When they kick you in the face, give them the silent treatment

I don't understand why the Democrats continue to fight the wrong fights against the Republicans. This is happening day after day, on terrible news show after terrible news show. What really bothers me is that they have some very good ideas but they don't talk about them. For that matter, they have a lot better ammunition to use in their current battles with the Republicans, but they continue to spend all of their time defending the attacks coming at them without ever mounting a proper counterattack.

Take the filibuster, or "nuclear option" debate going on right now. The Republicans are accusing the Democrats of trying to "veto the will of the majority." The Democrats are hitting back with threats to shut down the Senate, followed by going off on tiraids about how the filibuster has been part of the legislative process in the Senate for 200 years.

But consider the Republican attack - "will of the majority." Both parties seem to be forgetting that while the Republicans have 55 members in the Senate to the Democrats' 44, the Democrats actually represent more people. So why aren't they saying that?

Maybe those numbers are too complicated. How about this: President Clinton had 60 judicial nominations refused by the Republicans using a pocket filibuster. The Democrats are saying no to a whopping 7. How about that?

I always felt that Governor Howard Dean would have been the ideal Democratic candidate to run against Bush (but we'll save that discussion for another entry). Later when he became DNC Chairman I felt that the Dems were finally going to get an organized offensive going and take some ground back in 2006. But if things keep going the way they are now, I'm going to have to really start thinking about that move to Canada again.

Is Toronto nice in the summer?