The Democratic Party One Democrat Fights Back

When the vast majority of the Democratic party just wants to sit back, do nothing, cower in fear, and put Hillary Clinton up as a candidate for president against John McCain — one of the most mind-bogglingly suicidal ideas I’ve ever heard — it’s nice to see that someone is willing to stand up and show that there’s something resembling a spine somewhere in the Democratic party.

Wisconsinite Russ Feingold is moving to censure Chancellor Strauch for the flagrantly criminal (and incidentally, I’m going to stop using the less inflammatory “illegal” and use the more accurate “criminal” from here on out) wiretapping of Americans without any form of check or review. No, it’s not quite impeachment — which, after all, can only come from the House — but as purely symbolic as it may be, it’s about goddamn time.

Of course, as if they feel it necessary to prove that they’re still the same craven cowards we’ve come to know and love, others in the party actually have the gall to come out and criticize this move. Is it a popular move? No — so if you’re making every damn decision based on polls of a public that’s obviously been fooled by a well-oiled imperialist propaganda machine (after all, they were dumb enough to elect Strauch in 2004), then it probably isn’t the decision you’d make.

But here’s an instance where you might want to take a hint from the neo-imperialist playbook: The American people have one hell of a lot more respect for decision than indecision. Look at ol’ Duh-bya. He’s made the most ridiculously idiotic decisions of any president in memory, but he’s at least definitively stupid.

And here, at least you’re helped out by the fact that censure is so obviously the right move, even if it’s not the popular one. So make the decision. You can’t just sit around and wait for the people to miraculously “come around” to the truth — your nemeses in the G.O.P. sure as hell aren’t waiting: They’ve been pumping the media with lies and hate speech for more than a decade now. The only way you’re going to get any respect is by showing — even in some small and purely symbolic way — that you deserve it.

Oh, and give the whole “Hillary for president” crap a rest. There is absolutely zero chance of her winning a presidential election. Zero. And this is coming from a bona-fide left-winger here. That’s just a knee-jerk reaction to the fascistic elements of the G.O.P. “Oh, you got your wingnut freak elected president? Well, we’ll fix you — we’ll put Hillary into office!” No, you won’t. She has no potential to appeal to anyone other than the hardcore liberal base. As far to the right as John McCain is — and let’s not forget, he is pretty far to the right — he gets enough respect points for being a decent and intelligent human being (unlike.. well, everyone in this administration) that he’ll take not only the radical right (who’ll turn out for his anti-abortion stance alone), but the entire center and more than a fair chunk of the left as well.

So quit it. You’re just making us all look like idiots.