Interesting bit of timing

[womzilla]

While I was in the process of updating an earlier post to include the phrase "gravy-sucking pig" in reference to the Preznit, I was called by a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.

I was more polite to her than David Neiwert was in his post on the subject, "The Jellyfish Party":

I broke my longstanding policy of not donating money to political parties last fall when the folks from the DNC called and asked for money to help gird them for the upcoming fights over judicial seats. I was assured that indeed they would fight to keep right-wing extremists off the Supreme Court.

And now, faced with a clear-cut extremist (and dissembler) who is about to not only overturn the right to obtain an abortion, but also to pave the path for an imperial executive branch with limitless powers ... nothing.

I'm not terribly inclined, as my readers know, to use profanity in my posts. But if the Democratic Party wants any more of my money, they can just go fuck themselves.

I'm happy to support my senators--they both voted to sustain debate. But, as someone else said, there are 25 Democrats in the Senate and another 19 people pretending to be, and the DNC is foresquare behind the latter group and embarrassed by the former. So the DNC can bite me.

In fact, I am going to go so far as to coin a phrase:

Support democracy: starve the DNC.

Update:

Looks like I've gotten my TLAs confused. The DNC is the Democratic National Committee--the party itself. I was getting it mixed up with the DLC--the Democratic "Leadership" Council, which is the organization which believes that the only chance the Democrats have of gaining power is to run to the right of the Republicans.

Thanks to pnh for pointing this out.

I still think the cloture vote points to severe--in fact, crippling--deficiencies in the Democratic Party's organization and approaches. But cutting the party dead is not actually going to help; we can't get a replacement in time to elect Lincoln in 1860.

Update two:

Comments now screened.

Comments

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

This is the D.N.C. that is reaching out to "Right to Lifers and other "disenfranchised" view holders.
Okay, how's this. I'm not womzilla so I will support candidates on a person by person basis.
I WILL NOT support the Democratic party en masse until they get rid of the scream that walks like a man and get their priorities straight.

[pnh.livejournal.com]

"I WILL NOT support the Democratic party en masse until they get rid of the scream that walks like a man and get their priorities straight."

You know, I thought you were an idiot in 1976, and you're doing very little to alter that impression.

DNC chair Howard Dean, they guy who gets tarred as "the scream," is in fact on your side, and Kevin's. But don't let me get in the way of your determination to be a fatuous nincompoop.

[pnh.livejournal.com]

(BTW, the DNC isn't particularly "reaching out to Right to Lifers." You're thinking of an entirely different outfit.)

Oh, I'm Sure I Completely Misunderstood This Article

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05201/540556.stm

Re: Oh, I'm Sure I Completely Misunderstood This Article

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd say you did.

Re: Oh, I'm Sure I Completely Misunderstood This Article

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

So Dean is NOT actively recruiting Right-to-Life Democrats?
As that and subsequent articles have shown?

Re: Oh, I'm Sure I Completely Misunderstood This Article

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

Yes, you misunderstood. He is supporting right-to-life Democrats if they are the leading candidates, because he understands that a right-to-life Democrat is better than a right-to-life Theocrat like Santorum.

Re: Oh, I'm Sure I Completely Misunderstood This Article

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

He is supporting right-to-life Democrats if they are the leading candidates, because he understands that a right-to-life Democrat is better than a right-to-life Theocrat like Santorum.

So Dean can support a control freak (read pro life) because he isn't a religious control freak?
This seems so wrong in so many ways.
I'm looking for a party that makes clear distinctions between it's policies and the ones of the opposition.
Dean seems to be saying the opposite.
Also we are being asked to believe that the Democrats will be a united caucus in policy-making. We already know that this is not the case.
They have fragmented on a number of issues.
I am sick and tired of the political nose-holding that seems to pervade politics on every level in this country, and, no matter what you (or anyone else) may think of Dean's goals, to me, that is all they represent.
As I see it, Dean does not represent core Democratic values.
I'm not sure what he represents besides winning elections, and that is what bothers me. Let's say I support Dean and the direction he is taking the party in order to win control of the government. What can we expect from him if he does succeed
Where will his version of the Democratic party lead us?
Can anyone answer this with any certainty?
No politician is perfect (they are called "Statesmen" and we haven't had one in a long time).
But some are less perfect then others.

Re: Oh, I'm Sure I Completely Misunderstood This Article

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

I have a vague political philosophy which has generally served me well: better is better than worse.

Bob Casey doesn't thrill me. Rich Santorum appalls me. Pretty clear contest.

And I've never gotten even the slightest impression that Dean is out there actively trying to recruit RINOs and right-to-lifers, and I can't imagine why you think he is. Supporting them once they become the clear candidates, yes; that's what a party chairman does. But not recruiting.

Re: Oh, I'm Sure I Completely Misunderstood This Article

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

We sort of know which way Casey will vote if it comes down to it.
I thought I had a perfectly reasonable point of view.
Take the whole thing on a candidate by candidate basis.
Apparently there are some who feel this is unreasonable.
I can't help that.
But, what I can help, what I can do, is not trust Howard Dean.
I hope the Democrats run many good candidates that I can support.
Because, I'm not going to support the ones who aren't .For me, at least, the days of voting the party line have pretty much passed.

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

"We won't be satisfied until Virginia gives up its third senator and Pennsylvania gets two senators again," Dean told the crowd, most of whom had paid $25 to enter the Democratic National Committee fund-raiser."