Deeply undemocratic
Evan Bayh has another ally in opposing the budget bill: Senator Robert Menendez from New Jersey, who is protesting a little item that was slyly slipped into the bill while no one was looking. Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, was stunned to find a provision there that would relax rules on travel and imports to Cuba.
Senator Menendez seems to be pretty liberal, and he would have otherwise supported this bill. But he’s not just annoyed, he’s enraged—enough to offer this bit of stinging rhetoric to the supposedly “transparent” administration, as well as Congressional leaders Reid and Pelosi:
The process by which these changes have been forced upon this body is so deeply offensive to me, and so deeply undemocratic, that it puts the omnibus appropriations package in jeopardy, in spite of all the other tremendously important funding that this bill would provide.
“Deeply undemocratic”—I’m sure Menendez meant “undemocratic” with a small “d.”
I find it pretty offensive as well, but not because it’s undemocratic (small or large “d”). Slipping in provisions without debate on them is certainly not unheard of in Washington. But the especially offensive (“deeply offensive”) part is the hypocrisy of the promises on which Obama ran versus the reality of his actual presidency.
Transparent? Yes. But not in the way Obama meant.
Neo, you keep coming up with these interesting examples of cracks in Democratic foundation.
Obama reminds me so much of my college’s ex-president. She was full of charisma, charm, great speaker, and a very inflated ego. She spent her time grossly overspending and trying to reamke the college according toher own vision and no one else’s. Many were very enamoured with her initially. After stepping on many toes, and crossing many lines. eventually even her staunchest supporters turned against her. Took about 8 years. I guess the pressure cooker of national politics speeds up the process considerably. Maybe there is hope we will survive this if enough Democrats like Menendez get stepped on.
The ex college prez and Obama have a common theme: they both think they are totally right, and no one else can ever question their judgement.
And you can’t expect people to unite behind you if you’re trying to jam a whole bunch of things down their throat. So I would–I would absolutely say for the–for the interim, till we get [the economy] solved, I would not be pushing a lot of things that are–you know are contentious, and I also–I also would do no finger-pointing whatsoever.
— Warren Buffett
You gotta give Obama credit for having the unmitigated gall to use, once again, in his speech today talk of “transparency”. After pushing the stimulo-porkasaurus bill through with such haste after promising to post everything for 5 days so the voter could read it, and not allowing the press to cover his or Biden’s remarks to the AFL-CIO revelers at the Fontainbleu, and a few other things it is obvious the administration has no transparency.
Congress screamed about how the Bush Administration was so secretive and guarded. I have told people since well before election day that an Obama administration would make the Bush administration look like a sieve – and it appears I was right. The only reason the American people might not get it is because the democratic congress will not make a fuss (if they even request any documents, etc) if they are refused. And any republicans that do will not get any coverage.
Your supporters often expect that you will pull this stuff on your opponents. Heck, your opponents even expect that. But when you do it to your own people it begins to dawn on folks that they are in the presence of someone more shameless than usual.
I am not just being cynical with that statement. It’s one thing to screw your opponents – it’s a further step down to screw your friends.
Assostamt Village Idiot get it:
“…it’s a further step down to screw your friends..”
Bob Menendez gets it, and should be enraged — as should all those who find out that this is a regular way of doing business under Obama administration. Beware of what you wish for…
When items like this business about Cuba is hidden in a himongous bill, and he is not given so much as a heads up by his “friends” in Congress, on something that has direct bearing on his entire constiuency, it is pulling the rug out from under his feet.
The secrecy, the stealth actions, and the unending spin completely are geared to do one thing: keep the truth from the people while they can set things up THEIR way — the “BETTER” way — without giving the people — their constituencies a voice in the matter. THAT is undemocratic!