June 19, 2007, Cravenness (cont'd)
And so House Speaker Pelosi had to intervene against two of her Democratic denizens (Reps. John Dingell and Rick Boucher, ["D"-Auto-Industry]), and killed their proposals to load up a House energy bill with wet-dreams-for-the-auto-industry, including such measures as pre-empting California's ability to regulate auto emissions on its own, a measure that has been extraordinarily helpful in reducing air pollution there and elsewhere, and which will be helpful in California efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Well, here we go again: if you want to help Detroit's real problems, free GM, Ford and Chrysler from their killling health care costs and pension obligations by replacing them with appropriate nationalized services in both areas. If Michigan's "Democrats" were worthy of the name... they would be out front on those issues, instead of trying to worsen the environment for all Americans (and indeed, all humans).
Again, I'd have less of a problem if Republicans were doing this sort of thing: being shills and stooges of industry is, after all, their racket. But if Democrats behave exactly the same way (because all politix is local, and their politix is dependent on their local contributions and support from local industry, damn the bigger consequences... then what exactly do we need them for?
Honestly-- where are the primary challengers for Reps. Dingell and Boucher (or for that matter, Sens. Stabenow and Levin), who basically have said that they value the next few quarters of auto industry profits (as if they had any!) more than, well, the continuation of civilization as we know it (and that's barely an oversimplification). Why is it that Joe Lieberman, as loathesome as he is, got stuck with a serious primary challenge (albeit from an ultimately lightweight challenger-- though one with a personal fortune, which Democrats are always too enamored of)... whereas these auto-industry-shills get a pass for their heresies?
Obviously, there is something wrong with how our elections are financed-- because office holders appear obsessed with financing their reelection bids rather than with overall policy interests, and the interests of their broader constituents as opposed to their most short-sighted and parochial ones.
Just saying.