Are the Democrats "gutless"?

The major criticism of the left against elected Democrats is that they fail to "defend their principles" and "always cave in". But can you blame them?

During the fight over the Clinton budget which increased taxes on the rich, its passage came to depend on one vote from a Pennsylvania congresswoman. She cast her "yea" vote while Republicans jeered "goodbye" to her. That Congresswoman did indeed lose her seat in the next election and was never heard of again. And I have to admit I don't even remember her name. But I am pretty sure most Democratic congressmen do.

That's how we got the Reagan revolution.

was the solution.

We get out there and kick ass, sometimes literaly.

The actions of the Democrats during the bush administration is the reason I changed

my party affiliation to 'Independent.'

people talk a lot about "courage" but sometimes forget that courage usually requires you to pay a price and sometimes the price is that you disappear and so you don't get credit for your courage.

You get to keep your Soul!!

Calling Democrats spinelees is an insult to creatures without spines

They're elected to serve the country. If they can't do that, they have no business being in office.

Get rid of the mindset that being a Senator or a Congressperson is a "job" rather than a temporary public service, like jury duty, and that fear no longer applies.

It's NOT a job any more than being on a jury is a job. It's certainly not a career. I used to think that term limits were a bad idea, that We The People should be able to choose who we want without constraints, but I no longer believe that. It has become clear to me that permitting politicians to make a career out of public service is a terrible idea, because they are only human, and their FIRST priority is going to be protecting their "career." They are supposed to vote for what's right and best for America, which isn't necessarily what the masses in their districts WANT, but most of them are too afraid to do it because they don't want to lose their jobs. So they pander to ignorant, uneducated idiots because their districts happen to have a LOT of them. Thus, the whole nation loses.

Term limits would also reduce the impact of corporations; they'd have to start all over again buying Congresspeople, and they couldn't trust in their Old Reliables to pull through anymore, because there wouldn't BE any Old Reliables. It would also cost lobbyists and corporations a FORTUNE to continue "investing" in politicians, because their investments would expire too quickly.

Term limits would increase the focus on, and perceived importance of, both civics education AND voting, because there would be more people serving overall--therefore, everyday people would be more likely to gain office themselves. More minorities would get the chance to have a voice in politics. And most importantly of all, it would REMOVE the false idea that being a Senator or a Congressman is a "career."

What worked before in this nation does not work anymore. Term limits--that is the 21st century solution to the problems of a 21st century America.

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and the whole dem v. repuke thing is a false paradigm trumped up to make us think that we have some power or control over some aspect of what happens to us. The same way that the rich propagated the white v. black and pro choice v. life memes to keep us divided and full of fauxrage. As long as we are fighting each other, we will never turn our attention on those who make billions regardless of who is in power or what else happens.

If I were running I would not expect to last more than one term because I would be standing up against Corporate interests. But, since being a member of Congress was not meant to be a career, but a temporary means of representing those who elect you, what's wrong with that?

The fact that they want to make a career of this position makes them vulnerable to being bought and paid for.

When we get people who are there to do a job and who do their best while there, the current system of bought-and-paid-for, unethical morons will be over.

To answer your question, if they are more worried about re-election than doing what's right, they shouldn't be there. And who cares who remembers their names. If they can sleep at night knowing they did the right thing, that is worth more than all the Corporate bribe money greedy politicians can dream of.

is the heartless party.

They're just bought and paid for, and most of the time they do a pretty good job of defending their principles; to wit, protecting and preserving their own position, power, prestige and perks.

Here's a recent article about her and how she's comparing her situation to what Obama's dealing with with blue dogs today.

And though she's not in congress, she's anything but "never heard from again". She's founded "Women Campaign International' to help women enter politics, and teaches politics at the University of Pennsylvania.

From:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-03/freshman-terror/full

principles are. I don't mean that as a dig. I mean that sincerely. The only thing I can see that the Democratic party stands for is not being Republicans, for being "a little nicer" to the working class. That leaves them in a position of having no choice but to *react* to and feebly attempt to mitigate Republican violence. Walter Benjamin's analysis was that every instance of fascism can be indexed to a weak left. The Democratic party refuses the moniker "left" and refuses to embrace any principle that might be unpopular but correct in the long run.

Until the left in this country strengthens, with or without the Democratic party, there will be no peace.

There are, of course, exceptions to both statements.

The cable "news" channels control the agenda and shape public opinion. Just look at what happened to Obama's health reform poll numbers after the Town Hall meetings started. 72 approval to 47 percent approval.
People didn't just suddenly decide they don't want reform. Watching televised, disruptive meetings over and over again gave them the impression that they were on the wrong side of the fence, which is exactly what the operatives knew would happen if their buddies in the media went along.