"How To Screw Up the Unscrewable," by Nancy Pelosi

What, in the name of all that is politically rational, is wrong with this statement? -- "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday afternoon Democrats would meet Bush's demand for $933 billion in total spending by implementing across the board cuts, a move that showed Democrats have been backed into a corner by a president unwilling to negotiate on appropriations."

OK, that was an easy one. Even the exceedingly unastute would be apt to read and reread that line in a doubled-up state of bemusement. It is axiomatic that when an opposition party sweeps into Congressional power, while the president of the humiliated and now minority party clings to an approval rating that hovers somewhere around his hat size, the one then "backed into a corner" during, say, budget negotiations, is pretty easy to spot.

But the politically axiomatic has been cashiered. The majority are not masters of their domain; they are slaves of textbook cautious inertia and self-interested shamanistic advisers, and grounded in a reelection obsession that is further grounded in the cowardly admonition, "Don't ever, ever rock the boat."

The lede above comes from a Politico piece whose headline presaged the preposterousness within: "Dems Cave on Budget" -- and get this, for the headline continued -- "Conservatives Still Wary."

That first independent clause would prompt the average reader to bluntly blurt, Say what? The Dems, as in the party in power? Cave, as in acceding to those thrown over? And the second clause -- that of feigned conservative wariness -- would surely prompt the even blunter: Who gives a shit?

But we live in strange times, because we're at the mercy of those who are strangely in Congressional power. Case in point: If you haven't read what's causing the budget-negotiation difficulties and cave-ins, you likely -- and simply -- won't believe it.

I quote again the Politico: "By Thursday morning, the Republican Study Committee, which represents more than 100 conservative GOP lawmakers, started railing against the deal, saying the addition of billions in 'emergency' spending and veterans affairs money could bust the president's budget."

See what I meant? You don't believe it, right? You're stunned, right? Perhaps even tee-heeing with abandon?

Not only are GOP lawmakers denouncing the horrifying tactic of appropriating funds segregated from the budget as "emergency spending" -- which, when they were in power, they racked up in the hundreds of billions of dollars -- a large part of the emergency spending they're railing against is directed at veterans. This would be in a time of war; and in a time of repeated exposés highlighting veterans' indifferent and disgracefully inadequate care; and in a time when veterans, GOP lawmakers have thundered, are a group that sits next to God and they'd do absolutely anything for. Nothing is too good for the veterans, or over the top, or subject to compromise or refusal to sacrifice.

The hypocrisy is breathtaking. Once again I quote: "Traditionally, 'emergency' funding does not count against regular annual spending levels. For example, the GOP has never counted the Iraq war funding against annual budgets because the war has been funded for five years as emergency supplemental spending."

Yet now, House Republican leaders John Boehner and Roy Blunt "say that if Democrats want more money for veterans, they'll have to cut from somewhere else."

Then, in what one would suspect is the breathtakingly ineffable, a Republican spokesman nevertheless found the words: "Thus far Republicans have worked all year to successfully protect taxpayers from a Democrat spending spree. At this point the Democrat leadership is not in a desirable negotiating position."

Not in a desirable position? These are military veterans they're talking about. A more heartwarming, vote-getting, demagogically ripe issue is simply unimaginable. And you can be sure that if it were the Democrats denying the extra veterans-funding, Republicans would already have their heads on pikes, lining the walkway to Capitol Hill.

It's one of those issues that droppeth gently from the political heavens -- yet Democrats managed to screw up the unscrewable. They caved. I am in awe. I haven't witnessed political professionalism like this since, well, since the day before Wednesday, and the day before that, and the day ...

Comments

[Vinnie From Indy]

I wonder if the years of rampant illegal spying by BushCo is coming to fruition. The bizarre positions and actions of many Democrats in Washington could easily be explained by political blackmail. After witnessing the wanton disregard for the rule of law by the Bushies for the last few years, blackmailing members of Congress seems like a quaint bit of activity.

[Tom]

Vinnie --

We were just talking about the bribe possibility the other night. Very astute. It's nice to know some brains still function.

[Rrealist]

Some brains may well be still functioning, friend Tom, but there aren't enough for a critical mass.

If the alleged blackmail actions are the cause of the inefficiency of the majority party, then it is further proof that the democratic republic of the United States is as dead as a doornail. One then has to question why the true power maintains the illusion that our traditional Constitutional government remains viable and functioning. It can't be in the name of preventing mass unrest, for it seems that nothing can rouse the American people from their consumerist slumber.

[Kevin Schmidt, Ojai CA]

Please stop pretending. We all know the real reason Pelosi, Reid, Schumer, Emmanuel and other DINOs are voting with the treasonous Republican obstructionists and enablers.

It is not because the Democrats are stupid or because they lack a spine. It is because some of the Democrats are not really Democrats at all. Instead, some of the Democrats are DINOs and traitors to the Democratic Party as well as traitors to WE THE PEOPLE. DUH!

For the future of our Constitution and the continued sovereignty of WE THE PEOPLE, the DINOs need to be voted out during their next primaries. Or true Democrats need to run against them in the general election. Just like Cindy Sheehan (I), although a true Democrat, is running against Nancy Pelosi (DINO), a true Republican.

[getaclue]

wow you guys just figured out that the Bushies have something on every one of those crooked sonsofbitches in congress?
Lemme go one further for ya... They were EACH SELECTED specifically for their.... vulnerability to blackmail.

Except Wellstone whom they killed
Feingold and Kucinich are the only of the 535 who deserve to be there. Everyone else should be in JAIL.

Stick a fork in the Republic. It's done.

[ChingarraSan]

The views of all the others commenting here must be correct. How else can anyone explain why Pelosi refuses to put impeachment back on the table? I guess she feels that whatever the Rethugs have on her, her violating the oath she took to uphold the constitution, is less of a legal danger. Both parties are so corrupt, that if the truth were known, they would all be thrown into prison!

[spamonwry]

For the last several months I've been trying to understand why the majority Dems show all of the backbone of a severely overcooked noodle.

A current and ongoing fuss about the phone companies getting/not getting immunity for coughing up all of the conversations of their customers without even a whimper about FISA.

The idea finally hit me: Of course, the #1 target of the eavesdropping is: (no not the Taliban, nor Al Quaeda, bin Laden, etc.) Every Democratic elected official, and every Democratic candidate for public office, in our Wonderfully Free country. Every Democratic Senator & Congressperson has had every conversation of theirs reviewed by the White House/CIA/NSA/? for anything which could be used against them. A but in the ear of Nancy Pelosi, for example, about conversations she had several years ago with some constituent or contributor, could be referred to in a meeting with her an a WH advisor, reminding her that if would be very damaging to her and the other person if that talk became public & she better cooperate with GWB....

Does anyone doubt that something like this is causing the Dems to cave? Does anyone believe that a White House under Shrub would NOT be doing this? As Paul O'Neill said some 6+ years ago, "Everything in the White House is politics; there are no "policies.""

The idealogues running the federal government have no morals, no restraint, nor have anyone to stop them. They know that even if they end up in court that W will pardon them Not Later Than Jan 20, 2009.

[spamonwry]

For the last several months I've been trying to understand why the majority Dems show all of the backbone of a severely overcooked noodle.

A current and ongoing fuss about the phone companies getting/not getting immunity for coughing up all of the conversations of their customers without even a whimper about FISA.

The idea finally hit me: Of course, the #1 target of the eavesdropping is: (no not the Taliban, nor Al Quaeda, bin Laden, etc.) Every Democratic elected official, and every Democratic candidate for public office, in our Wonderfully Free country. Every Democratic Senator & Congressperson has had every conversation of theirs reviewed by the White House/CIA/NSA/? for anything which could be used against them. A but in the ear of Nancy Pelosi, for example, about conversations she had several years ago with some constituent or contributor, could be referred to in a meeting with her an a WH advisor, reminding her that if would be very damaging to her and the other person if that talk became public & she better cooperate with GWB....

Does anyone doubt that something like this is causing the Dems to cave? Does anyone believe that a White House under Shrub would NOT be doing this? As Paul O'Neill said some 6+ years ago, "Everything in the White House is politics; there are no "policies.""

The idealogues running the federal government have no morals, no restraint, nor have anyone to stop them. They know that even if they end up in court that W will pardon them Not Later Than Jan 20, 2009.

[kb_man]

Precisely Vinnie! I've been saying this since the Di-Fi telecom immunity round 1 sell-out. There is no need for bu$h to compromise because the Dems have already been compromised.

[NCBlueneck]

The amount of money required to run for national office these days means taking money wherever you can find it. People who have scruples or ethics will find themselves a wee bit short on funds compared to those who's lust for power or the office is stronger. That the "loyal Bushies" have access to the "dirt" isn't surprising. Cheney is a Nixon alumni. They nearly perfected the political "enemies list". We have the technology today that would have given Nixon a bad case of Priapism.

[getaclue]

publicly funded elections are the only way to clean up this mess.

Then 533 members of congress need to be relieved of their positions. Their pensions and government paid for health insurance must be revoked for gross dereliction of duty.

All acts of this illegal and amoral administration must be overturned.

CLEAN SWEEP 2008!

Do I think this is what will happen?

No. The Bushies tried to smuggle 5 nukes out of this country a few short months ago. They were caught. The people who caught them are now DEAD.

There will be no election in 2008.

Instead, there will be the beginning of the end.

I hope to fuck I'm wrong.

[Joe Walker]

I think flailing the Democrats as cowardly fails to come to grips with a more fundamental problem. They are only posing as opposition. In fact, they hold dear the same perverse ideals as Darth Cheney.

[pastor agnostic]

Ah, that old Pastafarian Spine transplant issue, eh?

I do not believe that ever in America's rather short, complex, and fascinating history, has ANY LEADER OF THE HOUSE essentially guarantee the president and his criminal cabal, that she (he) ((it)) would never raise the issue of impeachment. The more that one explores that unique step in our history, the more incredible and informative, or at least curious, it becomes.

When you add the other failures, combined with the so-called successes, to the mix, you cannot escape the idea that perhaps this congress is truly filled with "great professional" politicians - which, by the Chicago standard means that once they have been bought, they stay bought.

[Will Fields]

Spot on Vinnie. That is how I felt when I read a not so timely article in the NYT about the illegal spying. You of course remember the NYT held onto the story for a year so as not to influence the 04 election. It might be dangerous going into an election cycle informed. Talk about the monkey wrench into the machinery. I presume Bush's boys were also listening in on Kerry campaign headquarters as well. Does Watergate ring a bell?

Why bother sabotaging small aircraft when you can blackmail? It is much more cililized.

[Hotrod]

Well, this certainly takes me back to good ol' Pete Stark a couple weeks ago who had the temerity to call a spade a spade and then promptly got on his knees and begged for forgiveness like a whipped dog. I am beginning to think this Fascists state will only allow the compromised to atain office as they can be easily shut up. Have you ever seen such a sorry background as Rudy Ghouliani? He shouldn't be able to run for dogcather with the skeletons he's got.

[verify]

Once again, here is how we got in this mess:

#1. The AIPAC Girl, Nancy Pelosi Leaves Iran War In Bush/Cheney Hands
by Patrick J. Buchanan
http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=11&num=70952

#2. AEI neo-cons revel in their mutual orgy of chickenhawk self-promotion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/opinion/12dowd.html
The Neo-Cons are backed by BILLIONS of dollars in corporate pro-war profits, from the oil industry which benefits from prices rising due to war risk & uncertainty (AEI's main funding source is Exxon-Mobile) - to the mulit-billion dollar defense industry(GE owns NBC, Senator Feinstein sits on a Sen. committee that awards multi-million dollar contracts to her huband's company), to the mega-media conglomerates, and of course the mega-financial titans, from JP Morgan to Goldma-Saks & Citigroup, to Carlyle, etc.

#3. Not to leave AIPAC out of the mix; the Israel-America lobby has been called _the_ most powerful in America, and at their March 2007 annual conference, they gave VP Dick Cheney a standing ovation for his most bombastic "Bomb Iran Now!" rhetoric...
http://www.aipac.org/about_AIPAC/Learn_About_AIPAC/2841_5081.asp

(Lind writes): ** Just to tie all the above together, here is Michael Lind's book, "Made in Texas: George W. Bush and the Southern Takeover of American Poltics." "Southern" as in "neo-Confederate", those who are unapologetic about either slavery or segregation, or the brutalilty, terror, torture, and sadism that accompanied them. The GoogleBooks free preview doesn't include the three most important chapters (New Confederate Century, Armeggedon, and "A Choice of Traditions" but here is the money-quote:
<< As I have argued, the geopolitical project of the Southern-dominated American Right and its allies among the mostly Jewish neo-conservatives is to repudiate the post-1945 world order created by American leaders and [to] create a new world order corresponding to Southern conservative values and resembling the British-centered world system of the nineteenth century - a world with a laissez-faire economy in which a unilateral American empire, having a special relationship with Israel alone and defining itself as a champion of "Judeo-Christian" values, wages wars unrestrained by alliances, international organizations, or international law. For the sake of America as well as teh world , it is important taht the proponents of this bizzare strategy be quickly removed from power along with George W. Bush by America's voters. **
The Democratic Party has been HIJACKED by the AIPAC neo-cons, of whom Lieberman is the most obvious, but Feinstein, Schumer, Rahm Emanuel, Hillary, Kerry, Rockefeller, and even Obama are now charter members.
If we Americans can not divorce the Democratic Party from the neo-con agenda, then we no longer have a genuine opposition party, which means we are no longer a democracy.
If GetAClue is correct - that the Bushies are droolilng over prospect of the next terror attack, and declaring martial law; the AIPAC/neo-Confed alliance will have marked the end of American democracy. On Nancy Peloi and Harry Reid's watch.

[cowboyneok]

Pelosi can always PUNISH those Democrats who lack a spine. There is such a thing as REQUIRING the caucus to vote a certain way or lose their committee assignments, etc.? There are plenty of ways to ensure the caucus votes the way they should. If I blame anyone, I blame a leadership that is unwilling to WHIP THEM INTO LINE!

[ras]

Pelosi explained:
Look at what her hubby does.
Why upset anyone's apple cart when your cart is full of their delicious apples?

[The Skeptical Cynic]

Pelosi could f****p a pea soup sandwich!

[The Skeptical Cynic]

Pelosi could f****p a pea soup sandwich!

[JAB]

If you've been following the destroyed video tapes of torture that were destroyed, you'll have your answer. Pelosi and the Democrats knew about them and did nothing. They are accomplices to crimes against humanity with the Republicans. If they don't cave and charges are ever brought, they'll go to jail with the Republicans. The Dumbocrats just keep on committing the bloopers.