Junkies Speak

It is possible that the elections in November will be a watershed event, marking the first step toward a new progressive era. A necessary ingredient for this is the likely gain by Democrats of seats in both the House and Senate. These wins in turn depend in large measure on those elections being more national than local.

Two negative developments for Republicans may override the dictum that all elections are local. The first and most significant is the public increasingly is turning against the war in Iraq. For this reason voters may be inclined to vote against those who supported this war of choice, most of whom are Republicans. By contrast, in the House, 60% of Democrats voted against this reckless war.

The second reason relates to the present culture of corruption, allowing Democrats to place a large "For Sale" sign on the face of Congress. Republican scandals and indictments abound. The poster boy for this sleaze is Jack Abramoff who has become radioactive, coped a plea, and will likely sing in strong voice to reduce his jail term, in the process snaring more Republican members of Congress. Indeed, there might be a new GOP caucus, one that meets behind bars. The Abramoff song will be background music for Republican indictments, including the chief procurement officer of the White House, the GOP House leader and the chief aide to Vice-president Cheney. To compound life for the party in power are Congressman Duke Conningham caught in flagrant selling of his office and the forced resignation of Republican Congressman Bob Ney from his position as Chairman of the House Administrative Committee. Yes, this is a winter of discontent for Republicans.

There is recent historical evidence that the November elections will be national in scope. In 1994 there was a national election when the Republicans gained more than 40 House seats and sized control of the House. In that year there were real or highly exaggerated scandals involving Democrats while Republican candidates were acting in unison with their Contract with America. A decade later the tables have been turned and now in a rare development of cohesion, Democrats are acting as a unified team, exploiting the ongoing corruption uncovered within GOP ranks.

Sleaze in the White House, combined with sleaze in the Republican controlled Congress, together pack a double wallop. But the situation with Congress extends beyond just corruption. The Republican leaders have made a mockery of the legislative process Two seasoned Congress watchers nailed the problem, stating "we have never seen the culture so sick or the legislative process so dysfunctional." So reported Norman Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann in the New YorkTimes of January 19. The public is aware of this disgrace, with polls revealing Congress is held in very low regard and more so for GOP members than Democrats.

Several months ago it would have been foolish to predict that Democrats could win control of the House in November, but not so today. Astute political observer Bob Novak now thinks that this is possible as do others who opine on political events. And as I have written, if the Democrats win 15 House seats, there is a good chance they will initiate impeachment against President Bush. This is not just my solo opinion. John McLaughlin devoted a whole TV program to this subject. But if there be impeachment moves, they would probably not clear the House and if they did, it would be unlikely that the Senate would convict. But the effort still would do damage to our frayed social fabric. Also, it might further weaken Congress, possibly paving the way for the slack in power to accrue to the presidency, an institution already so powerful as to sicken our founders who feared concentrated power and wanted a weak executive.

FUTURE AMERICAN LAWYERS OF WHOM TO BE PROUD...
[Without Attribution]

Junkie: The information below is circulating on the internet without attribution. It is a wonderful reminder that America’s younger citizens are willing to take up the cause to preserve constitutional democracy in the United States.

Today, Shakespeare’s quote from Henry VI: “the first thing we do, let’s kill all the Lawyers,” is used as a stone by those who oppose the legal profession. The use of Shakespeare’s line as a pejorative is misplaced.

Shakespeare’s line comes from King Henry VI, Part II, Act IV, Scene 2. The line is spoken by Dick the Butcher, a follower of anarchist Jack Cade. Cade is demagogue who leads a cabal to overthrow the government. In order to overthrow the government Dick the Butcher is recognizing that the “first” group that has to be eliminated is the lawyers.

It is gratifying to know that when the modern Jack Cades come to overthrow constitutional democracy in the United States that the Georgetown University students below will be on the front lines.

To make matters worse for Gonzales, more students came into the room, wearing black cowls and carrying a simple banner, written on a sheet.

Fortunately for him, it was a brief speech... followed by a panel discussion that basically ripped his argument in half.

And, as one of the people on the panel said,

"When you're a law student, they tell you that if you can't argue the law, argue the facts. They also tell you if you can't argue the facts, argue the law. If you can't argue either, apparently, the solution is to go on a public relations offensive and make it a political issue... to say over and over again "it's lawful", and to think that the American people will somehow come to believe this if we say it often enough.

In light of this, I'm proud of the very civil disobedience that was shown here today."

- David Cole, Georgetown University Law Professor

It was a good day for dissent.

WHOM DO YOU SERVE?
[by Richard K. Ryan]

Whom do you serve? That I believe is a central question for those in office today. Are you serving the multi-national corporation or the working class? The religious right or the Constitution?

The answer is most in Washington D.C. Dems and Republicans alike serve the corporate interests and are fearful of the religious right.

The Republicans have used social issues to convert working class Catholics and Protestants to solid Republican votes. The upper classes have always been largely Republican, leaving the poor and what's left of a divided middle class to the Democrats.

I believe that Democrats must stand for economic and social justice. We must hold corporations accountable for their actions. We cannot stand by while they dismantle the working middle class in this country. The recent vote to increase the costs of student loans while Bush is calling for more math and science teachers is ludicrous. An average of $4,000 additional debt to be taken on by a teacher to graduate from college, while their earning power is eroded by budget cuts at the federal and state level.

In the end, "whom do you serve?" should be the question we ask all those who seek public office. When they answer "my constituents" we must be ready with the facts to refute them, call them the liars they are, and show the electorate who is really pulling the strings.