As Democrats Reform....
As Dems unveil their lobbying reform proposals...
...CREW, a collection of liberal Dems, are blasting both parties for reform proposals that are all hat and no cattle.
...GOPers are sending around a Dem blogger's post suggesting that Sen. Harry Reid believes it's the wrong time for Dems to "be engaged in constructive 'reform' proposals"...rather, it was time to "draw a line and to show how 'our side' differed dramatically from 'their side.'"
...Dems whisper that the REAL strategy behind the GOP lobbying reforms: to go SO far as to automatically trigger a court battle that would postpone and ultimately render meaningfless any reforms.
...BTW: Credit where credit is due: The DNC and Howard Dean were the first Dem entity to talk about the "culture of corruption."
The quote you use above aids and abets the Republicans' use of Steve Clemons' blog. Bipartisan reform will only link Democrats with the Bush Republican sleaze machine, in which we are not engaged. Reid is right to draw a distinction between what the Bushies have done, which has kept the Democratic Party on the outside looking in since George W. Bush and his bunch, led by Karl Rove, Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff, rode into town. Remember, it was Tom Delay who ordered lobbyists to hire only Republicans if they wanted to be invited on to Capitol Hill, so that's exactly what they did and it worked.
Oh, and by the way, we're still waiting for Scott McClellan to tell us who Jack Abramoff met with when attending those White House staff meetings. Did he meet with Karl Rove? Why won't McClellan get the information and answer the question?
Oops -- that should have read:
Steve Clemons is clearly no fan of George W. Bush, and Harry Reid obviously included him on yesterday's phone call, but is he really a "Dem blogger?" I think of him as vacillating slightly around the dead center of the political spectrum--but admittedly I haven't been following his stuff for very long.
You absolutely missed the point of what Reid said. Here is the actual quote from The Washington Note: "Reid told this person that this was the wrong time to be engaged in construtive 'reform' proposals with the other side."
"With the other side" is the operational phrase, and you did not include it. Why should the Dems be cowed by the Republicans into a "bipartisan" reform bill that could then be chopped up by Republicans in conference? Why should they compromise when they can offer their own proposals?
At least use the entire quote when you're citing GOP talking points. Even better, put up their bullet, and then include the full quote...rhetoric vs. reality.