Krugman: Dis-united Democrats -- and a suggestion

[understandinglife]

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The issue of Iraq epitomizes the political paradox. The war has been a monstrous policy failure, but it remains a political asset to the Bush administration, because it divides the Democrats and makes them look ineffectual.

Yet if the Democrats could present a united front on Iraq, they'd probably have a lot of public support. You'd never know it from the range of views represented on the Sunday talk shows, but a majority of Americans believes both that the administration deliberately misled the nation about W.M.D.'s and that we should set a timetable for withdrawal.

And the public's views on other issues seem to favor the Democratic position — or, rather, what the Democratic position would probably be if the Democrats could agree on one — even more strongly. For example, the public believes by two to one that the government should guarantee health insurance for all Americans.

The point is that Democrats are largely winning the battle of ideas: on the issues, public opinion is shifting in their direction. But to take advantage of that shift, they have to overcome an image of ineffectiveness that is partly the fault of the news media, but largely the result of their own disunion.

Link:
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/02/06/opinion/06krugman.html?hp

As I wrote Jane Hamsher earlier today:

Good afternoon Jane,

I think you, Arianna Huffington and Kos should consider launching the biggest concerted blogosphere activism event, yet. As you know, and as Greenwald and others have been lamenting, it's likely that the Dem Senators are going to, once again, roll over and play dead in front of torture boy and all of Bush's felonies. What was done in a small number of days regarding the cloture vote on Alito could be amplified and persist during the entire hearings and we could actually have a real Democratic Opposition Party emerge. But, it will not happen if we leave these Dem Senators to wimp out the way Leahy did today.

I hope you and ReddHedd would consider contacting Arianna, Markos, Brad Friedman, Atrios, Digby, the folk at Talk Left, Left Coaster, ThinkProgress and MoveOn, Daniel Ellsberg, etc., and essentially turn all your resources into "a spine and a brain" for the Senate Dems.

Thank you for all you do,

Time for solidarity starts Monday with torture boy.

Maybe a "DU Activist" group effort would help. Are we going to allow torture boy to lie, smear and snear his way through those hearings or are we going to encourage the Senate Dems to read Greenwald's questions and demand torture boy answer them?

Here are the links to Glenn Greenwald's questions:
http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/01/questioning-attorney-general.html
http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/01/follow-up-on-gonzales-questions.html

No surprise that Senator Kennedy is going to take it to torture boy:
http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/02/preview-of-sen-kennedys-questioning.html

Let's give him, and the other Senate Dems, all the support we can!


Peace.

[beltanefauve]

1. I'd like to see

the DU Activist Corps involved on this one. Count me in! The "Big Tent" needs nice, secure flaps right now.

[autorank]

2. We are what we are and that's not much at this point but lets keep going.

The "we" I'm referring to is the Democratic Party. We have a monstrous war going on, the story of which will amaze and appall us as it unfolds, all too late. We have people in authority who are aware of it. They've actually seen the torture pictures! And "our people," the Democrats, can't unite and say this is a travesty.

There's an end run here. True news from Iraq. Somehow we must get it. I love the idea of a blog event but it won't matter to the Bayhs, Lincolns, Landrieus, and Obamas. All that matters is public pressure.

There needs to be a serious end run around CM (corporate media) that gets directly to the people. With that, we're set. Without it, we're just dealing with people who can't make up their minds. After all, if Murtha didn't do it for them, what will.

RECOMMENDED.

[understandinglife]

6. "After all, if Murtha didn't do it for them, what will." Point well made!

Peace.

[OneBlueSky]

3. to get elected -- and assuming fair elections -- Democrats are . . .

going to have to come together around the issues we all agree on, and agree to set the so-called "social" or "lifestyle" issues that we disagree on aside for now . . . we can start fighting about those again once we're back in office . . .

[DemReadingDU]

4. K&R, for solidarity

[EFerrari]

5. "torture boy"

:rofl:

Good morning, my friend. Another very wise suggestion. Thank you.

:kick: