Open Left: This is a big vote. If Congress can’t get anything done without the approval of an emerging Progressive block, then Progressives will suddenly have the ability to make real change both at home and abroad. No matter what happens, it is pretty impressive that a few dozen Progressives, and a coalition of blogs, [...]

Donna Edwards’ office says she’s now undecided, and she’s not getting any calls. Maybe that’s because she told her fellow members of the House that she was going to vote against the bill, her name was on a document distributed among members as voting no, and we had her listed as a no. DC: (202) [...]

We asked Democrats in Congress to put up this fight for years. They never did. This is the biggest fight we’ve ever seen in Congress over funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it’s notable that the whipping came from without (citizen phone calls) rather than from within.

Keep calling. These people are getting strong-armed heavily to abandon everything they profess to believe in and making all Democrats look like unprincipled, sanctimonious jackasses who stand for nothing.

Whenever they get done naming post offices. Must not have the votes yet.

Nora rightly rips her. Close your eyes and it’s the exact same crap the Republicans have been hurling at Democrats ever since the war started.

Amid the supplemental appropriations bill (warning, 144 page pdf), currently awaiting vote after a Conference Committee, is the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Program (pages 52-58). Naming bills in deceptive and often cutesy terms has truly become an art form. The CARS Program merits being in the same zone as the ever-so appealing sounding No Child Left Behind or Healthy Forests, an ever-so appealing name that doesn’t stand up to any serious scrutiny. To put it simply, rather than the CARS Program, this might be more appropriate called the C.R.A.P.P.: Consciously Rewarding Augmenting Pollution Program.

More than one person has told me that Rahm overplayed his hand.  He packaged the IMF and the supplemental together and proceeded to browbeat progressives that the White House has been snubbing from the get go.  He was too cute by half when he threw in Lieberman-Graham so he’d have something to deal out for progressives in the House.  Even Barney Frank got mad and refused to be played like that.

If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, take a look at this clip, and then get in the game. If you have already been making those phone calls, thank you! A vote is imminent, so whippers old and new, it is time to take to the phones!

Thanks to everyone who made calls and helped clear up this little misunderstanding — 36 is still 36. Happily things resolved themselves in a curiously similar fashion to Raul Grijalva yesterday. Those wacky misspeaking press people.