July 18, 2008
Massive Anti-Incumbent Wave Will Defeat Many in Congress (Brent Budowsky)
The economy burns, while Washington fiddles. The voters seethe, while Washington dithers. The creation of jobs is a luxury that can wait until the next election while the Constitution is an inconvenience that falls victim to the polls.
Washington won’t fight for workers in desperate need or ask sacrifice from those who gorge themselves with Gilded Age luxuries while most Americans struggle to pay the cost of living. Almost 40 years after the energy crisis began they do zero to create a patriotic energy policy that would power our economy and protect the planet.
They can’t define torture seven years after 9-11, with huge damage done to our reputation around the world while the most ridiculous claims of executive privilege to cover up crimes are met with show-horse hearings and timid claims of outrage.
The election will decimate Senate Republicans, defeat many House Republicans, but make no mistake — my friends wont like this — but there will be some Democrats replaced in the gigantic anti-incumbent wave that is coming.
Notice the Democrats are doing the elephant walk, slowing down another stimulus package, so it won’t help Americans until after the election in what can only be described as a dereliction of duty. Democrats can pass a stimulus plan in July. They won’t. Democrats can pass it in August. They won’t. No, Democrats appear poised to wait until September, which would guarantee it wouldn’t help Americans until after Election Day.
Republicans are even worse. Republicans are reduced to being shills for oil companies and nuclear power companies. John McCain has become a standard-issue Bush Republican and Teddy Roosevelt impersonator who has nothing in common with the populist, trust-busting, pro-worker, pro-reform environmentalist TR who has no place in the modern Republican Party.
The Democrats are lucky that far more Senate Republicans are running in 2008 and 2010 while the Senate Republicans commit one of the great acts of political suicide in American history.
But this offers no credit to Democrats, some of whom will be defeated in surprising elections by the anti-incumbent wave, because many of the Democrats, like most of the Republicans, treat voters like they are stupid.
Whatever the consultants tell the politicians, they most assuredly are not.
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You're right. The Democrats are stalling hoping everything falls into their hands so they can steal even more through the earmark process. I hope you're right. By the way, Exxon is our largest oil company and only has 3% of the market. As far as nuclear power we should be moving to it as quickly as possible. No, both parties are not doing anything until after the elections where both parties hop
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — July 18, 2008 @ 10:36 am
hope the stalemate continues so they can continue to plunder unabated.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — July 18, 2008 @ 10:37 am
Robert, the stalemate is bad for America,
totally destructive to Republicans whose
brand name is equal to defective dog food,
and will lead to some surprising defeats of
a few Democratic incumbents as well.
These are serious times that demand serious
people, and real action, ASAP. What we are
getting instead cannot be accurately described
on a family blog. Brent
Comment by Brent — July 18, 2008 @ 11:47 am
Why do Democrats continue to blame Republicans for their own failures? The Democrats think the AMerican people are stupid. We know the Democrats control Congress and can pass legislation, if they choose to. Instead, we have gas prices doubling, the mortgage crisis, the banking crisis, the energy crisis and the healthcare crisis that all happened when the Democrats controlled Congress. The death blow to the United States will happen when we have a Democratic Congress and Obama in the White House.
Comment by John Simmons — July 18, 2008 @ 11:49 am
Brent: Thanks for your response and I obviously agree with part of your statement. However, this U.S. Congress is held in low esteem by most of the public, recovering to an 18% approval rating after dipping to 9%. If the Republican brand name is associated with dog food, the Democrats and their reverse inertia problem solving style must be associated with cat litter. And we all know what eventually happens to cat litter.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — July 18, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
The America haters (RR, Simmons) seem a bit perturbed by your spot on post Brent.
Comment by Lester — July 18, 2008 @ 2:36 pm
Brent;
Spot on as usual. Wynn, teh democrat from Maryland was surprised to be ousted from his seat and there is an eye being focused on Hoyer. You are correct that those who don't stand up for the people can and will be voted out.
Comment by Mike Coleman — July 18, 2008 @ 3:38 pm
Jester Lester, I don't hate America, I love it. Which is why I vote against Democrats every chance I get!
Comment by John Simmons — July 18, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
I have already decided that I will not vote for ANY Democrats (or Republicans) in November. If there is not a third party candidate on the ballot, I will leave that vote blank.
This may be our last chance to put the fear of elections into them, and teach them that WE THE PEOPLE run the country, not the politicians.
Comment by ThomasMc — July 19, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
Your post is mostly right, but for a lot of years Americans have hated incumbents - just not their own incumbent.
Comment by gmpierce — July 19, 2008 @ 2:12 pm
Where in the Constitution can one find fighting for workers and creating jobs? I think you may have read Das Kapital isntead of the Constitution and that's the source of your mistaken ideas of what the federal government is supposed to do.
Comment by Igor R. — July 19, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
I voted Reagan, Reagan, Perot, Perot, Buchanan.
I'm no liberal. But I think the punishment for the GOP should be 10 years of veto proof DNC control of all 3 houses - for foisting GWB on the country.
Republicans knew this guy didn't even have a passport. They knew he was a damaged, underachiever with a Napoleonic complex.
Republicans proffered George the Younger as presidential timber - KNOWING he was not.
The name Bush is now synonymous with Harding, Hoover and perhaps, even Hitler.
I have class envy for the first time in my life. Because I no longer buy the fantasy that prosperity is there for anyone willing to work for it.
I know now that the game is and has always been rigged. Behind every fortune there are crimes.
Average working people, self employed or otherwise - are chumps. Out of the loop - working stiffs who underwrite the escapades of the well connected.
So bring on the Jacobins!! - Let's get on with the beheadings. I want blood on Wall Street. I want those boys rounded up and paired with gals named Darnell in bunkbed cells.
Comment by Jack Thomsen — July 20, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
John Simmons, either you don’t understand the legislative process or you simply refuse to accept it. Your statement; “We know the Democrats control Congress and can pass legislation, if they choose to” is simply incorrect. Stay with me here John and understand this. The Democrats in the Senate cannot move a bill forward without a 60% vote to end debate. Repeat that last sentence to yourself 10 times. It’s the truth. It’s the way it works. The reason nothing gets done is because the Republicans continue to refuse to end debate on practically anything and everything that goes through the Senate, EVEN WHEN THE DEMOCRATS GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT. In the first year of the Democratic controlled Senate, Republicans broke an all time record of refusing to let bills move to a vote. It’s perfectly fine John, to disagree with an ideology or the way one party governs. But when you continue to ignore reality and insist on making ridiculously wrong statements in order to make the Democrats look bad, you’re really only showing your ignorance or perhaps stupidity. You do that well enough without adding to it with blatantly wrong statements. Once again, the Democrats in the Senate cannot move a bill forward without a 60% vote to end debate. Ten times John.
Comment by andy42302 — July 20, 2008 @ 7:14 pm
So if Republicans are "shills for oil companies" as you allude to, who are Democrats serving? We'll take Pelosi as this weeks example. She is going to block a vote to lift the ban on offshore drilling. Latest poll says 73% of Americans favor lifting the ban. It would obviously require bipartisan support. Obviously she knows the outcome of the vote and SHE doesn't like it. Never mind it's what the American people want. In her arrogant, elitist, self-serving, power-wielding office, she will subvert the will of the people to serve her own interests.
She's a disgrace to the principles of the office she holds and needs to be the first one riding the "wave" on a short board out of town. She doesn't want bipartisanship. She wants solepartisanship. Just one example of the elitist democrats who are out of touch with society while purporting to be the "party of the little guy." Yeah right. Idiot.
Comment by Wayne Kulick — July 21, 2008 @ 9:25 am
Andy, here's some news for you — if the Democrats proposed fair legislation, they wouldn't need to have their 60%. The Republicans in Senate thankfully have the good sense to not sign on to the garbage that the Democrats are trying to shove down our throat. And besides, what's wrong with a little debate? The Dumbocraps are afraid to debate because they know that their legislation won't stand up to scrutiny. Now, repeat THAT 10 times, my friend.
Comment by John Simmons — July 21, 2008 @ 2:06 pm
John, you once again replace reasonable debate with diatribe and nonsense. Republicans do not want fair legislation. They want to roadblock any legislation that the Democrats offer. If they allowed the Democrats to pass fair legislaton, that would mean that the Ds are competent and can govern well, something the Rs can't tolerate. As I said and can back up, the Rs have even filibustered legislation after the Ds have changed it to the R's specifications.
John, please quit trying to throw in asinine points that have nothing to do with this. This has nothing to do with anything being wrong with debate or the Ds being afraid of debate. It's the Rs saying that they are not going to end debate BECAUSE they don't want the Ds to win. They don't want to be forced to vote against legislation that they know that the majority of voters want. That's the real issue here, not the one you made up.
Comment by andy42302 — July 21, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
Thanks for your share Brent. Polosi and Hoyer better hold on because they may have a bumpy ride out of Washington.
Comment by radpaddi — July 22, 2008 @ 7:52 am
Umm….Andy?
"Republicans do not want fair legislation. They want to roadblock any legislation that the Democrats offer."
What the hell is Pelosi doing blocking a vote then? Better get back to the paper and read up on your party. I do believe they are "roadblocking."
Comment by Wayne Kulick — July 22, 2008 @ 8:34 am
Alright Andy — you da man!!
Comment by John Simmons — July 22, 2008 @ 9:16 am