Is Pelosi Serious?

[Conan71]

Does she really have the b[:O]lls to pull everything off in the first 100 hours?  

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061006/ap_on_el_ge/pelosi_time_1

I'll give her credit, at least *someone* is talking about action in Washington.  But where have we heard congress was going to cut out the lobbying system/money influence before?  I wonder if she's consulted Soros on this?

[sgrizzle]

It's good to dream..

[Chicken Little]

quote: House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is thinking 100 hours, time enough, she says, to begin to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of Republican rule.

Nice metaphor.  I'll give her some credit, too.  Its incredibly refreshing to see a lead Democrat who isn't yammering that  DLC,'Republican Lite', gobbledy-gook.    

Instead of bringing left and right to the center as advertised, the DLC has pushed politics so far to the right that most "real" issues are now ignored.  The DLC provided the petri dish that allowed Rush Limbaugh and the "culture wars" to grow.  

At the same time, the DLC buried the Democrat's own traditional populist, pocketbook issues in a blatantly greedy attempt to appeal to their corporate sponsors.  Look how that's worked out for the average American.

In the end, standing in the middle means nothing if the other side is willing to go to the freaky fringe.  It doesn't win elections, and it doesn't win corporate sponsors either,...not when the Republicans are willing to give away more.  

You may not agree with the things for which she stands, but at least she's standing for something.

[sgrizzle]

I admire her stand, just don't give her much of a shot at achieving it in that timeframe.

[Hometown]

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

quote: House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is thinking 100 hours, time enough, she says, to begin to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of Republican rule.

Nice metaphor.  I'll give her some credit, too.  Its incredibly refreshing to see a lead Democrat who isn't yammering that  DLC,'Republican Lite', gobbledy-gook.    

Instead of bringing left and right to the center as advertised, the DLC has pushed politics so far to the right that most "real" issues are now ignored.  The DLC provided the petri dish that allowed Rush Limbaugh and the "culture wars" to grow.  

At the same time, the DLC buried the Democrat's own traditional populist, pocketbook issues in a blatantly greedy attempt to appeal to their corporate sponsors.  Look how that's worked out for the average American.

In the end, standing in the middle means nothing if the other side is willing to go to the freaky fringe.  It doesn't win elections, and it doesn't win corporate sponsors either,...not when the Republicans are willing to give away more.  

You may not agree with the things for which she stands, but at least she's standing for something.

"It doesn't win elections."

It won two terms to the White House.

The economic prosperity that people experienced under Clinton was a whole lot of something.

We have yet to see if a move to the left would fly.  I'm not sure that the critical mass that it would take to move us beyond the Reagan era has happened and the Democrats' next leader may be another Democrat operating in a Republican defined era.  As Bill Clinton used to say, a little of what you want is better than none of what you want.  

You got to sell it to the hicks.  Right Cubs?

[Chicken Little]

I have to disagree with you.  Clinton's personality won him those elections, not the DLC.

DLC's track record:
Welfare Reform = win
Earned Income Tax Credit = win
NAFTA, CAFTA = loss
Turning their back on labor = loss
Invading Iraq = loss
Kerry = loss
Driving the right into Dobson land = loss

The DLC's successes were early and shortlived.  They took the 'big money' and rolled over on the American worker.  Then the Republicans one-upped 'em and created the corporate kleptocracy we have today.  The DLC was a clever, post-Reagan tactic that never should have evolved into a long-term strategy.

quote: We have yet to see if a move to the left would fly.

What other choice does the American worker have?    Wait for the US to close the wage gap with El Salvador?  Go off and fight some neocon's war?  Stand by idly and watch the Republicans and the DLC steal our jobs, our health care, and our social security?  Not me, man; soup lines are not my style.

[Hometown]

Clinton's trifurcating (spelling?  word?) helped us capture the center.  Bush won his first term by imitating Clinton.  Remember compassionate conservatism and his first convention with Bob and Elizabeth Dole on the stage holding hands with every Black the Republicans could drum up (them looking like "what are we doing here")?  Of course, we had been lied to.

Despite your criticism, there is no question in my mind that the American worker would be better off under DLC leadership than Republican.

We are never going back to old style Liberalism.  The next shift to the left will not look like the last Liberal era.  But I'm not convinced we are ready -- as much as I want it to happen.  I don't sense any watershed events in the making.  We may still have some poison in the system to work out with another awful chapter of the Reagan era.

But your thinking is refreshing and contains some original perspectives.

[iplaw]

triangulating...

quote:Remember compassionate conservatism and his first convention with Bob and Elizabeth Dole on the stage holding hands with every Black the Republicans could drum up (them looking like "what are we doing here")? Of course, we had been lied to.

Bush has had more minorities in his cabinet than any other president in history...but I guess they are all uncle tom's to you.

[Hometown]

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

triangulating...

quote:Remember compassionate conservatism and his first convention with Bob and Elizabeth Dole on the stage holding hands with every Black the Republicans could drum up (them looking like "what are we doing here")? Of course, we had been lied to.

Bush has had more minorities in his cabinet than any other president in history...but I guess they are all uncle tom's to you.

Triangulating.  Thank you.  He would identify the left position and the right position and take a stand in the middle -- triangulating.

The Republicans and Blacks.  I remember the Willie Horton days iplaw.  Now, I think your party has taken a look at the demographics and sees a future in being more inclusive.  But you are still at the window dressing stage.  You guys only really care about one color -- green.  Go and tell that to your churchgoing friends.

[Conan71]

I still remember the George Wallaces of the Democratic party, so what's your point?  

Willie Horton was actually brought up in the Democratic primaries by Al Gore in 1988 before Bush I seized the opportunity.  Willie Horton was a metaphor that was critical of the Mass. criminal furlough program that Dukakis was a proponent of.

[iplaw]

Why do you keep assuming I go to church?  

It's too bad you can't see that both parties have no interest in you other than your vote.  No one gives two sh!ts about your special interests or proclivities past whether you are pulling the lever for them or the other guy.  

You just object to the fact that the Rep party doesn't feign an interest in you, as that is all the Dem party does.  Too bad you can't see that you are being patronized for your vote...

[Hometown]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I still remember the George Wallaces of the Democratic party, so what's your point?  

Willie Horton was actually brought up in the Democratic primaries by Al Gore in 1988 before Bush I seized the opportunity.  Willie Horton was a metaphor that was critical of the Mass. criminal furlough program that Dukakis was a proponent of.

Willie Horton was a political ad that played the race card.  It was put together by your then current chief mud slinger.  It was just a few years ago that your party apologized to Blacks for your history of racism.  Sometimes, it helps to have a memory.

[iplaw]

quote:
It was just a few years ago that your party apologized to Blacks for your history of racism.

I must have missed this press conference.

[Hometown]

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

Why do you keep assuming I go to church?  

It's too bad you can't see that both parties have no interest in you other than your vote.  No one gives two sh!ts about your special interests or proclivities past whether you are pulling the lever for them or the other guy.  

You just object to the fact that the Rep party doesn't feign an interest in you, as that is all the Dem party does.  Too bad you can't see that you are being patronized for your vote...

Both parties serve their constituents.  

The Republicans work for the Upper Class, Corporate America, Doctors and more recently the Religious Right.

The Democrats' constituents include Attorneys, Labor Unions, Jewish Community and the Middle and Working Classes.

Serve me, individually?  Of course not.  But my party serves my demographic.

[Hometown]

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

quote:
It was just a few years ago that your party apologized to Blacks for your history of racism.

I must have missed this press conference.

I'd spend some time doing research to answer your question but then I'd know that I really don't have a life and I'd have to say goodbye to TulsaNow.

Take my word for it iplaw.  I was born and raised in Tulsa, when Tulsa was about as straight and narrow as you can get, and I have always practiced the ethics important to Tulsans.