I'm hereby fighting for a CLEAN SWEEP of congress in 2006

[Atman]

Every single one of the fucking rat bastard bums who've allowed our country to deteriorate to this point while on their watch. Starting with Lieberman and Biden on the left, everyone on the right.

Every single congressman and senator. I will vote the challenger every chance I get. Replacing just a couple of the rotten apples still leaves lots more of them sprouting mold elsewhere in the barrel. We need a clean sweep in 2006. It will at once purge the congress, and send a message to the new incomers that America has finally had enough.

There are a couple of Senator's who've fought for us lately, and I'm willing to entertain the idea of a couple of them deserving to be re-upped. But for the most part, the boil needs to be lanced and the puss drained out of Washington DC.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. have fun stormin' the castle. n/t

[Atman]

2. I'm not stormin' any castle

I'm simply done rewarding politician for ripping me off and destroying my children's future.

Who are YOU supporting for re-election? Who did you proud this past few years? Hmmm?

[Road Scholar]

17. "Clean Sweep" should be our slogan, our battle cry! nt

[Warpy]

4. Do you love what your government is doing?

Then keep on voting for the incumbents, again and again, because they're doing exactly what you want them to.

If, like me, you're disgusted with what your government is doing, VOTE THEM OUT. Continuing to vote them in is one definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

It's as simple as that. No castle storming required. Just fire the bastards.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

11. I just had this odd idea...

...that perhaps we should work for a majority in Congress before we start eating our own. But that's just me.

[Atman]

13. Why can't we work for a majority AND eat our own?

Or at least, throw out the rotten moldy ones?

I am so sick and tired of us pansy-assed democrats being more afraid to upset the apple cart than to fight. We're watching our democracy crumble before our eyes, and we're worried about "eating our own." I think the menu is pretty clear. The blue-plate specials are Biden, Lieberman, etc, etc, the usual suspects. Leahy happens to be a "good one," generally. Generally. But is he the last intelligent man in Vermont? He's old, let's get some fresh thinking in there. "Fresh ideas" rarely come from entrenched turf-protectors, they come from people with nothing to lose and everything to prove. That ain't Leahy, as good a man as he may be.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

16. Because we have a finite amount of resources.

And I'd simply prefer that ALL of our resources were directed at weak republicans. We actually have a chance to take back one, or less likely both houses of Congress. To me, that trumps EVERYTHING else. If we want to sort out Joementum and company after that, then I say go for it. But not now. Beating the Republicans in 2006 is the single most important task this party has.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

30. Did you read my post? At all?

I am so sick and tired of us pansy-assed democrats being more afraid to upset the apple cart than to fight.

Really? You know what I'm sick and tired of? I'm sick and tired of the Republicans running all three branches of government because the Democrats can't stop squabbling over resources and pull together to win elections. Upsetting the apple cart? We have a fucking apple cart with one goddamn wheel. We have the AMC Gremlin of political apple carts.

"Fresh ideas" rarely come from entrenched turf-protectors, they come from people with nothing to lose and everything to prove. That ain't Leahy, as good a man as he may be.

And two days ago everybody here was calling for Obama's head. If you really want to put your efforts towards defeating Democrats or generating trench warfare in the primaries, instead of defeating Republicans in November, please be my guest. But don't be surprised if you find yourself fighting alone whilst the rest of us concentrate on the important goal.

[nickinSTL]

14. no, I don't...

and I'll work to get my idiot Repub Senator replaced with a Dem.

My Rep, though, I'm happy with. Part of the CBC and every vote I've looked up from him has been right.

[cali]

3. Futile.

Why don't you stop spouting sweeping banal rhetoric, and work in your own congressional district to elect a good candidate.

[Atman]

6. Ah, the democrats rear their ugly heads again!

Thank, cali. Right on cue. Shoot your own party. Rag on people who are tired of JoeMentum. Don't fight the corruption, fight the democrats who don't want to go down with the ship. Nice job. What's your solution? Better exit polls and more DRE's?

BTW, how the hell do you know what I am doing in my own congressional district? I am already active in politics on the local level, and am even an Assistant Registrar of Voters in my town. So bite me and take your condescension and shove it.

[cali]

7. My solution is to

support good candidates in my state. I'll admit that I'm lucky. Last year I had the opportunity to support Pat Leahy again. This year I'll be working to ensure that Bernie Sanders is elected to the Senate and Peter Welsh to fill Bernie's congressional seat.

[LaurenG]

5. I totally agree with you

Our country has been ruined and congress is the reason. They have no discernment and have ALLOWED the idiot to do whatever he pleases. Our congress is a joke the only reasonable thing to do would be to fire those who have no idea how to do their jobs in the face of a dangerous administration. Have none of them ever heard of courage?

[Bridget Burke]

8. Who's your current Rep? Who are your Senators?

I'm in Sheila Jackson Lee's district. She's not perfect, but she gives Bush Hell. She is part of the Black Caucus that stood up for Gore. And she'll continue to get my vote.

My Senators are Cornyn & Hutchison, alas. Hutchison is up for re-election & I'll definitely vote for her Democratic opponent. Not that I'm full of hope.

[Atman]

10. Joe Mentum & Chris Dodd

Chris Shays.
Nancy Johnson.

It sucks here.

[Cassandra]

9. If you accomplished that...

the only people who would know how to run Congress would be the lobbyists. Besides, I won't let you take Barney Frank away from us (just to pick a name off the top of my head).

[Atman]

12. And herein lies the problem

Americans are basically afraid of change, and only think everybody else's senator is bad. That is endemic across the land. Everyone loves their own senator or congressman. It is only when we wake up to the fact that they play us at home just as much as they play each other in Washington, will we get over this weird need to keep supporting people who do nothing for us, and don't know us from Adam. Any politician with a nationally-recognized name at this point, is a showboater, been there too long, and needs to get a real job. These life-long congressmen lose all perspective on the world. They don't have to pay for health care, they vote themselves raises, they don't even have to cross the street in the daylight, lest they melt or something. A couple terms is enough. I'm not for legislated term limits, I'm for elections, fair, honest and open.

And as for no one knowing how to run congress...who the hell is running it now? Do you like the job they're doing? How much worse could it be?

[Atman]

15. BTW, where I got this "idea"

I admit, it isn't exactly a groundbreaking concept, "Throw the bums out." But I am quite serious about it. I'm sick of all the rock-star congressman primping and preening and selling out my country and my kids' futures for a $20,000 check from their favorite lobbyist.

This "idea" came from the Pennsylvania town who recently ousted its schoolboard after they attempted to force Intelligent Design on the local schoolchildren. They have moved on, and are in the process of doing a "clean sweep" of all their local official. Like a political enema. That is what America needs. One big giant high colonic.

[Atman]

18. Don't want a clean sweep? How about dusting?

Joseph I. Lieberman, Connecticut
Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia
E. Benjamin Nelson, Nebraska
Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
Daniel Inouye, Hawaii
Mark Pryor, Arkansas
Ken Salazar, Colorado

Start here. The traitors on the Gang Of 14 who sold out the American People just to be on Bush's Holiday Card list.

[ISUGRADIA]

22. No clean sweep in 2006

Landrieu, Inoute, Pryor, and Salazar aren't up for reelection in 2006

[Silverhair]

19. Incumbent congressional re-election rate has always been in the

high 90's, with rare exception. Most districts and states are very safe for the incumbent. You will be banging your head against a very solid wall.

[LincolnMcGrath]

20. 4 four digits for you.

1994

[Silverhair]

27. Even in 94, by your graph, the return rate was still 90%

Further, the Republicans were unified and ran a national campaign. Democrats are deeply divided and extremely unlikely to unify in time for a national campaign. We will be running a bunch local campaigns, while they will be running a national campaign again. Barring a major changes this year, it is not (At this time) looking good for us in 06.

Just being a realist.

[LincolnMcGrath]

29. That is correct, that is why I posted it.

90% re-election rate and yet the GOP managed a coup.

As to the rest of your post, I feel good about 06. The Democratic party brought the largest vote against a siting preident in the history of the county. (59 million) God Guns and Gay Paranoia will not pay dividends forever.

[Strawman]

21. That's a bit ham handed, don't you think?

Not to mention completely unrealistic. But lets entertain that scenario as a hypothetical just for the sake of argument. Do you know what would happen in a Congress where everyone was new? They would be absolutely dominated by the executive branch while they figured out what they were supposed to do. Better to keep the good eggs who actually know what to do and let the newbies defer to them while they learn the ropes.

I understand the sentiment, but you need to temper it a bit.

[Atman]

23. Nah. I'm done tempering my temper.

We keep falling back on the same mantras. "Now is not the time." When is the time? When Bush is asking Alito and Roberts to rubber-stamp his third term? When do we stop worrying and start acting?

[Strawman]

24. Why sweep out everyone?

Including the people who have fought for us and replace them with novices? Doesn't make any sense.

[Atman]

25. First of all, if you'll re-read my post, I didn't say EVERYONE

Although "clean sweep" sure implies it. But I did say that there are a few who have fought hard, who've tilted at the Bush windmills to no avail, only to have their efforts sunk by the DINOs. They can and should stay. We need them. There is also the realization that a 100% is pure fantasy, but you have to shoot for it to get ANY turnover. If your goal is half, you'll get a quarter. So go for the gold, and if you only get halfway there, at least you'll get the silver. But if you don't compete at all, you don't even get a certificate of participation.

[Strawman]

26. OK. Gotcha

I read your OP to say that you could be convinced to spare a few.

So I was trying to convince you to spare a few.

[Atman]

28. MORE FUEL...

The Democrats' Alito Debacle

By DAVE LINDORFF

The pathetic failure of Democrats in the Senate to stick together and block the appointment of Sam Alito to the Supreme Court -- a man committed to the idea of a president with unchecked, dictatatorial powers, and who favors corporations and the state over the individual -- shows that it won't just do to have Democrats take over Congress in November.

The Democrats who are still in Congress -- especially the leadership, but even the rank-and-file members -- are so spineless and habituated to caving in to Republican threats that they don't even know how to stand on principle.

This means it won't be enough to simply pick up 16 new Democratic seats in the House and six in the Senate in November. Those new seats will have to be filled by people who do stand for something. And the fake Democrats like Max Baucus (D-Montana), Kent Conrad (D-N. Dakota), Joe Lieberman (D-Connecticut) and Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) -- there were 19 Democrats who voted for cloture, ending the chance of a filibuster, and one, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) who abstained -- need to be challenged in primaries by real progressives, and punished for their betrayal of the Constitution and the hopes of those who sent them to Washington.

Impeachment of the criminal and power-mad President Bush will not even be possible as long as these frauds continue to dominate the Democratic Party. Only a grass-roots revolt among progressives during the primaries in support of candidates like Cindy Sheehan, who has announced plans to challenge Feinstein, will produce the kind of political shift that could turn around the country's slide into authoritarianism.

Notice how as soon as Sheehan mentioned running against Feinstein in a primary, Feinstein, who had been dissing the idea of a filibuster, suddenly became a vote against cloture. There's a lesson here.

And how about Sen. Byrd, who voted with the cowards? Up for election in November, this senator who has written so passionately about the Bush administration's abuse of power and of the Constitution, and who has admonished his colleagues to stand up for the traditions of the Senate, showed himself to be just a coal-company-financed gasbag, endorsing the appointment of a nominee who lied at his confirmation hearing, and whose rulings and writings show he considers Congress to be, at best, a vestigial inconvenience to an all-powerful Executive.

http://www.counterpunch.com/lindorff01312006.html