Politics Critical thinking about the public good I believe that at every level of society - familial, tribal, national and international - the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities. His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso   political clicks Regular reads Prometheus 6 Alas The Left Coaster The Daily Outrage Peevish Mark Fiore Cal Pundit Notes on the Atrocities Occasional Subversion Bohemian Mama Tacitus   prologue July 2003 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31     Jun   Aug Talk to me

Monday, August 04, 2003 The Doctor is Lookin' Good Just watched Dean on Larry King.  He looked a little overwhelmed at first, but quickly got his sea legs.  I hope the King show or the Dean Team posts a transcript because there were a few really good quotes I'm excited to share but I am not going to be able to recreate them from memory.  One that I do remember [more or less]: King asked: "Do you think you are going to have move more toward the center?" Dean: "I am the center..." My vote is his to lose at this point...  I am looking forward to the Meet-Up on Wednesday. Update:  (1) Not that the Daily KOS needs any traffic from me, but there might be a few folks new to the blogosphere that haven't found him yet.  In any case, this post on Dean is a nice, pragmatic complement to my idealistic enthusiasm. (2)  The Likely Story saw Lieberman in CNN on Sunday and had the same reaction to him that I did today. I saw a Democratic presidential contender repeating talking points that Karl Rove might very well have written in an effort to scare Democrats away from standing up against the failed polices and bankrupt leadership of George W. Bush in the '04 presidential election. The truth is presidential candidates Joe Lieberman and John Kerry are effectively conceding the presidential race to Bush. Worse, they are echoing the preferred talking points of Karl Rove, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and the rest of the far Right. Their argument boils down to a blatant attempt to scare Democrats into pandering to the Right and effectively conceding the playing field for '04 and most likely the general election. [...] This is politics and everyone understands that passionate criticism is to be expected. I don't think anyone has a problem with real criticism, but this is not legitimate. It's crap. Lieberman and Kerry are using the same distortions and attacks favored by Republicans against a fellow Democrat. This does a disservice to all Democrats as Kerry and Lieberman are doing the dirty work of Karl Rove. Kerry has thrown his lot in with the likes of Lieberman and the DLC in the hopes that playing to the Left's fears and subscribing to the Right's manipulations will move him up in the polls against a very energetic insurgent. Kerry and Lieberman are not attempting to lead. They are using the same scare mongering that has muted all opposition to Bush and left the Democratic party reeling. This comes as the media and public are finally starting to wake up to see the disastrous effects of Bush's policies. 9:36:20 PM     This makes me angry Lieberman spoke at National Press Club today and evidently came out swinging against his fellow '04 Dems. I know, I know -- I'm on board for voting for whichever Dem gets the official nod, but damn I hope it's not Lieberman. He sounds exactly like a friggin' cheap-labor conservative in his [mis]characterization of his opponents below. [Emphasis below, mine.]   Lieberman Warns U.S. Democrats Against Turn to Left Aug 4, 4:26 pm ET, By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent, WASHINGTON (Reuters)  ... The Connecticut senator, the most conservative of the nine Democrats vying to challenge President Bush next year, said he shared the anger of party activists over Bush's policies. "But the answer to his outdated, extremist ideology is not to be found in outdated extremes of our own," Lieberman said in a speech on the party's future delivered at the National Press Club. "That path will not solve the challenges of our time, and it could well send us Democrats back to the political wilderness for a long time," said Lieberman, the party's vice presidential candidate in the last election. Asked about Dean after the speech, Lieberman said a party led by a candidate who opposed the war against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and would raise taxes was buying a "ticket to nowhere." [...] Last week, Lieberman lashed out at Dean, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri for making Democrats look weak on defense by failing to recognize the war in Iraq was justified. Oh Joe!  Are you really saying that there is no room for an intelligent person with a healthy instinct for self-defense to argue that the war in Iraq -- as undertaken by the current admin -- was unjustified?  Really?  It's inconceivable to you that someone could be very concerned about the safety and wellbeing of US citizens and still believe the war was a wrong step?  That all those who thought the war was unjustified really are treasonous bastards hoping to see the US go down in flames?  Okay, Okay.. I know you didn't say that, but folks out there [and we know who they are, don't we, dear reader?] are saying that and your little barbs are just a coded way of co-opting those fears and accusations for your own purposes. On Monday he broadened the attacks, referring in general to proposals by Dean to eliminate Bush's tax cuts and the broad health care insurance plan offered by Gephardt. "Some Democrats still prefer old, big government solutions to our problems, but with record deficits, a stalled economy and Social Security in danger, we can't afford that," Lieberman said. "Fueled by understandable frustration, some in my party are grasping failed solutions that will not meet our 21st century needs, and will not save America from another four years of Republican misrule," Lieberman said. He said "old Democratic policies like higher taxes and weakness on defense are not the solution. We need to reclaim the vital center, and that is the leadership I offer my party and my country." It just really fries my potatoes to hear a Democrat using right-winger rhetoric against fellow Dems.  This to me is such an ugly and classically conservative move -- motivating folks out of fear.  "Weakness on defense."  Harumph!  How stupid does he think his fellow Dems are?  8:31:53 PM     © 2003 ibyx Last Update: 8/11/2003; 1:13:20 AM