If a force (say telecom companies and right-wing media) acts upon a body (the Democratic Party) and there is no opposing force of equal or greater magnitude (Democratic voters), the body will move in the direction of the greater force.

Anyone 'progressive' who says "leave the Democrats alone, we need to give them a pass so they can 'win'" should be told where to go. It does not serve the people's interest to do anything other than grab this party and take it back.

I wish we had more parties and I have no gripe with Nader, who has a right to run as a citizen. But there is too little time left for civilization to do anything but grab the Democratic Party and roughly force it back into a political tool for the public.

The truth?

x x For allowing lawlessness as long as they are Mexican -- brightstar65

Is it not true that the borders have remained open for two decades as 30 million Mexicans have streamed in to make for cushier CEO salaries?

Is it not true that police are told to lay off illegals already in this country?

Is it not true that illegals are being given perks not even given to lifelong Americans?

Is it not true that the not so secret goal of the Power & Money Party is the creation of a North American Union where there are only the super rich and the very poor?

I think you need your head screwed on straight if you make an issue of my questioning any of this.

My parents came to the USA LEGALLY to make a better life for themselves. I am sorry for you if you feel onbly some people are entitled to follow laws. I am sorry for ANYONE affected by your mental illness really.

The one thing our government was charged with, protecting our borders, it failed at miserably. The richest nation in the history of the world has a collapsing infrastructure, bankrupting military, poor in the streets, yet somehow we are in debt and beholden to China anyway.

Talk about SHEEPLE-- I am beginning to believe there is something in the water.

Glenn,

Get real! The Dems will be CALLED NAMES if they block unlimited warrentless domestic syping. CALLED NAMES for God's sake, Glenn. Oh, the horror of ,choke, being called, choke, SOFT ON TERROR!!! OMG, I think I'll just feint if I have to even THINK about it.

It's just too ironic that Congressional dems will once again bow and scrape before the money and power of the telecommunications industry given that the last 10 years of Democratic Party suffering is due in large part to the last time they caved to the telecos.

Anybody remember the despicable Telecommunications Act of 1996? It stripped away the last shred of regulatory control this government formerly of the people had over the public airways.

It led directly to the domination of Fucked Noise Channel, wingnut hate radio and corporate-controlled newspapers.

No, you don't even have to hand Congressional dems the rope to hang themselves. Buy them right, and they'll go out and find their own rope.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070918-1.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 18, 2007
Myth/Fact: Key Myths About FISA Amendments in the Protect America Act

Provisions Of Protect America Act Of 2007 Must Be Made Permanent To Prevent Gaps In Our Ability To Collect Vital Foreign Intelligence Information

4. MYTH: Requiring intelligence operatives to get a court order before collecting foreign intelligence on overseas targets will not hinder the government's ability to collect intelligence.

• FACT: According to Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell, the delays caused by applying for warrants before collecting foreign intelligence from overseas targets meant our intelligence community was "missing a significant amount of foreign intelligence that we should be collecting to protect our country."

• FACT: Requiring intelligence professionals to apply for and wait on a court order before gathering vital intelligence from overseas targets can prevent the swift gathering of intelligence necessary to identify and provide warning of threats to our country.

• FACT: A mandatory court-approval process also requires the intelligence community to divert scarce intelligence experts to the time-consuming process of compiling court submissions.

- - whitehouse.gov

Maybe it's time we stop referring to egregious errors in judgement committed by Congressional Democrats as "capitulations".

From where I sit, it looks more and more like Senate and House Dems are both too scared to challenge the conservative line and playing politics so they can't be accused of being weak on national security. It doesn't seem like they're intent on doing anything but paying lip service to concerns about recent national security-oriented legislation.

Once is a capitulation. This has become a habit.

God I hate politicians.

x x Against Ron Paul- the ONLY honest pol out there

-- brightstar65

I'm sure they said the same thing about Hitler back in Weimar in the 30's. Most of the clowns supporting Ron Paul now said the same thing about Bush in 2000, including Justin Raimondo.

People like you shouldn't be allowed to vote. Only an idiot thinks honest politicians exist. There might be one or two out there. It sure as hell isn't Ron Paul.

No one man is going to save you, the republic, democracy or the country. If you think that, you need help.

John Dean and old time Republicans disagree with you about the parties, anyway.

As I was writing this closing section an old friend from the Nixon White House called. Now retired, he is a lifelong Republican who told me that he voted for Bush and Cheney twice, because he knows them both personally. He asked how my new book was coming, and when I told him the title, he remarked, "I'll say the government's broken." After we discussed it, he asked how I planned to end the book, since the election was still a good distance away. I told him I was contemplating ending midsentence and immediately fading to black -- the way HBO did in the final episode of the Sopranos, but that I would settle for a nice quote from him, on the record. He explained that he constantly has to bite his tongue, and the reason he does not speak out more is because one of his sons is in an important (nonpolitical) government post, and we both know that Republicans will seek revenge wherever they can find it. How about an off-the-record comment? I asked. That he agreed to.

"Just tell your readers that you have a source who knows a lot about the Republican party from long experience, that he knows all the key movers and shakers, and he has a bit of advice: People should not vote for any Republican, because they're dangerous, dishonest and self-serving. While I once believed that Governor George Wallace had it right, that there was not a dime's worth of difference in the parties; that is not longer true. I have come to realize the Democrats really do care about people who most need help from government; Republicans care most about those who will only get richer because of government help. The government is truly broken, particularly in dealing with national security, and another four years, and heaven forbid not eight years, under the Republicans, and our grandchildren will have to build a new government, because the one we have will be unrecognizable and unworkable."

These comments summed up our current situation -- and our possible future -- as eloquently as anything I could have wished.

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/09/11/dean/index1.html

If you want Pols to be responsive to the people, not the big money interests and corporations and their lobbyists, you want publicly financed elections. I guaranfuckingtee you Ron Paul doesn't want that. Think what you like. Call him what you like. He's an extremist far right Republican and neither he, nor anyone like him, will ever be president. Thank God.

Poll: Overwhelming Support for Publicly Financed Elections

By Nathan Newman

A new national poll finds overwhelming support (74%) for public financing of elections, the result no doubt of soaring campaign costs, lobbyist scandals and the desire for fairer, cleaner elections.

The result is bipartisan with eighty percent of Democrats, 78% of Independents, and 65% of Republicans support this reform.

What's important to emphasize is why voters said things would improve with public financing of elections.

82% of voters believe it is likely, as a result of publicly financed elections, that candidates will win on their ideas, not because of the money they raise.

79% said it would allow candidates with good ideas rather than just the rich and powerful to have a shot at winning elections.

77% said that special interests would not receive as many favors, tax breaks and deals from politicians.

This last point is important. Public financing of elections are NOT a policy that will increase government spending; in fact, it's almost guaranteed to pay for itself many times over with less tax and government contract giveaways and more honest, cheaper services. 77% of the public recognize that are present system of legalized bribery costs the public every day, so replacing it with public financing will be a cost-saver.

Progressive States has a fact sheet on how public financing works in states like Maine and Arizona which have implemented it. It's time every state enacted these reforms.

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/jun/21/poll_overwhelming_support_for_publicly_financed_elections