Base Ain’t Happy, Ain’t No One Gonna Be Happy
I’ve written about how the Democrats have a potential problem brewing here and here. I just found another bit of proof that there’s disenchantment Democrats will have to deal with. Check out these paragraphs in E.J. Dionne’s column:
The episode was the culmination of a shameful era in which serious issues related to national security and civil liberties were debated in a climate of fear and intimidation, saturated by political calculation and the quest for short-term electoral advantage.
Politically, Republicans won this round in two ways. They got the president the bill he wanted and, as a result, they created absolute fury in the Democratic base. Pelosi has received more than 200,000 e-mails of protest, according to an aide, for letting the bill go forward.
Getting 200,000 negative emails on a single bill is extraordinary. I’m betting that’s why Ms. Pelosi has instructed Silvestre Reyes and John Conyers to start writing new legislation to ‘correct’ this bill. She knows that they’re in between the rock and a hard place on this issue.
If they put too many strings to the bill, President Bush is sure to denounce them as tying his hands in surveilling terrorists. If Democrats give President Bush what he wants, which I think is likely, their political base will be mightily upset.
It’s also important to remember that the base will be upset just because of this. That’s before Gen. Petraeus testifies about the military progress being made in Iraq. After Gen. Petraeus testifies, Democrats will again be forced to give President Bush the money he needs to continue the surge. If that happens, the Netroots will be furious.
They’ll see the capitulation on FISA and Iraq for what it is: the actions of a timid bunch. The nutters were expecting an end to the war and they expected the new congress to put the clamps on Alberto Gonzales. They will have failed on both of those items. Once that happens, publications like the Nation will repeat their question:
So are we better or worse off since the Democrats won back Congress?
I don’t think Ms. Pelosi will want to hear the nutters’ reply.
Technorati Tags: FISA, Iraq Supplemental, Netroots, Nancy Pelosi, President Bush, Election+2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
August 12th, 2007 at 8:47 am
Ms. Pelosi needs to hear everything. Right now it’s just blinders and ear muffs.
August 12th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
So let me get this, you think that because the nutty left is are not happy with Pelosi & Co. they are going to maybe punish them by voting for Repulicans ? Is that what your getting at?
August 12th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
200,000? What do they do to get that figure, take the actual count and multiply by 100 because that’s how many people sit on their fat arses for every one that actually does something?
I don’t think Pelosi’s e-mail system would handle that many messages.
I’d also wager they counted every one as a protest. What about the (probably very) few that thanked her for letting the legislation continue?
August 13th, 2007 at 9:01 am
200,000? What do they do to get that figure, take the actual count and multiply by 100 because that’s how many people sit on their fat arses for every one that actually does something?
Absolutely.
Fact is, of the 40 to 50% who actually vote, Id say about 60% of those get their political education from the likes of Brian Williams et al.
Thats what any thoughtful election has to overcome, the 6:00 news, not what the egotistical leftist nuts are doing.