“We’re starting in the middle,”Senator Al Franken said. “It’s a mistake.”

[kpete]

Al Franken: “I Think We’ve Ceded Too Much Ground” In Deficit Debate
By: David Dayen Friday June 17, 2011 3:59 pm

....................

AL FRANKEN: Medicare, and Medicaid, and investment in infrastructure, and public education, and workers’ rights, and civil rights, and equal under the law – these aren’t just good progressive ideas, they’re examples of traditional American values.

And when Republicans talk about destroying these things, they’re talking about turning their backs on the America we’ve built. They’re talking about ripping apart the fabric of our society. They’re talking about a transformation of our country – about undermining our tradition so radically, they might as well be tearing stars off the flag.

..............

“I think we’ve ceded too much ground,” said Franken of the deficit talks. “When you have a Republican House and a Senate where the Dems can’t get cloture on anything, you’re going to have by definition a compromise. But we’re compromising with people who don’t have compromise in mind. Mitch McConnell said his top priority is to defeat President Obama. They win by country losing.”

“We’re starting in the middle,” Franken said. “It’s a mistake.”



http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/06/17/al-franken-i-think-weve-ceded-too-much-ground-in-deficit-debate/

[gratuitous]

1. Yes, you are correct, sir

It's a shame more Democrats don't recognize this.

So, what "scandal" is going to bring Al Franken down?

[Chipper Chat]

19. Norm Coleman and the GOP toadies tried everything

to get Al disgraced. They thought sure there has to be SOMETHING in his past to disqualify him. Bwaaaaaaaaaaha - they couldn't find anything.
Keep fightin' Al.

[totodeinhere]

53. And we had better get get ramped up to defend Al in 2014 because

they will try all of those tactics and more to defeat him then. And if I were Al I would be very careful about riding in airplanes.

[Mosaic]

59. Thugs

Love it when you inject the fear, keep doing their work for them.

[Qutzupalotl]

65. Franken reportedly said the word "poopie" on SNL in 1977. n/t

[dogmoma56]

30. ..

[aquart]

2. Yes. And...?

[StarsInHerHair]

3. then endlessly add into everything a 'raise the cap' to strengthen Social Security

do it!

[Habibi]

9. Yes! "Raise the cap"

is a good bumper sticker, rally sign, and sound byte.

[CelticThunder]

4. That's a generous assessment. More like they start right and move righter.

[MissDeeds]

29. Spot on

And welcome to DU!

[DJ13]

5. Its the same brilliant tactic that eliminated single payer in the HCR debate

Cave early, cave often.

The New Democratic slogan.

[CrispyQ]

58. “We believe we have compromised significantly, and we’re prepared to compromise further.”

That was John Kerry's compromise statement, last June, regarding climate bill talks. It was such a disappointment to hear this come out of Kerry's mouth. It is a perfect summation of the Obama administration & today's democratic party.

[Scuba]

6. Thank you Al. Please don't tweet.

[glinda]

13. +1

[Initech]

7. It's not starting in the middle if it's on a teeter totter.

[kenny blankenship]

8. Pattern recognition

One day you will realize that Obama and the Democratic leadership pick inappropriately weak bargaining positions for a reason.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

15. +1,000,000,000

Like they say, he's got this (imitating a Republican), so chill the fuck out.

[Enrique]

27. exactly

"it's a mistake" my ass.

[Deep13]

44. bingo nt

[masmdu]

66. And that would be why?

[Enthusiast]

10. Mistake is our middle name, brother.

And it ain't by accident. We have been betrayed, big time.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Hey Al, we've seen this movie before. It has a really shitty ending.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

12. Captain Bipartisanship knows what's best. (n/t)

[Lugnut]

14. Another one from the No Shit Sherlock file..

You don't punt on second down.

[Citizen Worker]

16. Well, there's one vote at least. It won't be total capitulation, not quite, but damn close.

[Major Hogwash]

17. McConnell has put party about country for years and years. Wake UP people!!

How do dillwads like McConnell get re-elected every time they run???

MONEY!
LIES!
and
TEARING DOWN THEIR OPPONENT BY SAYING HE IS GAY, AGAINST GUNS, and AGAINST GAWD!

[QC]

18. It's an excellent strategy if one's goal is a corp-friendly final bill.

This is how the president negotiates everything. How many times can one see it as a mistake rather than a strategy?

[OnyxCollie]

20. When nonsystematic "errors" become predictable,

look for an unseen explanatory variable.

[QC]

21. Yep. n/t

[quakerboy]

22. So.....?

I hate the neighbor. He keeps threatening me and beating me up on the way to the school bus.

And?

Whatcha gonna do about it?


Who better than a senator to say "no more". A senator with the power not just to vote, but to filibuster and to put in "secret holds" and otherwise gum up the works. I read complaints but I read no call to action nor any statement of intent to act on the principal he is stating. Unless that was in a part of the article I skipped? Pointing out what we all already know is pretty useless unless there is a plan to do something about it.

[neoralme]

23. What you just said is the biggest Democratic Party problem. We are

in crisis like never before. Continually saying "this is wrong" or "they're doing this to us" over and over again without action is the sound and the fury signifying nothing. Will we act even when they are slaughtering us? Do we still know how to act? DO we even know what that means?

[chervilant]

49. You want action?

Join the many who plan to encamp in Freedom Plaza until we defeat the corporatists. October 6, for however long it takes. Like countless activists before us, we will be putting our lives and our livelihoods on the line for our children, and our children's children.

Hope to see all of you there.

[neoralme]

51. I didn't know about this. I'll research it. Thanks

dddddd

[DesertFlower]

24. i agree. nt

[Corruption Winz]

25. I wish I could k/r this a million times...

He's right about everything. Jesus. The only guy you can take serious in politics these days is a guy you first heard about when he was telling jokes for a living.

Remarkable.

[Harmony Blue]

52. Comedians tend to be objective

when it comes to the hypocrisy of society.

[Corruption Winz]

55. Very true. It's not so much surprising as it is just sort of... sad. nt

[Hubert Flottz]

26. K&R

[xchrom]

28. you just knew al franken would answer the Courtesy White Clue Phone.

now if the rest of the party would pick up.

[suffragette]

48. + 1,000

[dogmoma56]

31. but it was promoting " Bi Partisanship with the GOP" wasnt that worth destroying modern civilization

[meow mix]

32. K&R al franken for president plz

:patriot:

[somone]

33. It's merely the facade of a Potemkin village writ large

with all its beauty and depravity and futility and deception

[delunapark]

34. Maybe Obama & Bohner

Can work this all out on the Golf Course today.

Hope nobody gets hurt!

:spank:

[Dept of Beer]

50. Now watch this drive.

[delunapark]

67. Love your handle

:bounce:

[Dept of Beer]

68. Cheers!

:toast:

[CrispyQ]

61. The only ones getting hurt will be Main St.

[think]

35. Give them hell AL ! Time to turn this bullshit perp walk around!..nt

[Le Taz Hot]

36. Couldn't agree more.

I'd love to see him run for the presidency in 2016.

[cantbeserious]

37. Well Duh! - The Left Wing Of The Progressively Shrinking Democratic Party Has Said This For Years!

eom

[spedtr90]

38. So did Al push the Progressive Caucus budget?

Bernie Sanders is the only Progressive Caucus member from the Senate. Their budget was genreally ignored by Democrats. Maybe it's "hard to convince people" because until Democrats unite and find their voice there's no way to be heard, no way to effectively fight. They had a great progressive budget handed to them that they could have fought for. 108 House Dems voted against it in April. As far as I know the Senate never voted on it. What coverage did it even get? What chance did it get- despite the fact it does exactly what polls say people want? Democrats should have been loudly behind it...but they were not. Republican Senator Hatch said more about it than I've heard from any Democrat.

Hatch said on May 25:
“What budget would the majority of Senate Democrats support if they could? It is the House Progressive Caucus’ budget — an intellectually honest presentation of the liberal fiscal policy position. For interested folks, take a look at pages H2862—H2870 of the Congressional Record of April 15, 2011. There you will find the House Progressive Caucus budget’s fine print and the debate over it. I ask unanimous consent to include a copy of that budget in the record. The Progressive Caucus budget is real and it is ambitious. It is also politically risky. Like the House budget developed by Chairman Ryan, it took political courage. It’s a statement of policy principles and numbers.”

Did any Democrat in the Senate say as much? I really like my Senator Al. I admire Congressman & Progressive Caucus member Keith Ellison more. I think Hatch asks a great question.

[spedtr90]

39. Gave this wonderful speech..then voted for keeping tax cuts

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9688346

Seems everyone talks but no one walks. I hope this time is different.

[CrispyQ]

63. This would make a great thread of it's own. -nt

[Maineman]

40. I agree

[WillyT]

41. Automatic Rec: Franken And FDL !!!

:evilgrin:

:hi:

[mmonk]

42. More like a decade or two ago. Now we're starting on the right and

ending up further right.

[Jakes Progress]

43. Damn. You mean there's still a Democrat in Washington?

[high density]

45. It's worse than that

The Democrats already start on the right side by accepting GOP frames. It's happening constantly on debt, taxes, "entitlements," etc.

[EFerrari]

46. I thought that was the idea, Al. n/t

[BEZERKO]

47. A good friend of mine likes to say that

politics is about compromise, but that doesn't mean that we have to lead with our chin, which is what we always seem to do.

[Guilded Lilly]

54. Al speaks, I listen. He tells the truth.

[Vincardog]

56. Tell it to the Administration Al.

[Lasher]

57. This is painfully obvious.

But God bless Franken for coming out and saying that really needs to be said, loud and long.

Oh and by the way, fuck the AARP.

[alp227]

60. There was once a Republican president who actually cared about building up America

that would be Dwight David Eisenhower. The Republican Party was actually a sensible political party back in the '50s, in fact their 1956 platform even supported labor unions! Eisenhower also signed the bill expanding public education (the National Defense Education Act). And the rich actually paid their fair share of taxes, and there was a strong middle class.

50 years later the Republicans now care more about their own self-interests riding on the backs of our struggling people rather than helping the people at all.

[Kall]

62. How can it be a "mistake" after the 200th time?

It's intentional.

[polichick]

64. I'll bet Al wishes he was still telling jokes instead of seeing what a joke the Congress has become.