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Sunday, August 05, 2007

Getting a Handle

Obviously, I was quite outraged and despairing last night when the House capitulated on FISA to the Killer Clowns. Weirdly enough, I think the Yearly Kos event this weekend really contributed to both the rage and the despair I was feeling. For one thing, so few of the online resources that I turn to for context, commiseration, and creativity in the face of the atrocity exhibition of contemporary American politcs were blogging, because they were out of touch, on airplanes, sleeping it off and so on that I felt at loose ends. But for another thing -- and I can only imagine how much stronger this must have felt for the folks who were actually there -- the contrast between the basic decency, sense, and intelligence on exhibition at yKos compared with Washington had me tearing out my hair.

Anyway, the blogosphere is already recovering its footing and organizing its responses, and I am feeling a bit more hopeful today. Over on dKos, Meteor Blades published a diary which shows just how overwhelmingly the Democratic capitulators were Blue Dogs. That bit of context isn't exactly cheering, but the fact that the result is so bleakly predictable it has its consolations. I mean, I was annoyed that DiFi voted "Yes" on this atrocity in the Senate, but I was more perplexed and upset in a way that my more cherished Senator Boxer apparently decided not to vote on this at all. Somewhat similarly, to discover that the Democratic capitulation in the House was so overabundantly a matter of the craven Blue Dogs being themselves as usual is obviously hideous, but not quite so mystifying as my initial impressions that otherwise reliable progressives might have lost their way. More encouraging still, I discovered from a post over at Down With Tyranny, that "[e]very single Blue America endorsed candidate -- no exceptions -- voted against Bush's unconstitutional power grab. (No one who voted for it will be eligible for a future endorsement.)" Blue America, by the way, is a PAC with an ActBlue Page, co-sponsored by some of my favorite left blogosphere resources, Crooks & Liars, Firedoglake, Digby, and Down With Tyranny, all on the blogroll to the left.

In addition to this helpful initial wider contextualization of the latest disastrous craven idiotic Democratic capitulation to Bush, there are also already some helpful suggestions appearing as to what concerned citizens can do in the face of all this. Many people are already talking about the need for progressive Primary challenges to both Republican and conservative Democratic incumbents, especially in those many regions of the country where people are being "represented" by Congresspeople considerably more conservative in there outlooks and their votes than their actual constituencies. But their are more direct and more edifying things available to be done as well.

Returning to the Down With Tyranny post I have already mentioned, I think it is crucial that we all take to heart a piece of advice that appears elsewhere in the same piece:
I guarantee you that if you contribute any money whatsoever to the DCCC, a good part of it goes to insure that these members who voted against your values will be re-elected. Never, never, never, no matter what, donate to the DCCC or the DSCC. Contribute directly to incumbents and candidates who you have checked out and feel confident will reflect progressive positions.

Christy Hardin Smith at Firedoglake seems to be in the midst of organizing informational resources to ensure that properly outraged constituencies can express their frustrations directly to the representatives who were elected by us and who must not forget just who they work for. The project is provisionally being called the You Work For Us Tour. Let's all help get this organized and then ensure that our representatives hear from us -- especially since they so clearly want to hear from us that they rushed through this gutless gutting of FISA to get back home to us as quickly as possible.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for covering this, Dale. (I must humbly admit that I wouldn't have otherwise known about this series of events.)