What he said
Jan. 13th, 2006 03:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebonlockSteve Gilliard on a possible Dem filibuster of Alito:
It's easy to talk about consequences and politics, until the first teenage girls flood the ER's again. Then this will sound like straight up cowardice. This will have a real consequence which will kill real people, it is not theory.
So fucking what if the GOP says the Dems are obstructionist, who gives a fuck?
Here's the point: getting all those Republicans on the record for supporting Alito, despite their claims of being pro-choice.
The Dems big problem is not Alito or Roe, but the unwillingness to fight for anything, anywhere. Harry Reid has reversed that, but too many Dems use this bullshit excuse "oh, this will hurt us". Well it may, but not nearly as much as not fighting at all. There are other, even more importanrt fights coming up, but if you can't fight on principle now, when the choice is clear, by the time you decide to fight, it will be too late. No one will trust your guts or heart. I think the Dems have done a good job in the minority in the last year, but to change the Congress, you need a sense that electing Democrats will create change, that they will stand up for average voters.
No one knows what happens when a fight takes place. You can guess, you can plan, but you don't know. If the GOP doesn't go nuclear today, they will tomorrow. But let's see if they like that choice three months down the road when no business is taking place and House members are being indicted.
Let Pryor, Nelson and Landrieu vote for cloture and then try to raise a dime outside their states again. The people who killed Roe is not how I'd like to run in a Democratic primary.
Look, I think a lot of people let out their frustration without understanding the details of politics, so they expect politicians to act in a way which will make them happy, which doesn't happen. You know, you need to listen to people who predict Dem failure They're frustated, they want someone to stand up for them , the way the GOP does for the wingnuts. They aren't the problem, they've just been disappointed so many times, they've lost heart and with good reason. They see CNN and they see failure all around for the Dems. You fight, and even if you lose, they will respect the fight.
One of the things I think people don't realize is that victory is earned. You build towards winning, it isn't handed to you. You have to do the things to earn it. Without that, you can never win.
Forget the calculations, make a fight and see what happens. We're out of power, about to enter an election cycle where the House leadership faces criminal probes, there's nothing to lose, and everything to gain by making a fight, even a losing fight.
Also when it's working, I highly recommend taking a look here
It's easy to talk about consequences and politics, until the first teenage girls flood the ER's again. Then this will sound like straight up cowardice. This will have a real consequence which will kill real people, it is not theory.
So fucking what if the GOP says the Dems are obstructionist, who gives a fuck?
Here's the point: getting all those Republicans on the record for supporting Alito, despite their claims of being pro-choice.
The Dems big problem is not Alito or Roe, but the unwillingness to fight for anything, anywhere. Harry Reid has reversed that, but too many Dems use this bullshit excuse "oh, this will hurt us". Well it may, but not nearly as much as not fighting at all. There are other, even more importanrt fights coming up, but if you can't fight on principle now, when the choice is clear, by the time you decide to fight, it will be too late. No one will trust your guts or heart. I think the Dems have done a good job in the minority in the last year, but to change the Congress, you need a sense that electing Democrats will create change, that they will stand up for average voters.
No one knows what happens when a fight takes place. You can guess, you can plan, but you don't know. If the GOP doesn't go nuclear today, they will tomorrow. But let's see if they like that choice three months down the road when no business is taking place and House members are being indicted.
Let Pryor, Nelson and Landrieu vote for cloture and then try to raise a dime outside their states again. The people who killed Roe is not how I'd like to run in a Democratic primary.
Look, I think a lot of people let out their frustration without understanding the details of politics, so they expect politicians to act in a way which will make them happy, which doesn't happen. You know, you need to listen to people who predict Dem failure They're frustated, they want someone to stand up for them , the way the GOP does for the wingnuts. They aren't the problem, they've just been disappointed so many times, they've lost heart and with good reason. They see CNN and they see failure all around for the Dems. You fight, and even if you lose, they will respect the fight.
One of the things I think people don't realize is that victory is earned. You build towards winning, it isn't handed to you. You have to do the things to earn it. Without that, you can never win.
Forget the calculations, make a fight and see what happens. We're out of power, about to enter an election cycle where the House leadership faces criminal probes, there's nothing to lose, and everything to gain by making a fight, even a losing fight.
Also when it's working, I highly recommend taking a look here
