Hmm, Big Eddie has a litmus test

[LittleClarkie]

Who'da thunk it.

After what Ed Schultz said about moveon.org and their campaign against a politician who voted for the Bankruptsy bill, he said today that if even one Dem broke ranks on the Nuclear option, he'd advocate voting against that Dem.

It seemed to be part of a larger rant about how the Dems have to do a better job of making noise out in the media, which was connected to his rant about Dean.

[Jesus Saves]

1. well it sounds

like he has a point there...

[xray s]

2. Any Democrat who votes against the filibuster will have to answer to me

[liberalnurse]

3. I'm not sure how I want to take "Big Eddie".

He is a fringe liberal.....at best.

[LittleClarkie]

4. What's a fringe liberal?

Do you mean he hasn't come all the way into the light yet?

Eh, give the "recovering Republican" time.

[liberalnurse]

11. Thats a nice way to put it....

:hi:

[annabanana]

5. Considering that this goes to the very heart of

our system of "check and balances", and is the very last shred of protection that the minority HAS from the majority.... and considering that the installment of judges will have an incalculable influence over the public weal for years and years..

I'm inclined to agree.

[KoKo]

6. I like Ed Schultz even though so many DU'er hate his guts...I think he's

a "middle Dem." And many Repugs would respond to HIM over Al Franken.

I'm a "leftie Dem" and respond to Schultz over Franken...so who knows.

:shrug:

[LittleClarkie]

7. Schultz doesn't have as many freepers on his show

it seems, unless they call in.

And I like the way Schultz handles them. He often doesn't shout, though I think their mike gets turned off at some point in the convo, but that seems to be standard operating procedure. He got a caller today who was talking about how it's hard to declare oneself a Christian for fear of the reaction. Schultz quietly explained that here in America, you should be able to be atheist, jewish or christian and it shouldn't matter. The Religious Right would take away the rights of those who don't believe what they believe. We'd have a "Church of England" situation, and that's what our forefathers came here to avoid.

I have that problem too, actually. It's hard to declare oneself a Christian and have folks not immediately think "fundy." God knows I don't want then thinking that! Fundies make MY teeth itch too.

But, yeah, I agree that Ed is a "middle" Dem, which is where alot of Dems fall, I think. He comes across as very working class, and with an open mind mostly. I like him too.

[snowbear]

8. Big Eddie Rocks!

But then.. that's my opinion! :)

Today for example ~ one of his first time callers was shocked when he came on the air and told Eddie that...

:o ... "Hey, your staff stopped me in my tracks when I was trying to explain why I wanted to call into your show, and said "stop, STOP!!, we don't need to know all that --- we don't screen callers!!!"

I've never tried to call his show, but I listen to it all the time. He may disagree with some of the wacko wingnuts that call in.. but he still lets them call in with their rants. (Before he sets them straight ;) )

:headbang:

[LittleClarkie]

10. I liked how gentle he was with some of the veterans that called in

when he interviewed Jane Fonda. He didn't apologize for having her on, but he was very gentle about letting them express their unhappiness with that fact.

If there's anything he cares about, it's veterans.

[TayTay]

9. Did 'Big Eddie' say anything about Wexler?

Democrat offers Social Security plan
Measure would lift cap on payroll tax
By William L. Watts, MarketWatch
Last Update: 6:50 PM ET May 16, 2005

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler stepped ahead of his party leaders Monday, unveiling a plan designed to fix Social Security's long-term funding woes by requiring wealthier Americans to contribute more to the entitlement program.

The proposal puts the Florida congressman in the middle of the debate over President Bush's call to overhaul Social Security by letting workers born after 1950 divert part of their payroll taxes into private investment accounts.

"I thought it was real important for a Democrat to offer a plan to illustrate to the American people that it was possible to fix the Social Security shortfall without drastic benefit cuts, without any benefit cuts at all, without increasing the retirement age, without market risk or privatization schemes," Wexler told MarketWatch. Listen to the interview.

Wexler's plan would tax earnings above $90,000 a year at 6%, split evenly between employers and employees. Under current law, annual wage income up to $90,000 faces a Social Security payroll tax of 12.4%, split evenly.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B0D8AB7AF%2D35AF%2D44EF%2D80B8%2D1E2EE9AE8E8F%7D&dist=rss&siteid=mktw