[sf-core] Re: [Peace-discuss] Iraq protest [sic]

[C. G. Estabrook]

Let me get this straight: you're working to get 51 votes in the Senate, 
because you can't get 41?

You're right that once elected members of the US Congress can say 
anything they want, they're not bound by their constituents' wishes -- 
and, remarkably enough, the Congressional Democrats have chosen as a 
group to reject doing what they were elected to do, end the war.

Instead of ending the war (as they could) they want to use its 
unpopularity to denigrate the other faction and increase their own 
electoral chances.  They're actually willing to prolong the war for that.

Instead of participating in rallies organized by Democratic party front 
groups, we should demand the Democrats do what they were elected to do. 
  --CGE


Robert Naiman wrote:
> 
> 
> Depends who you mean by "they."
> 
> 29 Senators voted for the Feingold-Reid withdrawal bill. The prospect
> of getting 41 Senators to filibuster war funding is fairly remote.
> 
> Sadly, we don't live in a European parliamentary democracy. For better
> and worse - mostly worse - there is no such thing as the "Democratic"
> position on anything. If you can win a Democratic primary and get
> elected, you can say anything you want.
> 
> But in any event, I submit that one doesn't have to support or oppose
> into any particular legislative strategy for ending the war to attend
> tomorrow's protest. It only takes 51 votes in the Senate, apparently,
> to confirm a Federalist Society hack to the Supreme Court. It should
> only require 51 votes to stop the war.
> 
> On 7/16/07, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu 
> <mailto:galliher%40uiuc.edu>> wrote:
>  > This is a matter of barking up the wrong memorial.
>  >
>  > If the Democrats were serious about ending the war, instead of just
>  > wanting it to use the the war to benefit Democrats, they could do so by
>  > using the filibuster. Instead of voting further funding for the war,
>  > which they continue to do, they could prevent any war funding measures
>  > from passing the Senate. That requires only 41 votes, which they have.
>  >
>  > --CGE
>  >
>  >
>  > Robert Naiman wrote:
>  > > There will be a protest tomorrow of the use of the Senate "filibuster"
>  > > to block efforts to end the war in Iraq.
>  > >
>  > > Tuesday, 5pm, Veterans Memorial, Broadway and Main, Urbana.
>  > >
>  > > http://political.moveon.org/event/counterfilibuster/39352 
> <http://political.moveon.org/event/counterfilibuster/39352>