Why are so many Democrats caving in? Why does almost everyone fear Bush?...

What's the deal? Another post quoted Biden as saying even most Republicans are too afraid to come out and oppose Bush.

Looks to me Bush is winning on almost every point. Points, which are driving America to the ground. No wonder he continues to do what he does. Lots of blah, blah and nothing happens??!!

How can he continue to have a certified Liar as AG?

The man on the street sees this and says, is not what you do that matters, it's really about about getting nailed that matters. What a great thing to teach your kids.

Zero accountability by this administration and it's the Demos who are at fault in many cases.

Basically, at root, the answer is fear and greed.

plus the added threat Repukes made
that IF there's another terror attack (wink wink)
it will be all the Democrats fault.

And our guys caved.

pffft.

part, espouses the values I hold dear... I dunno anymore.

"If you are not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." Who said that?

If we get attacked, Bush can blame the Democrats. Meanwhile, who knows what kind of dirt he has on Democrats that was obtained through eavesdropping. I am sure there are many things going on behind the scenes that go beyond our wildest imagination.

aka "The Long Emergency"?

be shocked at the real reason behind all the bullshit lately. No one wants to talk about it, not even on DU. The scenario laid-out in James Howard Kunstler's http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7203633/the_long_emergency">The Long Emergency is being played-out across the planet and no one's recognizing this particular dot nor are they connecting it to current events.

C'est la vie.

to ensure that he and his oil buddies are going to get every last cent out of every drop of oil. I think many of the Dems in office know this too and although it may leave a bad taste in their mouths they'll go along. And those who don't are threatened with their lives in the balance. Blackmail seems less likely to me. It's just plain fear....so the Dems capitulate. It's all about oil. imho

those that fear him know what awesome powers they have given him.

I think it's time for libs in politics to grow a pair of balls. Maybe they need an implant of stem cells or something, or a firm boot planted to their behinds. Sheehan might just be that boot.

war continues without any discernible progress ( I mean real progress, not this BS Cheney throws out).

Wire tapping and the rest.

It's about time people who support Bush use their head for more than a hat rack.

that chimpy is crazy enough to MIHOP another terra attack if he
is questioned too hard on anything. He and cheee-kneee has absolute
power and ability to do this.

Face it, the fearmongering has worked for him so far.

Yes, because he and his gang of thugs MIHOP'd the first.

It is 30 second TV ads that can be the determining factor in an election. Rove is setting traps everyday.

inertia behind them, and they underestimated the force and nerve it takes to get in front of that rolling boulder and stop it.

It's rather like fighting The Blob, it's just gotten larger and larger.

Government of the people and for the people has a long ways to go. It has taken several giant steps backwards under Bush.

If the Democratic majorities were at all opposed to the policies of the Bush junta, they would simply put a stop to them.

Period. End of story.

The have the tools given to them by the framers for exactly this kind of abuse of power, and yet "they refuse" to use them?

I dont think so. Rather, it seems clear that they just dont want to oppose these policies.

...that drive * policy. It's not all fear.

Loss of job? Failure to be re-elected? Hell ... I'd LOVE to be able to 'fail' into a position that pays me four or five times as much as the elected office I 'lost.' When was the last time a politician was impoverished because he wasn't reelectd?? Never. They get richer!

People are treating impeachment as some kind of Capital Punishment ... a TERROR that we should run away from. Bullshit. It's nothing but firing somebody for lying on their expense account or stealing office supplies. The question then become whether to prosecute.

Millions of workers lose their jobs for absolutely NOTHING compared to what these corrupt basturds are doing and have done!

Fuck this shit ... impeach 'em.

:shrug: Taking a dive for the corporations.

Seemed odd that no one mentioned that Martha went to jail for less than Scooter Libby got off free.

Woulda thought a few columnists or even some Dems might have pointed that out. If we truly had Dems that were able to "Frame" issues wouldn't have have put that out in an Editorial, at least. I wonder if our Dems are pleased that we have no fair & balanced media. It makes it easier for them to whine and whine about how "afraid they are" ...how they just can get the votes...so we have to wait until 20008.
Seems we heard this about 02,04,06. But, I know that we must have patience. It's taken 40 years for the Right to Rise to ultimate power. Pehaps 40 years will do it for our Dems. :sarcasm:

into two wings makes it impossible for our party to stand
strong. When the Media knows there is one wing whose positions are
similar to WH---not enough votes when the time comes to vote.
The GOP stays pretty much in lockstep with the WH when it comes
down to a real vote.

Are Democrats caving in or are there Democrats who were
never with us in the first place????

By the Way, please inform the Media at every opportunity.

We are not all Far Left. Partisan yes--Far Left NO.

when he was the nominee. Seems to me that we weren't trying to run a third candidate or urge people not to vote for him because he wasn't Howard Dean...

I know we like to ignore it, but we are at danger from terrorist attacks. Even those who think that 9-11 was an inside job have to know that some groups were planning big attacks before 9-11, and many are still planning them. What if one gets through? What if just after we've won against Bush, an attack gets through? There are two main fears here. One, we will be blamed because of the timing. Two, we would actually be responsible.

The conundrun is this. Bush is going too far. What he did to Afghanistan (Yes, I opposed that, too), Iraq, detainees everywhere, and our civil liberties are gross abuses of power. At the same time, some of what happened has to be done. Some--not most, not all. We do need surveillance over legite threats. We do need to take action against the most serious threats against us. Clinton tried to increase surveillance and to get Bin Laden in any number of ways--this isn't just a Republican strategy. Bush's extremes need to be stopped, but what if too much is stopped? Bush is a spoiled, out-of-control child. I have no doubt he's telling people "Give me what I want or I want do anything and you'll be blamed." I keep picturing that with the war funding. I can just hear Bush and his smirk telling Congress "I'll keep the troops there without funding. They'll have to hunt and steal for their food, but I'm leaving them there. You think my approval rating can go any lower?" More than anything, Bush hates to lose. Second is his fear of admitting he's wrong.

If he's not threatening, he's still incompetent. What if we say "Mr. President, you have to stop this illegal surveillance," and he stops all surveillance out of spite, as he basically did before 9-11. What gets through? What happens before we can fix the system? And who will be blamed for it? Bush would practically invite someone in and show them where the nukes are hidden, just so they will succeed and he can say "See, I told them! Now who was right?"

They are afraid of a sociopathic madman with a child's IQ. And they are damned both ways--if they don't stop Bush, people hate them, and if they do stand up to Bush and things happen, they will be hated. Bush is an idiot, but he's a very clever bully. He knows how to trap people.

Just a theory.

"And they are damned both ways--if they don't stop Bush, people hate them, and if they do stand up to Bush and things happen, they will be hated."

Yeah, so...... if they're going to hate you either way, then why not stand up to them and do the RIGHT thing?

And that's the same answer to those around here who are always wringing their hands and saying, "oooh...oooh....whatever are THEY going to think of us?" THEY are people like Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Lielly and those who listen to them. Why would I let people like THEM drive my thinking or my actions?

I am so utterly sick to death of the constant "terra terra terra" thing. I can't continue to live in fear. I could get hit by a truck...today. Or die of a heart attack, or fall off a bridge because of our neglected and crumbling infrastructure(there are a lot of bridges where I live).

Oh, and I COULD die in a terror attack. Will there be another attack? If Cheney/Bush have anything to say about it, there CERTAINLY will!! They are the ones who are the threat. Crazed Muslims, not so much.

There is nothing I can do about any of this because my neighbors and others in my community are sleepwalking through this hideous period, sucking up Fuks Newz propaganda and asking for more.

One has to find ways to cope, somehow, while refusing to be immobilized by every terra 'lert. As for me, I'm reading the Harry Potter books this summer. I'm on #4. Three more to go. :P

the minority of Dems caving is only effective because of the slim margin our majority holds in this Congress.

I hate sniveling like this which tries to paint the entire party with the actions of an ignorant few.

and that undermines every Dem who is trying to do the right thing.

Even in our Party there are many different positions.

Those who believe the war was wrong from the very beginning.

Those who supported the war, now believe it was a mistake.

Those who supported the war but believe it was MISMANAGED and
Mistakes were made in conducting the war.

Here are 3 different positions. Think about it. Each requires
a different resolution.

You probably could come up with different combinations than mine.

Democrats have to consider all these as they represent people
in Democratic Party.

One of the biggest factors. Nationalism pervades some parts
of the Country. America, right or wrong. Very difficult for
these people to accept the word "defeat". GWB understands this
and plays it like a violin.

Dems aren't "caving in" to Bush. They just can't trust the people to see through Bush. The Dems have to assume that Bush will do whatever it takes to deceive the people and that the people will let themselves be deceived.

Last I read, about 75% of Republicans still support Bush. So the country has to suffer some more. If you want to put pressure on someone, put the pressure on Bush supporters. They don't lose a thing when troops die in Iraq, so of course they could care less about it. Bush supporters are complicit in the war and will accept a lot of damage to the country if it gives them any chance to save face.

Even if all Dems vote in a block, we can't override a filibuster. So stop blaming Dems, and start hassling Republicans.

Perhaps some progressive, populist Dems should re-register as Pubs and run against entrenched Republican congresspersons. Infiltrate their stinky world and clean it up.

to those who didn't bring 'em to the party and have worked drive the part into the ground.

Diffident, unsure, leaning one way or the other, depending on how the poll question is asked. On the contrary, the Dems need to represent what is right and lead the people. If they just try to do what some pundit's interpretation of what the people were saying in the '06 election, they will certainly fail. At the first sign of trouble, the people will back away ("That's not what I meant!") and leave the Dems in the lurch. The people don't know what to do. They need leadership.

In '06, the people were not mandating. They were leaning, emoting, intending...not commanding. We need to try to get them commanding. We'll know it when they do, because the Republicans will break ranks in droves, not just a token few.

Confusion!!! And, that's WHY we are FAILING AS DEMS!!! That's what I meant. :-(

He had access to the dirt on everybody. Or access to the people who had the dirt from the mid-50's on.

Nixon's first act after he was elected was to demand signed resignations of his entire government. "Eliminate everyone," he told John Ehrlichman about reappointment, "except George Bush. Bush will do anything for our cause." (Source: Pledging Allegiance, Sidney Blumenthal.)

Whatever the "cause" is and whatever they have wanted to accomplish, the Bush family is in the thick of it.

Because Bush is not alone.

Mark Dayton made some honest remarks about 9/11, and the next thing you know, he said he was not running for re-election.

So I would say, all of the above, carrot and stick.

The bad are bribed or hope to be.

The good are threatened or expect to be.

It could be some other combination of factors, but I believe you are correct.

or the equivalent of a bullet.

how sick Bush really is. Why do you think there's such a sadistic (in the clinical sense of obtaining sexual pleasure from the suffering of others) component to the Abu Ghraib etc. treatment of prisoners? Someone is getting their rocks off watching this stuff. My money is on Bush & Rummy. (I know, Rummy's gone, but he still has his hand in, somewhere.)

And the nature of his character disorder is that it has a fascination for many of the populace. Thus, what some perceive as his "charisma".

Just my $.02.

the bushies have no compunctions when it comes to playing dirty, dirty, dirty

NOT that that's any excuse. IF they are being blackmailed/extorted....they ALL should have gone public a long time ago.

When someone threatens you, the first thing you do is make sure everyone knows about it. If anthrax shows up in your mail or you have an 'freak accident,' who will everyone suspect?

And everyone cannot be that dirty to be blackmailed / extorted.

I think LIHOP is common knowledge among Congress, and I think we're the ones being blackmailed - should another unfortunate terrorist attack happen again.