May 13, 2006
Obstructionism and where the D's keep going wrong
Perry, CradDICK and Dewhearse have their school finance victory and something better. They now have a Democratically blessed mechanism for turning public schools private. We have little to no credibility when criticizing the bills for leaving a massive hole in the State budget (otherwise known as 'Fiscal Irresponsibility, A Republican Hallmark' ), which they will beginning in 2008.
It was going to happen regardless, the calender rules CradDICK forced early in the Session all but guaranteed that. So, why did almost all of the Democrats vote for this shit? There will be a ton of reasons given publicly. They'll down play the negatives of the Republican finance bills and play up the positives (it's called 'ignoring reality by focusing on wishful thinking'... some call it 'spin', I've always been partial to 'bullshit'). Privately, to party insiders, operatives and (to a lesser extent) activists they'll talk about how it would have been worse if they hadn't voted for it. They'd have been called obstructionists or worse, 'tax and spend liberals' who didn't want to vote for property tax relief.
It's all bullshit. They ignored what the polls and constituents were telling them (while the R's do that all the time, they can get away with it because there's no real opposition in Texas) and went along with what they 'knew' (tax cuts were more important)... instead of what everyone was saying (FIX.OUR.SCHOOLS.ASSHOLES.). The D's didn't have any control over anything and therefore would have been OK for voting against this crap. Now, they've no excuse.
People did want property tax relief. However, they weren't expecting the Lege to create a massive hole in the budget to do it. They were expecting new funding; They were expecting meaningful teacher pay increases; They were expecting better schools. They were willing to pay a little more for all of it and the R's failed to provide it. Instead of a bludgeon with which to beat them, Democrats drank the Kool-Aid and went along with it, losing the moral high ground and any ability to campaign on fighting bad Republican bills.
The question this fall will be "If the Democrat who represents me is going to vote with the Republicans, why not vote for the Republican?" and the Democrats in the Lege have NOT A GODDAMN SOUL TO BLAME BUT THEMSELVES.
How many times did Grover Norquist's name come up during this session, attacked PUBLICLY from the floor or with the press? How many times did any D make a public comment about Norquist's hand up CradDICK's ass? OR Dewhearse's? OR PERRY'S? You could have made the R's look weak as hell, a party completely intimidated by a DC cocksucker who'd rather see Texans poor and stupid than wealthy and educated. Another missed opportunity for the D's and their strategists. Could y'all suck more?
Lastly, aside from the missed opportunities to shift the tax debate and attack the R's for who they really are, you guys got scared of being called obstructionists. Let me tell you something I know for sure and certain. Obstructionists win. Period. You hold out long enough and you always get what you want if you fight hard enough. The only conclusion I can draw is that you either don't know how to fight or have simply lost the taste for it. People can call you an obstructionist only so long before they start to look like whiney bitches. Then you make them pay by rubbing their face in shit.
Maybe there is some grand plan... I certainly hope there is... and all this will make sense. However, from where I sit the Democratic members of the Lege just fucked over the people who have fought so hard to elect them.
Posted by mcblogger at May 13, 2006 01:00 AM
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