Congress passed its first substantive bill in 6 weeks on Tuesday. (via)
I was wondering what running against a “Do Nothing Congress” would sound like, and here’s one of Truman’s stump speeches:
Some people say I ought not to talk so much about the Republican 80th “do-nothing” Congress in this campaign. I will tell you why I will talk about it. If two-thirds of the people stay at home again on election day as they did in 1946, and if we get another Republican Congress like the 80th Congress, it will be controlled by the same men who controlled that 80th Congress–the Tabers and the Tafts, the Martins and the Hallecks–would be the bosses. The same men would be the bosses, the same as those who passed the Taft-Hartley Act, and passed the rich man’s tax bill, and took Social Security away from a million workers.
Do you want that kind of administration? I don’t believe you do–I don’t believe you do.
I don’t believe you would be out here, interested in listening to my outline of what the Republicans are trying to do to you, if you intended to put them back in there.
When a bunch of Republican reactionaries are in control of the Congress, then the people get reactionary laws. The only way you can get the kind of government you need is by going to the polls and voting the straight Democratic ticket on November 2. Then you will get a Democratic Congress, and I will get a Congress that will work with me. Then we will get good housing at prices we can afford to pay; and repeal of that vicious Taft-Hartley Act; and more Social Security coverage; and prices that will be fair to everybody; and we can go on and keep sixty-one million people at work; we can have an income of more than $217 billion, and that income will be distributed so that the farmer, the workingman, the white collar worker, and the businessman get their fair share of that income.
That is what I stand for.
That is what the Democratic party stands for.
Vote for that, and you will be safe.
Other than a few factual references, it still works. Also, too, if Obama started giving stump speeches as frank and forthright as that one, they’d have to spike the water with Xanax and install fainting couches on the press plane.
Keith
I just watched a video of John Boehner (rather animatedly) on CNN saying that the American people are “fed up” with a Congress that doesn’t get anything done. All I can think of in response is, “That’s *you*! They’re fed up with *you*!”
I mean, jeez, the guy is trying to run on his fixing his own Congress getting nothing done?
sherparick
It would be especially appropriate today after Boehner and McConnell have stated that they will forswear their Constitutional oaths and instead hold the country’s economy hostage for another debt ceiling debate unless the Democrats completely surrender on all budget issues.
MikeJ
The House Republicans are still pissed that the EXIM bank passed.
c u n d gulag
And of course, it involves a bank.
That should go without saying.
But I said it, so I wasted precious bandwidth saying it.
‘Nuff said!
Stuck in the Funhouse
I don’t know, maybe using different terms, Obama’s stump speeches of late are fairly blunt with some stark contrasts drawn between dems and republicans. Nothing like the dreamy MUP speeches of the 2008 campaign.
RosiesDad
Obama could also stand at the podium and laundry list the legislation that Pelosi got passed between 2009 and 2011 that died in the Senate due to Republican obstructionism. Hundreds of bills.
As to Boehner and McConnell’s threats, I say let them not raise the debt limit and own the consequences. You can’t negotiate with hostage takers. Nor should you try.
...now I try to be amused
Nice speech. I didn’t know Truman used the word “reactionaries” (a favorite of mine) on the stump. The speech also shows how Democrats can campaign for their party, not just for themselves.
Stuck in the Funhouse
So xa nax is a forbidden word. I learned something new today.
Napoleon
A week or so ago I saw a comparison of the “do nothing Congresses” amount of work they got done and its calender compared to the current one and it wasn’t even close at how much less the current Congress has done.
redshirt
Like it matters! Republicans know the game. Do one thing, say something else, and rest assure the MSM will carry your water to the end.
It’s all a sucker’s game.
Ash Can
David Brooks must have been exposed early in his life to something Harry Truman said, and it scarred him for life.
geg6
@Napoleon:
I saw that, too. The House Teahadists are quite simply nihilists. I am no fan of Nietzsche, but when he describes nihilists, his description couldn’t be more spot on as to who these people are.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
It would be nice to see the Democrats campaign together, rather than so many of the Congresspeople run from Obama.
geg6
@Ash Can:
It was, obviously, Truman’s ESPN masculinity when he said “The buck stops here.” Apparently, that ESPN-style of restrained but hypercompetitive, post-feminist but traditional masculinity is deeply skeery to GOPers.
Ash Can
@sherparick: I think that’s awesome — the inmates are running the GOP asylum, and they’re dragging the Congressional “leaders” along like a NASCAR racer pulling a Radio Flyer wagon. And now they’re poised to repeat that national disgrace practically on the eve of a general election, and nothing can dissuade them, because the gods of the free market demand their blood sacrifices and must be appeased. Bring it on.
geg6
OT, but I can’t believe that I’m having the same problem so many other BJers complain about and that I usually laugh at when they do.
An old sort-of friend from high school is on my FB page, making stupid “Obummer” remarks and such. I have nicely told him to stuff it with the juvenile insults as it is not very attractive in people people over 50. I also told him if he’d like to debate about actual facts and policies to bring it. Wonder if he’ll take up the challenge? Sure hope my actual real buddy from high school decides to chime in. He’s the senior counsel for the Democratic caucus in the PA House. He’s much better at staying unemotional with assholes like this than I am.
Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937
History certainly does keep repeating itself.Isn’t about time to repeal Taft-Hartley?
SW
I’m hoping that he is working his way up to it. But he should clearly be running against the House and obstruction in the Senate. Sabotage. Come right out and say it. These people have been intentionally sabotaging the economy by conspiring to lay off teachers and police and firefighters, your neighbors and friends while we have been trying to get the economy growing again. It is that simply and we have the Ross Perot style charts to prove it. Then just give ’em hell.
Suffern ACE
@Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937: I was going to mention that. Truman sold us out!
cat48
I don’t get this actually. Geithner thinks they can make it at Treasury until January 2013 without a debt ceiling lift. Why is Boner acting like it must be done now? How are they going to get Dems to even care right now? Their crazy. Maybe it’s b/c Mitt is talking debt on the trail so they want to create another fake debt crisis?? Curious.. Chuck Toddler is all excited b/c it’s happening in the middle of a presidential election. Whatever??
Stuck in the Funhouse
@cat48:
My guess is, after the several months of self inflicted wounds over the goopers insane attacks on women’s health issues, and in general, Boehner is trying to change the subject away from ‘the war on women’ ‘war of gays’, etc….
It is economic issues the peeps are concerned with, not social issues this go around. The fact that John is fact free on the need for a debt ceiling increase, is par for them.
Personally, I don’t believe the wingnuts when they tell the truth.
geg6
@cat48:
Yeah, I don’t quite get it either. I have no idea why the Teahadists think another debt ceiling fight is a winning strategy for winning in November. But they apparently are sure that it’s true. No way it’s gonna happen before the election. No way.
J R
@Stuck in the Funhouse:
Sure, anything they sell with spam is on the list, that’s how they try to keep spam off the blogs…
cat48
Maybe they have debt ceiling & continuing resolution to fund the govt. confused? I think that runs out in Sept. There could be a shutdown, but that’s easy for Obama to survive if he messages it correctly & appears busy. Shouldn’t be a problem for him as he can trash talk the gop the entire time we’re down.
Gex
Unfortunately the Democratic party is vastly different than it was in Truman’s day.
Peter
@Stuck in the Funhouse: Because the debt ceiling worked out so well for them last time. What a bunch of fucking clowns.
Bulworth
All I know is, the debt is horrifically bad, government spending is out of control, taxes can never be raised on anyone, ever, and our gargantuan defense budget can never be cut, ever, and when are we going to bomb/invade/liberate Iran?
Suffern ACE
@cat48: Yes, chuck. A government shutdown now is like 10 times more delicious! It adds drama, something that’s been missing in my life lately
Gex
@geg6: You really should have to have an emotional maturity at or above 18 year old levels in order to vote, not just be 18 or older.
Suffern ACE
@Bulworth: You’re out of step. We’re going to be bombing Iran and insisting that the Iraqis let us back I. And getting even with those Soviets for collapsing 20 years ago without letting us bomb them first.
Swishalicious
Barack could stand to take a few pages out of Harry’s book: give ’em Hell!
Linda Featheringill
@Stuck in the Funhouse: #8
Try alprazolam if it’s important.
Stuck in the Funhouse
@Gex:
In Truman’s day, the dem party was full of the same racist shitheads, that now pretty much all of them are in the GOP. The country took the conservative bait in 1980, and voters kept putting the wingers in power, that spawned the rise of DLC republican light democrats. They are going the way of the Dodo, and not a day to soon. With democrats starting to sound like what they were created for, to take care of the working class and poor. Listen to Obama speak on the stump, it ain’t all that different than Harry Truman, back in the day. And democrats are largely free of the toxic Dixiecrat factor, with the GOP providing a home for them. It will take some time to turn things around in actual policy, but the repubs have largely lost their mojo with voters on policy, except in the most base tribal way.
Sly
@Gex:
A Democratic Party with Ben Nelson and Joe Manchin is infinitely superior to a Democratic Party with Strom Thurmond and James Eastland.
Forum Transmitted Disease
Anyone else notice the obvious?
Where’s Cantor in all this? He’s the real shot caller.
Unsympathetic
Medical examiner in Florida found that the only wounds on Trayvon Martin’s body were the fatal wound and.. broken skin on his knuckles.
Medical records show Zimmerman had 2 black eyes, a broken nose, and wounds on the back of his head.
Translation: Trayvon Martin was, in fact, beating on Zimmerman.
Self-defense. The Hispanic walks.
Racism has nothing to do with it: This is a clean shoot, because once they start fighting, all other issues fade away — if Zimmerman can’t leave because he’s been mounted MMA-style, he’s 100% justified.
...now I try to be amused
@cat48:
Red meat for the Tea Party? Red meat for the Tea Party caucus in Congress? I swear, those whiners demand to be pandered to like voters.
Redshift
@cat48: From the stuff I’ve read on TPM, they’re talking about doing it in December, in the lame duck session. Geithner apparently thinks it won’t be necessary until January, which has the advantage of allowing them to campaign on “if you elect a Democratic congress, this disaster won’t happen.” But Boehner and the wingnuts seem to think that *talking* about it before the election will be *good* for them.
Napoleon
@Sly:
And Stennis, and Russell, and . . .
handsmile
Mistermix:
The answer to your question here would seem to lie in your thread yesterday, “Norm.” The inability of Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, two longstanding Village elders, to develop a broader media audience for their conclusive demonstration of GOP congressional obstructionism signals how futile, perhaps even detrimental, such efforts would be.
“Frank and forthright” is translated by today’s Village scribes as “shrill and divisive.” Should Obama adopt Truman’s rhetoric on this “do-nothing Congress,” they would choose only whether to describe him as “hyperpartisan” or “dictatorial.” And also black.
flukebucket
@Unsympathetic: And if Stand Your Ground laws permit any lunatic that so desires to wander around in the neighborhood with a loaded weapon and pick fights with folks they deem as “suspicious” it should be stricken from every book in the Union until somebody has time to figure out what the hell is going on.
As tragic as the death of Martin is I do get some comfort in knowing that he was pounding the hell out of that idiot before he was shot.
Now we know why Zimmerman packs heat. A little girl could probably whip his ass.
Napoleon
@Redshift:
Plus then it gives them the opportunity to be fake deficit hawks in advance of the Bush tax cuts which they will fight tooth and nail to extend and expose them to being the fake deficit hawks that they are. The timing is 100% about that IMO.
Think how it would play if they throw a fit about extending the Bush cuts than once they expire (if that is what happens) they throw a fit about the debt limit. Then imagine the Republicans in the opposite situation.
Stuck in the Funhouse
And people forget. The neo cons aligned with the GOP were direct descendents of democratic red menace cold warriors, often agitating for hotter little wars to wage by proxy against the Soviet Union. Kristol, Wolfowitz, and a number of others, were fixtures in the democratic party, dutiful servants to guru neo con democrat Scoop Jackson.
Stuck in the Funhouse
OT
How to stop worrying, and learn to love your Citizens United.
The real Obama opponent in this election is shaping up to be none other than Karl Rove, with Mitt Romney occupying a suit that emits meaningless noise when its string is pulled.
All for show by your right wing puppet masters.
Clime Acts
@Unsympathetic:
You cannot say this here. Facts and evidence are irrelevant at BJ, regarding the Trayvon Martin matter. Zimmerman is guilty of murder, period, “full stop.” Cole said so.
ETA: It will be entertaining to read how ABL twists these new facts into…something unrecognizable but comforting to her worldview.
Clime Acts
Obama will never give a speech this specific and name checking.
To do so would be unbipartisan.
catclub
@Sly: “A Democratic Party with Ben Nelson and Joe Manchin is infinitely superior to a Democratic Party with Strom Thurmond and James Eastland.”
Infinity is a long way. How about ‘notably’?
J R
@Sly:
Joe Manchin, not so much. An ex-commissioner of the WV Department of Env. Protection has an op-ed today about how Uncle Joe sold out to the coal companies, and that’s putting it mildly!
Manchin is a terrible specimen of humanity, with no redeeming parts. He’s more of a republican than lots of republicans, lots of ’em.
So don’t go there, that’s all. Just don’t
flukebucket
@Clime Acts: Zimmerman would be safer in jail. That is only one of the reasons I hope he does walk.
J R
@Clime Acts:
Martin was defending himself from a threatening stalker who turned out to be armed and deadly.
George Z. was a threatening stalker. Following someone around, muttering into you cell phone, very threatening behavior, I would have reacted badly and I’m an old man.
I hope George at least loses his carry permit, he’s obviously too immature to have one.
tbunny
Nice speech. I think Obama might have a few like that in him. He looks feisty to me.
Judas Escargot, Your Postmodern Neighbor
@Gex:
Truman had strong unions and other blue-collar support backing him up. Fighters, basically. Who bothered to show up to vote for their own long-term interests.
The Dems lost most of that demographic to the GOP 30+ years ago. The GOP rewarded them for it by destroying the unions, depressing their wages, and doing nothing as their jobs got shipped overseas. And much of that demo (at least the over 40s) blames the Democrats for all of it, and will vote for Mittens.
At some point, I just stopped caring about these people.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us? (formerly MarkJ)
@handsmile: I dunno. The press likes nothing more than a fight, where they get to mediate by asking both sides for their response. Part of me thinks if Obama came out tough, progressive, and combative, Boehner et all would be facing a never-ending stream of questions about their reactions to his accusations, to which they’ll have no good answers.
Unsympathetic
JR:
1) Location
The fight took place in the yard of Zimmerman’s apartment complex.
He walked outside his front door and there was the teenage boxer named Trayvon Martin looking around in the rain.
How, exactly, is Zimmerman a stalker? Do you realize that he walked all of TEN YARDS from his front door?
2) Threatening
Zimmerman is over 30, short, and fat. Trayvon was over 6 feet tall, and trained multiple times a week as a boxer.
The only person feeling threatened was Zimmerman, not Trayvon.
3) There were eight felony grand theft burglaries in the last 14 months in Zimmerman’s apartment complex.
Z is justifiably worried about unknown people at night wandering around in the rain aimlessly. If anyone is actually being threatening, it’s Martin.
4) The convenience store
All convenience stores have closed-circuit camera. If Martin was “on his way back from the store,” let’s see the camera footage to verify the story.
The following is the address from the police report – 2381 Retreat View Cir Sanford, FL 32771
This is an issue because the nearest convenience store is not close. Note that the nearest highway is not accessible by foot, you have to walk around. And it was raining at the time.
So what convenience store did Trayvon Martin visit?
5) Still waiting for an explanation of how anyone can actually accuse Zimmerman of being a Hispanic racist.. and explain away Zimmerman’s very public defense of Sherman Ware, the black homeless man beaten to death by the white son of a Sanford policeman.
Mnemosyne
@Unsympathetic:
Given that Stand Your Ground in Florida allows you to chase someone down, stab them to death, steal the bag of car radios in their hand, and sell those radios yourself without ever bothering to call the police, I’m pretty sure Zimmerman is going to get off.
Why you think that it’s a good thing that you can pretty much kill anyone you want in Florida and walk free as long as you claim it was “self-defense,” I’m not really sure.
Mnemosyne
@Unsympathetic:
You do realize that Zimmerman himself claims that he was following Martin in his car, right? Now the claim is that Zimmerman was never in his car at all but was peacefully standing in his own front yard the whole time?
Judas Escargot, Your Postmodern Neighbor
@Clime Acts:
So If I punch you, you get to shoot me?
So much for appropriate use of force.
Ash Can
@Unsympathetic: Good fucking grief, you’re delusional.
catclub
@Mnemosyne: “Why you think that it’s a good thing that you can pretty much kill anyone you want in Florida and walk free as long as you claim it was “self-defense,” I’m not really sure.”
Back door prison reform? Population control?
liberal
@Clime Acts:
Even if Zimmerman was being beat up, all the evidence points to him assaulting Martin, not vice versa. Meaning, all the evidence is that Zimmerman accosted Martin in a threatening manner. Given that Martin didn’t have lethal force to show Zimmerman, in a sane world, it’d be, minimally, a slam-dunk manslaughter conviction.
liberal
@Mnemosyne:
Yep, FL has pretty much legalized homocide. What a shithole.
Unsympathetic
@liberal:
Wrong.
“The evidence” shows that Zimmerman has 2 black eyes, a broken nose, and blood from the back of his head. Trayvon had nothing other than bruises on his fists.
That’s the evidence.
In a sane world, that’s a slam-dunk acquittal of Zimmerman.
“Zimmerman himself claims” – Mnemosyne, please show a link including Zimmerman’s statement. A FoxNews link asserting the same is not Zimmerman saying anything.
liberal: Doesn’t matter who started the fight. Legally, all you get to do is end the threat. Trayvon Martin punched out Zimmerman – ending the threat – and then started ground-and-pounding him.. that’s felony assault, and a slam-dunk acquittal. If Martin had just punched Zimmerman and walked away, Martin is fine. However, that didn’t happen.
liberal
No, actually, all the available evidence is that Zimmerman pursued a confrontation with Martin. There’s zero evidence that he ever attempted to retreat, or that he retreated and then Martin doubled back and sucker-punched him.
If you want to be an apologist for a law that (a) essentially legalizes homocide, (b) appears to be enforced with racist and misogynistic biases, go ahead. Just don’t pretend otherwise.
Clime Acts
@flukebucket:
Hmmm…so you’re ok with him being murdered in retaliation for something you like to believe he did but which he may not have done.
Nice.
Clime Acts
@Unsympathetic:
Most BJ’ers are not concerned with waiting to find out what actually happened. The Trayvon as a martyr narrative has already been established and is much more comforting.
Mnemosyne
@Unsympathetic:
Here’s the 911 call.
So your claim is that Zimmerman lied to the 911 dispatcher and was not, in fact, in his truck following Martin? Instead, he was making the call from his front yard and claimed to be in his truck?
Mnemosyne
@Unsympathetic:
This is true — in Florida, if you kill your ex-wife’s boyfriend inside his own home, you get off scott-free. If you fire a warning shot into the ceiling instead of killing your attacker, you get 20 years in prison.
Why you think it’s a good idea to encourage citizens to kill each other because otherwise they could go to jail for 20 years is a whole different question.
Clime Acts
@Mnemosyne:
Memn, off on another irrelevant tangent of ravings and links, oh my!
How about waiting for all the evidence to accumulate in court and then decide what you think happened?
I know, it’s a hard concept to work with, but you can do it.
AA+ Bonds
I think it’s pretty fuckin sweet that Zimmerman got his ass kicked
On this I have been 100% consistent
AA+ Bonds
I think we should probably all hope and pray that when a brownshirt assaults us we each have the courage to fuck him up as much as possible
I know I’ve been posting this since the story first showed up at BJ but one of these days it will be a life-or-death situation for one of you, just like it was for Trayvon
Clime Acts
@AA+ Bonds:
Why do you feel that way?
AA+ Bonds
@Clime Acts:
Because I know right from wrong, but I will acknowledge that a good grasp of history doesn’t hurt
AA+ Bonds
The only real problem here is that Trayvon had to give Zimmerman a black eye because the neighbors didn’t have the balls to step out and do it themselves whenever Zimmerman showed up on their property at any point
Or because the cops didn’t have the balls to make him sleep off all his frivolous/harassing reports while locked up in a cell for a night
Proper cultivation of common interest would have put Zimmerman off the idea that he was defending his neighborhood a long time ago
Instead, we had to wait for one of his victims to turn on him, and God bless Trayvon Martin for that
Mnemosyne
@Clime Acts:
Your new best friend is the one claiming that Zimmerman lied on his 911 call and wasn’t actually in his truck and specifically asked for a link from me. Perhaps you need to work on your reading comprehension since you seem to have trouble following the conversation in the threads and understanding what people are replying to.
AA+ Bonds
Pretty easy to see: remove George Zimmerman and a kid walks home with his iced tea and drinks it and goes to bed
Add George Zimmerman back in there, and the kid is dead, and also Mini-Röhm there gets his face bruised
(a huuu huu huuu, excuse me, let me wipe my tears for Zimmerman’s suffering with the paper records of how he harassed every black man he saw on the street)
It was only a matter of time before something like this happened, as long as Zimmerman was allowed to waddle around an already-policed area exercising extralegal authority like the KKK, or some incredibly dumbshit imitation of Wyatt Earp
The neighbors and the cops have blood on their hands too and I hope no one forgets that
Clime Acts
@Mnemosyne:
In reply I merely repeat myself:
Clime Acts
@AA+ Bonds:
wow…so you were an eyewitness to all of this?
AA+ Bonds
Of course the nastiest part of the American South has worked on this narrative for centuries:
1) Commit wanton crimes against black people with impunity
2) Black person fights back
3) Murder black person in the dead of night
4) Turn to other Kluxers, blood dripping from hands, and say: “what you have only dreamed about, I have done; defend your brother in his time of need”
AA+ Bonds
@Clime Acts:
save the bait for the fish, kid
AA+ Bonds
Look I am sure that after all the facts come out we will be able to discern the important issues
Like whether Trayvon Martin was wearing a psychokinetic mind control belt that dragged Deputy Dawg huffing and puffing his fat ass down the street to either attack (assault) or detain (kidnap) a 17-year-old kid, while simultaneously convincing said Deputy Dawg that he was doing so of his own accord after being told not to by a 911 operator (and, y’know, the law and moral sense and common sense and all that uncomfortable business)
El Cid
Here’s Ronald Reagan doing a radio commercial for the International Ladies and Garment Workers Unions to re-elect Harry Truman against the Republican do-nothing Congress, that same election.
This was merely two generations before Ronald Reagan ascended into Heaven and governed at the right hand of God the Free (For the Right People) Market Father.
Clime Acts
@AA+ Bonds:
I see.
Regardless of the facts of this case, it is important that Zimmerman suffer for the past deeds of all racists everywhere.
Which is of course simply a mirror image of the insane racist lynching you chronicle here.
Self aware much?
gene108
@Gex:
It’s not unfortunate. Driving out racists like Strom Thurmond was not a bad thing.
Death Panel Truck
You’re missing the point entirely. Gex is not talking about the composition of the party, but its focus. Back then Democrats were more or less populists; today they’re largely corporatists.