Steve Clemons Responds
Taylor — Thanks for your post about mine, I think.
It’s clearly frustrating that Republicans think that they have something to
run with here. I think that Senator Reid has a point — and credit him with
it — and believe that the efforts that Republicans will scramble with at
this point will probably be "duck and cover" strategies. Nonetheless,
my view is that there are numerous arenas — particularly in foreign policy,
health care, medicare/budget demands — where bringing Republican moderates
into the fold make a lot of sense.Despite your confidence that I would have seen this
coming, I really didn’t. I think that these two conversations I had yesterday
really did get me thinking about the trade-offs between containment of the
Bush administration vs. engagement with parts of it.In any case, there is more to chew on here. Thanks
for the alert.
After reading Steve’s article on Harry
Reid and the Democrats ethics Act yesterday, I happened by The Hotline.
There was a post that mentioned the "GOPers… sending around a Dem blogger’s
post," which happened to be talking about Clemons, though he’s much more
than some "Dem blogger," but, oh well. Needless to say, the purpose
of the GOPers was clear to me in a flash.
The "GOPers" grabbed Steve’s post to obviously disseminate it to
the minions in the media, whether it be cable, radio or web. The goal was to
give the Bushies talking points on Harry Reid and the Democratic Party’s ethics
Act, in order to paint it as purely partisan. Reid rightly wanted Democrats to offer
our own comprehensive strategy for beating back Bush & Co.’s K-Street juggernaut,
instead of some bipartisan b.s. that simply lets the Bushies off the hook. After
all, this is their scandal, to which even Rich Lowry attests.
I put together a
post outlining the whole frustrating thing, uploaded it on to my
blog, then posted my thoughts and a link over in Steve’s comment section at
the Washington Note, one of
my favorite blogs. I offer my comments below…
As a fan of Steve Clemons, I’m frustrated to say that
his post on Harry Reid is getting used by Bush bloggers against us.Frankly, if we don’t learn to fight just as hard and
dirty as Republicans, without feeling it’s being partisan, we’ll never make
our case for national and foreign policy leadership, let alone get back in
power.
I truly admire Steve’s work and his constant diligence to reach across the
aisle, which I believe is so very important. Someone clearly has to encourage
the moderate Republicans within the Bush administration because, thankfully,
there will be life, real life and political discourse after George W. Bush’s
administration is gone. We also need allies keeping an eye on things while George goes about dismantling our democracy.
That said, we also must make sure they leave when it’s over and that a clone of George
doesn’t reappear in his place, beginning the sequel of Republicans take the
White House, Horror Shock, 2008.
To keep that from reality’s door, we must call
a crook a crook, a "plantation" House just that, and a president overreaching
his constitutional power and illegally using the office of the presidency what
it is. Not to mention, never giving the Republicans a weapon, especially our
own words, which they can turn back in our own direction, because their real intent is to claim the scandal is bipartisan.
“When I hear Democratic Party leaders throwing around
terms like ‘culture of corruption,’ I have to think, ‘You oughta know,’ "
said Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), a candidate for the post of House majority
leader.
Democrats
Unveil Lobbying Reform
- As Party Escalates Reform Push, GOP Calls Scandal
Bipartisan
Bush and the Republicans know this is for all the marbles and
they’re in serious jeopardy, so they’re going to play hard, fast and dirty. Anything less on our end just isn’t going to get the job done.
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