Bill Speaks. You listen. (Marching orders for the new Congress.)

November 15, 2006 by lynnell

by Lynnell Mickelsen

Daily Kos' "Bill of Portland, Maine" offers the following marching orders to the new Democratic majority in Congress.

Stand up. Salute. And pass this on to your new representatives. Bill Speaks. You listen.

"Do the nation's bidding, not just the Democrats' and certainly not just your own (one Joe Lieberman is enough, thank you).

If I have to fork over a third of my income to you guys in taxes, I damn well expect you to be responsible with it. My broker doesn't take my money with the intent of building bridges to nowhere and neither should you.

I'm retiring in 23 years. I don't expect sweets and flowers but I do expect Social Security to be strong and non-privatized. Make it so and keep it so.

Silly flag-burning and gay marriage amendments are a waste of everyone's time. They are now off the table. A constitutional amendment establishing a permanent three-day weekend is back on the front burner.

Communicate with the netroots once in a while. Come to YearlyKos in August. Talk to us---we're a big ball of Democratic fusion (or is it fission? Whichever one doesn't make us literally explode, that's us) and we're here to help. That said, we will be watching and judging you based on spine, principle, talent and the swimsuit competition.

President Bush is not a moron---he just plays one on TV and in person. To put it diplomatically: when dealing with "43" "31 Percent," trust but verify. To put it less diplomatically: don't trust him ever.

The days of Republicans calling our side terrorist sympathizers are over. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can show you how to deliver a right hook to the jaw. If that's what it takes to stop this nonsense, so be it.

America's health care system is ranked lower than Cuba's. Fix that.

There is much Republican-fueled chicanery to investigate and many subpoenas to issue. Start with the war profiteers, the real traitors in our midst. Make them pay for putting their country club lifestyles ahead of our soldiers' lives.

You will memorize the following phrases and use them when the traditional media tries to push an inaccurate frame or outright lie about you or the Democratic agenda: "Where do you come up with this stuff?" "Prove it!" "Who said that?" "You've got to be kidding---is that what you really think?" "You want to step outside and tell me Democrats are weak?" You will not let the talking heads off the hook until they either prove their assertion or they admit they're full of bull. If the interviewer has been a total jerk, end the interview with, "Thanks for having me on. I hope next time we talk you'll do your homework first."

We understand that democracy is messy. We get that you're all jockeying for position and protecting your little fiefdoms---it goes with the territory. Just try and keep it a notch or two below Level Embarrassing, okay? If you're stooping, you're losing.

You promised to bring transparency and accountability back to Congress. Good. We the People are your boss and we pay your salary. We deserve to see what you're doing in our name.

For our men and women in uniform: 1) Body armor NOW. 2) Vehicle armor NOW. 3) Full funding of VA services NOW. 4) Unrelenting pressure on the president NOW to present his "plan" for getting us out of Iraq. (He, not you, is the Commander-in-Chief. This is his hot potato.) Our troops have been through---and continue to go through---hell. Let's reverse the Republican course and start showing "em some goddam respect.

You've got a helluva mix of seasoned veterans and new recruits with a golden opportunity that's been a long time coming. We don't expect you to be perfect. But we do expect you to be competent. Dear Lord, at least be that.

Sincerely,
---Bill in Portland Maine, American Pundit of Great Influence

Posted in

Lynnell's Blog

Lynnell,

It's very important that people in the Twin Cities concerned about domestic violence not let Rep. Mark Olson retain his seat in the Minnesota House (16b).

Steve Sviggum has said he will ask for Olson's resignation if Olson is found guilty. Olson has already admitted to "placing" his wife on the ground. His wife said he pushed her and the police said she had a "fresh bruise".

Please call and write your rep. in the MN House.

For more info and news aboout Mark Olson:

http://dumpmarkolson.blogspot.com/

Eighteen women in Minnesota have been killed this year as a result of domestic violence. I agree with anonymous that Mark Olson should hang on to his bible -- and lose his seat. We don't need to wait for a conviction on this one (don't hold your breath folks, real consequences for misdemeanor DV assaults aren't all that common) as Rep. Olson has admitted to grabbing his wife by the shoulders and "placing" her on the ground three times. Are we as a culture willing to tolerate this sort of behavior?
In a pitch-perfect letter, Jess McIntosh (DFL communications director) writes that Republican party chair Ron Carey need not apologize for Mark Olson. "Thatâ€™s between Rep. Olson, his wife, and God. It is not reflective of the Republican Party and not relevant to the political discourse."
Well, yes, and no. It's not relevant to the political discourse, although the dollop of hypocrisy does tend to take it in that direction.
But it is not just between Rep. Olson, his wife and God, which is akin to the old familiar line about domestic violence being a family matter. It's a crime, and charges have been filed, making it a matter between the state of Minnesota and Mark Olson -- former (we can hope) member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

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