Preface:
Look, there are always plenty of people to keep an eye on and go after
the bad guys.
But who is there to keep an eye on the good guys? Who is there when
the good guys go wrong?
There must be someone to try and make sure the good guys don't become
corrupt, become complacent,
or generally lose their way in whatever fashion; someone to keep track
of them, and keep them from losing track.
This is the position I have adopted in the following.
***
Perhaps Bartcop.com will end the same way the Democratic Party is ending...
Must reads:
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0311-01.htm
The Democratic Party is Dead by Robert Reich...Labor Secretary under
Clinton
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0311-07.htm
Democrats, Who Needs Them? by Jeff Cohen
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0322-06.htm
No More Hot Air From the Democrats by Molly Ivins
Published on Friday, March 16, 2001 at www.commondreams.org
Going Backwards
36 'Democratic' Senators Vote For Credit Card/Banking Industry's Bankruptcy
'Reform'
...and they wonder why so many Democrats voted for Ralph Nader.
["I've never seen a bill that was so one-sided. The cries, claims and
concerns of vulnerable Americans who
have suffered a financial emergency have been drowned out by the political
might of the credit card industry." --
former Dem. Senator Howard M. Metzenbaum now head of Consumer Federation
of America]
GW Bush and the credit card/banking industry won a huge victory last
night as 36 'Democrats' joined their
Republican 'colleagues' and voted to pass S-420 - the Bankruptcy bill.
Consumer groups and unions have been aggressive in opposing it, contending
that the changes in bankruptcy law will take away an important means
of
relief for families hit by job losses. Former President Clinton vetoed
last
year's similar version, saying it would hurt ordinary people and working
families.
"This is the most anticonsumer piece of legislation that the Congress
is
considering," said Edmund Mierzwinski, consumer program director for
the U.S.
Public Interest Research Group in Washington, D.C.
"Among Senate Democrats who may vote for the bankruptcy
bill are Minority
Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.), whose state
is home to a Citigroup Inc.
credit card operation in Sioux Falls that employs
several thousand people.
Daschle has received $45,000 in political contributions
from Citigroup in the
last six years." -- Washington Post 3/11/01
The Associated Press is calling it a big win for Bush and "the second
business-friendly measure to pass both houses of the new Congress".
And they wonder why Ralph Nader got so many Democratic votes?
The Sell Outs:
Daniel Akaka (Hawaii) senator@akaka.senate.gov
Max Baucus (Montana) http://www.senate.gov/~baucus/EmailMax.htm
Evan Bayh (Indiana) http://bayh.senate.gov/webmail.html
Joe Biden (Delaware) senator@biden.senate.gov
Jeff Bingaman (New Mexico) senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
John Breaux (Louisiana) senator@breaux.senate.gov
Robert Byrd (West Virginia) senator_byrd@byrd.senate.gov
Maria Cantwell (Washington) http://cantwell.senate.gov/mailform.html
Jean Carnahan (Missouri) senator_carnahan@carnahan.senate.gov
Thomas Carper (Delaware) http://carper.senate.gov/
Max Cleland (Georgia) http://www.senate.gov/~cleland/webform.html
Hillary Clinton (New York) senator@clinton.senate.gov
Kent Conrad (North Dakota) senator@conrad.senate.gov
Tom Daschle (Sorth Dakota) http://daschle.senate.gov/webform.htm
Byron Dorgan (North Dakota) senator@dorgan.senate.gov
John Edwards (North Carolina) http://www.senate.gov/~edwards/contact.html
Dianne Feinstein (California) senator@feinstein.senate.gov
Bob Graham (Florida) bob_graham@graham.senate.gov
Fritz Hollings (South Carolina) http://www.senate.gov/~hollings/webform.html
Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) http://www.senate.gov/~inouye/webform.html
Tim Johnson (South Dakota) tim@johnson.senate.gov
Herb Kohl (Wisconsin) senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov
Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) http://landrieu.senate.gov/webform.html
Patrick Leahy (Vermont) senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Carl Levin (Michigan) senator@levin.senate.gov
Joe Lieberman (Connecticut) senator_lieberman@lieberman.senate.gov
Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas) blanche_lincoln@lincoln.senate.gov
Barbara Mikulski (Maryland) senator@mikulski.senate.gov
Zell Miller (Georgia) http://miller.senate.gov/email.htm
Patty Murray (Washington) senator_murray@murray.senate.gov
Ben Nelson (Nebraska) http://www.senate.gov/senators/ben_nelson.html
Harry Reid (Nevada) senator_reid@reid.senate.gov
Chuck Schumer (New York) senator@schumer.senate.gov
Debbie Stabenow (Michigan) senator@stabenow.senate.gov
Robert Torricelli (New Jersey) senator_torricelli@torricelli.senate.gov
Ron Wyden (Oregon) http://wyden.senate.gov/mail.htm
Democrats Who Voted No:
Jon Corzine, N.J.;
Mark Dayton, Minn.;
Chris Dodd, Conn.;
Dick Durbin, Ill.;
Rush Feingold, Wis.;
Tom Harkin, Iowa;
Ted Kennedy, Mass.;
John Kerry, Mass.;
Bill Nelson, Fla.;
Jack Reed, R.I.;
John Rockefeller, W.Va.;
Paul Sarbanes, Md.;
Paul Wellstone, Minn.
Not Voting:
Barbara Boxer (California)
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The 10 House 'Democrats' Who Voted For Bush Tax Cuts
Sanford Bishop Jr (Georgia-2nd) bishop.email@mail.house.gov
Bob Clement (Tennessee-5th) Bob.Clement@mail.house.gov
Gary Condit (California-18th) rep.condit@mail.house.gov
Bud Cramer (Alabama-5th) budmail@mail.house.gov
Bart Gordon (Tennessee-5th) bart.gordon@mail.house.gov
Ralph Hall (Texas-4th) rmhall@mail.house.gov
Ken Lucas (Kentucky-4th) kenlucas@mail.house.gov
Mike McIntyre (North Carolina-7th) congmcintyre@mail.house.gov
Collin Peterson (Minnesota-7th) tocollin.peterson@mail.house.gov
James Traficant (Ohio-17th) telljim@mail.house.gov
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Have we been paying attention to the war Bush and
the congressional
Republicans have waged thus far from day one in office? The all-out
assault
on women, labor, the environment, the non-rich, just for starters?
Throughout
all this, where has the Democratic party been?
A unanimous confirmation of Christine Todd Whitman,
Spencer Abraham, and Tommy Thompson,
Donald Rumsfeld (and all the rest)...need I provide their records?
Only 24 NOT voting in confirmation
of Gale Norton...need I furnish hers (and it's a truly frightening
one)? Eight voted FOR John Aschroft...
I know I need not mention his. That means 42 in opposition. That's
plenty for a filibuster.
Kennedy threatened. Why wasn't it used?
Enough votes for a filibuster on the rolling back
of OSHA ergonomics regulations.
Why wasn't it used? Unfortunately there were not enough to filibuster
the bankruptcy bill,
as 36 "democrats" sickeningly voted yea, as noted earlier.
When Clinton took office, from day one Bob
Dole, in a Republican
minority congress, used the filibuster in unheard of frequency. But
so-called
Democrats in a 50-50 senate refuse. Hmmm. What does the future hold?
But, what might be deemed wanton, calls for mass
filibustering aside....
The Republican/Bush definition of "bipartisanship"
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010122&s=jackson
George Bush's Democrats (1) by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.: pushing conservative
legislation uncompromisingly, while cherry picking a few conservative
Democrats (and there are plenty to go around these days) to make the
vote.
The Democratic leadership seem to be complacently going along with
this definition.
Where is the real Democratic party? There
are good ones left, to be sure
-- the Progressive Caucus, many of the Black Caucus, Sens. Wellstone
and
Feingold and Boxer, the Kennedy's, and a handful of others.
But unfortunately we have the corrupt corporation
known as the DLC -- run
by CEO (and yes, that's his title) Al From, who, in a report issued
just
after the election, said Al Gore "lost the election" because "he was
not
republican enough"...his own words...and that the Democratic party
should
continue a swing towards the right. The DLC, which consists of conservative,
southern, and "New" Democrats, aka centrists, has taken over the party
in an
aggressive coup powered by and wrought with oft-dirty money.
Outgoing Bill Clinton installed his moneyman, Terry McAuliffe -- a man
who is
solely a fundraiser, who stands for nothing, who is not a politician
or activist, who
was involved in the 1996 campaign finance fiascoes -- as head of the
DNC.
These conservative and centrist "New Democrats" have no philosophy,
other
than that of Dick Morris-style "triangulation" and poll-watching. They
don't
fight. They don't stand up for anyone or anything. All they stand for
are the
latest polls, their own celebrity, and money money money from their
corporate
backers (to whom they shamelessly buckle). And these characters have
taken
over the Democratic party, drowning out, in fact stifling, what true
voices are left.
Thus the two-party merger begins. Don't we have laws against monopolies?
Where is the real Democratic party? The party
of Roosevelt and Truman.
The party that actually has principles and a philosophy that it sticks
to.
The party that sticks up for the little guy. The party that stands
for, and
moreover, fights for the poor, labor, women, the environment, economic
equity, civil rights, gun control, peace, the common good...so on and
so forth.
One does not fight the disgraceful, shameless, purely
corporate, and
plain evil ways of Bush-league double-cross conservatism with spineless,
roll-over, money-hungry, sellout centrism! How will all the pro-Clinton/Gore,
anti-Nader "Democrats" feel when, if this dying party doesn't mount
a
credible challenge to Bush and the Republicans, they prove Nader correct?
One
would hope that this time they at least realise it's their own fault.
Keep tabs on the votes of your Democrats in congress (watch how many
back down on Campaign Finance Reform):
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/index.html
U.S. Senate Legislative Activities
http://www.house.gov/
U.S. House of Representatives
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a totally different note, the following articles might be useful
in the "liberal media myth" section:
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0322-02.htm
Conservatives Keep Pushing ‘Big Lie’
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010312&s=eviatar
Murdoch's Fox News
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0125-04.htm
Narrow Separation of Press and State
Oh, how I wish there WERE liberal media!
However, I can find it online:
http://www.commondreams.org/ NewsCenter
http://www.progressive.org/
The Progressive
http://www.thenation.com/
The Nation
http://www.alternet.org/
AlterNet
There's a lot I don't agree with in this essay, but you know me
- always willing to let all sides speak...
-- BartCop