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Anti-War Activists Attack Democrats over Iraq Bill
WASHINGTON -- For anti-war activists, turning against House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer was only the beginning.
The liberal group MoveOn.org ran radio ads this week chastising the Southern Maryland Democrat for voting against a measure that would have forced a withdrawal from Iraq within 180 days.
But that attack ad was nothing compared with the vitriol unleashed yesterday, as war opponents lit into the rest of the Democratic leadership for agreeing to drop a withdrawal timeline from the Iraq spending bill.
"An abandonment of our troops and a silence of the will of the American people," said Win Without War Director Tom Andrews.
"It is remarkable that they can't stand up to President Bush," said Susan Shaer, director of Women's Action for New Directions.
Six months ago, MoveOn cheered the Democratic takeover of Congress. Leaders of the group, which claims 3.2 million members, expressed cautious support for the new majority's plan to start forcing an end to the war by attaching conditions to spending.
But after learning about the latest version of the bill, after Bush vetoed one that had timelines, the group began threatening to recruit challengers to Democrats who support it.
"Voters elected Democrats in November to lead the way out of the mess in Iraq," said Eli Pariser, MoveOn's political action director.
He said his members want the group "to consider all options" for Democrats "who ran on ending the war but vote for more chaos and more troops."
The reaction, swift and angry, makes clear the pressure confronting congressional Democrats, who find themselves caught between anti-war activists and an unyielding commander in chief.
Bush has vowed another veto if Congress ties funding to deadlines for withdrawal. Democrats lack the votes to override that action, and party leaders fear the political consequences of voting to cut off funds altogether.
Democratic leaders have tried to cast the deal negotiated with the White House as a step toward ending the war. For the first time, they say, Congress would establish benchmarks for Iraq's government and require Bush to report on progress.
"We have put an end to blank checks for war and an end to the president's policy of more troops, more money, more time and more of the same," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. "We have begun the process of implementing new policies, of bringing accountability to this war, and of forging a new direction in Iraq."
Zach Messitte, director of the Center for the Study of Democracy at St. Mary's College of Maryland, said Democrats might not have much to fear from angry liberals, at least for now.
"It's a year-plus until primary time, which is a long time away," he said. "People understand the nuances enough to know that there are certain political compromises that need and have to be made in order to gather together the broadest consensus."
But divisions over the issue are deep, and widening, even among Democratic leaders. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated that she will vote against funding without timelines. Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold said he could not support a bill "that contains nothing more than toothless benchmarks."
With other Democrats likely to follow suit, party vote-counters were left to rely on Republican support to help pass the funding.
Anti-war groups are urging Congress to reject the bill, which the House is to take up today.
"This is a key test vote on whether your representative is serious about ending the war," MoveOn activist Nita Chaudhary wrote.
Such language is a departure for MoveOn, which had shown moderation in its willingness to work with Democrats on drawing down U.S. involvement. Other groups have taken a harder line, pushing against any further war spending beyond what would be necessary to bring troops home.
MoveOn leaders had said they were looking forward to supporting Hoyer as he worked toward ending U.S. involvement in Iraq.
"He's shown he can be a great anti-war leader for the Democrats," Tom Matzzie, Washington director for the group, said in February. "The next six months is going to be a real trial for Democrats. Hoyer's skills inside the House will be a big asset."
Barely halfway into those six months, MoveOn began beaming its anti-Hoyer message into his district, blasting his vote against starting a pullout.
"We were so proud when he was made majority leader of the House of Representatives," an announcer intones. "But that pride has turned to disappointment. Because last week, Steny Hoyer was one of just a few Democrats to vote against the McGovern bill - a real plan for withdrawing from Iraq."
Hoyer's office says he understands "the passion" that many feel about the war.
In a statement, Hoyer said he was "deeply disappointed that the president continues to defy the will of the American people on Iraq, but ... I do believe that Democrats this week imposed a level of accountability where formerly there was none, and we will continue our efforts."
Copyright © 2007, The Baltimore Sun
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88 Comments so far
Show AllWith all due respect to the efforts of MoveOn, we've been fighting neocon/hawk Democrats for 40 years now. They exist as a party because a substantial percentage of the public expects a different policy out of them, the few progressives in their ranks, at this point, only legitimize the same 'ol from the remainder by casting a shed of hope (which is not forthcoming) on them.
There appears to be no substantive difference in foreign policy between the two corporate parties, no interest in IRV, cleaning up the ballots, etc. Are we going to bang our heads for another 40 years?
The votes were not there.
If you want to change things, work your tail off the next couple of years to elect better leaders. We have the power to do this. The internet is a new tool we are learning to use in these efforts.
Monopoly media gives us monopoly leaders, but things are changing.
"The votes were not there."
So then bring up the bill EVERY DAY and filibuster EVERY DAY until the votes ARE THERE. You have to fight for what you want not run away with your tail between your legs.
This proves that although we like to think that there is a difference between democrats and republicans, they both are still politicians. I now have no sympathy for the democrats in Congress.
It is time to begin recalling politicians from office. Negotiations are over! Start the recall process, now!
I disagree with Zach Messitte. I think that we have been more than patient with our leaders, and that our patience is beginning to wear thin.
I called both of my senators and my representative today, encouraging them to vote no on the latest funding bill. I don't expect them to listen to me...but I will be monitoring their votes and I will not forget.
We need candidates who listen to their constituents. If the parties are so powerful that they think they can ignore their base, then it is time for a third party.
Too bad there is no federal recall. It would be nice if we could bust the president, wouldn't it? Welcome to the Undemocracy.
Alas, so the Democrats have joined the child killing baby butchers. I'll never vote for a Democrat again. Of course I'll never vote for a Republican either or speak to my Republican neighbors.
Oh it's Impeachment that's off the table said Vlad as he sharpened his stakes . . .
The cowardice of the Democratic party is disgraceful. Do they really think the American public is stupid enough to think cutting off funds will leave soldiers defenseless? No, it simply means they'll *have* to come home. So, go ahead and don't approve a spending bill, and we'll get what we want--an end to this embarrassing, deadly war.
At the very very least, do not approve *more* funds than Bush requested (which is what the current bill does). How stupid is that?!
As a more general issue, I'm sick of Democrats being so afraid of Republicans that they refuse to confront them on anything. The Republicans don't share that fear, so they've been winning (until the country got so screwed up that we'd vote for anyone else). It's time for Democrats to grow a spine.
Whats surprising is moveon.org is taking a stand to end the war !
I thought they moved on from such trivialities !!
The Dem majority are poised to make themselves permenantly irrelevent. If they cave on this issue then they are the Republican's bitches forever.
They dont even need to put a bill forward. This is a supplimental for EXTRA money. JUST SAY NO TO WARMONGERING
Can't vote for the War party, even if it means not voting against the other war party.
While we mere citizens are all caught up with Iraq funding, recent developments seem to indicate that Iran is back on the front burner. An attack by Iran is Bush's get out of jail card--his entre into a "legitimate" war, one we could "win" by bombing the f..k out of these recalcitrant Muslims.
jon
Connecting the dots: from human behaviors to ecosystem decline
http://StudentsForTheEarth.org
Cheney knew.
"Monopoly media gives us monopoly leaders, but things are changing."
Yes. They're getting worse. I hate to say it, but Nader told us so.
Democrats dont want to appear to lose the war like little kids fighting on the playground--but if they keep it going and it ends under a democratic administration--then they will be blamed anyway.
Its much better for them to have it end now-before Bush leaves office--so they can blame Bush for the whole thing during his presidency.
The war will stick to Bush anyway--because he is a walking talking f*ck up. You would have to be a real moron to have thought this guy looked presidential.
Bush Watch.org had him pegged even before the 2000 election.
wsws.org
Impeachment is the only real option. Every day that Bush is in office he does more damage. With his veto and his "signing statements" legislation is moot. If we make enough noise and support the legislators who refuse to be intimidated, we might be able to put impeachment back on the table.
Here's the rude comment I sent to Reid, Pelosi, my senators and congressman today (and I'm being polite):
Unbelievable! We sent you people to Washington to fight that little psychopath in the White House and end this disgusting war. And what do you do? Turn into spineless, gutless, worthless little turds. You won't even stand up for the people out here in your own party. You just bend over and let Bush screw you and us and the country. To hell with you, to hell with the Democrats! You bunch of pissants.
Tell us what you really feel. IMPEACH, IMPEACH, IMPEACH.
Eventually progressives are going to have to begin the long and arduous task of building the alternative to the Tweedledee and Tweedledum if there is ever going to be a real change. It has been put off with the same excusses for 40 years and we are still at square one. Common USA the rest of the world is depending on you to put a stop to these bullies.
Look, moveon.org is not the voice of the peace movement. If they were, they would have been calling for Impeachment long ago. They would be giving organizations like Iraq Veterans Against the war, and Gold Star families for peace a national platform for their message. At the very least, they would be asking their members to spend money on grassroot relief of katrina survivors, Since the Government on both sides have failed America, groups like Moveon.org and it's millions of members should stop talking about what's best for the country and start doing something productive like volunteering on the Gulf Coast or giving $1. each to www.ivaw.org www.ivawdeployed.org www.gsfp.org to help them get the real message out.
There simply has to be more to this than meets the eye.
If not, the Dems just sold out what was left of We the People.
The DLC Democrats who are trying to say that this cave-in to Bush is some kind of "bringing accountability" (Rahm) are seriously thinking they can pull another Rovian "tell the big lie" propaganda charade.
The question is whether there are enough real Democrats ready to accept this dribble.
From my perspective on the West Coast, they're not. At least, no one I know is. We're mad. And we're calling. And we're waiting to see how our representatives vote. Because, this one IS the litmus test to tell if they will be supported in the future. And, I don't WANT TO HEAR any weasly justifications.
Incumbent Democrats worry about re-election. All the time. And it doesn't seem to matter even for those in the "safe" districts. So, WORRY!! One comment I heard yesterday is that Democratic leaders won't wake up to the grassroots until there is a massive defection and news conference with Ralph Nader!!!
Democrats took the majority NOT through the dwindling number of Democratic votes last time around. They won because of the INDEPENDENTS who were abandoning the Republicans in droves. Now what will they do? Certainly, they will recall that the Democrats did not stand up to Bush and STOP THE WAR. And this is what the independents had hired them to do.
###
The Demicrans and Republicrats sold out long before this day arrived. By failing to actively pursue impeachment, this one party system has allowed the Bush administration to continue business as usual without any repercussions or criminal prosecution. Accountability begins with ourselves. The time for lesser evils is over. There can be no compromise of human rights, justice and the integrity of life support systems. Demanding anything less is our demise.
Wish I could say I was surprised...but I am most assuredly not. I ask each of you to have a sincere-with-thyself moment and ask, "Did I really think the Democrats would do anything regarding 'the war' beyond serving their plutocratic corporate task masters?"
If you're realistic, semi-observant and honest with yourself then I think you know the answer. If not, then let me suggest an appropriately analogous exercise that may assist with your contextual incomprehension.
Hold out both of your hands, palms up. Pile your hopes in the first and shit in the second. Which one actually filled up first? Any more questions? *L*
Wake up!!
I guess that I am naive but I thought that the democrats would stop Bush. Now we see that Nader was right.
Absolutely disgusting. Working with the Democrats is like being asked to dig a trench with your hands tied behind your back. We desperately need to regroup and either clean out the Democratic party from top to bottom or, better, establish a well-organized third party coalition that will bust up this one-party monopoly once and for all.
I've been a registered Democrat all my life. No more. The Republicans are worthless, and the Democrats are worthlesser, if you know what I mean. The next election, we need to vote all of the bastards out. Whatever happened to "Balance of Powers?"
Democrats in the House and Senate simply are not an anti-war party. They talk in terms of troop withdrawal, benchmarks, phased redeployment of troops, and training Iraqi troops, but not about returning our troops home. The huge US Embassy in Baghdad will not be dismantled. The Dems, including almost everyone but Gravel and Kucinich, want the troops to remain in the Middle East to use against Iran or someone else when the opportunity arises. As David Rieff puts it, they are not against the next war (NYT Magazine, March 25, 2007).
Dennis Kucinich,
Please stop wasting your time trying to get the Democratic party inline. It won't happen. Really relate to the "40 years" battle. Let's stop busting our heads against a cement wall. Dennis, please form a new party - the Progressive Democratic Party.
Look at the big picture - we have %5 of the population and we are spending approximately %50 of total world military outlays. We have a tenuous foothold in Iraq, which may prove to have more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. Peak oil (production decline) is coming soon (next 20 - 30 years) or is now here depending on who you talk to. Global warming is about to severely stress global civilization. The military-industrial complex runs the whole show (a Canadian friend recently referred to the US Government as a "front for business". Our military adventures lately are the moral equivalent of Germany attacking Czechoslovakia (Hitler called that country a "dagger aimed right at the heart of Germany" .. some things never change). WE are the evil empire. So .. do you think this morally bankrupt, downright evil military-industrial complex is going to give up power voluntarily? No, they are going to lie, manipulate the media, fix elections, declare national emergencies, or create national emergencies (as is well documented in the past). If we ordinary citizens want to take control back, it is going to take rigourous activism, feet on the street, work stopages, national strikes, tying up whole cities in protest, "fill the jails", just like we had during the civil rights movement. Remember the TV coverage? It was shocking and brought real change. That, at a minimum, is what its going to take.
I support Moveon's threat to oppose re-election of leading Democrats who give in to Bush on this. The public wants firm action, and it has disavowed Bush's incompetent "stay the course" nonsense. The "war" (actually the 'occupation') was lost years ago, and the public knows it. Bush is throwing away the lives of young Americans, and now Democrats will be complicit. Let's show cowardly Democrats that they serve at the will of the people, not at the will of George Bush!
Today's Associated Press coverage of the war spending bill, copied by CNN, devoted about half of the article to the "miffed" Republican response to the Democrats' domestic spending attachments, amounting to around 1% to 2% of the war funding.
65% of the American people oppose the war according to CNN's most recent poll. But nowhere in the article did the AP mention public dissent. Nowhere in the article are the American people referred to at all. The article was difficult to find - it wasn't in the headlines at Google. I had to search for it.
The mainstream media seems to be doing its part to marginalize the public while the warmongers allocate public resources against the public will. I suppose the public can learn how to marginalize the mainstream media, and learn how to allocate public resources against the warmongers' will.
To preznit_bouche...
Your observations, and solutions, are probably right.
The groundswell is beginning.
It seems to me that, "We the people", each of us, are not taking responsibility. We are quick to point fingers and make others to blame, Democrats, Republican, Bush, Cheney, the right, the left, the media, but what did you do today to make a difference? Notice I used the word "We", I include myself, I turned my back on my country of birth and decided to live in Europe, way back when this really all started, Reagan was elected president. I thought by not identifying with it and not directly supporting it, I was not part of it, which was then maybe partly true. But this is no longer true for me as I see and feel the ripples permeated through all of life, perpetrated by and in my land of birth. We are the problem, "We the people", for not making a difference, complaining will get us no where. It is each and everyone's responsibility to become Responsible to life and for ones own actions, do we give the corporations our money, then like it or not we are a part of that collective. Each of us will find, as we take more conscious responsibility for our own actions, all of them, we can make a difference! It is like America is very sick and we want to attack the symptoms, (Democrats, Republicans, Bush, Cheney, the right, the left, the media, corporate America, etc.), rather than the cause, we are the sickness. We can make a difference but we should begin in our daily lives and take responsibility there with the little things before we point our finger and make others responsible. Our problems did not begin with Bush and will not end with Bush and his gang of thugs, it will end when "We the people" take responsibility for our own actions. Peace be with you all!
"fear the political consequences of voting to cut off funds altogether."
The message is so painfully clear, its politics over an end to the monumental suffering and death wrought on the American Military, their families, the Iraqi people and their families.
It is amasing to me how the politicians can look at themselves never mind their Constituents.
How do they explain their actions to the Military Personnel, the wounded, their families and the families of those who have died and the families of the people they pulled out of the Euphrates River yesterday and the Iraqi people?
I agree with almost all the sentiments expressed above. I think that the Democrats have left us in the lurch again. Problem is, there are rustlings that Cheney will get his war with Iran and we will get a dictatorship akin to "Big Brother." The indications are all there. I believe that is the truth.
It pleases me that so many see through this charade, and all we can do is promote a legal way to put an end to the existing traitors, Bush and Cheney. But who is going to lead us???? Obviously not the Democrats.
THe only Democrat who IS standing up to President Bush and his crew is John Edwards.He has demanded that Congress send back a bill for withdrawal again and that Congress should not back down from this administration.
Listen to the tremendous speech he gave at the Convention: www.cadem.org and go to his website to look at what he is doing in relation to the war in Iraq,healthcare,poverty,morality of this country....
John Edwards' website www.johnedwards.com
He also has a seperate website for supporting the troops on that same site.
We need to, all of us, call and write to let them know how amazingly pissed we all are.
They are so terrified to do anything that might make them lose the WH in 08 so htye caved since they didnt want to be balmed for deserting the troop. He vetoed the first bill, w is the one who abandoned them. The Dems are appearing so spineless.
I like the way they are doing it quickly too. Like they do not want to give voters a chance to call and try to stop them.
This could lose the the WH. They are splintering their own party. It is ridiculous.
How disgusting, we sent them their to stand up to that bully and they got their asses handed to them. Pathetic!
BTW ricg- loved the letter. I really needed a good chuckle today.
Oh, try and catch the bird putting his two cents in on w's leeve this am in the rose garden. Im still giggling.
skst's observation is right on the money (see above):
CUTTING OFF FUNDS TO THE U.S. ARMED FORCES OCCUPYING IRAQ IS NOTHING OTHER THAN BRINGING THEM BACK HOME.
That is the cash value of such a motion.
All other interpretations of that motion are mere sentiment or intimidation maneuvers on the part of bloodthirsty politicians who nearly all have never participated in combat.
A regrettable statistical truth: the less a politician has taken part in actual warfare, the more bloodthirsty that politician is likely to be, for that individual is over-compensating for what one can only call constitutive cowardice (people who delegate the performance of warfare to others, without wanting to risk their own life in combat, are cowards).
The Democrats are lite Republicans, a sickening crew of traitors to their own electorate.
Whereas the Republicans are undoing their grand old party through their countless acts of corrupt behavior, the Democrats need to be destroyed by the people.
We will continue to be left with the same choice unless we take action. Between the Democrats and the Republicans.... we don't get to choose the best option, we get to choose the lessor of two evils.
The two are the same, big money, big politics. When will this nation wake up?
Gutless "F" ing bastards, every chicken $hit one of those entitled pandering elitists in congress!
If anyone thought they actually had representation in congress, think again!
Isn't it time to start a war here at home?
Don - watch it - big brother reads every post and takes names. He knows who you are, where you live, how much you make, anything he wants to know. And you live on a one way street - you don't know squat about him. Calls for a "war here at home" could make you disappear.
EveningLand said:
"A regrettable statistical truth: the less a politician has taken part in actual warfare, the more bloodthirsty that politician is likely to be, for that individual is over-compensating for what one can only call constitutive cowardice."
John Mcain disproves that.
MoveOn is just an echo chamber for Nancy Pelosi and her allies in Congress. They don't try to pressure her into anything, they wait for her to tell them what she wants, then they tell their "members" to repeat the message.
The attacks on Steny Hoyer are not a sign of a sudden burst of unexpected leadership from within MoveOn. Hoyer is a rival of Pelosi. She wanted Murtha in his position but failed to shoehorn him in, remember. So, now Pelosi has cooked up an obvious sham by which she and other Democrats in safely anti-war districts can vote against the war without really upsetting the Republicans, Bush, or their mutual corporate masters and war profiteers because she has already guaranteed that the blank check she wrote herself (and is now acting as if she opposes) will be signed by The Commander Guy.
It is a complete sell out and a complete farce! MoveOn and Pelosi are like Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum . . . in more ways than one.
George Bush's 'Mission Accomplish' is successful.
They have been able to stop Iraq from pumping oil and look at the obscene profits made by the Texas Oil Gangsters. Now it is time for them to carve up the black gold and they will. We are not leaving Iraq and the 'insiders' in both parties want it exactly that way.
Either Kucinich or Paul could stop this but the insiders will never allow them to be nominated.
We have been betrayed by the demo-rats.
This was all just grand political theater meant to amuse and confuse the poor befuddled voter. We are just rubes to these elitest bastards.
ALL politicians serve the same Master - BIG OIL & BIG MILITARY- Exxon pays the bills while the troops pay in blood and the taxpayer is bled dry.
NEVER VOTE DEMOCRATE OR REPUBLICAN AGAIN..WE NEED A THIRD CHOICE
'Contract on America' by David Scheim explains much of how the Democratic Party has been sabotaged since the 1960s by conservative money bolstering and pressuring Democratic Party politicians particularly in the South and the Midwest. Read it to understand a big part of the problem. The Republicans are slick and are skilled at dividing and diffusing Democratic policy... they have the money, the advertisers, and the lack of scruples.
It's easy to get disgusted with the Democratic Party when the politically-naive conservative element undermines it and pushes it over to Republican policies. But dividing Democratic votes will only hand the elections to the Republicans, who love to create and back 3rd parties to steal Democratic votes.
The way to win is to finally educate southerners and midwesterners to political reality, and that is a tall order, which means undoing deeply-ingrained anti-union and anti-social-democratic attitudes which are continually rammed down their throats by the very conservative media which has prevailed there for a long time.