Daily Kos' Marcos Moulitsas Asked to Recant

As you might have heard on the DemocracyNow! daily program, "progressive" blogger Marcos Moulitsas blasted Congressman Dennis Kucinich's principled position on healthcare.

MARKOS MOULITSAS: [I’m going to hold] people like Dennis Kucinich responsible for the 40,000 Americans that die each year from a lack of healthcare. And I don’t care if you’re a Republican or you’re a conservative Democrat or you’re somebody like Dennis Kucinich. The fact is, this does a heck of a lot for a lot of people. And like I said, it’s not perfect, it definitely needs to be improved, but it’s a first step. And God knows, it’s taken us a long time to even get our toe in the door, given the corporate interests that are arrayed against any kind of real reform. So I think this is a first step. It’s definitely not the end of the path. It’s not the ideal solution. But we are—our foot’s in the door. And if somebody like Kucinich wants to block that, I find that completely reprehensible.


And he’s elected, not to run for president, which he seems to do every four years. He’s not elected to grandstand and to—and to give us this ideal utopian society. He’s elected to represent the people of his district, and he’s not representing the uninsured constituents in his district by pretending to take the high ground here. What he’s doing, he’s undermining this reform. He’s making common cause with the Republicans. And I think that’s a perfect excuse and a rationale for a primary challenge.

Rep. Kucinich explained his steady principled position, explained that he has not been intransigent and had struck compromises throughout the process. Without showing any angst toward Marcos Moulitsas, and in his steady way, Kucinich explained that the ball remains in play and that tactics are involved that Moulitsas appears not to have considered:

I have a responsibility to take a stand here on behalf of those who want a public option. There’s about thirty-four members of the Senate, at least, who have signed on to saying they support a public option.

If I were to just concede right now and say, “Well, you know, whatever you want. All this pressure’s building. Just forget about it,” actually weakens every last-minute bit of negotiations that would try to improve the bill.

I hope you'll join me in telling Marcos M. of the Daily KOS that you support Kucinch's principled position. Here's what I had to say:

I'd like to register my solidarity with Rep. Dennis Kucinich in his principled stance on healthcare reform. He has enough pressures from the corporate wing of the Democratic Party that he doesn't need to receive it from Marcos Moulitsas.

From a strategic standpoint, we need Kucinich to stand on the end of the lever during these final days and weeks of negotiation.

I think it would be a good tactic for Marocos to publicly recant what he said about Kucinich. It would keep the issue alive, and maybe we'll get something other than a huge stream of dollars to the insurance industry that they will use to lock in the status quo.

For Your Convenience:

• Contact the Daily KOS
  
• Contact the US Senate
  
• Contact the House of Representatives

Sources:

Thanks to GLH Blog for nudging me to post this.

DemocracyNow!, "Rep. Dennis Kucinich Takes on Democratic Leaders with Insistence on Public Option, Call for Afghan Withdrawal", March 11, 2010.

HR 333 Impeach Dick Cheney

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Congressman Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney provide a focal point for citizens to express their views about the corrupt Bush regime.

A Paraphrased Synopsis of the Articles of Impeachment

The articles of impeachment contend that each of Cheney's actions have undermined the national security of the United States.

Article 1 - False Claims of Iraqi WMD: Cheney purposefully manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the US Armed Forces against Iraq.

Article 2 - False Claims of al Qaeda Connection to Iraq: Cheney purposefully manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda to justify the use of the US Armed Forces against Iraq.

Article 3 - Threats of Aggression Against Iran: Cheney has violated his constitutional oath by openly threatening aggression against Iran absent any real threat to the United States.

To see the entire Articles of Impeachment and supporting Documentation CLICK HERE

The Court of Public Opinion Rules Impeachment

You might find some counter-points to right-wing talking points to be helpful:

1. "The threshold for impeachment is high." Not True. Laws need not be violated in order to justify impeachment. Do the actions undermine the government's credibility? Has the official failed to carry out constitutionally mandated duties? Does the American public want the official removed? That is sufficient to meet the threshold.

2. "Bush's term in office is nearly over." This is less about expelling Cheney from Office than it is about accountability. A citizen-based impeachment movement helps maintain the integrity of our country's principles, and deter abuses of future leaders.

3. "Impeachment would be a distraction of Congress." Bush and Cheney's abuses are so extreme that impeachment is warranted despite the distraction it would cause.

4. "Impeachment is inappropriate when our Nation is at war." The US is engaged in a chosen war of aggression in Iraq, founded on false pretenses, which are part of the charges against Bush and Cheney. The Bush administration has created an Orwellian war stance to boost their executive power. The "time-of-war" argument has no credibility in this case.

Flex Your Citizen Muscles:

It's vital to create "buzz" in the halls of Congress and the corporate media editorial board rooms. The links below facilitate your involvement in doing that.

Media Contacts

Contact the US House of Representatives

Contact the US Senate

H.R. 333, House Resolution 333