20070413 Cindy Sheehan headbutts MoveOn.org

Cindy Sheehan headbutts MoveOn.org - and her own party

April 13^th, 2007

If you think the next two weeks in Washington are going to be interesting, it won’t compare to what the rest of the next two years’ll be like – if the left wing of the Democrats, as exemplified by Cindy Sheehan have their way..

Before it is all over, the biggest challenge for the Democrat Party will not be the opposition Republicans of President George W. Bush – it will be keeping the liberal netroots wing of the party from dragging responsible Democrats into alienating the American public with their hyperbole and theatrics.

As an avid follower of all things political, I have long understood that neither the conservatives nor the liberals speak with one voice. That within each camp of political ideology there are many opinions and at any given time – many disagreements.

Within the Republican Party there is a world of differences between moderate Republicans and conservative Republicans. Just as there is a world of differences between conservative Democrats and liberal Democrats.

In recent years I have always been amused when the mainstream media makes a big deal out of Republicans disagreeing with each other.

I, on the other hand, am uncomfortable when there is little in the way of discussion and dialogue, and various approaches put forth about any given challenge.

Andrew Sullivan said it best in a post on August 17th, 2005, “This red-blue thing isn't real: it's a grid put down on the landscape by lazy pundits in order to foster a conflict that isn't there so the people who profit from conflict can work their way with us.” (“20061128 Rashomon, My Dinner with Andre and Picking out the perfect tree”)

All that said I was doing some research the other night for a piece that has slowing been getting articulated on to my keyboard in which I greatly disagreed with my colleague Andrew Kujan’s post, “Bartlett Ignores Constituent Concerns over Iraq War.”

I have worked with Congressman Roscoe Bartlett for a number of years. And I think I know the 6^th Congressional District fairly well and - - well, I guess I just thought that Mr. Kujan’s post was not as thoughtful and deliberative as I find much of his writing. Several things he said are inconsistent with what it is that I believe to be the Congressman Bartlett I have come to know over the years – and the 6^th District.

I’ll get back to Mr. Kujan’s post at a later time – in another post.

In my research I came across “Congress and MoveOn” ...by Cindy Sheehan - - “The democratic congress has betrayed American voters, progressive supporters, and the troops in Iraq.” Seems that Ms. Sheehan has some issues with MoveOn and instead of opting to find some common ground for a cohesive and coherent loyal opposition approach to the policies of President George W. Bush’s administration, she has chosen to pee in her own Wheaties.

Now, as anyone knows who has followed by columns and blog posts for the last number of years, Cindy Sheehan has never impressed me as the most cogent contributor to any discussion about American foreign policy or the war in Iraq.

(August 24, 2005, “Cindy Sheehan’s Texas Quagmire:” “Just when you thought that Dr. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, was one fry short of a happy meal, in walks – stage left, way-left – Cindy Sheehan to super-size the totally bizarre state of political discourse in our great country.”)

When the Democrats won a majority in Congress in the last election, I predicted two things; the liberal Democrats will over-play their hand and leave conservative Democrats and Republicans behind shaking their heads.

And that the liberal wing of the Democrat Party would hijack the opportunity to lead and govern by acting out on the many real and perceived slights at the hands of Republican majority for so many years and would deteriorate into investigation after investigation and reprisal after reprisal.

But ultimately, the Democrats would deteriorate into so much infighting as to deny themselves an opportunity to lead the country in any different direction.

In order for the liberal Democrats to prevail in charting a different course they must find a course that brings along as many conservative Democrats and Republicans as possible. They must remain as cohesive – and coherent as possible.

As I wrote on April 4, 2007, “Dems declare war on Mormon Crickets:”

“In order to procure a winning, albeit razor thin, margin in the voting on the supplemental budget, both the House and the Senate bills were "so loaded with pork, congressmen could die of trichinosis," quipped political commentator Don Surber.

“And the numbers are staggering. President Bush's initial request was for $103 billion and yet the Senate tacked on $18.5 billion in earmarked pet pork projects, spending totally unrelated to the war effort and the House hung $20 billion onto the funding request.”

Then I read this piece by Cindy Sheehan posted on Michael Moore’s web site and I said a prayer for all my colleagues who fervent believe that our great nation must pursue a different approach in Iraq: “Congress and MoveOn.”

“THE DEMOCRATS ARE FUNDING IRAQ ESCALATION: The Democratic leadership has proposed $100 billion of supplemental funding for an increased troop presence in Iraq. The leadership opted for the "slow bleed" policy over a month ago. This extends the occupation for at least another 18 months, and allows permanent placement of troops thereafter for "training" or "combating terrorism." It also will permit the Bush Administration to initiate a war with Iran without Congressional oversight. The surge of 20,000 troops recently increased to 30,000 and will likely increase to 100,000 by year-end…”

[…]

“In 2002 the Democrats authorized Bush to invade Iraq (or any other country he deemed to support terrorism, for example Iran) in hope he would become involved in an unpopular war which would produce a Democratic White House.”

[…]

“As a consequence, Americans now think even more poorly of Congress than ever; the failure to withdraw from Iraq dropped Democratic support of Congress from 44% to 33% according to the latest Gallup poll. The Democrats failure to stem what has become a Democrats war will be a factor in the 2008 elections.”

[…]

“MoveOn is an autocratic organization run by a small group of elitist wannabe power-brokers; it cannot be reformed, but you can let their politburo know your feelings (eli@moveon.org, Namrita.Chaudhary@gmail.com, tom@moveon.org), and you can unsubscribe! You also can refuse to lend them your name (their petitions are mainly for fund-raising), your efforts, and your money, and instead join with one of the many active progressive and antiwar organizations (check out United for Peace and Justice- UFPJ for a detailed listing of local and national groups, which incidentally does not include MoveOn). None of the MoveOn leadership has served their country in the armed forces; like Dick Cheney and 95% of Congress they had more important things to do, which did not and do not include supporting the troops that are in harms way.

Ay caramba. Read the rest of her vitriol here – and say a prayer for the Democrats and our nation: “Congress and MoveOn.”

Want more? Read, “Leaders vs. Climbers.”

Or, “MoveOn moves in with Pelosi | Salon News:”

“I was annoyed by MoveOn's decision to deal with Iraq war legislation in a pragmatic and incremental fashion. I see a fundamental disconnect between their grassroots organizing and rhetoric on the one hand, and the pragmatic lobbying that led them to endorse Pelosi's rather weak bill on the other. A similar annoyance among many of MoveOn's members is the subject of Farhad Manjoo's latest article in Salon, MoveOn moves in with Pelosi.”

Or read: “the art of the possible:”

“I always find it distressing and absurd when politicians bemoan that only so much of their agenda is politically possible, then proceed to do absolutely nothing to actually move the goal posts of possibility by spending their political capital. I am bemused by Congressional Democrats and their apologists who point out that only so much progress on ending the war can 'pragmatically' be made, and thus we must compromise and accomplish what little we can.”

Read the rest here: “the art of the possible.”

It is going to be a really interesting two years.

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