Q: “So, what are we supposed to do when our own leadership is somewhat apathetic to what we voted for them for?
Push harder, YELL LOUDER, whatever it takes, Harry Reid. I think many of us in the Democratic party would agree. Now is the time, Harry, now. One or two rogue sell out Senators can not be a monkey wrench in the works, not on health care or EFCA or anything else that this Congress needs to do. That is why we elected you people, for action, not excuses.
PODESTA: And I think that – I suppose I have a little bit of sympathy for Sen. Reid, in the sense that I look around at his caucus and understand how hard his job is. But I don’t think you can settle for a statement like that. I think you have to call out the fact that we’re demanding serious change, and indeed, it is the job of the leadership to round up votes, to push legislation through, to try to get the kind of bold initiatives that the President is talking about passed, and to his desk, and signed. […]
And that, I think, is what we should expect, that’s what we should demand, and that’s what we should put pressure on the members of their caucus to push back on their leadership. You just cannot settle for “What am I supposed to do? I’ve got one outlier who won’t vote for cloture.” We’ve got to both put pressure on the members who are not supporting a progressive agenda, but we’ve also have to put pressure on the leadership to come up with a strategy to find the votes to kind of get these things and move them forward. And we just can’t settle for less than that.
The “statement like that” pointed out by Podesta refers to Reid’s recent statement that Democrats can’t “bulldoze anybody” because we all know that if the GOP had the White House, a filibuster proof Senate and a huge House majority they would never in a million years do that to us, right?
We need to pressure these people into action. No Mr. nice guy, no bipartisanship with people who hope we fail. We need sticks to beat the foaming at the mouth GOP with, and if carrots don’t work for Democratic Senators who are too busy doing the work of the Special Interests we need sticks to beat them into line as well.
Podesta even threw a little unsolicited advice to President Obama on DADT, and it is advice I would hope President Obama takes.
. . . use(your) executive authority to stop separating service men and women who are gay or lesbian under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.” “He can push hard and sort of get in front, and not wait for a political consensus on Capitol Hill to resolve this question,”
Yes, the same advice applies to the whole Democratic party right now. This is not the time to wait for 100% consensus or the next best thing, now is the time to act. Now is the time to do the right thing, not because enough people agree, but simply because it is the right thing to do.
If we wait for this version of the GOP to get on board the next ice age will be here, and we don’t have the time to wait. Not when we are in charge.
Push harder, YELL LOUDER, whatever it takes.
This is as much our job as it is Harry’s or Obama’s. Get involved. Call your legislator or the White House. YELL LOUDER, and do not let the change you want dearly be hijacked by a Senator who would rather play the lobbyists than do the will of the people.
The time for action is now.
Are you listening, Democratic leadership, or do we need to YELL LOUDER?
Crossposted at http://www.antemedius.com/cont… and http://www.dailykos.com/story/…
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and not putting up with excuses anymore.
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and not putting up with excuses anymore.