First off it was Congress and the MSM that got us into war not the American people. It was Congress's job and they fucked up(including a lot of spineless triangulating Dems)

So don't blame the American people for the failure of the Democrats to act as the honest opposition. Hell they still aren't a opposition party, a foreigner looking at our gov't could easily assume we are a one party state with the party being the GOP.

In regards to what the GOP is peddling, its not conservatism its corporate cronyism to the max. Old school Conservatists like Eisenhower would be labeled liberals and communists today by the GOP corporate owned apparatchiks.

Recognize the GOP for what it is - a party for WallStreet and the rich. Oligarchs if you like.

Posted at August 9, 2007 11:31 AM in response to Ugly American Conservatism

Now, this is a threat to the pleasant status quo for the very wealthy in this country, so whatever it takes to bring him down, prevent him from even becoming the Democratic candidate for president, will be done. It would be much better for those people if someone who only talks the talk be in position to become president.

Bingo! You can see that on news shows where Edwards is always being pooh-poohed while Hillary and others get a pass.

The wealthy and big business do not appear to like Edwards at all. And to me anyone who big business doesn't like is ok by me.

But hey I'm just a working class stiff who has watched big business regress wages and benefits for the last 25 years. Who watched fat cat GOPers and DLCer's push off-shoring and de-industrializing of America "Free" Trade treaties in the name of the holy god profit(the only real god of todays mammon worshipping conservatives) and making the middle-class an endangered species.

And anyone who even tries to address these issues is someone I'll vote for and so far Edwards is the only one who is.

FWIW if Hillary gets the nomination I'll stay home. There is no way I'll vote for the head of the DLC and who has a union buster on her campaign staff.

Posted at July 28, 2007 1:09 PM in response to Edwards Gets Shrill

The middle class seems to have ceded the rule setting to a small, "corporatist" elite who have taken over the political process and are now exploiting the rest of us for all they are worth.

The middle class never had a say in this. Both parties colluded during the '80s and '90s to make the country more corporate
friendly and worker hostile. It can be seen with the bipartisan support of NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO, ChinaMFN, and the bankruptcy bill(thanks Reid), tort reform, putting 2 corporate hacks on SCOTUS, etc.

All of this was and is destructive to the working class(costing us millions of manfacturing jobs and most of our industrial base) and stagnat wages for the last 25 years, yet its almost impossible to find Democrats who would take a stand against any of it.

In fact Democrats were almost indistinguishable from Republicans on economic policy during the '90's and up until the '06 elections.

The only thing that changed this was the election of populists like Brown, Sanders and Webb that elevated the discussion of the working class to a national level.

Without these populists there would be no one representing the working class in Congress.

BTW the move of the blue-collars and middle-class away from the democrats during the 90's through the '04 election was because the Democrats stopped representing and shit on them. The did this by supporting evil legislation like NAFTA, WTO, CATFA which are job killers incarnate. Then factor in support for importing H1-B visa workers to further crush the American worker and you have a recipie for blowback. Blowback which cost the Democrats almost everything.

Posted at July 18, 2007 10:24 AM in response to Worlds That Never Collide

Mark may like to bash state based initiatives but at least they are accomplishing something unlike those in D.C. who think bloviating constitutes legislative success.

And thats all the D.C. gang has accomplished.

If Mark was on the up and up he congratulate those in the state based approach instead of viewing them as a threat.

Posted at July 14, 2007 4:56 PM in response to Taking Progressive Devolution Too Far

Nathan, maybe its because those D.C. types aren't progressive or care about the people in this country at all. If they did care they'd work with the state based initiatives and not against them.

Whatever the reason, it does cast a very bad light on those in D.C. Either they're corrupt or suffer from the same sort of egomania and dementia that seems to grip everyone who moves to foggy bottom.

Personally I'm glad the state based approach is working. Because D.C. is full of sell-outs owned by K Street which makes any sort of national change in health care unlikely even with a Democratic preznit.

Posted at July 14, 2007 4:46 PM in response to Our (Apparently) Schizo Federal Govt- or Why Feds and State Activists Can Work Together

All of the major Islamic countries have none of these basics that would allow for a successful democracy. There is no substantial middle class. Economic and wealth stratification have the extremely wealthy and the underclasses that have no economic power.

Education for the wealthy may include extensive studies in traditional secular subjects but the poor are educated in fundamentalist religious schools.

There is more of a commitment to family or tribe and no commitment to any larger group.

Among the masses the rule of law is whatever the elder determines it to be or it is derived from ancient religious law. None of these practices respects the rights of others.

This is why Democracy failed in Iraq and will fail in most Islamic states if attempted. All these issues are show stoppers as well. If these issues are not addressed by the people themselves(not the U.S. or its meddlesome liberal elites) there is no way bring democracy into these Islamic states.

At best you'll get one man one vote and then imposition of Shariah based laws followed by Imans and tribal with personal militias calling the shots. Just like Iraq.

Posted at July 14, 2007 10:56 AM in response to Democracy is Not a Suicide Pact

...because the American people had become convinced that they democratic party were out of touch with their realities.. this time they'd be right, because the party is now controlled by a few who simply do not care to take a stand against globalization based on third world standards.

Bingo, you nailed it! On economic issues like trade and globalization, pension fraud, off-shoring, bringing in H1-B and H-2 visa workers to crush working class Americans, the Democrats and white upper class liberals aren't much different from their GOP brethern. IOW they either don't care or are oblivious to the effects globalization and "free" trade has had on the working class and the country in general.

Further evidence of this can be seen in the House where Rangel,Hoyer and Pelosi along with K Street have been working in relative secret in composing a new "Free" Trade bill for South America. To them South America just means a fresh pool of workers and natural resources to exploit and profit from.
And you hardly hear a peep of protest from liberals or party hack Democrats(the netroots)on this. Hell most liberal blogs outside of myDD and Sirota refuse to cover this.

Or switch over to Iraq where just recently Pelosi and Reid rolled over and gave Bush a blank check on Iraq despite coming in with a mandate to get us out of there. Again they blur the distinctions between themselves and the GOP. It shows Democrats have no more qualms than the GOP in letting more American soldiers get killed or maimed.

And tell me how again the Democrats are different from the GOP on foreign policy and economics?

Posted at June 23, 2007 11:51 AM in response to Friday Movement Blogging

Of course the legislation is neither progressive or liberal in nature. Its a SOP to corporate America to gang rape whats left of the middle-class(you liberals know what the middle-class is I hope) and create a indentured servant class. Not to mention crushing whats left of social service and medical infrastructure.

But hey who cares as long as we can bring in another 20-60 million immigrants. We'll just fobb off the tax burden on the middle-class and any fool who owns a house.

That said, you liberals want to put a end to the country and your party, go ahead and support it. I guarantee you with the democrats supporting this stinking piles of corruption and the Pelosi/Baucus/Rangel secret trade agreement you folks are setting yourselves up for another NAFTA backlash and GOP supremacy.

BTW Pelosi and Reid will fold on Iraq and support Bush. After all they've folded for Bush before.

Posted at May 18, 2007 8:19 PM in response to The Guest Worker Sellout

Vally if you aren't a full blooded native American you ought to take up your own foul elitist advice and leave.

You are after a prime candidate.

Posted at May 18, 2007 8:02 PM in response to The Guest Worker Sellout

When you see a bipartisan group of old corrupt senators like we saw today agreeing on legislation - you know the American people are going to get gang raped by the senate.

That said, why do Democratic Senators hate the working people of our country so much as to foist this labor killing legislation on them?

Why hand Bush a major political victor?

After this I can't see how the Democrats are any different than the GOP, concoting legislation in the middle of night, trying to ram it through the senate before anyone has a chance to read or let the grass roots oppose it. Who needs Trent Lott or Bill Frist, when we have Reid and his posse.

Posted at May 17, 2007 4:06 PM in response to What Looks Like a Crappy Immigration Deal