Reply #104: YW and my thoughts... [View All]

Feingold watched the more progressive voters move to Edwards and genuinely thinks that people are being taken in by the message. He worked with Edwards for six years, we do not know what conversations took place on votes and who tried to sway people one way or the other. So his words would be to let people know that he might not do as promised and is using the platform of others, Kucinich many times, to pull those voters.

Dennis has said many times, especially on health care, that "This is a fight within the Democratic Party."

We all see this happening when a few people vote with Republicans and the Dems lose again and again, so maybe it is an attempt to draw some lines??? Which wing of the party will we stand with? If this idea has any merit, I believe it is in it's infancy and might just be a test so to speak??? Where would we stand in four years? I've seen the remarks about Feingold being jealous, that was not my thought. I think it might be that he sees the Democrats being pulled too far to the right and on the side of the big corporations.

Is he trying to position himself for a spot in the new administration of one of the top two candidates? That thought crossed my mind as well, although my instincts of Feingold are that he would not trash a truly populist candidate to advance one of the top two candidates and if there was a top candidate for the people he would be supporting that person.

I can understand taking the 'taken in' thing personally, Edwards is very persuasive and the issues he raises are things we all want. When I put together the 9/5/02 Intelligence Committee meeting, no new intel report, and then his speeches and op-ed shortly afterwards something did not add up for me. And that could be a topic on it's own :)

Just my random thoughts...I appreciate what Feingold has fought to preserve in the way of our rights and his cool headed thinking and courage to oppose the Patriot Act. We need more independent thinking in the Senate and less 'going along.'

:)

:hi:


If you have not read this interview it might be worth the read, I've posted this snip a few times.

http://www.alternet.org/story/74268

"Hedges: Have we evolved into a corporate state?

Kucinich: I Look at it as the political equivalent of genetic engineering. That we've taken the gene of corporate America and shot it into both political parties. So they both now are growing with that essence within. So what does that mean? It means oil runs our politics. Corrupt Wall Street interests run our politics. Insurance companies run our politics. Arms manufacturers run our politics. And the public interest is being strangled. Fulfilling the practical aspirations of people should be our mission. How do we measure up to providing people with jobs? It was a Democratic president that made it possible for NAFTA to be passed, causing millions of good-paying manufacturing jobs that help support the middle class. . . .

NAFTA, GAT, the WTO, China Trade, and every other trade agreement that's passed in Congress has been passed with the help of either the leadership of or with the help of the Democratic Party, knowing that each and every one of those agreements was devoid of protections for workers, knowing that if you don't have workers' rights put into a trade agreement then workers here in the United States are going to see their own bargaining position undermined because corporations can move jobs out of the country to places where workers don't have any rights. They don't have the right to organize, the right to collective bargaining, the right to strike. So what I see is that the Democratic Party abandoned working people, and paradoxically they're the ones who hoist the flag of workers every two and four years only to engender excitement, and then to turn around and abandon their constituency. This is now on the level of a practiced ritual..."