powerhouse

The Democrats, who were sent to office with a clear mandate last year, seem to forget who they should be representing – the majority that voted for them. Listening to talk radio I am starting to hear a lot of disgruntled Democratic constituents call in and voice their concern over the turn the health care debate has taken. Their message is simple – if they don’t get what they were promised on the campaign trail then they won’t vote again. That means all the work the Obama campaign did last year to get younger people involved in politics could be lost after only one election.

And this sentiment is limited to only the individuals. We are now seeing stronger pillars of the base air the same thing. Here’s the incoming president of the AFL-CIO saying that no public option would mean no support from the Democratic powerhouse that is the union.

I believe President Obama is making a grave error, one that George Bush made. He is putting to much faith in his political operatives. These people are the most powerful in Washington. They can get their own agenda pushed through by misguiding the President on public sentiment.

This same thing also happens in Congress. When we saw 2/3 of the public opposing the Iraq war, Republicans continued to say that the “people want us there”. They ignore public opinion, and I believe a lot of that comes from staffers pushing what they want.

Whenever you see Republican National Committee Chairman Ken
Mehlman giving an interview, you can be certain of one thing. At some point he
will work in a statement that the Democrats have no vision. This is no shock
from a product of the smearster himself – Karl Rove.

Today in a Senate committee hearing, Senator Byron Dorgan
introduced a amendment that will create a Truman style commission. The purpose
is to investigate waste, abuse and profiteering in the war. When Harry Truman
introduced legislation to form this committee in 1941, he did so as a Democrat
and while we had a Democrat in the White House. He realized the tendency of man,
being fueled by greed, to profit while others are giving their lives. The
committee was formed and the profiteering was found.

Unfortunately, our Republican Congress is more concerned
about political ties than the American people. This is not the first time the
issue has come up, and I am afraid it won’t be the last. Every time this issue
is brought to the table, it is defeated down party lines.

A few weeks back, the Democratic Policy Commission, chaired
by Senator Dorgan conducted a hearing into waste and abuse by Halliburton.
K.B.R. which is a subsidiary of Halliburton has the contract to feed our
soldiers. A former supervisor for K.B.R. testified about the overcharges his
company does to the tax payers. Even more troublesome was the testimony of how
food that is up to a year past its expiration date is being served to our
soldiers out there on the front lines.