According to the latest Gallup Poll, Congress now has an even lower “approval rating” than the Bush administration! Evidently, public opinion has evolved to the point that Democratic pusillanimity trumps world historical criminality! We mustn’t make too much of this, however; the Democrats are still the party of the lesser evil. But there is a lesson for the electoral strategists of the POP: reduced to its core, it is that voters find the absence of a backbone repellent. That’s what they ought to have learned from the defeat of Clintonism in the past two presidential elections. They didn’t. Maybe the latest Gallup Poll will finally drive the point into their skulls.
But, alas, the Party of Pusillanimity is about to make matters worse! Today (May 16), the Feingold-Reid amendment to the supplemental appropriation for the Bush wars is scheduled to come to a vote. It mandates fixed withdrawal dates – a timid sop to the anti-war, anti-occupation majority. Its message – that the occupation should continue for a while longer -- is immoral and, for the war opponents its authors claim to be, incoherent. Still, at this point, it would be better if it passes than not. Will it? I’m not hopeful. It certainly won’t win well enough to overcome a Bush veto or, worse still, to derail the POP leadership from caving in entirely next week – when the full bill comes up for a vote. As they have umpteen times before, the Democrats are about to exhibit abject cowardice worthy of the most thorough condemnation. Why is it so hard, even for the least Clintonized among them, to understand that, pious words notwithstanding, whoever funds the war supports the war!
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I think you're correct that voters punish perceived lack of backbone. But there's a limit to the attraction of backbone. At some point, it becomes boneheadedness or simply boring persistence. I think many Americans are at this point in relation to the war in Iraq. I don't know if they are equally fed up with other policies and pursuits of this adminstration.
I don't understand Congress' behavior but part of my lack of understanding is my deep ignorance about the procedural games that go into passing legislation. Still, I did find it remarkable that Democrats could not unite behind Feingold-Reid, no matter how flawed. But I do think that many of the Dem dissenters are onto something about Americans. I would guess that the critical mass of people now angry and disenchanted with the Great Iraq Adventure are really just mad that we can't seem to win. This is why they're also mad at Congress. Why can't those damn Congresspeople just straighten things out?? Most of these Americans would have crucified any Congressperson who voted against the authorization for action against Iraq.
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