The Party Of No Guts

Sssh…do you hear it?

Silence.

Hurricane Katrina destroys the Gulf Coast. Our troops continue to die in Iraq for Bush’s illegal war. A thousand Iraqis die as well when a bridge collapses during a Shia religious observance. Ever-growing numbers of men and women (and especially children) now live in poverty in this country.

Silence.

The media coverage shows conclusively to the entire world that the Bush Administration has no idea of how to coordinate state and federal forces to provide for Katrina’s victims, even when they know days in advance that a potential Category 5 hurricane (which had been dreaded in that area for years) is about to hit.

Also, when National Guard forces are FINALLY coordinated and brought to the scene, they must come from other states because Louisiana (in the case of New Orleans) does not have enough forces and equipment since the people and materiel are all over in Iraq, including high water vehicles (prompting Molly Ivins to ask a key question: why do they need high-water vehicles in Iraq?).

How do the Democrats respond?


…


…

No idea. Still trying to formulate a position, I guess (I know Harry Reid is sick, but c’mon people!).

Oh wait, actually, that’s not correct. Mary Landrieu arrived on the scene a day or so ago and praised Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for some reason before CNN’s Anderson Cooper quite rightly blaster her.

(I’ll get to last night’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” more later – no fireworks – but Maher spoke with Cooper and complimented him on his coverage, and Cooper thanked him and replied…and I’m paraphrasing…that politicians come down here and tell people that “we know you’re disgusted, and we know you’re angry.” People aren’t disgusted. People aren’t angry. People are dead.)

This likely would not have happened under Clinton because he would have found a way to ensure preparedness and demonstrate more than basic competence as the leader of the free world. However, if something like this HAD happened, what do you think the Repugs would be doing?

Screaming.

Spreading more big lies and innuendo.

Appointing commissions and subcommittees to supposedly look into what went wrong but ultimately serve for nothing more than political grandstanding.

Maybe even trying to introduce articles of impeachment (oh wait…they did that already for a stain on a blue dress that only 30% of the people in this country cared about.)

But how to the Democrats respond instead?

…

…

Silence.

The party of FDR (right, Itsez?). The party (supposedly) of working men and women in this country that, by the way, just signed off on the most draconian bankruptcy “reform” this country has ever seen set to go into effect on October 17th (and as Atrios quite rightly pointed out a day or so ago, they had DAMN WELL BETTER support the Conyers bill that exempts Katrina’s victims).

The party that supported tort “deform” legislation that makes it practically mandatory to file a suit in federal as opposed to state courts, just about ensuring that the plaintiffs will lose.

The party that supported the highway bill that is truly a festival of pork, including the bridge to nowhere in Alaska.

The party that supported the fraud energy bill, which is an even bigger giveaway to Dubya’s buddies in the energy racket.

The party that supported CAFTA, meaning that still more jobs will be lost in this country to Central America.

Your Democratic Party.

Silence.

I want to puke.

Update 1: If this is the best "the opposition party" can do, then I might as well shut down this whole site and give up. And a "freshman lawmaker," huh? What's the matter; we're the party "leaders" primping for "Faze The Nation" and the other Sunday morning gab fests?

Update 2: And to think, I wished this guy a happy birthday a couple of weeks ago.

Saying something vague and imprecise but somewhat supportive is one thing. Saying something that is an utter, unconscionable lie and being a total suckup (and thus setting the tone for the entire party to go cower in a corner somewhere) is something else altogether.

Maybe Bill could have said something like this, though luckily, the Times-Picayune did it for him.