus.
13) Laid down while our credibility around the world was reduced to a joke by the Republicans and our country to an object of pity.
14) Laid down while Republicans raised hypocrisy, greed, and craven deceit to our national ethos and intentional stupidity to our cardinal virtue.
15) Laid down while one whitewash report after another was foisted on a gullible public, even agreeing to delay some of them so they wouldn't embarrass Republicans prior to an election.
16) Laying down to the Republican notion that morality only matters with regard to sex, and that outright treason matters less than a blowjob when it comes to issues of impeachment, and saying very little about the breathtaking hypocrisy of the Republicans' new mantra that perjury is a technicality.
17) Laying down to the new Republican notion that the new standard for removing judges from cases is whether they've ever contributed to a political organization or candidate, unless they're a Republican.
18) Laying down for Republican quislings like Lieberman and that Nebraska comb-over in their own party.

That's what I mean by spineless. Now you know. I want my party to again become a party of principles. I don't care if my leaders are getting blown, as long as they're not screwing their own people. I want my party to be a defender of the powerless rather than a whore for the powerful.

Unless I missed it, not only rolled over for the alaska oil drilling, but PROMOTED it behind closed doors, then turned around when environmentalists got mad.

Not doing a single thing for the slaughter of wolves and other wildlife in this country.

Not doing anything about the rekindling of the fur trade (this means YOU hillary.)

Not doing anything while republicans attempt to gut the endangered species act.

Not doing anything while irreplacable parts of our ecosystem are destroyed or turned into hunting zones.

Not saying a damn word on behalf of gay rights, alternative religion, or the environment, but making it sound like 'we'll tag it along if we get lucky and get voted in'.

And to anyone who bitches at me about promoting the environment, it's my only reason for voting. Humans create their own problems so all republicans do to other people is nothing new. I vote for my interests, and those are mine, so if you want to get into a stint about it STFU.

en masse on my diary: http://littleclarkie.blogspot.com/

With attribution, of course.

Nice work!

People have to understand that the Dems are the minority party and are fighting as hard as they can, given the circumstances. From my own point of view, I have liked Reid since he got appointed as Minority leader. He is a tough guy, as evidenced by his fights against organized crime in Nevada. He is trying to do the people's business, which is what he was elected to do.
On edit-I must confess that I have hollered at times myself, so the moral is that none of us are perfect, I guess. But again, great list.

we fail to get favorable treatment in the rw-biased media.

that's it.

democrats are making stirring speeches and proposing great bills every day. but the media doesn't cover it, or perhaps makes a brief note of it, then drops it. THAT's our problem. it's has nothing to do with who we are or what we do, and it has everything to do with corporate and banana republican control of the media.

figure out how to equalize the media, THEN you'll see what the democratic party is really all about.

If we can't get control of it we are doomed. They hold so much power that it's hard to fight and win. They just hardly ever report what the democrats do or say on a daily basis. Even tonight watching the Evening newscast with the big story of the Senate they didn't let us HEAR what the democrats were saying. Maybe like 5 seconds worth. Instead they told us what the Dems said. It's not the same thing.

I think the media is the biggest problem in this country. The Dems need to fight them as much as the Republicans.

It's democracy's last hope.

your perserverance, and you had a helluva platform today to march these out! :hi:

:kick:

Thanks for your work.

I remember when a lot of people were very worried about Harry Reid. I think he's surpassed many of the expectations we've had about him; and if he can take the lead, there's no question that the Dems, even as the minority party, can at the very least have their voices heard, and (hope against hope) get some changes made.

I'm recommending this, and bookmarking it--on the days I feel down about the state of things, I'll look at this. Thank you again!

Whine whine whine. Try.

Listen listen listen.
Act act act.
Do do do.

If you want instant runnoff voting, then get busy. Otherwise take the RepubliCONs are the same as Democrats shit and jam it back up your collective asses where it belongs.

...and you take offense.

Interesting.

I applaud the recent efforts of our Democratic leaders. However, I believe what the above post was alluding to is the fact that, now that it's safer to emerge from the bunker mentality that the Dems have been under for some time, doesn't it smack of the notion of "fair weather friends?"

Now that public opinion has soured on BushCo, it's much easier to venture out and pound their chests as if they've been there all along. That's why I said a couple of years ago to "mark" the ones who were silent and hold to the ones who spoke out.

You tell us 'submit or go home' and that's a work ethic. I find that VERY interesting.

the ones I'm interested in are the party leaders in DC, such as Pelosi, who frequently say the right thing (though not always, as when they attack their own party chairman or base voters), but don't always back it up with actions. We all know (OK, most of us know) that there are plenty of fine Dem's, both elected and not, who work hard and speak up.

It's the ones who mumble when the truth should be spoken clearly, the ones who make excuses for following the majority rather than BE the opposition party that the country desperately needs. The ones who wont support the efforts of their own peers in the house who are speaking out. The ones who vote to support harmful bills that betray everything it should mean to be a Democrat, like the bankruptcy bill.

Again, I thank you for putting together such a fantastic list. It is refreshing and uplifting to see. It is a vital reminder that good work is getting done. And I agree it is defeatist and negative to make sweeping generalizations about 'the party'. But I also think there should be nothing wrong with criticizing our party's leadership (or our direct representatives) when we think they aren't doing their job. I don't want to be a republican - I want to think for myself, and I reserve the right to insist, vocally, that members of the party stand up for our core values.

There are a substantial (or substantially loud, anyway) number of posters on DU who have nothing good to say about Democrats, ever.

Why does someone always bring out "I think for myself" when this sort of thing comes up? Of course you should think for yourself. And read for yourself. And research for yourself. It sounds like you do, and good for you.

This list was for all those who spit and rant about how the Democrats have no "balls" (which, right off, I find tellingly offensive) and say they'll never vote for a Democrat again because they're no different from the Repukes. I think they have something other in mind than you or I do when they extend such "criticism."

allow for criticism, seeming to imply all DU posters were either in all yes or all no camps, across the board. At least to my initial reading. I'm sorry if I misread your intent.

your sound just like a Republican yourself. We're different. We can handle the truth.

"you demand no criticism."

:wtf:

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

Thanks so much for this list! :pals:

K&R

yes, we've heard a lot of talk lately. It is refreshing but it remains, until today's closed session of the Senate, talk. That and 50 cents will get me a newspaper in the morning. Four plus years of "yes, Mr. Bush" cannot be undone by mere words. The Democrats has their chance to stand against these outrageous bush policies from the start but chose to take the safe road so they wouldn't be ridiculously branded as anti-American. They enabled the bush administration in so many ways during his first four years, look at the voting records in the House and Senate they're there for all to see.
I am one to give credit when credit is due. Today's stand against the Republican leadership was stellar and it sent a message to the bush administration that the gloves are off, we're going to fight for what we believe. What took so long to finally stand and fight though? Until now it has been all words without actions to back them up.
I'm not even one of the "constant complainers" that are referred to in the OP. I have never talked our leaders down unless they deserve it, I don't demoralize Democrats and would NEVER vote Green, Blue or otherwise to prove some silly point. I'm a dyed in the wool Democrat and have been for over 35 years. But I will NOT confuse cheap talk with positive action.
That being said, I'm ecstatic over today's actions by our Democratic leadership. It is just this sort of action that will finally differentiate Democrats from Republicans in the American publics minds. It's long overdue, but hey, a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. We've finally taken that first step from mere background noise to solid, noticeable action.

:yourock:

and many thanks.

:hi:

if i needed to see that, so did many others.
thanks from all of us.

We keep marching forward. Thanks for the list and reminder!

Sonia

who are on the ball, finding these stories for us every day. I was just applying my OCD and some boredom and putting them to good use. ;)

When the media is not on our side, it does take work to stay informed about what the Democrats are really doing, and I appreciate what so many fine DUers do every day to help all of us. (And it just irks me to no end when some DUers refuse to acknowledge these Democratic contributions. It reminds me of the willful ignorance of the Kool-Aid drinkers.)

Thank you, DU, for all you do. :toast:

Your politics are plagued by this very manichean point of view: either Democrats or Republicans.

I'm all for initiatives like today's (Reid's) and would only wish there were more. I'm all for people like Dean who seemed to me, back then, like a great candidate for the Presidential elections. He seemed open-minded, outspoken and honest. A rare person in the political spectrum nowadays. There's some others as well, you know the names.

But, even during the Clinton-era, one must remember that the Democrats approved of the ambient neoliberalism, of the wars led by the United Stated, of the Food-for-Oil program, etc., etc. List goes on and isn't really lovely. Needless to say, most of them blindly approved the Iraq invasion and never questionned it... well until today or so. And the democrats as a whole get their fair share of blame for not speaking out, for not doing more when they were not directly approving the Busheviks. They get their fair share of blame for the torture at Gitmo (torture that takes place everyday in direct violation of International Law and the Geneva Convention) and Abu Grahib (and we all know it's much worse than just two prisons), for the collateral murdering of hundreds of thousands of innocent iraqis, for the dismemberment of the iraqi civil society, for the establishment of a puppet government, for the soon-to-be-civil-war in Iraq, for the...

But there is hope and I side by americans on this issue. The real important thing is not the messenger but the message. If the democrats are willing to put up a fight against the fascists bastards, I simply can't understand why wouldn't people unite with them (the Dems). A common foe, simple as that. I'm all for the creation of multiple parties and think they should be promoted. A vote for a 3rd party isn't necessarily a vote for the republicans.

But thanks for stopping by.

You wanted to point out that a lot (free interpretation) of DUers are good at "Dems-bashing" and rarely - if ever - talk about the good things the Democrats may do and you wanted to give the Dems credit for their past actions by illustrating their implication with a few recent examples.

Have you ever noticed that most historian completly occult the fact that the german economy recovered quite well from a rather international crisis after the nazis took power? Or that there was full employement in 1935 in the same country? That they put up a few good social measures to help the poor and the beaten down (aryan of course :roll: ).

I wouldn't compare Dems to nazis but they suffer from the same problem. People tend to occult their good shots and only remember their bad ones - huge mistakes that's a given - like a quasi-complete silence during 5 years of fascism and imperialism.

I get your point, but I - like others - have a hard time trusting the Dems elected "leaders" nowadays. Let's just hope this continues and that we'll see more and more actions ;)

Mentioning the success of the Iraqi elections right before the official or a close relative gets themselves executed by the Guerrillas.

Oh yes! Then they can stand up and say with their little itty bitty squeaky voices, "See, it was those bad ole GOP and a few Conservative Democrat's fault." GUTLESS ... Far too many of our so-call Democratic Leaders are too worried about being re-elected to take a true moral stand. :P

No one thinks it's cute.

:hi:

The unemployment rate fell because of massive debt-financed public investions, mostly in the military sector. Also, the Nazi economy didn't reach full employment until 38, the fall in 35 can easily by the creation of the Wehrmacht.

And Gore would have gotten elected. Now we have +2000 dead kids because of a lie. I know I will get burned for this one... that's fine, bring it on.

It is much needed.

would call BALLS

Bookmarked and nominated!

At least someone got it right! Great post!:patriot:

I'm grateful and encouraged by Sen. Reid's actions today. But some of today's Dem leaders have a past of weak and failed leadership. A great deal has gone wrong in this country that they have done little to prevent or stop.

I don't regret for a moment pushing them to show leadership and I'm glad that the voices of loyal Dems who demand more from their leaders have been successful in getting their attention. This party belongs to all of us and its the responsibility of all of us to make sure it continues its good work.

Like most others, I'll back them all the way when they fight, but as a good steward of my party, I'll hold them accountable or advocate their replacement when its called for. I would also add that many Americans have died while we waited for them to take action.

Your sarcasm is highly inappropriate and misguided.

It has been said that the Senate Dems finally grew some balls when they shut down the Senate yesterday. Almost. They grew A ball. They'll have the second one when they finally step up to the plate and admit that their votes to approve the invasion of Iraq was wrong--as Jay Rockefeller did and as Dianne Feinstein has finally done. We Dems constantly fault Bush for refusing to admit his mistakes. Well, it's time the Dems in the Senate admitted theirs. One ball is nice, but two are better.

How about supporting regressive, horribly interventionist international trade policies like NAFTA? How about the Democratic party's complete abandonment of union issues? How about the tendency for the Democratic party to support the gutting of American education through programs such as No Child Left Behind? How about Democrats giving the all-clear to John Roberts just because he was something less than an ogre? How about the namby-pamby "agreement" Democrats made regarding the "nuclear option" for Supreme Court nominees? How about the Democrats all doing that ridiculous grandstanding of saying the Pledge of Allegiance next to the Capitol flag when the circuit court case about the atheist's kid was in school? How about the general tendency of Democrats to pretty much support anything regarding the war on terror the first three years after 9/11, including the Patriot Act?

I think you get my point. You can try to whitewash how the Democrats have acted, but I am not impressed how they are acting now that the president is wounded and blood is in the water. When push came to shove, our leadership faltered and sat on its hands, letting the president ruin this country. It's nice people like Reid are doing something now, but I would rather they kept the president from breaking the cookie jar in the first place rather than spend time gluing the pieces back together. When it really counts, when we really need them, the current group of Democrats in Washington fails us.

I forgot... I think it was less than the amount of dead soldiers in Iraq. Because they voted for that Nader guy... yeah... I remember now...

And it sure was a nice show of spine by the Democrats in the aftermath, wasn't it? Oh, wait, I forgot. Democrats rolled over and played dead.

:shrug:

...took them most of a year to get their feet under them but they are starting to fight back. Dean, Reid, Pelosi were not in the leadership roles before 2004.

Yea, so Bush is wounded? You would prefer they waited until he was strong? I say kick the sucker when he is down and keep on kicking until he croaks out the last of his political life.

Of course that is why I'm not a politician, too violent...
...or maybe not, after all look where it got Karl Rove...

now try these time frames-
march 2002
sept-oct 2004
january 6, 2005

and I will also say that does not even show the countless speeches and admendments that go on each and every day in the House and Senate, and how the Republicans twist and turn each word and vote down on special order Dem admendments one by one.

Thank you for paying attention, and pointing out that which needed to be said.

I give this post a big BOOYA.

Rep George Miller's resolution forcing a vote on his bill to rescind Bush's order suspending Davis Bacon wages in Louisiana. Bush knew the votes were there and on Oct 26, he reinstated D-B wages effective Nov. 8.

Go team!

http://edworkforce.house.gov/democrats/109th/katrinatimeline.html

Harry Reid sounded like a bad-ass to me!

I would agree that today was a great day.

Thanks for the wake-up call...nominated

The f'ing CM won't cover it, period.

This is great.

What Reid did to day was briliant. Start with a "shock and awe" and then pound them with out mercy.

He'll turn some heads. He's the perfect guy to do this.

The fact that CM has ignored him makes it look like he's just getting outraged. He's been there, just hasn't had the horses.

He even had the Bush supporting on tax cuts Feinstein out there tonight on Larry King defending him and the DEMS. That will teach her.

Keep it up buddy, we love you!

they should have been this fierce from step one...

Not that there was nothing to compile before that. :eyes:

Very good compilation here... Thank you!

This would make a great reference thread to add to daily. Great work!

Awesome compilation of the facts. We do have reasons to be proud of our party. We should not buy into the media's constant negative messages about how our party has no clear message.

:thumbsup:

...that has been called 'spineless'...and for good reason.

It's easy to come up with a list of 'positive things' that Dems do each and every day. They give great speeches on the floors of both houses and (mostly) stand up for what is right about America. But they have failed time and again to turn words into actions and deeds.

The complaints have been mostly about the LEADERSHIP...which has chosen not to fight the good fight or simply gave up in the face of adversity. With little or no fight...they have allowed our government to be transformed into a monarchy or oligarchy...where everything is controlled by a small group of wealthy individuals representing the ruling class.

Democratic leaders have either agreed with or said nothing as the 'Bush Doctrine' of preemptive war and torture became national policy under an imperial presidency.

These leaders did NOTHING as two elections were stolen and thousands of (mostly) Black Democrats were purged from the rolls and told they couldn't vote.

And these are just a couple of examples of what the Dem leadership DIDN'T DO to represent the BEST INTERESTS of the people of the United States.

one more time to a liberal, i'm gonna pull my hair out!

I realize that some Democrat politicians are very courageous and fight hard against this disgraceful, criminal Bush administration. They make their positions heard loud and clear, and take measures.

However, the rest of the Democrat politicians need to make noise too. We follow their lead.

...of relative silence and spinelessness.

Let's wait a couple of years before we go overboard on praising the Dems' courage, shall we? I'm as pleased as anyone to see them--finally--speaking out, but I'm afraid it's a fad that will last only as long as indictments stay in the news.

Undoing the damage the * regime has caused will take years, if not decades. The Dems' reputation for spinelessness is at least partly deserved, and won't disappear with a wave of Fitzgerald's magic wand.

That makes sense. Don't let them know now that you appreciate anything they're doing. Don't give them any positive reinforcement, because that might (gasp!) encourage them!

No, thank you. This list is only what I've happened to catch in the last two weeks in response to months of listening to certain DUers smear the Democrats with right-wing talking points at every opportunity, most notably whenever a prominent Democrat actually did something.

This has nothing to do with Fitzgerald. He's not a Democrat, and his actions have nothing to do with my compiling this list. Harry Reid's actions yesterday, in fact, have nothing to do with my compiling this list, or with my posting it. I am only countering the claim that Democrats do nothing with a simple observation of reality. It's not a claim that they're perfect, or that they've never let us down, or that they won't do so in the future. It's a simple acknowledgement that there are Democrats in Congress doing what we've asked them to do on a daily basis.

I've noticed that pointing out positive action on the part of Democrats seems to infuriate some here. Peculiar, to say the least.

One can (and probably should) praise the Dems for their current show of backbone, but it's not possible to wish away their previous timidity. If the recent change is more than a passing fad, that would be worth all the cheering you could wish for.

They still owe us apologies for years of slackness, but the best possible apology would be real behavior modification.

you seem to infer that anybody who points out the tepid response of the "Democratic leadership" (a contradiction in terms, since those who "actually did something" get marginalized by Murdoch's media whores with the tacit consent of their gutless peers) is somehow as bad as some knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, slackjawed Dittohead moron. I hope you aren't serious. We want our "Democratic Leadership" to stand up for Democratic principles, not ape the fascists with meaningless parallel spin as if the train wreck our country has undergone under Herr Bushler is just a "PR problem" as they like to disgustingly opine. They need to call him on his Reichstag Fire, they need to call him on his demonization of the Muslim world (the "New Jews"), and they need to call him on the fundamentally flawed world view that has brought us to this sad situation we find ourselves in. Hitler screwed his country beyond recognition before his warped outlook finally caught up with him, and we don't want to have to go through the same thing before our own jonesing dry(?) drunk psychopath with a messiah complex finally intersects his dismal fate. As Al Franken points out, a "quickie impeachment" could have him impeached, removed, and on the bottle again in a single afternoon seeking a flatline to end the shame of having a lifetime of having to act like a macho dick to impress his daddy and atone for having addressed his true personality as a cheerleader at one time.

I never inferred anything of the kind. I said we need to recognize and praise Democrats when they do good, and that there are certain people who do the exact opposite, which puzzles me.

I don't get the animosity.

In the real world you'll get fired for that kind of work history. It's sad that we have to be treated in such a manner by our own party that we have to take such offense like we do now, or we have to cling to a few good actions. We berate eachother like the other person's POV or their voting interests don't matter just so we'll get into office, but it isn't any of the principles democrats stand for that's doing it...but the fact they make 200% more promises than they take action for.

My ideal democratic party has the list you just mentioned once a week, but my ideal democratic party doesn't exist...just this good ship lollipop 'let's make people vote for us by speaking up when we'll get the most attention' BS. I'm still waiting to see the massive fallout on the bush administration by dems for hurricane katrina. Yet, all I see is a bunch of little snide comments about their tax policies and whatnot.

2004 was my first voting year. I swear I'm never doing it again until we get a candidate who's not made of wood and afraid of termites.

I think Dems are at last taking the bull by the horns only because the Media is melting back because of the Indictments. We expect a majority in Congress (except that we have to overhaul the voting procedures first) Hate seeing all that hard work going to waste!

big list, it doesn't impress me, unfortunately.

Maybe when we leave Iraq, or when impeachment begins, or when Alito gets filibustered I'll be more impressed.

Like you'll be impressed then. I have the feeling certain people here wouldn't be impressed if the Democrats defied Jor-El and spun the world backward.

I would be very impressed if Democrats actually got something accomplished, letters, petitions, closed sessions, investigations are ok, but ACTION or RESULTS are what really matter.

I'm impressed just at the analogy, I've never heard it before ^_^

I'm sorry if I'm coming across as a bit of a schmuck in this thread -- my point isn't to berate the list you made. I think democrats, when they stand up, are doing a wonderful job. I think they just have a bit of lackluster when it comes to standing up and down quickly enough to keep the ball in motion.

A friend of mine once put it as...'we don't need a democratic or republican president or mass senate. We need new blood, and perhaps, some new policies too.'

I mean all this fuss over abortion, yet no one really scrutinizes child sexual abuse anymore. All this fuss over christianity's views, and yet there's so many other religions we just ignore. So much fuss over terrorism, so little fuss over every day crime...

I think you're right and wrong in a way. I don't think I can really be impressed no matter who did good at this stage in the game, not because of the democrats' ability to do it, but just the big issues that have presented themselves. To me, they're small, and should never have a place in congress or senate. Until they're out of politics, I find success very little in its fold, but failure quite large...and no, it isn't really the democrats to blame. It's really the country who put these petty issues on the table to begin with, when the huge issues are slipping through the cracks.

I think we here at DU could do more than criticize our party, OR just tote around whenever the bush administration has a faux pas. I think we have an obligation to put the better party principles up, and stop berating one another and fighting like young children. I just don't see the actual democratic whole of america doing very much, nor the republican whole...and it's the country I'm ashamed of, not the party itself. After all, we do vote on our interests...it makes me wonder if most voters are drunk nowadays.

Wonderful to see this list. It would be great if we posted such a list as a special thread on DU. Our Democratic leaders do not get enough press coverage. It isn't fair. But, then how can we expect the media to be fair when it is controlled by corrupt corporate greed. A weekly list like this would be a great addition to DU. Let's create a place where good Democrats get credit for standing up for us.

not that a lot of people that easily go to the dem are spineless gutless adn do nothing will allow this to get in their way. i appreciate it. just a small period of time i kept cspan on and all i saw the dems doing and saying i just cant buy into it. also the tons of emails i get from dems and dem org leads me to say, dems are doing a lot

I get so tired of the Dem bashers, too. Imagine how all of these leaders feel when they make the effort, and folks on their own side don't even notice.

Thanks for noticing.

It seems the Corporate media should be the ones to blame. They refuse to cover these moves by Dems. But I guess it's just easier to not see that.

We always need to goose our elected representatives lest they get lazy from the Corporate Payola.

IMO, politicians are a necessary evil, I don't trust ANY of them. ;)

at the very least, I didn't write those words here.

The point is, Corporate Media rarely make a peep about what Dems are saying/doing, and if it "ain't on mah TV, it never happened." Well, the Dems aren't doing the best they could do, for certain, but they are doing and saying quite a bit. Even if it ain't all on your TV.

I refuse to be a defeatist. I have bitched out my reps and senators staff. But I'm not buying what Corporate media is selling, because I am not a sheep.

What are they trying to get you to believe? "The Democratic party is dead. Ignore them, like we do!"

Bullshit.

Yes, on that point, I fully concur - thanks for a little balance. I'm jaded because far too many of our Democratic Representatives are being "paid off" by Corporations. They honestly need to step down from their thrones and SEE how we suffer.

Reid would not have pulled that IF Georgie wasn't tanking in the polls. I am so damn disappointed at the number of Democrats in the Senate "who claim" that they were fooled by the Intelligence. Truth is, politics and the security of their jobs, for most, was paramount. That hurts and will take a while for many of us "to forgive."

But I am thankful that they have FINALLY started to shake things up so much that the whorish Corporate media can't even obfuscate.

Kudos for that ... It's a start.

because it helped me put in perspective the actions that are being done. My husband accuses me of being too negative about all that is going on because I am continually outraged, but your compilation helped soothe my anger.

Because Harry Reid held that closed session, I e-mailed him and called both of my Republican Senators (which of course, did NO good). I am also going to write my paper. People have to wake up. The problem that I see is that the Leadership is not doing this day in and day out and hasn't had the courage to do it for over 4 years!

I live in a VERY red state and have to deal with the brainwashed masses and get called continually on the fact that the Dems supported x, y, and z, too. When the voters are so uninformed and the Media actively whitewashes things, it is damn hard to explain the nuances of who voted for this or that. Basically, the Dems have been giving the Repubs cover by voting with them. That's why I'm so discouraged. Even if we are the minority party, we could make a point if NO Dem voted with the Repubs and that's the stand that I haven't yet seen.

With all of that said, I have been a Democrat my entire life and I'm not about to change now. I support the Dems because they are better than the Repubs. It's that plain and simple. But, I have 2 young children that I am seriously scared for their future. I need the Dem leadership to stand up and reassure me and the vast majority of Americans that they care about me and my children's future and not just about getting re-elected or appeasing those money'd few who fund their campaigns.

Keep up the good research. Since the media actively silences Dem voices, we need to know what they're doing more than ever.

Thanks again!
Ysolde

I wish this would put an end to the Democrat bashing here, but it probably won't. I wonder if you hold Democrats in such low esteem, why you'd want to hang out on a board called Democratic Underground.

Because the Democratic Party doesn't own the principle of democracy and free speech.

If this is a "one-way-debates" type of place, I sure didn't get it as such. By the way, most "Dem bashers" just point out the fact that, yes, the Dems have been doing a few good shots recently but we have to remember that they've been silent - or approved! - on a lot of subjects, including the Iraq war and the countless scandals of the Bush administration.

Clinging to blind hope won't help. It is important to remain critical and that is what a lot of people have been trying to do.

I'm tired of seeing "The Dems have no plan".

Can you give us a 2 week synopsis of the times Democrats Do show a plan?

More to work against the damn freepers than anyone here.

For years I have watched with few exceptions as Democrats conceded to the fleecing of America, sent our childern into a war without demanding answers, even conceeded the election knowing there were descrepencies in the votes and I will not now pretend that a list of deeds accumulated over the last few weeks is worthy of great admiration!

Don't post actions over the last few weeks as evidence this "party" works for Americans. Instead look at who has been there, who has attempted to call attention to vital issues in our country, who was willing to hold an investigation in the basement of a building?

Pay close attention to how well blind allegience to political parties has worked for our country before you decide to blindly sing the democratic party moto 'Not as Bad as the Republicans'. I believe our country deserves far greater options than BAD and WORSE!

Where the hell was the dissent on stolen election 2004? Where was the dissent on Selection 2000? Where were the Democrats when Bush lied us into a war of conquest? Where were the Democrats when Bush pushed the "Clear" Skies and "Healthy" Forests initiative?

Sorry guys. You should have been doing your jobs five years ago. Anything that's done now is like putting a bandaid on a slashed artery.

MojoXN

If the Democrats in the House and Senate truly had balls, they'd sit in front of their computers all day and post whiny messages to internet discussion boards.

:rofl:

Translation = practice what you preach, will you?

They're sooooo useless

We all know they are working hard!!!! America needs to hear the whole story!!!

Kicked and nominated!

:kick:

:thumbsup:

The democratic party has finally awakened from the sleeping salt bushco slipped them during the clinton impeachment trials.

It's good to see, but I just don't want them to fall back to sleep again because they were dreaming of the country we want them to form. I mean, it's easy to say words, watch:

"I, Jim, Shall rid the world of evils such as republicans and stand with an iron fist. I will make gumdrops rain from the heaven and I'll make roosters dance. With my mighty mudslinging I'll conquer, and BTW the incumbent senator smells, just go over to him, you'll see.".

And it does absolutely nothing. Infact it'll make a lot of people laugh, be it with or at me. That's all I really get out of the democratic message, and if you dissect it, take away adjectives and nouns, it almost sounds a lot like the same message.

I want some senators who think when they speak, and there ARE some of them I won't deny. It's them I want to stand up and do something, and not them who I knock; but so long as there are the dead-weight senators like hawaii's senator, our party is just going to sink. It's them I criticize, and as a party it's good to accept responsibility for both good and bad.

There's a huge closet filled with human and animal suffering, human and animal death, lies, cheats, and slander. This is the closet the government was invented to clean, but just hides like it doesn't exist nowadays. Both parties are guilty of talking about all of their pros, but none of their cons. I think a lot of americans would take humility and joy out of a candidate who says 'yeah, I mess up sometimes. Sometimes I can be a jerk, but I'm gonna work my ass off to make this country a good place.' Not yelling 'lock box' or 'terrorist 9/11' or 'purple heart vietnam' at the people and pretending only their gas doesn't smell.