Progressive Ponderings: Democrats Double Speak

When you think it can't get worse, it gets worse

by Joe Mayer

Yesterday both the House and Senate passed a supplemental military funding bill for Iraq and Afghanistan — a war bill, a Bush bill, a neocons bill, a war-hawk bill, an imperial bill, a deficit busting bill, an anti-majority-of-citizens bill, an anti-world bill, an anti-social programs bill.

It passed because of nearly unanimous Republican approval, which verifies the previous paragraph. It passed because a majority of Democrats, in spite of the most recent election and in spite of the majority of American Democrats' disapproval, voted for it.

It passed because Democrats bought into the Bush agenda switch; he succeeded in making troops the Issue, not his disastrous, illegal, immoral, genocidal war.

Bush succeeded because Washington always listens to Washington; we're outsiders who don't "understand."

It got worse because of the attitude, rationalization, and double-speak illustrated in a letter (E-mail, Thurs. May 24, 2007) from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) proclaiming "VICTORY." Language form the letter includes:

• "Canceling the president's blank check in Iraq" — They just wrote the check.
• "The president has agreed to accountability" — If you buy that I've got a mountain to sell.
• "This debate will go on" — until the end of Bush's term.
• "It will take both sides" — they're talking Democrats here, Washington Democrats vs. "we-the-people-Democrats.
• "We took a step forward as a nation" — In the view of whom?
• "Away from the failures of the President's policies" — by giving into the President
• "Our commitment will never change" — ?????????

In Minnesota the Democrats who voted for the bill joined such "anti-war" legislators as Michelle Bachman and John Kline. Now, that's something to "brag" about.