Senate Dems give up on climate change

Submitted by scharrison on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 10:46am

Pseudo-scientific bullshit wins the day:

Bowing to political reality, Senator Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat and majority leader, said the Senate would not take up legislation intended to reduce carbon emissions blamed as a cause of climate change

“We know where we are,” Mr. Reid told reporters after reviewing the state of energy legislation with Senate Democrats and administration officials. “We know that we don’t have the votes.”

Yeah, why make the Republicans actually filibuster, when you can let them off the hook to go fundraising?

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Submitted by James on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 11:09am.

I guess maybe the Senators are more focused on buying future oceanfront property in Kentucky. Either that, or they never step outside.

Do good. Be nice. Have fun.

We think alike

Submitted by scharrison on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 11:59am.

I was going to put in a sentence recommending people buy up property near Rocky Mount and start building a beach house, but the words just wouldn't come together in my head. :/

Not Surprised

Submitted by Jake Gellar-Goad on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 11:44am.

that they're giving up on this before elections. They have no spine.

On DADT repeal they decided instead of repealing it, they'll do a survey using homophobic wording that CBS polling has proven will bias the results. And based on those results, they'll decide what to do next.

Some further reading on flaws with the poll for those interested in reading about it. You'd think those anti-wasteful government spending people could think of a better way to spend $4.5 million of tax payer money.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/16679/pentagon-sustains-heavy-fire-o...
http://wakingupnow.com/blog/would-this-be-offensive
http://servicemembersunited.org/?p=2794

Because, you know, the military is so great at polling:
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/22/exclusive-records-show-mili...

Military Surveyed Troops’ Attitudes Towards Jews In 1940

# “There is nothing good about Jews.” (Agree: 86%, Disagree: 13%)
# “Jews are out to rule the world.” (Agree: 27%, Disagree: 73%)
# “The Jews always get the best of everything.” (Agree: 30%, Disagree: 70%)
# “You can always tell a Jew by the way he looks.” (Agree: 61%, Disagree: 39%)
# “Jews are the biggest goldbricks in the Army. (Agree: 51%, Disagree: 49%)
# “A Jew will always play you for a sucker.” (Agree: 48%, Disagree: 52%)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/7/22/886546/-Oops,-Turns-Out-They-Did...
Clarknt67, who posts of DK & PHB, commented on this survey.

I'd wager to say, viewed through the prism of the 1940s, few people at the time would have agreed with that assessment. After all, it was just what people said, right? They were just being real.

Many today do not see the homophobia peppered throughout the current DADT survey. Perhaps in 60 years it will be as clear to the rest of the country as it currently is to most of the gay community.

More from the Wonk link on some of the polling they did on previous integration efforts:

These surveys show that the same attitude pervaded the military: 3/4 Air Force men favored separate training schools, combat, and ground crews and 85% of white soldiers thought it was a good idea to have separate service clubs in army camps:

While smaller, these racial polls share some common questions with the DADT survey. In fact, in some instances one can even replace "negro" for "gay" and end up with today’s questionnaire.

So the polls keep showing that the military isn't fond of minorities. So what is the point of the poll. A push poll like this survey is clearly going to find that the military despises gay people. What then?

On ENDA they're now saying it could take up to 5 years.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/16572/congresswoman-jackie-speier-en...

On UAFA/Immigration Equality they're are stories coming out that the religious right has agreed to support some immigration reform efforts if President Obama promises not to allow more gays into the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/us/politics/19evangelicals.html?_r=1&p...

And given that the House passed HCR that applied to gay couples, then the President came out with his plan for that Health Care Summit that included a *does not apply to gay people tag, I have little confidence that they wont trade away UAFA for religious right support.

And DOMA, which means I have to file my taxes separately, have to pay more car insurance b/c I'm not married in a way that counts, and to pay for & write up a separate legal contract (1 per state that I might visit just in case if I really want to cover my bases) b/c my husband isn't my assumed inheritor if something happens to me... well I don't see the spine for dealing marriage equality issues coming up any time soon even with historic Democratic majorities.

We desperately need more people like Elaine in Washington.

No spine

Submitted by scharrison on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 12:05pm.

Senate Dems just don't seem to understand, when you make Republicans filibuster for hours on end, they say all sorts of stupid stuff. And when the subject has scientific aspects, the stuff gets even stupider. More stupid. Whatever.

That's how you win elections: when voters are too embarassed to vote for an idiot.

To be fair

Submitted by Jake Gellar-Goad on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 12:34pm.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/23/593901/biden-visits-chapel-hill.html

Biden: GOP 'out of step'
Biden said Democrats had a story to tell voters, a story of how they helped bring a badly wounded economy they inherited back from the cliff, helped clean up the abuses of Wall Street and extended health care insurance.

"Now that the heavy lifting is over, we can go out and make our case," Biden said in a 35-minute speech.

The vice president said Republicans "are wildly out of step" with popular opinion on a broad range of issues from holding oil companies responsible for cleaning up the spill in the Gulf, to supporting basic regulations that would prevent another meltdown on Wall Street, to extending unemployment insurance to those who lose their jobs.

To be fair I do appreciate the work the Democratic Party has done, and I understand the desire to want to turn towards the election, and appreciate Vice President Biden's support of Secretary Marshall:

Biden later held a separate fundraising event for Democratic Senate candidate Elaine Marshall, who is challenging Republican Sen. Richard Burr. Marshall said her smaller fundraiser was quickly put together and was limited to 15 people.

"There is a clear choice in this North Carolina election between a woman who knows what drive [forward] means and somebody who clearly is continuing to be backwards," Biden said.

The Marshall campaign was hoping the national attention - plus a new internal poll by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake showing the Senate race a dead heat - would give her campaign a push.

Biden was introduced by Gov. Bev Perdue.

Mimicking the vice president's now famous overheard comment at the health care bill signing, Perdue drew broad laughter when she said, "I want you to know that it is a big bleepin' deal" to have the vice president in the state.

All that said, governing and campaign shouldn't have to be an either-or choice, I'd like to see them do both. I mean a what better messaging can you send than showing you're hard at work?

While we wait on the

Submitted by Jake Gellar-Goad on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 1:55pm.

biased survey to tell us the military doesn't like minorities as their push polls always do, Lt. Dan Choi has been officially discharged.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

At Netroots Nation yesterday

Submitted by Green Mom on Sun, 07/25/2010 - 7:34pm.

Dan Choi went up to the stage and gave Harry Reid his West Point ring. Reid didn't want to accept it, but Dan Choi said he would only take it back when DADT is repealed, and Reid agreed.

On the original subject of this thread, I totally agree - it's very frustrating -- why not make them filibuster for hours and hours (or even days). They'll just look stupid and shallow and greedy, filibustering a bill that also has anti-BP overtones.

It was really hard to listen to Harry Reid. He came off as earnest and likeable, but also an incredible patsy.