Gridlock News

Voting to condemn MoveOn.org, Democrats in both houses find themselves now at odds with an organization that donated approximately 3.6 million dollars to their campaigns in 2006. The vote to condemn MoveOn.org stemmed from the print ad placed in the New York Times last week that smeared General David Petraeus for delivering his assessment of conditions in Iraq.

MoveOn.org has somewhat maligned the very party in which they operate due to their left wing views on many issues including, but not limited to, the war in Iraq. Candidates backed by the controversial left wing organization carried 40 seats in both houses in the 2006 elections, however many of those candidates do not hold the extreme liberal views of the organization. It will be interesting to see what role MoveOn.org will play in 2008.

The only strategic option they really have here to make lemonade out of lemons, is to essentially treat the organization like one that made a simple mistake.  Its not the worst mistake in the world, not at the level of taking bribes or failing to send federal assistance to an entire city with a population of over 1 million people or going to war for reasons that ended up to be false. 

MoveOn.org needed a slight slap on the wrist for crossing the line, but its not like they need to be sent to drug rehabilitation or even a few days in jail.  After all, we are entitled to free speech here in the US.  In politics, however, speech is not free.

And then . . .