ARGH !!! - 'Conservative Democrats Plan Vote Against Jobs to Save Their Careers (?) - FDL

[WillyT]

Conservative Democrats Plan Vote Against Jobs to Save Their Careers (?)
By: David Dayen - FDL
Tuesday October 11, 2011 10:55 am

<snip>

The bill is supposed to serve mainly as a talking point, an example of how Democrats are “fighting for jobs” against recalcitrant Republicans. If the bill cannot even garner a majority in a Democratic-held chamber, that talking point dissipates. You can see conservative Democrats turning their wheels and thinking that a vote against the jobs bill gives them distance from the President. In truth, it’s just a vote against jobs, the number one priority of the public. And it will hurt their re-election efforts rather than help them.

In an interview with me this morning, Greenberg made a strong case that moderate Senate Democrats in red states would be foolish and shortsighted if they vote against the American Jobs Act today, as some of them appear to be prepared to do <...>

“They reduce their risks for reelection by showing support for a jobs bill that’s going to be increasingly popular as voters learn more about it,” Greenberg said. “They have to be for something on the economy, and this the kind of proposal they should support. If I were advising them, I’d say you want to be backing a jobs bill with middle class tax cuts paid for by tax hikes on millionaires. Moderate voters in these states very much want to raise taxes on the wealthy to meet our obligations.” <...>

“Voting No would increase their risk of losing,” Greenberg said bluntly. “Democrats would look divided on their central agenda. In the end you all go down with the ship here. Why would you send Democrats back to the Senate if they are divided on the most important issue facing people? Here you can show unity and purpose, which Democrats have not had an opportunity to do during budget negotiations.”

As John Cole writes, Republicans are so in the heads of these ConservaDems that they’ve got them voting against their own better interests, in the same way that they convince working class whites to do so. “They have so fully bought into the GOP spin they don’t even know why they are Democrats anymore.” Agreed. The idea that a vote against jobs will have anything but an objectively bad effect on their political prospects – that telling masses of unemployed in their states that they are not a problem – is kind of crazy. I know plains states like Nebraska and Montana have relatively low unemployment. But as Greenberg says, it just ruins whatever message you would take to voters.

<snip>

More: http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/10/11/conservative-democrats-plan-vote-against-jobs-to-save-their-careers/

:wtf:

:banghead:

:beer:

:smoke:

[GeorgeGist]

1. Sounds like a call for some OWS love

for the Conservadems.

[RKP5637]

2. Often, IMO, A=B! n/t

[mmonk]

3. Like it saved the Blue Dogs last go around?

[Buns_of_Fire]

4. Ben Nelson:Democrat::My Butt:The Mona Lisa nt

[lib2DaBone]

5. Ben Nelson...Max Baucus.. Joe Lieberman....Kent Conrad.....

Why does the Democratic Party embrace these DINOs?

[chollybocker]

6. Add Jim Webb to that list.

He now says he'll vote No.

[ShockediSay]

7. Maybe Occupy Wall Street candidates can run against them in primaries,

much as Tea Potties did. Maybe Occupy Wall Street can combine with our Progressive Caucus to run and follow the example of the Tea Potties.Maybe the Occupy Wall Street combined with our Progressives can run against the Tea Potties.

[fascisthunter]

8. more like republicans pretending to be democrats

[FLyellowdog]

9. Facebook post

Senators Jon Tester (D-MT): 202-224-2644, Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551, Joe Manchin (D-WY) 202-224-3954 are reported by The Hill Newspaper to be the Democratic Senators who will vote against the President's Jobs Bill, on the side of the Republicans to kill the bill.

[frylock]

10. how's that big tent philosophy working out for y'all?

[Johonny]

11. Isn't this what pisses off liberals

The administration asks liberals to get in line to stop complaining about Obama's policies. Yet come voting time for his bills, it is usually the most conservative Dems not the most liberals that time and again don't have the presidents back. Really Mr. President if you have failed to pass your agenda it wasn't because of us. It's the "moderates" and independents that the Whitehouse has obsessed over that seem time and time again to let him down. So why do they keep pushing policies that are/were/never do suppose appeal to them? The question historians will puzzle over when analyzing this administration no doubt.

[meow2u3]

12. Don't those ConservaDems realize that voters don't like sellout cowards?

The people would rather have representatives who would risk losing reelection before selling out to the enemy opposing party. They'd just as soon elect a repuke than a Dem who acts like a repuke.

This is how the repukes extort corporate favoritism from Dems. Right-wing interlopers such as the Kochroach Bros. and Grover "Terrorist Sympathizer" Norquist launch the kind of astroturf campaigns that would put Don Corleone to shame and, Mafia style, make Democrats in conservative districts/states an offer they can't refuse. They effectively tell the conservodems, "Either your no vote or your brains will go on that Obama jobs bill." :scared: It often turns out that their careers are ended because of, not despite, their "pro-business" voting record.