Senator Wyden Attacked For Actually Trying To Get Stuff Done, Rather Than Playing Partisan Politics
from the why-congress-has-such-a-low-approval-rating dept
We've written a lot about Senator Ron Wyden around here, mainly for his roles in pushing back against government surveillance efforts as well as his strong leadership in preventing bad internet regulations. But, it seems that he's becoming a target within his own party. We'd already noted that with SOPA/PIPA, unfortunately, it seemed like many Democrats (Wyden's party) were planning to stick with the bill, while it was the Republicans who had moved against it. So, despite Wyden's leadership on the issue, his own party had abandoned him. Now, Politico is running a piece that seems like something of a hit piece on Wyden for daring to work with Republican Paul Ryan on Medicare reform -- trying to work out a reasonable compromise that would give seniors more choices (something that seems like it might be a reasonable idea). But in a world of partisan politics, this is a problem. And it's not a problem because the idea is bad... but because it makes it harder for Democrats to attack Ryan. It all comes back to partisanship over actually making the government run better. Seriously. Nowhere does the article discuss whether or not the plans make sense... just the fact that Dems wanted to bash the Republicans over this plan, and it's more difficult now:Though Democrats still have every intention of slamming Republicans who backed Ryan’s earlier plan, there’s sentiment in both parties that Wyden’s latest move gives the GOP at least some cover.From there, the article also suggests that Wyden's efforts on SOPA/PIPA were similarly traitorous to Democrats, because (oh gosh!) he worked with Rep. Darrell Issa on SOPA/PIPA:
“It neutralizes the weapon,” Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in an interview.
As if that weren’t enough, Wyden also teamed up with another favorite Democratic whipping boy, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), to tear up a carefully scripted anti-piracy bill backed by one of the Democratic party’s most loyal constituencies: Hollywood.Of course, Politico's narrative doesn't work as well if you follow the real timeline -- which was that Wyden was working against these bills way before Issa realized there was a problem with them. The two did team up, eventually, but not to mess up Democratic partisan politics -- but to stop a really bad bill.
This seems like a quintessential example of the kind of inside baseball reporting that commentators like Jay Rosen complain about all the time. It's reporting on politics like it's a horse race, and the most important thing is which party is winning -- not what they're actually doing.
In fact, if you want to put the Politico article in context, I would suggest first reading this Bloomberg piece from a few months ago about Senator Wyden, called, Ron Wyden, Senator From Planet Where Congress Works. That article shows a Senator who isn't focused on playing to what the party wants, but on actually getting important stuff done.
And I think most of us agree that, when it came to SOPA/PIPA, stopping those awful bills was a lot more important than some partisan politics. It's pretty ridiculous to then use that as an example of how he's messing up the game plan for Democrats. Perhaps the real lesson is that the Democrats have the wrong game plan. Millions of people lined up behind Wyden and against PIPA and SOPA. It had nothing to do with partisan politics and everything to do with what was the right thing to do. The reason why everyone hates Congress these days is because they're all focused on purely partisan politics and how much they can hurt "the other guy," rather than seeing if they can actually do something useful. That Wyden is attacked because he's trying to do something useful (and ignoring the partisan gamesmanship in the process) seems pretty pathetic.
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Filed Under: partisan politics, politics, ron wyden
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Further compounding things is the tendency by a lot of people to assume that if you support policy A which is favored by party B, you must automatically support all of the OTHER policies supported by party B. Unfortunately, that dumps us all back in the "us vs them" mindset and ends up with no forward progress.
To me, this is why the people of Oregon should count their blessings that instead of a farm animal (sheep), they've elected an actual human being in Ron Wyden and should continue to support him in his efforts to get this country back on track. If the housing market in my area was better, I'd even consider moving there just to vote for him myself.
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I think it also represents a disconnect in the Democratic Party. There are a lot of liberals in Oregon who are against the political influence of Hollywood as much as Wall Street.
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Just to further add to the evidence that our political system is sick but has potential to mend, I'm currently assisting with a course at the University of Oregon called Internet, Society, and Philosophy and on Jan 20 our Congressional representative, Peter DeFazio, visited the course to discuss SOPA/intellectual property issues. Our local paper highlighted the applause Defazio received, "for noting wryly that unlike some of his colleagues, he has the 'unfortunate habit' of reading bills before deciding whether to support them." I really believe that if we, the Internet, continue to act to support politicians and causes with integrity we can make some concrete change.
Oh Politico. I've had so much faith in you!
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Don't compare Medicare with SOPA
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two ring poop hoops
If the people lead then the leaders will have to follow.
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Parties?
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Re: Parties?
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Dump Political Parties Altogether
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Re: Dump Political Parties Altogether
You can't just restrict speech of organizations like that. Otherwise Wikipedia would not have been able to do its blackout - that was political speech right there.
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Re: Re: Dump Political Parties Altogether
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Of course...
"Gentlemen, we've got to protect our phony baloney jobs! HARUMPF! HARUMPF!"
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I'm sorry you haven't managed to push so far that corporations get votes yet. I suggest you decide the people maybe are the reason your there and when you start screwing us over for the big guys your just making sure it will not matter how much money they give you, we'll vote you out.
We'll get more of the same do nothing politics where 2 groups play chicken with everyone elses lives, but you will be tossed out and you won't have time to magically double your personal wealth while in office.
In closing, DIAFIRL, you attacking what appears to be the only Democrat who thinks people matter more than pocketing contributions and other favors really highlights how corrupt and petty you fools are... and I guess that makes us the bigger fools for thinking you cared about us silly little voters other than at election time.
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um
resistance is futile.
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Re: um
I will not go softly into the night.
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agreed..
I am a bonafide file sharing 'pirate'. I have been collecting HDDs and content for those past 12 years. now I have quite the media collection of over 12Tb of 'stuff', and I am quite content to revisit this library and forgo typical mainstream distribution channels, hell, I don't even own a television/cable/dish/streaming device anymore. I use my 52" LCD monitor as a television.
'the more you tighten your grip, the more systems will slip thru your grasp'...
when they stop actually stealing from the public domain, and shorten copywrong to a legitimate time span, I will continue my skullduggery ways as a trade off, and I sleep well at night.
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Re: um
NPR has a quote of King Georges diary every 4rth of July. The quote "Nothing much happened today".
Yes I know, it took a couple of months for him to find out what happened. On the other hand, look how long it is taking the status quo to find out what is happening now, and we have the Internet.
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They've had over 10 years and still pretend to be cute about "not understanding the internet" or wondering if anyone has "asked the nerds yet" (vs. "experts"). This is a classic case of "I'm-not-going-to-get-it-cause-I-don't-like-it", i.e. a two year olds tantrum, kicking and holding their breath until they turn blue.
Only 2 year olds grow up. Congress/Hollywood doesn't.
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The theory is that politicians are voted in by the people, and represent those same people. They do what is right for their constituents, and will get voted out if they do not.
The reality is that far too many politicians care only for their own political careers. They do whatever is needed to get into (or stay in) office, even if that means selling out. They listen to big companies and lobby groups, because those groups make a lot of "campaign contributions". They don't listen to regular people, unless there's enough of a movement to threaten their election chances.
It's selfish people in what should be a selfless role.
It's great to see politicians like Wyden out there, because at least he and his kind seem to remember that they represent the people. If only they were the majority, not a minority.
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DEMAND THEIR RESIGNATIONS!!!
Its bad enough fighting the super-rich and corporate interests built into the republican party, but now we have to do the same within our own???
To my parties leaders...SHUT THE **** UP, RESIGN, AND LEAVE A REAL LEADER LIKE SENETOR WYDEN ALONE!!!!!
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Re: DEMAND THEIR RESIGNATIONS!!!
Why does anyone? It would seem that it doesn't result in much that is good or even reasonable anymore. To concentrate dollars to support the party to enable party people to get elected to hold the party line and fight the *gasp* other party? What's the point of that? Just when do honest to goodness people people matter?
Besides the only thing they're really preventing is progress..on things like who gets to have babies when, who gets healthcare when, who gets married to whom, whose business gets support and whose idea of a supreme being has more influence.
Gosh, I think that a president, once elected should be cut off from party and made to be the "presidential" party by the mere fact of being one and their original party should field another. But then that couldn't earn the party more money now could it? I mean I get it, or I thought I did but, they're really blowing it and it's pretty far from getting any better any time soon.
Christ, the fucking POTUS can't seem to comment on something regarding "law" enforcement but can authorize an assassination of a US citizen. Yeah, that's good that.
The rule of law. WTF, what law? Law. A bit too selective these days that is. Fuck it, how about another? There are business that can't get along without them and law makers not getting paid by those businesses. This is critical stuff folks, the beginning of an era. Strap in.
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I wonder if Hollywood asked for their money back?
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I also thought that the head of the Executive Branch, which is in charge of law enforcement could not comment on a law enforcement issue. It's as if the White House petitions are asking for petitions about Congress, which the White House has no control over. "Ask me about their job so I can comment, but don't ask me about my job."
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Yes, Politico's writing and analysis is bad. Is that a surprise? Here's less incoherent attack on Wyden for this.
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If it didn't seem like a reasonable idea, it wouldn't be so dangerous. The problem is that empirically it's known that the economics of the healthcare industry doesn't behave much like the economics of practically any other industry, so ideas that sound reasonable based on your experience with other industries are not necessarily reasonable here.
This particular idea is horrible, and the fact that conservatives managed to trick Wyden into supporting it may help convince other moderates who respect Wyden to do the same.
Many of the Republicans in this debate are not arguing in good faith: they know quite well that their ultimate goal is to dismantle Medicare entirely (along with the rest of the "welfare state"), but can't do so directly because of how popular and successful Medicare is. Gullible moderates like Wyden do indeed give them "cover" for these plans.
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He's trying to work with the only people trying to solve that issue. Good for him
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A THOUSAND TIMES THIS!!!
Politics is no longer a matter of serving the public interest: it is more a game. Just like baseball, football (soccer or American style), cricket,etc.
Just. A. Fucking. Game.
Pathetic.
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"It's hard to believe a party could be so stupid" -- Frank Zappa
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A good politician?
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Arr, mates, this was a long time a comin'!
Between pushing for the Feds to say what their "secret interpretation" of the ill-named PATRIOT Act, and fighting SOPA and PIPA, he's as much as painted a target on the side of his sloop, and paraded it in front of a cannonade!
Nay, Wyden will not get re-elected, he'll be goin' on th' account next cycle! Welcome aboard, Ron!
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Democrats Are Playing 'Partisan' Politics?
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They will get shellacked again!
And I don't even like the Republicans, frak, I am screwed, there is no good people to put in place only full blown idiots all of them for which I have to decide on the least evil.
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Grandstanding!
GRANDSTANDING I SAY!!!
/troll
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Wyden is wrong on Medicare
Wyden is off the deep end on this one if he actually believes that the Paul Ryan, that would rather see America default on his loans that compromise with the President, is going to make serious compromises to improve Medicare. The plan Paul Ryan released ends Medicare, and now he has an overly trusting Dem saying he may be willing to end Medicare too.
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Ryan...
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at this point
THIS is the guy who should be president.
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Re: at this point
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re: Senator Wyden Attacked...
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