Parts of the Problem

[solarbird]

It's part of the problem when "opposition" leadership backs retroactive immunity for blatant lawbreaking, shutting off the only functional avenue for investigation.

It's part of the problem when "opposition" leaders help you appoint judges who rule that your many of your constituents are unfit to have children.

It's part of the problem when "opposition" leaders cooperation moves the pro-torture party's leadership to tears of joy.

It's part of the problem when "opposition" leaders provide the key support to getting pro-torture appointees through the Senate they control. But I suppose they do get Beltway press support for it, and that's all that matters within the New Court at Versailles.

Comments

[llachglin.livejournal.com]

It's abject cowardice among the leadership, combined with the fact that confronting that cowardice might very well mean an even quicker rise of authoritarianism. Harry Reid should have filibustered any AG nominee who wouldn't clearly come out against waterboarding. I mean, really. There were at least 40 votes (the most votes against an AG nominee in more than 50 years), though it seems that some of those weren't willing to filibuster.

That's why I'm voting for Kucinich. I don't care if he's a Keebler elf; at least he's not enabling this. But at general election time, here's the reality: Jay Inslee, Patty Murray, and Maria Cantwell have in declining order been on the right side of these issues and deserve reelection. The alternative to Hillary/Obama/Edwards is going to be an open authoritarian, with only the particular flavor of authoritarianism in doubt. I will happily support even the least of those Democrats against any Republican. Happily. This isn't a lesser evils election for me. Not one of the Democrats openly espoused authoritarianism. At worst (Hillary, with her support of Kyl-Lieberman), the Democrats we'll have the option of voting for are simply cowardly opponents and enablers, and not active proponents of the authoritarian slide in this country. Hillary Clinton is the evil of the mainstream status quo ante, but compared to the Bush administration that's a step in the right direction. Once she or one of the others is elected, then we push to hold them accountable and reverse the damage of this administration (and with luck, the lesser damage inflicted during the Clinton years and before). At least with a Democrat we'll have a chance of being heard.

Oh, and who does the Democratic leadership represent? I'd say mostly the corporate interests that elected them, which include large legal firms, banks, insurance companies; not to mention the foreign policy establishment represented by middle of the road folks like Joseph Wilson and the CFR types from both parties. As a liberal/social-democratic/social libertarian non-interventionist, I find these interests largely abominable, but they represent a relatively responsible set of mainstream interests compared to the extremists backing the GOP. Some of the members have similar backers, so even if their personal views are more liberal/libertarian they are constrained in what they can do within the allowed Washington consensus. Then there's the fact that many of the members of the Democratic Party come from parts of the country that are deeply conservative, where "bipartisan" nomination of presidential appointees is considered the rule, and where torture is far too common in local prisons and most people would waterboard a suspected terrorist themselves given half the chance. Scary as it might seem, a Senator's vote to confirm Mukasey is often a good representation of the Senator's constituency.

Step one: get rid of the open authoritarians. Step two: hold the enablers accountable to ending the worst abuses, using every available method. Step three: undermine the power structure that let this happen in the first place and create a contrary constituency based around respect for the rule of law and respect for individual liberties and civil rights. But if we fail at step one, we'll have no means to do any of the rest.