When Republicans stand strong on principles while Democrats obsess about political practicality, Democrats repeatedly concede too much and Republicans repeatedly win more than policy and politics would otherwise dictate. The immigration reform markup is only the latest example of this larger, depressing state of affairs. Maybe it’s time for the Democrats to remember their safe word. Might I suggest “ENOUGH!”?
Take 2: Weak, incompetent Democrats blow another one - Salon.com
That’s what I say about Democrats all the time: they function as a product of pragmatism over principles.
I would not be surprised if the modern Democratic Party’s strategy is secretly being bankrolled by Eli Lilly as a ploy to sell Prozac to liberals.
In the latest example of this disconcerting trend, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) proposed an amendment to the Senate immigration markup that would arguably harm American workers. In fact, it wasn’t just Democrats and labor unions that opposed this amendment; Republican Sen. Charles Grassley also opposed the amendment. But Democrats nonetheless backed the change in order to woo Hatch’s committee vote. Meanwhile, not only was Hatch’s committee vote not needed to approve the bill but Hatch has explicitly said he may still not vote for the legislation unless other changes are made. In other words, Hatch got to water down the legislation and Democrats got, er, well… nothing.
To the disappointent of advocates for civil liberties and internet freedom, the controversial Cyber Intelligence and Protection Act (CISPA) passed the…
Oh yeah, I caught it after it was too late:
your vote for #CISPA was disgraceful, @repjuanvargas goo.gl/S05sF because of tab.bz/lzrqx #civilliberties #ChulaVista
— Ken (@diegueno) April 20, 2013
That’s the rub about Vargas: he’s a massive sellout, but at least he’s not a Republican, right?
Daily Kos: Harry Reid must reform the filibuster or be replaced as majority leader
Despite Republicans abusing the filibuster at arecord pace, the attempt by Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley, Tom Udall and Tom Harkin to reform the procedure and thus end the obstructionism was thwarted by their own majority leader, Harry Reid. For which the Republicans very quickly demonstrated their gratitude by continuing to abuse the filibuster.
In March, Senate Majority WhipDick Durbinsaid filibuster reform should be reopened, and less than two weeks ago, Reid himselfthreatenedto do exactly that. But does anyonebelievehe is serious? It’s time for him to prove it. It’s past time.
Despite overwhelming support, across the nation, the Republicans and a handful of complicit Democrats just killed a proposed new federal background check law. Other widely supported gun safety measures also will be filibustered away. It’s time for Sen. Reid to lead or get out of the way and let someone else do it. Harry Reid must reform the filibuster or resign or be replaced as Majority Leader. It’s time for the Democratic leader in the Senate to be a leader.
I am in complete agreement with Laurence lewis, who wrote this. It’s why I created WE TOLD YOU SO HARRY, because we have got to do something to fix how broken and dysfunctional the Senate has become.
See the second-to-bottom row of the “no” votes? That lone Democrat? They miscounted the Democrats that voted against Toomey-Manchin: there were five Democrats who’d rather criminals have guns instead of inconveniencing paranoid separatists, et. al. Harry Reid knew it was going down and he didn’t want to give his most rabid and irrational constituents any more read meat to chew on.
Harry Reid is the perfect example of what I mean when I say Democratic politics is the triumph of pragmatism over principles.
Yeah she did.
…and she did it at a very expedient and convenient point in her political career. After Joe Biden forced Barack Obama to publicly support same sex marriage. What would have taken guts would have been stopping her husband from signing DOMA, but that was 13 years ago.
It makes me yawn each time I see someone praising Clinton for this….partisans suck, y’all.
This is not a commitment shared with Democrats in Congress because Democrats have been apostate for years.
House Democrats came away from a closed-door meeting with President Obama on Thursday expressing openness to his proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare, after he assured them he would never cut entitlement benefits unless Republicans yield on tax increases.
After the meeting with Obama, several key Democrats expressed an openness to entitlement benefit cuts as part of a broader budget bill that includes higher taxes. Their statements run counter to the hoary conventional wisdom in Washington that Democrats are just as stubbornly opposed to cutting safety net spending as Republicans are to higher taxes.
In an important indication of where Democrats stand, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters after the meeting Thursday that as long as “Chained CPI does not hurt the poor or the very old, then it is something to put on the table.
The poor are getting poorer thanks to House Democrats’ apostasy. Grandma will now be eating catfood AND have to choose to pay rent or buy medications.
A question for Democrats.
