Them Dems

USA Today/Gallup Poll. July 6-8, 2007. N=1,014 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

"Thinking about the political parties -- In your view, do the Republican and Democratic parties do an adequate job of representing the American people, or do they do such a poor job that a third major party is needed?"

Do an
Adequate Job

Third Party
Is Needed

Unsure

archived: 22 - 28 Jul, 2007 Back Next

UPDATED: JUL 24, 2007

IMPEACHMENT?

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi states plainly why impeachment is not an option (emphasis added):

Pelosi also reiterated Saturday that she would not engage in what would perhaps be the biggest confrontation possible with the White House -- seeking the impeachment of Bush over the Iraq war.

The speaker said she had "no hesitation" criticizing the president about his handling of the war, but said there were more important priorities for lawmakers -- such as health care and creating jobs -- than the divisive pursuit of impeachment.

"Look, it's hard enough for us to end the war. I don't know how we would be successful in impeaching the president," Pelosi said.

She did note that calls for the president's removal are not coming just from San Francisco.

"I'm not unsympathetic to the concern people have -- I hear it all over the country. People here have said to me, 'Well, people on the left want the president to be impeached.' I hear it across the board across the country. It's not just the left," Pelosi said.

The math is simple. If Democrats cannot muster the votes to stop Bush’s occupation of Iraq, there is no reasonable scenario by which they can muster the votes required to convict on Articles of Impeachment.

BUT, IMPEACH GONZALES?

On Wednesday, Attorney General Gonzales had another horrid day before the Senate Judiciary Committee. One of the critical issues beginning the day was whether Gonzales falsely testified at previous hearings that there were no major objection to Bush’s secret surveillance program when the AG had received strenuous objections in writing that were publically disclosed following his previous testimony.

Gonzales’ day quickly took a turn for the worse. In response to another central issue at inquiry; who ordered Gonzales to then Attorney General Ashcroft’s hospital room to secure an override of the Dept. of Justice’s decision not to approve the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program, Gonzales would not answer the question. When specifically asked if Bush, Cheney or other individual top administration officials had ordered the contact, Gonzales did not invoke executive privilege; but he refused to answer until he can determine if executive privilege is to be invoked.

However, Gonzales affirmatively testified that Congressional leaders had been consulted, who wanted the surveillance program to go forward. It was the desire of Congressional leaders that ultimately led to the confrontation in Ashcroft’s hospital room.

Within hours of Gonzales’ testimony, Congressional leaders at the time denied Gonzales’ account. Talking Points Memo has the statement of former Sen. Tom Daschle:

Tom Daschle, the former Senate Democratic leader who received briefings on the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance programs, says Alberto Gonzales isn't telling the truth about what Senate and House leaders were told in March 2004 about the program's utility and legality. . . .

Daschle was one of that Gang of Eight. In a statement e-mailed to TPMmuckraker, he all but calls Gonzales a liar.

[Daschle wrote:] "I have no recollection of such a meeting and believe that it didn't occur. I am quite certain that at no time did we encourage the AG or anyone else to take such actions. This appears to be another attempt to rewrite history just as they have attempted to do with the war resolution."

Sen. Daschle’s recollections are largely confirmed by Sen. Jay Rockefeller:

who at the time was ranking member of the Senate Intelligence committee, said there was no consensus among the "Gang of 8" about the legality of the program, nor were the congressional leaders ever expected to give their approval to the program.

"He once again is making something up to protect himself," Rockefeller, now committee chairman, said of Gonzales.

Rockefeller added that he's unsure whether Gonzales attended meetings about the intelligence program. "I don't remember him being in any of these meetings," he said.

David Kurtz, writing at Talking Points Memo, has a wonderful assessment:

While it may not be surprising per se, think about what it means for the institutions of justice in this country that the sitting Attorney General of the United States is suspected of perjury, by senators from his own party, who are willing to say so publicly, in matters involving national security and the fundamental constitutional rights of American citizens; yet, the President does nothing but voice his support for man.

I suppose we should not be surprised, but we should also not lose our capacity to be outraged.

Certainly perjury before a Congressional Committee is a “high crime or misdemeanor” that warrants impeachment?

MAKING GOVERNMENT WORK

Impeachment, Congressional investigations, Republican serial filibusters. Congressional Democrats should not forget that Americans want a government that works. Americans want government to work, but there are clear indications that Americans are losing faith that their government can work. They want government to solve problems, but do not believe that they can get government to meet that objective.

The history of this CBS poll question denotes the overall lack of confidence in the Federal Government. Those who think the government can be trusted to do what is right either “always” or “most of the time” has fallen from 55% to 24% since 2001. Those who believe government can be trusted “some of the time” or “never” has risen from 44% in 2001 to 76% in 2007.


"How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right: just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?"
.
		Just About Always	Most of The Time	Only Some Of the Time	Never (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/9-17/07	2	22	71	5	0
	10/5-8/06	2	26	66	4	1
	9/15-19/06	1	26	65	6	2
	1/20-25/06	5	27	63	4	1
	12/2-6/05	2	30	65	2	1
	9/9-13/05	3	26	63	6	2
	7/11-15/04	4	36	56	3	1
	7/13-27/03	4	32	60	3	1
	9/2-5/02	5	33	57	4	2
	10/25-28/01	10	45	42	2	2

In 2005, Gallup asked an interesting poll question that still deserves attention. Looking at the public’s responses below, it is obvious that Americans are not satisfied with their government’s performance.


						.
"Next, we are going to name some major areas the federal government handles. For each one, please say whether you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the work the government is doing. How about [see below]?"
						.
			Satisfied	Dissat- isfied	Unsure
			%	%	%
	National parks and open space
	9/12-15/05		71	27	2
	9/7-10/01		64	31	5
		.				.
	The nation's military and national defense
	9/12-15/05		59	40	1
	9/7-10/01		65	31	4
		.				.
	Agriculture and farming
	9/12-15/05		56	38	6
	9/7-10/01		49	43	8
		.				.
	Transportation
	9/12-15/05		56	42	2
	9/7-10/01		65	29	6
		.				.
	Homeland security
	9/12-15/05		50	49	1
		.				.
	Environmental issues
	9/12-15/05		48	51	1
	9/7-10/01		46	50	4
		.				.
	Public housing and urban development
	9/12-15/05		47	49	4
	9/7-10/01		49	43	8
		.				.
	Criminal justice
	9/12-15/05		47	52	1
	9/7-10/01		40	57	3
		.				.
	Labor and employment issues
	9/12-15/05		44	54	2
	9/7-10/01		42	54	4
		.				.
	Foreign affairs
	9/12-15/05		41	58	1
	9/7-10/01		57	38	5
		.				.
	Education
	9/12-15/05		41	59	-
	9/7-10/01		38	60	2
		.				.
	Job creation and economic growth
	9/12-15/05		39	60	1
	9/7-10/01		39	58	3
		.				.
	Responding to natural disasters
	9/12-15/05		33	66	1
		.				.
	Energy policy
	9/12-15/05		27	71	2
	9/7-10/01		38	57	5
		.				.
	Health care
	9/12-15/05		24	75	1
	9/7-10/01		27	71	2
		.				.
	Poverty
	9/12-15/05		24	75	1
	9/7-10/01		26	71	3
		.				.
	The nation's finances
	9/12-15/05		23	76	1
	9/7-10/01		34	62	4

Finally, Americans have reached a point where they are looking outside of the Democrats and Republicans for a Party that will achieve their objectives. A recent Gallup poll makes the point: