Filibuster....or Bust!

John Kerry, who figures he has nothing to lose and everything to gain, has chosen to be the point person when it comes to a possible filibuster of the Alito nomination. It's probably too late for John, but we are glad he's managed to get some balls. We only wish the rest of the lackluster Democratic Party would do the same.

If Alito ascends to the highest court, we might as well kiss goodbye to over 40 years of forward social and economic movement and get ready to live by Cotton Mather's dictums, 'cause we're headin' back to the dark ages. The Democrat's in Congress know this...but seem unwilling to do anything about it. Why? Becuase, it seems, they are not unlike their GOP brethen in one regard; they'll do anything they can to get re-elected, even if it means betraying the core values they are supposed to stand for, and for which we elected them.

For a long time I've given the Dems the benefit of the doubt, but those days are over. Time to stand up guys and gals and show the nation what you're made of. Otherwise, we'll all start looking elsewhere come election day....

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III has spent a lot of time on the campaign trail, uh, I mean the coal mine disaster circuit, recently. Think about it; why do government officials such as Manchin (and a couple of years back) PA Lt. Governor Schweiker feel the need to camp out at coal mine disaster sites? They don't do this for any other disaster. Have a flood? The Gov flies over the area, proclaims it a disaster, asks for Federal aid, does a standup with the local media, then heads home.

But with a coal mine disaster, they stay in town. They pray with the miner's families. They hug. They show concern. In other words, they troll for votes.

And most of all, they wait for their closeup -- at the moment of truth. Of course, Manchin had a chance to experience both during the botched Sago Mine communications "problem," so he should be pretty well set to go, no matter how the latest crisis resolves itself.

One other note; why is it that coal mining disasters demand this level of media coverage? As I'm writing, two of the miners may or may not be dead. The others are out and fine. This means that we face the possibility that two men died in a mine fire. It's unfortunate and sad and certainly tragic to the families of men and their community, but I don't no why the other 300-million people in the US should be glued to their TVs to watch the latest update. To me, it's just a video fetish.

Santorum and the Special K Street Project

When Jack Abramoff walked out of court looking like the snarky dark side of “Spy vs. Spy,” the collective careers of many DC insiders, including other powerful lobbyists and influencial legislators, began an inexorable march toward shame and oblivion. In the coming months there will clearly be a perfect storm of scandal along the grids and vectors of L’Enfant’s grand federal city. It’s happened before of course, but perhaps never at quite this level with this much money involved…and with this many people potentially tainted.

Rick Santorum, whose involvement in the so-called “K Street Project” is well known, may have a great deal of explaining to do. He was deeply involved in the efforts to man-handle lobbying firms, so that they only hired “approved” GOP operatives, people who would do the bidding of the Senate leadership and the White House.

It remains to be seen how much the public understands this issue or what was going on behind the scenes along that shady lane in DC, but the Abramoff scandal is just getting its legs. By the end of Q1, I’d guess that even Joe the Barber will know about K Street — and what it means.

I’d also guess that, while some Senators and Congressmen were swearing a blue streak at Jack’s defection, Santorum was saying his prayers — and asking for a light sentence.

Abramoff...and the end of the GOP Headlock

The problem with Abramoff, from a media standpoint anyway, is that his name doesn't translate easily into _____Gate. If it did, the scandal would be much easier to pigeonhole.

As it stands today, the number of men inside the Beltway who feel their scrotum tugging close to their loins has increased exponentially. There are a load of GOP "wise guys" who are now facing total ruin. Ney is just the beginning. Hastert's mea culpa comes too late. The next few months won't change America, but they may tip the balance of power in DC. While Democrats were on the Abramoff payroll too, it was, for the most part, a GOP party.

It is time for the Democrats to come up with there own "Contract With America" and sing it loud and clear. The GOP is going down hard...and your average American, who desperately wants to believe in SOMETHING, is just dying to hear from the Dems!

Maybe the system does work.....?

Oh, by the way, is it just me, or did Abramoff, in his black trenchcoat and fedora, look like an overgrown version of "Spy vs. Spy?"