Feingold censure resolution - maybe the right thing to do:

Last week, this blog came out not endorsing the Feingold censure motion. It didn't seem like it would be good politics. Sure, if all the Democrats were on board, that would be nice. But since that wasn't the initial reaction, what Feingold did seemed to be counter-productive in terms of the overriding goal: Have the Democrats control at least one house of Congress.

Also, to some degree, what Neil the Ethical Werewolf said over at Ezra Klein was persuasive. That the Democratic leadership wasn't hopeless, that it scored a victory over Bush with Social Security, and, frustrating though it may be at times, perhaps they do know what they are doing. And by extension, Feingold action was a disruptive, counter-productive event.

But that initial, seat-of-the-pants assessment may have been wrong. As a writer to Andrew Sullivan (yes, him again) put it, citing Bill Kristol on the likely political effect, raising censure may have a long term impact that in the end, hurts Bush more than it energizes Republicans.


posted by Quiddity at 3/19/2006 10:06:00 PM