POLITICO carried a report today titled "New York Sen. Chuck Schumer schemes to hit GOP on more wedge issues." This article articulates in very clear and unambiguous terms what is wrong with the political process in this country. Here are some excerpts from the article:
"New York Sen. Chuck Schumer believes he has found a political weapon in the unlikeliest of places: the Violence Against Women Act. Republicans have several objections to the legislation, but instead of making changes, Schumer wants to fast track the bill to the floor, let the GOP block it, then allow Democrats to accuse Republicans of waging a 'war against women.'”
"It’s fodder for a campaign ad, and it’s not the only potential 30-second spot ready to spring from Senate leadership these days."
"Schumer has a plan for painting Republicans as anti-immigrant as well. He’s called the author of the Arizona immigration law to testify before his Judiciary subcommittee, bringing Capitol Hill attention to an issue that’s still front and center for Hispanic voters.
"None of these campaign-style attacks allow for the policy nuances or reasoning behind the GOP’s opposition, and some of the bills stand no chance of becoming law."
"But that’s not really the point."
"The real push behind this effort is to give Democrats reasons to portray Republicans as anti-women, anti-Latino and anti-middle class. In the aftermath of a fight over a payroll tax cut for American workers and an Obama contraception policy, Democrats are ready for this next set of wedge issues."
“If a party chooses to alienate the fastest-growing group of people in the country [Latinos] and the majority of people in the country, women, they do so at their peril,” Schumer said Wednesday. “This is an important issue.”
The article specifies that Schumer is the "Democrats chief policy and messaging guru."
Wikipedia defines politics as the "process by which groups of people make collective decisions." Don't we hire people like Schumer, through the elective process, to engage in politics with the goal of finding long-term solutions to our Nation's problems? Please show me any where in these excerpts that Schumer is engaging in the process for the good of the American people.
He acknowledges that immigration "is an important issue." But, why is it important? "The real push behind this effort is to give Democrats reasons to portray Republicans as anti-women, anti-Latino and anti-middle class." Through carefully crafted messaging the issue can be exploited for political gain helping Democratic candidates beat their Republican opponents this fall. Why is that important? Because Democrats want to maintain their majority in the Senate. Why is that important? Because it would enable Democratic leaders in the Senate, like Schumer, to maintain their hold on power. As the "chief policy and messaging guru" for the Democratic Party, he plays an integral role in achieving that objective.
It is illustrative to highlight specific points from the excerpts:
- "Schumer believes he has found a political weapon"
- "Republicans have several objections to the legislation, but instead of making changes, Schumer wants to fast track the bill to the floor, let the GOP block it, then allow Democrats to accuse Republicans of waging a 'war against women.'”
- bills stand no chance of becoming law
- The real push behind this effort is to give Democrats reasons to portray Republicans as anti-women, anti-Latino and anti-middle class.
Schumer wasn't going to make changes to the bill! Does that sound like politics with the interests of the Nation in mind?
Who benefits from this corruption of the political process? Career politicians who are empowered to pursue their long careers in "public service." They win and ultimately we loose.
The POLITICO article highlights how Democrats conduct politics. There is plenty of evidence that Republicans engage in the same corrupt practices.
The article can be found at POLITICO.com:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74041.html
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