Posted on 11/04/2004 1:33:32 AM PST by kattracks
WASHINGTON - The day after getting their heads handed to them again in national elections, furious Democrats on Capitol Hill were pointing fingers at their own leaders and vowing war with Republicans.Several top Democratic aides blamed House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and national party Chairman Terry McAuliffe for failing to win back the White House or either chamber of Congress.
Instead, they lost ground in both houses and their Senate leader, Tom Daschle, was knocked off.
Angry Democrats also dismissed any suggestion of a truce with GOP lawmakers.
"We'll be throwing a lot of grenades," said one senior Democratic aide in the Senate. "With only 45 members, there'll be times when we can't filibuster, and we'll have to shine the spotlight on their outrageousness."
Despite calls for unity following the bitter election results, Democrats were incensed yesterday over remarks by GOP leaders anxious to push President Bush's conservative programs in his second term.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said in a statement that Americans must heal differences, but added he'll work with Bush and Senate leaders "to enact our common sense agenda."
White House press secretary Scott McClellan made a point to mention that Bush called several freshman senators, and, speaking about his agenda, told one, "Now is the time to get it done."
"If Republicans ... try to enact a radical right-wing agenda, they'll be met with opposition every step of the way," warned a top Democratic operative in the Senate.
An explosive issue could be Senate confirmation hearings if Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist steps down from the high court because of his cancer, or if Attorney General John Ashcroft is replaced, as is widely expected.
A nomination fight with Bush and Senate Republicans is "likely to seriously poison any aura of good will up here," said the influential operative.
In the House, where Republicans improved their majority by two seats, a senior adviser to House Democrats - who described the caucus' mood as "suicidal" - criticized Pelosi for not taking a page from GOP ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich's playbook and playing hardball this year.
"Nancy looks bad," said the adviser. "The only way to win this place is to burn it down."
Several of the Democratic sources said party boss McAuliffe should resign immediately, despite his plan to leave next year.
"McAuliffe is out - not a question," said one senior House aide.
A top Democratic operative in the Senate said it was time for a change at party headquarters.
"I can't imagine he'd be allowed to stick around, much less to try and further the ambitions of Sen. Hillary Clinton," said the top operative. "Nobody's going to allow that to happen."
But other Democrats defended McAuliffe, who sources say has raised an eye-popping $400 million since 2003.
"By any reasonable measure, Chairman McAuliffe succeeded at his two tasks: raising money and getting out the vote," said DNC spokesman Jano Cabrera.
Originally published on November 4, 2004
Bayh will probably be a Presidential candidate and one that we should probably fear...he could actually get elected unlike Witch Hilda.
Similar in structure but not in substance.
After the Republicans lost in 76 due to trying to be democrat light Reagan ran as a conservative. We always win when we run as conservatives because the country was then, and remains today, mostly conservative
(the party ran more closely to it's natural position)
The democrat 'savior' will try to run even more liberal, since liberal is the democrat's natural position. They cannot run as Republican light and win.
The major problem they have (Huge problem for Bayh from IN (thank God)) is that a moderate cannot win in the primaries. The dems are run by the enviro-whackos, the sexually perverse, and the communists and a moderate just isn't acceptable.
Until the dem constituencies grow up they will never win again. Of course I don't expect that they will grow up. I expect that they will grow old and die and since they are killing most of their babies I expect the constituencies to die with them. (This is why it is so critical to stop the 'homosexual' and democrat recruitment efforts in the schools)
I figure we've got about 30 years before the democrat party reforms. We can fix a lot of problems in thirty years and make it so those problems can't be re-enacted
They have no intention of meeting Republicans halfway or even trying to get along. So full speed ahead with OUR agenda, I hope.
I adore Watts. He would be a splendid v.p.
Angry Democrats also dismissed any suggestion of a truce with GOP lawmakers.
"We'll be throwing a lot of grenades," said one senior Democratic aide in the Senate. "With only 45 members, there'll be times when we can't filibuster, and we'll have to shine the spotlight on their outrageousness."
WE'RE being outrageous? If they would let go of their hate long enough to examine themSELVES, maybe they would get the picture. It would almost be funny if it wasn't so sad.
Is Salazar really a conservative Dem, or did he just pretend to be so in order to get elected?
They need to chill and get back on their meds.
Well it sounds like the socialist club some of these people attend bimonthly is paying off. Looks to me like they are becoming fully LEFT and anything toward the middle, where America really is, does not meet with their idea of middle America. The would just as soon spell our countrie's name with a K. Looks like we're going to have to run some strong Republicans in these fellows districts. Who are these people, so we can get busy now for the mid term elections coming up, sooner than we think.
Thank you kattracks for posting this. It is a very interesting read. Much appreciated. till
I've got a suggestion since most of ya'll are commies....go move to a commie country....Cuba in close by.
You got that right. Especially, now that its the Influential Operatives and House aids who seem to be doing all of the threatening and blustering.
I'm wondering just who runs the house & senate, the elected representives or the aides...
I couldn't agree more. Let's take the battle to them. They are little better than terrorists and must be crushed in the same way. Trying to work with them has proven to be a total waste of time!!
Want to borrow my target pistol?
The people are becoming more and more attuned to what the 'Rat party has become and theya re rejecting in in larger and larger numbers.
Ill tell you what we better watch it's not going to be the dms fighting each other as the dems trying to get rid of US the voters remember were to stupid to think for ourselves [or so they think] so they are going to do anything to dicount and destroy the American thinking voter along with a little of eating their own !
Raise money, get out the vote, lose the election. I guess two out of three ...
I think you are correct. The hard left is ideologically driven.
In the current Dem situation, I foresee an ugly positive feedback process of decreasing power and increasing desperation.
In certain subtle ways, including support of Palestine and Moore's rhetoric, the left has already intellectually accepted terrorism as a political tool.
What level of congressional disempowerment would coalesce the thinking further? I hope something trips the feedback process before we have to find out. Terrorist attacks would vastly accelerate this process.
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