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On Fence-Straddling, Or, And Now, A Few Words From Blanche Lincoln

by: fake consultant

Mon Sep 27, 2010 at 09:51:26 AM EDT


Those of you who've followed my work over a period of time know that I'm usually the one suggesting moderation and keeping everyone in the big tent, and, even in this most difficult year, I'm the one telling folks that sometimes you just have to hold your nose and vote for the candidate that sucks less.

And even though the last thing I'd ever want is a Speaker Boehner or a Leader McConnell (or even worse yet, DeMint), the fact remains that there are two Democratic Senators I would actually vote against, even if the candidate that sucks more does win...and those two are Arkansas' Blanche Lincoln and Nebraska's Ben Nelson.

One of those two is up for re-election this year, and thanks to a particularly ridiculous vote by Senator Lincoln, we found ourselves in a bit of an email exchange, which is what we'll be talking about today.  

fake consultant :: On Fence-Straddling, Or, And Now, A Few Words From Blanche Lincoln
And there is still this most difficult question of all: If we are eventually fortunate enough to find truth, who among us will know how to make good use of it?

--Jean Jacques Rousseau, "Discourse on the Arts and Sciences"

So here's the deal: as you may or may not know, Senator Lincoln's was one of the Democratic votes that killed any chance of reforming the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy and also killed the DREAM Act, which would have provided a path to citizenship for non-citizens who serve in the US military...despite the fact that she is one of the Senate co-sponsors of the DREAM Act and has publicly supported repealing DADT...despite the fact that this vote hurts her in a re-election campaign, by painting her as a flip-flopper...and despite the fact that her vote hurt Democrats nationally, twice, once by not forcing Republicans to vote against the Defense Appropriations bill ("they hate the troops!"), and, secondly, by making Democrats deal with a very, very, angry base, for no good reason.

I'm part of that angry base, and, even though I normally try to be a bit more restrained, I just had to send a note to the Senator's office to make a point; here's that note, reproduced:

Apparently Senator Lincoln has no interest in supporting troops who are gay who are serving today, despite the flag-waving stuff on your own home page?

As a supporter of Democrats, I have to say; "nah nah na na, nah nah na na, hey hey hey...good bye!"

Have a great November...and honestly, we won't really miss you.

The Senator was kind enough to offer a response, which arrived Friday.
Today we'll look at what she had to say:

Thank you for contacting my campaign regarding my recent vote on the Defense Authorization bill.

The stalemate we find ourselves in today is an example of Congress' failure to appropriately deal with issues of critical importance to Arkansans and the American people, and that is why people are so angry.

Both political parties are so focused on how they can tear each other down that they've forgotten that we were all elected to build our country up by coming together, finding common ground and working to move our nation forward.

So far, so good...

I voted against the Motion to Proceed on the Defense Authorization bill today because of the lack of an open amendment process. I had eight amendments to improve services and benefits for Arkansas's veterans, Guardsman and Reservists. But under the process and time-frame established by the Democratic Majority Leader, none of my amendments will merit consideration this week.

Well, now we're getting to something.

Apparently you felt, Senator, that Arkansans would be so grateful that you absolutely killed reforms that even you support because you couldn't insert a few amendments, that they would ignore the fact that...you absolutely killed reforms that even you support because you couldn't insert a few amendments.

Well, guess what? This kind of thinking is exactly why you're gonna lose your job.

Try to imagine, Senator, if you hired me to paint your house, because I made such a great sales pitch ("I'll paint that house, and I'll paint it cheap, and I'll use good quality paint!")...and then I held a press conference to announce that I'd like to paint your house, just like I told you I would...but I can't, because right now you won't allow me to propose cutting the grass and redesigning the pool.

That's appears to be what you just did...and if I came up with a story like that, wouldn't you fire me?

However, my vote against this procedure does not in any way alter my co-sponsorship of the DREAM Act or my support for allowing the military to repeal the 'Dont' Ask Don't Tell' policy. These important issues were taken hostage by an election year political agenda at the expense of full and open debate on a $726 billion defense spending bill. I look forward to the day we can debate these issues fully and vote on them.

You might still support the DREAM Act, and you may still support DADT...but your vote killed 'em both...which means you're holing those issues hostage, right this very second...and since you'll become a lame duck in November, and you won't be around after January, you probably won't be debating much of anything.

Transparency should be the rule, not the exception. I have heard Arkansans loud and clear, and I will continue working to ensure that we do things in an open and transparent way.

If you had heard Arkansans loud and clear, you probably wouldn't have supported either of these reforms in the first place...but if you really believed in these ideas, what you should have been doing these past 18 months is gettin' out there and doing a better job of explaining why, so that Arkansans would have heard you loud and clear.

That's called "political leadership", and that's how you win elections, and, sad to say, a lot of other Democrats this cycle also seem to have been unable to grasp this most basic lesson from Politics 101 (Barack Obama, I'm looking at you...).

There are many important issues in this critical bill that deserve our full attention. When we are ready to get serious about debating the multitude of issues that are relevant to this bill, I am prepared to help move that debate and this legislation forward.

Translation: I hope to be the super duper important 59th vote, after the election, and I hope that y'all will get serious about making a deal so that Olympia Snowe can get something and I can get my last eight amendments, even though by then I'll be fired and my Party will have taken a beating in the election and the reform I claim to have supported will basically die away in the night, pretty much thanks to me.

In late July, I was able to gain unanimous approval by the Senate for the most ambitious Child Nutrition Authorization Bill in the history of our country. It didn't require a procedural motion. It was bipartisan, paid for and reflected the best of what this Senate can be. I hope that process becomes the norm.

Well congratulations to you for having the political courage to support feeding babies, and I'm willing to bet that if a "don't strangle puppies" bill comes along, you'll probably have the intestinal fortitude to support that as well.

Again, thank you for contacting my campaign.

You're more than welcome, and you have yourself a great day.

Poll
democrats?
all is well
maybe a bit more assertive
hiding is bad
"come out, wherever you are!"
"save us from ourselves"

Results

Tags: , , , , , , (All Tags)
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"how to give away elections... (0.00 / 0)
...without even trying."

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them

Speaking of which. (4.00 / 6)

Could someone please explain to me how it makes sense for Democrats not to seek a vote on middle class tax cuts before the election?
\
If you don't stand up for working people before the election, why should they think you will do so afterward?

If you are afraid to draw a line between the interests the vast majority of Americans and the plutocrats who can never have enough, then just join the party that makes no bones about whose interests they serve. The wealthy have every thing else, they don't need two major parties.

I truly don't get it.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  


[ Parent ]
When you figure it out.... (4.00 / 2)
Let me know.



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    


[ Parent ]
is it possible... (0.00 / 0)
...that certain democratic senators prefer being in the minority?

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them

[ Parent ]
I cant figure it out... (4.00 / 3)

But I am pretty sure that it wont require a new chapter to be written for Profiles in Courage.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

[ Parent ]
Profiles in Timidity--NY Times (4.00 / 1)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09...

This particular failure to act was not about Republican obstructionism, of which there has been plenty. This was about Democrats failing to seize an opportunity to do the right thing and at the same time draw a sharp distinction between themselves and the Republicans.


"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

[ Parent ]
this story reminds me of a golfer... (4.00 / 1)
...who drives the ball two feet from the cup, then whips out the ol' 3 wood and proceeds to drive the ball right back to the green.

i just can't figure it out at all.

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them


[ Parent ]
that's another story that deserves... (0.00 / 0)
...the same treatment as this one, with the blame spread farmore widely.

why run away from something that will disadvantage your opponent when it's something your supposed to be supporting?

it's insane, and i just can't figure it out myself.

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them


[ Parent ]
Steny Hoyer, specious spineless specimen of washed-up Washington wussery (4.00 / 2)
Chris Wallace: "Will the House hold a vote this week before you adjourn for a month of campaigning, a vote this week on whether or not to extend the Bush tax cuts?"
   
HOYER: I doubt that we will, and let me tell you why. The Senate has refused to move forward on that issue. As you know, we have some 400 bills pending in the Senate, 75 percent of which have gotten 50 Republican votes or more, but they can't move through the Senate, so it would be an specious act.

...

   WALLACE: Why not pass the extension of the middle-class tax cuts before you go home to campaign for a month?

   HOYER: I just told you. The Senate has decided they wouldn't do it because of the...

   WALLACE: Well, that's the Senate. You're the House.

   HOYER: The obstruction is in the Senate. Well, it would be a specious act for us.


On behalf of all Democrats, New Hampshire, and America, sir, go to hell.

[ Parent ]
Watching the atttack ads (4.00 / 1)
I hear Paul Hodes voted for an "energy tax." Could you show me the "law" that this "tax" is a part of? It's dead in the Senate.

No good can come from using sandbags as necklaces.

Whack-a-mole, anyone?


[ Parent ]
i will assume... (4.00 / 1)
...that's related to a vote for cap and trade.

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them

[ Parent ]
This week? (0.00 / 0)
They really adjourn this week? How long have they been back?


[ Parent ]
members wanbt to be back home... (0.00 / 0)
...where they can defend their records beofre their voters.

so...drop by and see if your member of congress wants to get aggressive and win one or not.

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them


[ Parent ]
hello, house members! (4.00 / 1)
it's to your advantage to be seen as doing things.

it's to your disadvantage to be seen as sitting around, contributing to the obstruction.

is it really that hard?

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them


[ Parent ]
steny...babe... (0.00 / 0)
...how "specious" is it for the house to not act at all?

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them

[ Parent ]
easy (4.00 / 2)
they can make a bunch of promises now, then vote to extend ALL of the Bush tax cuts after they get re-elected.  

member of the professional left  

[ Parent ]
That's actually the only thing that makes "sense" to me. (0.00 / 0)

(all of the thoughts that occur to me now would involve the use of words that violate the terms of service of BH).

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

[ Parent ]
i'm afraid you're right... (0.00 / 0)
...which is even more bizarre, since the theory there would be "let's not do anything before the election, which will inflame our base, then we'll wait until after the election to do something that will really inflame our base...and then we'll coast to victory in '12!".

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them

[ Parent ]
Why is this? (0.00 / 0)
ARG NH Senate Poll: Ayotte 46%, Hodes 32%

http://www.miscellanyblue.com/


Your answer: It's an ARG poll (4.00 / 3)
Consider the souce.  Dick Bennett also had Bush beating McCain a couple of days before the 2000 NH primary, a contest that McCain won by a few touchdowns.  (Would be glad to cite other examples.)

Bennett is not biased in favor of Republicans.  He's just a crummy pollster.  Christ, the guy has the governor's race in a dead heat!


[ Parent ]
Worst poll of the cycle (4.00 / 3)
After the election we should go back and figure out what the worst poll was. Right now my vote is for Steve Demaura and the one he cooked up for Americans for Prosperity back on Sept. 2' which had Mahoney at 32.6, Guinta at 25.0, and Ashooh at 9.9. Demaura also works for Americans for Job Security, which pays David Carney to be a consultant and has Patrick Hynes on its board. Carney and Hynes were on Mahoney's payroll. You have to wonder how stupid these people think we are? Nowhampshire has another candidate for stupidest poll going right now - polling independent voters on whether they like R's better than D's, than tries to use the results as a prediction of state senate races, even though the senate candidates names aren't used.  Oh, right, Patrick Hynes started that web site.  



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    


[ Parent ]
AND... (4.00 / 3)
The weekend before the 1978 election the ARG poll showed Governor Thomson and Senator McIntyre cruising to reelection, both were defeated.

In 1996, ARG had Dick Swett defeating Bob Smith and Ovide Lamontagne defeating Jeanne Shaheen...

...and so on.

2012 starts today.


[ Parent ]
1996 (4.00 / 3)
Bennett also had Dick beating John Rauh by a nearly 2:1 margin in the primary.  (Dick won 52-48)

ARG polls should come with their own warning label.  Like cigarettes.  


[ Parent ]
NewCenter 5 Eyeopener (4.00 / 1)
On the channel 5 morning news from Boston, they quoted this poll as if it were fact.  That kind of thing could hurt the Hodes' campaign.  

[ Parent ]
that's one way to see it... (0.00 / 0)
...another would be to grab your base and use the poll to motivate ("we'll show them!") in the same way a football coach uses the other team's trash-talking to their advantage.

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them

[ Parent ]

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