What does it mean to be a Democrat anymore?
Pardon my language, but what the damned hell does it mean to be a New York State Democrat anymore?
First, we get Michael Arcuri, the guy who bullied his way into getting the Democratic nomination for the House of Representatives for our congressional district. Michael Arcuri rewarded the Democratic Party unity by supporting the Military Commissions Act. Arcuri actually came to Trumansburg and proclaimed that he decided to support the Military Commissions Act without even bothering to read it. The Military Commissions Act is a Republican-written law that was rushed through Congress in a matter of days, without the chance for debate in either the House or Senate. The law ends enforcement of the Geneva Conventions, revokes habeas corpus, legalizes torture, sets up outrageous kangaroo courts in place of the tradition of American justice, gives amnesty to people who have committed war crimes, and gives George W. Bush the power to imprison people for as long as he likes without criminal charge and without trial of any kind. Mike Arcuri, a Democrat, says he likes this law because he wants to support the troops.
A Democrat.
Then, last week, we get Hillary Clinton, who got a eager primary victory from Democrats across New York in spite of the fact that she supported the lame brain idea of invading and occupying Iraq. Last week, Hillary Clinton announced that she supports torture. No, I’m not kidding. Senator Clinton said that she believes of torture that “there has to be some lawful authority for pursuing that.”
Irene Stein, the chair of our County Democratic Committee, and our representative in the New York State Democratic Committee, supported Hillary Clinton against Jonathan Tasini in spite of Senator Clinton’s problematic record. Stein did so under the justification that if progressive Democrats supported Clinton’s re-election, they would gain Senator Clinton’s ear, and we’d get better representation. After this pro-torture announcement by Senator Clinton, I think that Irene Stein has a lot of explaining to do to Tompkins County Democrats.
Democrats in the Town of Ulysses would do well after Election Day to spend some time thinking hard about the path that their political party is taking, and discussing with each other just what it means to be a Democrat any more. Is supporting a law that the New York Times called “a tyrannical law that will be ranked with the low points in American democracy, our generation’s version of the Alien and Sedition Acts,” a good idea for a Democrat who is trying to get elected? Is part of being a Democrat now to support an unprovoked war with a little torture on the side, when it’s the popular thing to do?
Hiding behind the cloak of “the only thing that matters is to take back the Congress” won’t do. It looks like the Democrats will take back the Congress, and congratulations to them. However, when that victory comes, Democratic voters are going to have to wake up on the morning of November 8, and realize that they have become responsible for a Congress led by a politician who has pledged not to hold George W. Bush accountable for his crimes, a Congress that has no plans to revoke the Military Commissions Act, and a Congress that still has no plan for how to end the Iraq War.
If Democrats win back control over Congress, they won’t have George W. Bush and a Republican Congress to blame for everything anymore. If the Democratic Congress refuses to undo the many abuses of the Republican government, it will share in the blame.
So, Ulysses Democrats, make your calls with MoveOn.org. Send your checks. Do your volunteering. Rally your side to victory. After all, the Republicans certainly aren’t worthy of keeping the stewardship of our government. After Election Day, however, you might want to ask yourself just how many of your ideals you’re willing to compromise in order to see Team Democrat in power.
Don’t wait too long, because the minute that this election is through, the race for the White House in 2008 will begin in earnest, and the calls for party unity will be made once again.
I agree with much of what you are saying here, but I think you’re going a little overboard:
Jon said “However, when that victory comes, Democratic voters are going to have to wake up on the morning of November 8, and realize that they have become responsible for a Congress led by a politician who has pledged not to hold George W. Bush accountable for his crimes, a Congress that has no plans to revoke the Military Commissions Act, and a Congress that still has no plan for how to end the Iraq War.”
Jon is referring to Nancy Pelosi, who will be the Majority Leader if the democrats get a majority.
from Pelosi’s website:
Rep. Pelosi has joined with Rep. Murtha in calling for the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq to make our country safer, our military stronger, and the region more stable.
sounds like a plan to me, and on the Military Commissions Act:
“In addition, because the bill allows the President to interpret the Geneva Conventions through executive order, it invites other countries to do the same, thereby weakening the international legal standards that have protected our troops for decades.”
sounds just like Jon.
John Conyers will be the head of the House Judiciary Committee. He is the author of “George W. Bush Versus the U.S. Constitution: The Downing Street Memos and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, Coverups in the Iraq War and Illegal Domestic Spying” You don’t think he gonna look into Bush’s crimes?
There hasn’t been a lot of talk about reversing the Military Commissions Act because Bush would veto a reversal. Feingold said he would try anyway, thereby forcing Bush to veto it, then take that into the 08 elections.
But you’re right. We have to infiltrate the Democratic Party and make sure that they represent our values. Les Roberts will be speaking at the Trumansburg Fire Hall on Nov. 17th at 7pm. We can ask him about how to take back our party. We should start very soon. If we wait until a few months before the elections in 08, we won’t stand a chance of unseating the incumbent, wether it’s Arcuri or Meier.
No thoughts on Hillary’s pro-torture comments, Allen?
On Nancy Pelosi – a promise is not a plan. I see no unity among the Democrats on the Iraq matter, just a lot of vague criticisms, and a jumble of contradicting promises.
A criticism of the Military Commissions Act is not a move to revoke it. Feingold saying that he’d like to revoke it is good, but as before, he will get no backup from the Democratic leadership. Remember censure? They shot him down. They’ll do the same to Conyers.
The Democrats will allow investigations, but those investigations will have no consequences, so what do they matter? Pelosi said impeachment is off the table and called it “a waste of time”.
I’d like to know more about Les Roberts coming to the fire hall. I’d really love to hear his thoughts about what happened within the Democratic Party this election cycle, and about impact of a lack of a primary that his dropout caused. I’d like to hear if he plans to run again, and if he does, if he’ll make the same promise he made earlier this year that he’d see it through all the way to the primary.
[...] Like many others, I am not quite sure that Eliot Spitzer gets it. If he does not, he needs to listen to the surprisingly angst-ridden voices of upstate New Yorkers on the not-so-far-left who ought to be feeling a lot happier, such as New York Liberal (New York Democrats Struggle for Integrity) and Finding Ulysses (What Does it Mean To Be a Democrat Anymore?) [...]
What does it mean to be a Democrat anymore?…
In order to be a Democrat you must posses the ability to hold two opposing thoughts on the same set of circumstances. The key to success is that you actually believe that you are right in both cases and can not see the stupidity of your acts. Additio…
I think that what it means to be a Democrat in Ulysses is that you act as an election inspector in order to have fair elections be possible, make the phone calls to try to persuade people to actually vote, put up the signs, distribute the literature, try (and it is very hard) to recruit good candidates for local offices, try to influence the candidates that are elected to work for the good of the town, write letters to newspapers and elected officials, serve on town boards and committees, help people get registered to vote, attend county committee meetings (where, lately, you are held responsible for the lack of racial diversity in your community), represent your town at listening sessions held by Congressmen and Senators….. and then have the “too cool for that” T-burg crowd tell you what a loser you are for not supporting marginal candidates without a prayer of winning, or not trashing your dedicated, hard-working, volunteer county chair. Oh well, my Mama raised me to be active in my community and do my best, whether you got thanked or not.
For the record, Krys, Michael Arcuri has not done a single thing to work against the Military Commissions Act. You know, habeas corpus revoked and all that.
There’s a bill introduced into the House of Representatives to bring habeas corpus back, but Michael Arcuri won’t co-sponsor it.
Just like Arcuri promised, he is supporting the Military Commissions Act. How, as a Democrat, do you feel about that?
Is it “marginal” now to support habeas corpus, and oppose the legalization of torture? Is that just some liberal fringe thing?
My Mama raised me not to support politicians who promote themselves on platforms that undermine America’s basic freedoms. Really, she did.