SIROTA: GOP operative at DLC defends Bush wiretapping

[yurbud]

David Sirota is doing a better job of staying on top of why the DLC is a tapeworm in the Democratic bowel better than anyone else. If we don't get rid of it, we'll be spending a lot of time on the pot when we should be fighting the right.

DAVID SIROTA

Why the DLC Is So Dangerous to Democrats

If you want to know why many people believe the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) severely hobbles the Democratic Party and gives cover to the worst right-wing stereotypes, just take a look at a guy they employ named Marshall Wittman. Now, I tend to think giving any publicity to people who are hacks gives them undue attention - but in this case, Wittman provides a cautionary tale about Democrats' "big tent" mantra, where everyone gets accepted no matter how idiotic, dishonest, uninformed or dangerous their blather is.

Wittman is a former Republican operative and Christian Coalition official who now purports to speak for Democrats from his post at the DLC - an institution that has over the years been funded by, among others, Enron, Philip Morris, and Chevron. He is now trying to make a name for himself defending President Bush's illegal domestic spying operation - again, while pretending to speak for Democrats. Here's what he says:

"There is absolutely no evidence that was attempting to do anything else but protect America...We can have a reasoned debate about this issue without impugning the motives of a Commander in Chief who was attempting to defend the nation."

The rest:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/why-the-dlc-is-so-dangero_b_13640.html

How exactly is this being an opposition party? Even Republicans should be questioning Bush's illegal activity and holding him accountable, not giving him a blank check.

I want to support Democratic candidates and would even vote for those on the more conservative side, but with filth like this being embedded in the party structure, even if we win, at least in terms of the war, it will change things exactly as much as the election of Nixon did in 1968. The war continued for five more years.

Somehow, we need to put the fear of god in the DLC and let them know that they have to be responsive to us and not expect to skate by with lies and platitudes while doing corporate business as much as the GOP does.

The call it a "big tent," but while we are sleeping in that tent, they will put a pillow over our faces and smother us.

[cry baby]

1. Sirota is rising to the top of my list!

Thank you for the link.

[Flabbergasted]

2. It makes them look rediculous

Right and Left. They impeach Clinton for a crime that should not have been impeachable and then avoid the subject altogether for Bush who broke a serious law and refuses to release his legal justification or dicuss the issue. NIXON RESIGNED OVER THIS. How can we go back and try to now say hey its fine. Maybe Nixon shouldn't have resigned then. It makes the whole judicial system a mockery.

In the end as hard as the media is trying to send the message that its fine two things are going to happen

#1. The public is waiting for an answer. We will grow more and more angry until we get one. Which will put alot of preassure on congress to act.

#2. Several NSA officials will come out and talk about what's going on as well as more leaks. One memo etc that shows that the NSA was spying on a political figure in America and we will have impeachment proceedings will become inevitable.

[yurbud]

3. Bush commits more impeachable offenses on a Sunday morning

than Nixon did in his whole presidency.

If we don't impeach Bush, we need to dig up Nixon and apologize to him personally.

[Demeter]

4. Nixon Was Forced To Resign by GOP

There used to be moral, honorable men in the GOP 30 years ago--but they all died off. Now we have the Gingritch generation, the Reagan political grandkids, old Nixon henchmen, and would-be men like Phyllis Schlafly and her spawn.

[Flabbergasted]

5. Once again no "real" dirt on Bush

They had proof that Nixon was spying on his political enemies. Bush is according to the press, Bush himself and alot of the writing here is spying on terrorist which makes no sence. If they just wanted to spy on US citizens and Nationals they would use the FISA courts.

Tice has been warned he will be in alot of trouble if he testifies before congress. I want to know what he has to say. We need to know what he has to say

[Demeter]

6. Bush Confessed to Violating the Constitution on International TV

How much more dirty does it have to be?

[Flabbergasted]

7. A signed request by Bush to Wiretap for example Kerry

would be great don't you think.

[AlGore-08.com]

8. Equally disgusting example from Salon

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/01/20/spying/

Fear of spying
Democratic strategists say opposing Bush on NSA spying makes the party
look weak. Of course, that's what they said about Iraq.

By Walter Shapiro

Jan. 20, 2006 | WASHINGTON -- What does Dick Cheney have in common with
Democratic campaign consultants?

This is not a trick question built around hairline, health or hard-nosed
philosophy of government. Instead, what unite the vice president and the
opposition-party operatives are their fears of the fallout from the
National Security Agency eavesdropping scandal. Cheney, of course, is not
talking, so his views have to be inferred at a distance. But the
Democratic consultants are outspoken about their political concerns over
the warrantless wiretapping furor, as long as their identities are
protected by don't-use-my-name-in-print anonymity.

Typical was my lunch discussion earlier this week with a ranking
Democratic Party official. Midway through the meal, I innocently asked how
the "Big Brother is listening" issue would play in November. Judging from
his pained reaction, I might as well have announced that Barack Obama was
resigning from the Senate to sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door. With
exasperation dripping from his voice, my companion said, "The whole thing
plays to the Republican caricature of Democrats -- that we're weak on
defense and weak on security." To underscore his concerns about shrill
attacks on Bush, the Democratic operative forwarded to me later that
afternoon an e-mail petition from MoveOn.org, which had been inspired by
Al Gore's fire-breathing Martin Luther King Day speech excoriating the
president's contempt for legal procedures.

A series of conversations with Democratic pollsters and image makers found
them obsessed with similar fears that left-wing overreaction to the
wiretapping issue would allow George W. Bush and the congressional
Republicans to wiggle off the hook on other vulnerabilities. The
collective refrain from these party insiders sounded something like this:
Why are we so obsessed with the privacy of people who are phoning al-Qaida
when Democrats should be screaming about corruption, Iraq, gas prices and
the prescription-drug mess?

(more...)

[depakid]

9. How long will the Dems put up with this?

It's obviously a losing proposition.

(not to mention that when many of the DLC members get elected, they betray the party and legitimize Republican policies- causing the party as a whole to lose elections).