Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

How many more examples do we need that George W. Bush doesn’t give a shit about the Constitution or the American people? When he gets caught breaking the law with his domestic surveillance program, what does he do? He hustles up support from his lapdogs on the hill and gets the investigation shut down, then quickly launches efforts to change the law and tosses in a provision to make further reporting on the program a crime punishable by up to a million dollars and 15 years in jail. Isn’t open and accountable government great?

As if that wasn’t enough, today we read that Bush now feels it is within his power to sign a Budget Reconciliation Act into law regardless of whether or not both houses of Congress have passed it. I’m not a Constitutional scholar, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a power the President has. Can’t you just see him in the Oval Office, looking at a budget act that requires Medicare to provide wheelchairs for seniors for up to 36 months and snarling at his aide, “This is way too much, that’ll cost us $2 billion that would be better spent on my tax cuts. Didn’t I see another draft around here that said only 13 months? Get me that one, I’ll sign that, but I ain’t givin’ them deadbeats three years worth of free travel, what am I, a charity?”

According to Rep. Henry Waxman, a call was made to the White House before the bill was signed alerting them to the problem. Bushie boy clearly didn’t give a good god damn because he signed it anyway, in direct violation of the Constitution. I was recently given a hard time for proposing the “slippery slope theory” with regards to overreaching by this administration. If it looks like a slope, and things are passing by real fast, chances are you’re moving downhill fast. My experience as a parent has taught me that children need firm boundaries so that when they test them, they know exactly what they’re going to get. If they get away with trespassing once without punishment, they’ll do it again and again until there are consequences they don’t like. I’d say our dear leader is a spoiled child out of control and the parents are on a permanent vacation. No one will say no to him, no one will stop him, are we really surprised that he keeps pushing the envelope? The first Constitutional transgression is the hardest, the rest just glide right by.

With Bush’s approval numbers at another all time low of 33% according to the most recent Pew Research Poll, it seems the American people have had enough. The most common word used to describe Bush in this poll was “incompetent” followed closely by “idiot” and “liar”. That’s a far cry from “honest” “good” and “integrity” that led the list a year ago. Even Bush voters seem to be wiping the crud from their eyes, taking a second look at this loser and questioning whether they made a mistake. At this point, the only thing propping up this President is Congress. While it’s understandable that Republicans would continue to help him keep a lid on the truth, he is one of them after all, but it makes no sense for the Democrats to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. The American people are done with Bush and we’re clamoring for any opportunity to cut this disaster a little short, but it appears that we’re the only ones and clearly not the voices that matter.

With near complete support from the Democratic base, strong support from moderates and increasing support from Bush voters, there is no excuse for Democrats not to support Senator Feingold’s attempt at censure at the very least. Hell, that’s too much of a compromise already. We’ve reached the point where the only ones responsible for keeping Bush in office and allowing him to run this country into the ground are the Democrats. Unless they want to continue to be saddled with the labels “complicit” “weak” and “worthless” they better stop earning them and start doing their job. As far as I’m concerned, there are only three Senators fulfilling their oaths of office, Russ Feingold and now Barbara Boxer and Senator Harkin who have signed on to the resolution to censure Bush. Would anyone else like to earn his or her pay? Anyone? We’re waiting.

18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

How low can he go? Some might say that he can’t get any lower than about 18%. That’s where Cheney is right now after shooting a septuagenarian in the face at point blank range while hammered (I read someplace about some secret service folks who were there who say he was slurring his speech). But I think the cult of Bush is strong enough for him to stay above that level. I’m going to guess 25% is the lowest he can go.

I have written my Senators about backing Feingold. They voted no for cloture on Alito but I’m not sure where they will come down on this. There are some comments on the Rawstory article that LGND linked to that I interpreted to mean that other Senators are thinking of jumping on the bandwagon too. Kerry, Kennedy, and Reid I think I read. And even Lincoln Chaffee the Republican Senator from Rhode Island might support it. I also wrote my former Senator, Allard, and told him that Censure wasn’t enough and Bush should be on trial at the Hague.

5:29 PM  
Blogger Yellow Dog said...

I'd write my Senators, but since one of them is responsible for that proposed shitty legislation to make reporting Bush's crimes illegal, I don't expect I'd have much success.

LGND:

Damn, girl. I hope I'm never on your shit list.

5:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LGNS~

You're more likely to hear I've become 'The Sausage King of Chicago' before
there'll be enough Senators
supporting censure to draw notice!

And hey, the @#&!*% 'word verification' for this blog's comments section is up to 7 not that easy to read letters. What are they trying to do? keep Republicans from commenting?!

Dale

5:49 PM  
Blogger The (liberal)Girl Next Door said...

jonathan--Nice! Allard deserves many letters, the harsher the better. I'm thinking that your rock bottom number of 25% sounds about right. It's hard to imagine the "he's a good Christian" crowd and the Limbaugh freaks will ever leave his side.

yellow dog--I can't imagine you would ever find yourself there, besides, it's a pretty short list.

dale--I'm hoping the Dems will figure out that we've reached critical mass and their best bet is to wipe the stunned looks off their faces and finally do something. About the verification thing, I'm thinking about taking it off and if I was trying to keep Republicans from posting comments, I'd make it a logic puzzle instead.

5:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LGND~

Good idea on the logic puzzle. However, isn't 'puzzle' redundant in this context?

Keep the Bueller theme alive
and throw in some questions on one of the Repug Party's finest pieces of legislation, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act!

6:09 PM  
Blogger The (liberal)Girl Next Door said...

dale--Now I'm really scared. The Republicans have proved time and again that they are incapable of learning the lessons of history, I wouldn't put it past them to start bringing back their biggest and best historical blunders ever! Someone help us please!

6:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LGND`

Most excellent post, as usual. As I've said before, Bush seems to have never had to suffer the consequences of his own failed behaviors. Must never have been disciplined as a child (poor dear, mustn't damage the poor thing as he's damaged enough already) and has never have suffered from the consequences of failure in his 'adult' life. Drinking/drugging his way thru college never seemed to affect him and he received his sheepskin and coasted thru with 'gentlemen's Cs'; were it you or I we would have been unceremoniously punted out the door and denied re-entry. And so it went with the rest of his misbegotten life; joins the Natl Guard to avoid Vietnam; leaves the Guard prematurely to avoid drug tests; fails early and often at every business venture but is bailed out by family 'friends' (including the bin Laden family!), etc. ad nauseam. So, we have a 50-something child with NO sense of responsibility and his finger this far from the nuclear button. Scared yet?!

yellow dog~

Here's an idea that may work, at least a bit.

" Well, as the saying goes, God helps those who help themselves, and I may have a self-help formula for the millions of us suffering from “outrage fatigue” and ready to play “lead the leader.” I call it the Empty Envelope campaign, and here’s how it works. Over the next month, as the Democrats are gearing up for a campaign year where they are hoping to regain control of Congress, let’s send the Democratic Central Committee empty envelopes instead of donations: Empty envelopes for empty promises." See the rest of the article at "Empty Envelopes for Empty Promises" http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steve_bh_060314_empty_envelopes_for_.htm

7:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Grrrrr,

That should be:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/
opedne_steve_bh_060314_empty_
envelopes_for_.htm

7:51 PM  
Blogger Yellow Dog said...

cossack:

Both of my senators are republicans. I don't really represent a lost vote to them. They are very popular here and unlikely to be unseated. I'm really stumped as to any recourse. They are not even about to listen to me.

8:10 PM  
Blogger Tedj said...

You are linked with Evil Bobby now in the section Axis of Evil Bobby

8:26 PM  
Blogger The (liberal)Girl Next Door said...

Cossack--Thanks for that, I'll be going out tomorrow to buy boxes of envelopes (there have been quite a few empty promises).

Yellow Dog--You can always send them a letter anyway in the hopes of shaming them in some small way (if that's even possible).

DAV--I'm happy to be in the Axis of Evil Bobby! Thanks.

8:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Are Democrats weak? Damn straight, they are. Still, I'd much prefer them over the current pile of *#$! that currently controls DC.

9:56 PM  
Blogger The (liberal)Girl Next Door said...

I'm with ya Dave. We just need them to get a little stronger so that they can take over.

10:20 PM  
Blogger Graeme said...

so sad no ones backs Feingold. oh wisconsin, you give us McCarthy but then you give us Feingold and totally redeem yourself!

1:32 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

someone (well MANY someones)in congress better damn well grow a backbone right quick......................

it was already too far long ago.

3:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

GraemeAnfinson:

Actually, from the time of McCarthy's demise up to '89 WI favored all of us with
William Proxmire...
..US Senator from Wisconsin 1957-89

From surfing subsidies to the Great Wall of Bedford, Indiana, Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire’s Golden Fleece Award protected taxpayers … and made them laugh! One of the most popular and enduring icons of American politics, Senator Proxmire’s Golden Fleece Award embodied both outrage and humor as it put the public spotlight on waste and abuse of taxpayer money. More About the Fleece... http://www.taxpayer.net/awards/goldenfleece/about.htm

8:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/
Ask_Congress_Submit_question_for_Nancy_0307.html

Hi folks ~ I owe everyone an apology. I am truly sorry for appearing off the charts. Actually, I was but it was NOT about LGND or anyone who comes to blog ~

I love Mollie and all the people who come here (except for the brain dead).

Thus, the above link is how to communicate with Nancy Pelosi and it is open through March 19, this coming Sunday.

My rant is the usual. This bombing in Iraq right on the border of Iran makes me sick.

When are the people who are supposedly running our government going to grow a brain, find a heart and the courage, to stop the lunatic they give permission to on a daily basis, to destroy everything that is OURS!

I f~ing hate them.

Sigh, now I feel balanced because I went from love to hate and now that I'm closing I shall say to all ~

Love is the energy we must all focus on non-stop.

Love, Roberta Kelly

12:41 PM  
Blogger The (liberal)Girl Next Door said...

Graeme--Yes, we did have one coming from those Winsconsins. I think we can let them off the hook now.

a rose is a rose--It's like watchin’ grass grow ain't it?

Dale--If they resurrected the awards now, it would be a boon for the trophy industry.

Roberta--Bombing right on the border will allow them to make a few "mistakes" perhaps. And no worries about the other thing, we knew you loved us too much to abandon us!

8:28 PM  

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