Matt at MyDD has some strong words for the House Majority Leader:
I don't disagree with Chris when he writes about his support for a slow plan to bring the war to an end. From Murtha and Pelosi's perspective, it's the only plan that makes sense. I'm just not convinced that there's enough Democratic unity to get it done. Here's where the problem lies.
Despite their inability to offer an alternative to the Democratic resolution, Republicans managed yesterday to lure Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to the floor to defend his party and declare that they would not cut funding for the troops....[..]
Hoyer is reinforcing the dishonest and dishonorable concept that Congressional use of its authority to wield the purse is 'not supporting the troops'. There are plenty of ways to defund the Iraq war, and no Democrats are suggesting anything of the sort. In fact, by arguing that Congress won't defund the war because that would be anti-troop, Hoyer is basically forcing our troops to stay in a dangerous situation longer than they would have to otherwise.
It's this kind of reinforcement of right-wing frames that is so destructive to Democratic unity and to progressive policies. Hoyer isn't a bad man, but he always seems to play into these awful positions that prevent us from achieving what we need to get done.
This is part and parcel of what I've been saying since I started blogging here. The Republican party's framework MUST be rejected categorically. Anyone with experience in argument or debate will tell you that he who frames the issue has won the debate.
Wake up, Democrats. You're the majority party. Stop being on the defensive and letting the Republicans frame the issue. Now. There are lives at stake.
