i think it boils down to this: by far there is a majority of people in this country who are freaked out and respond powerfully to fear. this tactic has worked for centuries. the democratic party is stuck together with a glue that doesn't hold up under stress. look at how obama & clinton votes are cleaving: relatively wealthy, educated + black voters vs. hispanic + lower wage, lower education. lord knows if this is really true for this election, but i do think it points out that those of us here are /generally/ in a minority in the us, and probably of the party itself. the fear the dem leadership has is that those who rally to fear will be like moths to flame. and the moths don't even realize hey are moths. for the dem leadership it's really a contempt for one's consituency ... not trusting them to discern, be smart, get involved. but it seems like american idol and survivor are more interesting. that's what i make the point that within these ranks, among the converted, why such infighting and name calling? and maybe one of the folks that gets stomped on just happened to be the guy who switched off the tv in disgust, looking for a differnt way. why kick him out the door? i mean this: if we are to transcend fear as a country we must each transcend our personal fears. attacking those we disagree with is an indication one is operating from fear.

i think you misunderstood my point. i wasn't trying to reframe what happened as "good" ... i expressed my dismay as i watched gore lay down. i agree 100% that the consequences of this were dire. i was trying to guess what the hell was going through his mind when he decided "i'm not going to fight this fight" ... just like many other dem leaders. my point is that this action has dire consequences. then and now.

otoh, i do love the idea of totoro in wonderland. very much.

Aycharaych:

and maybe one of the folks that gets stomped on just happened to be the guy who switched off the tv in disgust, looking for a differnt way. why kick him out the door? i mean this: if we are to transcend fear as a country we must each transcend our personal fears. attacking those we disagree with is an indication one is operating from fear.

I switched off the TV long, long ago.

Look at the way my perfectly valid points were treated on the recent Obama thread.

Even people here are terrified to acknowledge the truth.

thanks for turning it off. and i agree with you re: your drug war points.

if you review my postings over many months, i think you'd find that i often accuse others of the "crimes" i am committing. it's embarassing, but fully human. i think, with regard to fear (and it's friend reactivity), we first see "what's wrong" in others ... but these things always point right back to us. seeing this can transform things. i believe.

jay was in on the dealio. he's covering his ass. perhaps reid was as well.

does anyone know how to get transcripts? he has pulled in bushco's lies about iraq, tendancy to demand legislation just before elections, false claims around "terror threat," illogical arguments around the fisa, polcies of torture and deception. he asks "how will history judge us?"

this is the speech to forward to friends.

i mean durbin.

this is the live streaming:

http://www.c-span.org/watch/cs_cspan2_rm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2

i'm not sure how one might view what has already happened.

i think they are possibly manuvuering to force republican senators to filibuster against 4th amendment rights. with their own voices. seems to me in this environment that's stewing over with a desire for "change" ... taking bold steps /against/ government oppresion would be wildly popular. maybe these folks aren't saps ... maybe this is a well-laid trap to build a super majority. maybe this is why they complain about "needing a 60 vote majority" ... to raise awareness, and kick out the old school fear mongers from office. wouldn't that be great!

in any dem administration