The Cats Are Out of the Bag July 5
When Congress passed into democratic hands, I ruminated on how successfully Nancy Pelosi could “herd the cats” of her party. After all, democrats are a famously fractious lot 
and prone to torpedoing their agenda because of it. As she took the gavel, she spoke of a party ready to move forward on a host of issues caught in the crossfire of Iraq. The dem’s 100-day agenda went reasonably well. She even managed to squeeze a little reluctant bipartisanship out of her spooked colleagues across the aisle. All in all, it looked like she may have been off to a good start.
Sadly, however, things went downhill, causing the party faithful to ask, “where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?”. She immediately took several important issues off the table. Impeachment was not an option. Cutting the defense budget for Iraq was not an option. The first rule of politics is “always keep the opposition guessing”. Despite being the offspring of a political family, she must have nodded off when Daddy read that Golden Book at bedtime. The result has isolated her and her party in a corner of their own painting.
Hypocrite or Failure?
If she calls for impeachment now, the opposition can say she’s a lying hypocrite and excuse themselves from voting for it. If she doesn’t call for it, she fails in her duty to the party, but more importantly, to her nation. She even cringes at weak symbolic efforts like censure votes or insisting on benchmarks - and allowing Bush to veto them over and over - to make the case that he is the obstruction to the will of the people. With a clear shot, the Decider now knows he only has a year and a half to muck up what is still intact in our nation, so he’d better hurry up before he loses his chance.
The funny thing is, she actually managed to herd the cats quite well. So well in fact, that she’s apparently forgotten the more important task of leading. Party unity is important, but taking a unity uber alles approach is exactly what got us into this mess to begin with. The leadership vacuum left by her and Harry Reid makes our miserable excuse for a “leader” the de facto boss. He is able to piss in the face of the American people, discard the wishes of his own party members, and repeat the same tired mistakes with a vigor that makes his early bumbling look positively Churchillian in comparison. Lil’ Bush operates in the sure knowledge that no one is going to do anything about even his most egregious acts - acts like Scooter’s commutation (and probably eventual pardon). The feeble grumbling that stands in for true leadership does nothing more than enable his desire to rule as a King instead of a citizen.
That’s a Strategy?
Democratic strategy at this point seems to be to wait the bumbler out and easily sweep to victory by appearing leaderly in comparison to their even more limp-wristed republican counterparts. This is not the reason they came to the majority - slender though it may be - leading a nation adrift back to shore is. There is no time left to waste. With each day, the damage being done by the Nincopmpoop-in-Chief mounts and stinks like the remains of a garbage strike. If the democrats don’t grow a backbone - and soon - they’ll find themselves herded straight into a bag that the republicans will gladly heave into the river. This path is dangerous, inept, and a sure path to disaster. And on that point, I have but one thing to say…
Meow?
Tech Tags: pelosi politics congress omnipotent+poobah
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Neil Shakespeare Jul 5
They’re all in the bankers’ pockets so I don’t think it matters who tries to herd the cats or let the dogs out.
Zaius Nation Jul 6
I thought this was great post, and agree with most of it, but I think that your whole impeachment section is really off the mark. They have been the leadership for only 5 months.
Let me quote this post that I wrote.
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“So let’s review the concept, we should start the ol’ impeachment ball rolling without yet having clear and irrefutable evidence by asking for “articles of impeachment” by a simple majority in the house of representatives, so that we can have an impeachment hearing in the senate, where we only have a slim majority and one of those members is ill, to be presided over by Chief Justice John Roberts or Vice President Dick Cheney.”
“Am I the only one that thinks that we might want to review our strategy on this?”
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I have complaints of my own, but not so much with our leaders. I think that we have enough armchair quarterbacks and soccer mom’s screaming about how to best play the game. I just don’t think that enough of them have read the rule book. I love science fiction as much as the next guy, but I fear that your promise of the ease at which this task could take place is perhaps not as clear as you might think, and the certainty of your plan’s success is perhaps dubious in my humble opinion.
No hard feelings, I just disagree. I thought that your post was excellent otherwise. I just don’t see the wisdom in pursuing this before Waxman has even finished his investigations. What are they supposed to use as evidence? With Cheney or Roberts as the judge? And a 51% majority, minus one senator?
Dusty Jul 6
Agreed on most of your points..but I do think the ‘waiting him out’ might backfire on their asses.
Polls, I know their useless, show Congress has lower ratings than The Asshat-in-Chief.
I also think all the hearings are stall tactics..unless I see someone being dragged off to jail or in a head lock by the Sergeant of Arms..they are just a dog and pony show at this point imho. I do love Waxman, don’t get me wrong.