The Rise and Fall of the Democratic Congress

Like an artful magician, Americans were once again deceived by the Administration, by Congress, and by most of the large media outlets.

As a result, in 2007 our new Congress voted against the will of the people.  Congress extended President George W. Bush's lost Iraq War, allowed more of his domestic spying, and continued his torturing of citizens.

In addition, our troops don’t have all the equipment they need, and our veterans are still waiting for assistance, with many committing suicide.

We thought the nightmare that began in December 2000 was over, yet it still gets much worse.

The Gallup Poll reported a rock-bottom 18 percent approval rating for the conservative-controlled Congress.  This is lower than the dismal 28 percent rating for the arch-conservative President Bush, who is often compared with the disgraced former President Richard M. Nixon, who also used fear and sought unlimited presidential power.

What caused this rapid rise and sudden fall for the new Democratic Congress?

The press sure played up the hoopla after the November 2006 elections when the few remaining citizens who bothered to vote in our waning democracy evicted the Republicans and put Democrats in charge of Congress hoping they would challenge Bush.

Expectations sure soared, as people thought there would be an end to the Iraq War, domestic spying, and torture.

What went wrong?  The answer is simple.  The issue isn’t the new Democratic Congress versus the Republican President and his lock-step GOP supporters in Congress, as the media mislead you to believe.

The real fight is far different and more ominous.  The battle is between the neo-conservatives and their rampant fear, extreme ideology, tyranny, and abuse on one side, and reality, fact, reason, moderation, and freedom on the other side.  Even Vice President Dick Cheney admits he works on the "Dark Side."

Karl Rove masterfully designed a grand plan of neo-conservative dominance where the lowest common denominator is fear, death, persecution, torture, hate, war, bloodshed, and even more fear.  And he packed government with only loyal followers.

The salient fact remains obvious: A person’s political party label and their public statements are irrelevant.  In reallity, how a Senator or Representative votes in Washington on issues of upholding our Constitution, supporting our troops, and taking care of our veterans are the most relevant.

However, this key fact gets lost in the hurricane of the Matt Drudge and Karl Rove-dominated media that chases party labels and red states against blue states.

So long as the people think that Democrats are the answer to Bush’s illegal domestic spying, then Bush’s terrible policies will continue.  And the people will also further despise the Democratic-controlled Congress they thought would bring positive change.

The real problem for Americans who care about freedom, equality, national security, tolerance, and social justice remains the small band of neo-conservative Senators and Representatives who call themselves Democrats yet who quietly vote with President Bush and the GOP.

These are the wolves in sheep’s clothing who regularly vote with the Republicans for unconstitutional domestic spying, for unconstitutional torture, and for more of our hard-earned money on the lost Iraq War escalation.  The sheep in sheep's clothing remain the Democratic leaders who have, so far, failed to reverse the devastating policies of the current administration.

Americans need to see beyond party labels and look at the votes our legislators make in Congress.  When Veterans for Common Sense posted the names of the Senators who supported torture and spying on innocent American citizens, our web site was flooded with visitors and blistering comments – most of them improperly directed at all Democrats.

Not all Democrats are to blame for the Fiasco in Washington.  Rather, the few Democrats who are neo-conservatives, these very powerful "swing" votes, are exacerbating the worst nightmare in U.S. history: a lost war abroad and lost freedoms at home.

If we want to restore American democracy, then our first step is to make sure we go beyond party labels and elect people who will preserve our Constitution, improve our national security, and take care of our veterans, regardless of party label.

What are the three major lessons for American citizens in 2007?

First, register and vote - when you don't vote, you have let fear and apathy steal your freedoms.

Second, read our Constitution so you know about the liberties our Revolutionary War veterans fought for.

And, third, when voting, look at the candidates’ actions and votes, not their statements or their political party.