We are working to elect more Democrats. We elected more in 2006. Yet the votes on some serious issues are not changing.

Markos has a post up today that shows his concern as well. He talks about the fact that we the grassroots just can't match the lobbyists in power and money.



He may be right. In spite of all the calls about getting out of Iraq, in spite of all the activities against the telco immunity in the Fisa bill....there were more Democratic votes than ever to fund the war. And Harry Reid deliberately put the immunity bill forward when he had a choice. It was a slap in our faces.

There appears to be a pre-set agenda in the Democratic congress. It worries me a lot, because many of us feel passionately about the way we invaded Iraq and may do so in Iran. I hear fear of Iran in the voices of Democrats all the time, and few take time to lessen that fear.

We have heard that we must elect more Democrats. I want to agree. I really do. Then I saw the vote this week for the Iraq funding bill without any conditions of withdrawal. An overwhelming number of Democrats voted for it in the House and the Senate. It showed me there is no intention at all on the part of the Democrats to use their constitutional power of the purse to end the Iraq debacle.

Here is the list posted here by DU poster Pro Sense. It includes the Yes votes from both House and Senate.



When you keep funding a debacle with no end in sight, it soons becomes your own debacle. You own it. No matter how often you call it Bush's war, the fact remains that the majority party is funding it.

On another front.....there is the effort to protect corporations who have the nerve to claim that they did not know any better. I can just imagine an average citizen standing before a judge and pleading ignorance of the law.

So many Democrats voted for cloture for the FISA bill last week....the one with immunity for the telecoms...that it is so much easier to post the ones who did not vote for it to pass out of committee. Harry Reid had a choice of another bill, one without immunity. He knew that was the one preferred by Democratic activists. He chose the one WITH immunity.

To me this is serious vote...those who voted YES knew that the majority of their party were totally against excusing the telcos on this issue. They showed their lack of concern for our views. So, thanks to the NAYs.


Only ten Democrats heard the grassroots and the hundreds of thousands of calls, numerous emails and letters. Only ten of them.

78 Democrats voted to continue this war without conditions attached.

I thought we could make a difference, but they say we have nowhere else to go. I thought that being active in the party would get them to take stands, but now I am having some doubts.