Saying GOP Broke Word, Kennedy Vows New Tactics

[DUreader]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1127-04.htm



snip



It was the second time Kennedy had seen legacy-building
legislation he had crafted become a source of
disappointment and division within his own party. No Child
Left Behind, Kennedy's signature education reform bill, was
underfunded by the Bush administration and is being
attacked by teachers for undermining local control of
schools.

Some Democrats complain that Kennedy, in a reach for
career-capping legislation, has ended up handing two of the
party's most potent issues to the Republicans.

Kennedy himself blames President Bush and the GOP,
alleging unfair dealing.

"When the president of the United States looks you in the eye and says the
resources will be there, I believe it," Kennedy said, referring to the funding for the
education bill. But "the resources haven't been there."


snip

[Gman]

1. The "president" of the United States is an alcoholic

An alcoholic will look you in the eye and lie to your face and not bat an eye.

Ever see the movie "Lost Weekend" with Ray Miland? If not check it out and you'll understand more about the alcoholic we're dealing with.

[schultzee]

9. Bush is a liar. We need to play as dirty as they do. no gloves

[treepig]

20. wow - gwbush vs. teddy kennedy

a veritable clash of the alcholic titans

sit back and be entertained - my money's on mr. kennedy!

[stevedeshazer]

24. One's too many

And a thousand's not enough.

[Ksec]

2. Dems need to start playing dirty

or we keep playing by the old rules and lose. Look Rufugs are frkin lowlife dirty, and when one side is doin this the other gets spanked. Its not right but its a fact. Time to get down and dirty, I mean Really down and dirty. Who cares what they say afterwards. Thats our problem. We want people to like us. Freak that.

[robcon]

3. Kennedy was out-politicked - get over it.

Kennedy and other Democrats ended up arguing/voting against the bill they designed. When Clinton did this, it was called triangulation, and i applauded him. Bush outfoxed/triangulated the Democrats, and we need to learn from this.

We need to GET AHEAD of legislation, not be left holding the bag. The Medicare bill should have been DEMOCRATIC legislation, and the fact that it wasn't is a disgrace.

[zbdent]

4. What we need to do is point out that the Repubs could have given

seniors a prescription drug package - in 1993, if they would not have been in the back pockets of the pharmaceutical industries.

What you hear now is Repubs saying "Well, we know this bill isn't perfect, but . . . "

Of course, when Clinton tried to do anything, the tiniest inconsistency was blown up like a nuclear (oops, sorry. NUKULAR) blast.

[robcon]

6. The fact that the Dems COULD HAVE done legislation in 1993...

cuts no ice with me. The Rethugs, regrettably, get all the credit for the prescription drug legislation, and the Democrats, whose legislation this should have been, are left in the cold - again.

The Rethugs, despite being in the minority in the Senate, got THEIR welfare reform bill in 1996 by playing hardball with Clinton. But the current Democratic leadership only knows whiffle ball, not hardball, IMO.

[coda]

13. Um...

Rethugs weren't in the minority in the Senate in '96.

[lumpy]

18. I believe you are correct, Coda.

thanks for pointing this out. Modern Dem presidents find it hard to get any cooperation when you have hard-core Repubs in control of Congress. Gamesmanship has become the toy of politicians to the detriment of their constituents and country. It is now all about people power vs. capitalism. And members of both parties are guilty of playing this game. Dean is playing for people power, that is his appeal with traditional Dems. Inspite of that (really don't want to make waves) I believe Clark is more electable since crossovers, undecideds and celebrity idolers might fall for Clark's well rounded charisma.

[sablefish]

5. 9-11 is the weakness

If the Democats want to straighten out this country the way to do it is to expose this administration to the charges for treason that it deserves.. However I think that we got here is two political parties pretending that they are different..and yet they are the the same.. Both of them owned by the FED.

I don't believe there is such a thing as the Al Quaida.. I Think it is a giant flimflam.. I think most of the terrorist attacks that we have seen in the last 20 years have been created by the CIA or the mossad.. Created to pervert and twist our Constitution towards Globalism... So that the international banking cartels control the Earth and all it's people and resources...IMHO

[Eloriel]

7. And it was Clinton who taught them that little trick

Yet another thing I'm eternally indebeted to him about.

Eloriel

[lumpy]

19. When Clinton pushed for NAFTA

my faith in him went south and I realized he was playing both sides of the ball game. Still I believe he would not have been reckless by going into Iraq and might have handled the abysmal invasion of Afghanistan differently. He didn't haul all of the underbellies into his administration.

[schultzee]

10. You are right.

[pasadenaboy]

8. Teddy

you've been in the senate for 30 years and you trust W? Your brothers were way to smart to have fallen for that.

[Myra]

12. Who's smarter?

The brother who has managed to stay alive for
30 years as a productive liberal senator, or a
president and attorney general who drew clear lines
in the sand, stared their enemies down, and were
quickly murdered so that they weren't around long
enough to have a lasting impact on public policy?

[Democat]

11. If Kennedy trusted Bush, then he's an idiot too

Anyone who trusts Bush and operates on the premise that Bush is going to do what he says is just allowing the right wing to screw Americans.

If these Democrats in the Senate and House haven't figured out what's going on by now, then they may be beyond saving.

Wake up elected Democrats!

[dusty64]

14. And its honestly

taken him this long to realize he has been had. I really do respect Kennedy, but what did he really expect. I would hope by now the Democrats would play no more Mr. Nice Guy and take the gloves off, they have been WAY too accomodating so far and it really is killing them with their base and the political middle who more often than not sees little difference between the parties.

[bleedingheart]

15. Kennedy was wrong to trust Bush

but then again he probably thought that * wouldn't be so downright evil. However I believe that the GOP won't be happy until we are blasted back to Gilded Age...where the poor knew their place and the rich trod on their backs...

[ramapo]

17. Ruthless

Kennedy showed some spine going against the Medicare bill. Too little, too late. Bush took every advantage against the Dems. The Dems have been very obliging.

[pfitz59]

16. Nation needs new blood!

Rick Sanctorectum is in his 40's! He's young and fit! Outside of Senator Byrd I don't see enough fire in the geriatric (Democratic) party stalwarts! We need youth and vigor to win this fight. (The old joke says 'age and treachery always win'. After 2000 debacle I know treachery is not on our side.)

[lumpy]

23. The nation does need new clean blood in Congress.

But what is even more important, this nation needs to nurture and reclaim a conscience that has been sorely lacking in too many people in this country.

[monobrau]

21. What "word"?

These are the people who provide a road map to their strategy (Contract for America, PNAC), then lie through their teeth publicly while busily enacting that agenda. The knives have been out since the Clinton impeachment fiasco, and the democratic leadership still thinks it's an afternoon tea party. Get mean and start getting ruthless, or step aside and become irrelavant.

[Fovea]

22. Vows new tactics?

I am from Missouri...