Fighting Liberal Terrorism
Yeah, forget a struggling economy, higher gas prices, healthcare, crime, etc., to the liberal elite it's the possibility that Bush might be listening in on your phone while you speak to mom that Americans need to be really worried about. What idiots.Former congressman Harold Ford was billed as a sheep amidst the wolves when he was booked for an appearance at the Netroots Nation conference here in Austin. And while for the most part the DLC head and self-described 'centrist' Democrat received a cordial welcome among the progressive audience, there were a scattering of hisses, boos, and the occasionally unruly heckle during his discussion of FISA, Obama and Democratic politics more broadly.
Appearing alongside DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas - in what has become a series of appearances for the two since they butted heads during a Meet the Press appearance last year - Ford pushed back against the notion that Obama had abandoned the netroots on the FISA fight.
"Many of the candidates that people in this room drew national attention to voted yes for FISA including Jim Webb and Claire McCaskill," he said, "as did 20 of the 30 red-to-blue candidates that were highlighted by the netroots."
For that argument, he was received with some sympathy. But the crowd wasn't too cordial later on when Ford discussed, among other things, his time as a pundit on Fox News.
"I used to work for Fox News. I no longer am there," he said after an audience member, during the Q&A session, accused him of smearing Democrats and echoing right-wing talking points. "I have great, great respect and admiration for my former colleagues there..."
Some in the crowd were incredulous, hissing Ford, asking (err... screaming) "why and who," and offering a scattering of boos.
"One top liberal blogger opined last week that Obama's drop in a recent Newsweek poll resulted from his vote for a compromise on FISA, the intelligence surveillance law.
Ridiculous: The average American voter can't describe what FISA is.
Meanwhile, a virtual mutiny is taking place on Obama's campaign Web site, which is swamped with angry complaints that Obama has sold out his "base."
Newsflash to the netroots and the media (which seems perpetually confused on this issue): The netroots are not the base of the Democratic Party.
Overwhelmingly white, male and highly educated, they're a loud anomaly in a party that's wholly dependent on the votes of African Americans, women and working-class whites.
And every poll in existence confirms that what the folks in the party's actual base care about is the economy and the Iraq war."
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