Hardball: Mario Cuomo Describes Congress As Abdicating Their Constitutional Duties
By Nicole Belle Friday Sep 28, 2007 4:26pm
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I've always admired the no nonsense approach of Mario Cuomo. I remember his '84 keynote address at the Democratic convention was so stirring that my whole family hoped he run for national office. And again, Mario Cuomo cuts through all the political spin and gives the unvarnished truth. His condemnation for Congress for their naivety and willingness to give up their responsibilities to an untrustworthy administration makes me wish again for Cuomo on the national scene.
Let's not do what we did before and wind up apologizing for our resolutions and saying we're sorry. Now remember, the Founding Fathers gave the powers to declare war to the Congress. That power cannot be delegated to the President. You can't adopt a resolution and say well, the Founding Fathers wanted us to do it, but it's too heavy a lift for us, so we empower you, Mr. President, if you feel like doing it, to do it.
And my goodness, the President you're talking about is the president who started a war with a mistaken context-assuming he was telling the truth, and I will-he was wrong about the reason for it, he was wrong about complicity, he was wrong about how many troops we needed, he was wrong about how we would be greeted when we got there, he was wrong about the civil war, wrong about how much it would cost, wrong about how long it would last and now you're saying maybe he can start another war. It's a mistake; this an opportunity for Democrats to show real leadership. And the presidential candidates should lead the way. And if they don't, then the question is going to be when it comes to improvident war-making, why are you any better than Bush?
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I saw this on The Show last evening, Mario was spot on.
I'm glad somebody GETS IT. Can we please get Coumo down to congress to explain it to them?
Who the fuck isn't tired of hearing about the US congress "Abdicating Their Constitutional Duties"?
It is a shameful situation to be tired of.
Damn! Go Mario!!
Someone needed to say this.
*
justabill @ 2:
... explain it to them slowly, using simple words.
At the moment, most of our Congress is not any better than George Bush.
I just received a fundraising call from Nancy Pelosi's office. I told them that as long as impeachment was off the table so was my support. The man on the phone started arguing with me that it didn't take a rocket scientist to understand that impeachment wouldn't work. Apparently Pelosi's fundraisers' new line is that if you aren't with her (allowing Bush to do whatever he pleases) you are too stupid to understand anything. Shut up and give us your money, in effect.
Sorry, if you want my money represent me. End of story.
We are not amused.
Forget Cheney claiming he's not in the Executive Branch;CONGRESS IS NO LONGER IN THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH!
This is how it's done.
wow
i feel better!
I'm flabbergasted!
A smart, adult US American!
I thought that species had gone extinct due to global warming...
Matthews is so damn right: Mario Cuomo is so far ahead of the rest! More of that is what is really needed!
sorry, but DUH !
It's all about the money. . .
I wish cumo would go on evey major TV network and repeat this..
I can't get over that so many of them are disrespectful to the constitution and the bill of rights. I wonder if "US History " class in high school have been canceled or defunded?
I would think that anybody who decide to become a politician would memorize the constitution as do any Christian preacher tried to memorize the bible. Maybe we should require politician to pass a quiz on US history before they become elected? Before we vote on them, we need to see how well they know it.
Let's push this bridge over the cliff. The Netroots are working. Keep infiltrating. Keep educating.
The damn is breaking.
If only Mario didn’t sound so much like Mel Brooks I would have to say draft Al Gore and Mario Cuomo in 08!
Amen, Mario! But, anyone who was aware of PNAC before 9/11 and Iraq knew that the war was a sham, and 9/11 a pretext to begin an imperialist grab of oil in the ME.
I wrote my repesenitive when the war first started advising him you can't amend the constitution w/ an act and he wrote back telling me george could go to war under the war powers act.Even if this is so there are six month reporting requirements so how do those reports look fellow?
I love Mario Cuomo.
I've always loved Mario Cuomo.
"President Cuomo."
Sigh.
Mario Cuomo IS RIGHT about this, completely RIGHT.
Dennis Kuchinich(sp) has more spine than the dems in congress and running for president in 2008. i am and have been a dem for many years, but i am ashamed of the spineless pricks in congress now. we have a constitution, but they don't want to fight for it or on the side of getting it back.
right now the dem suck big time. i want responsible adults back in congress.
New here.
Hi, everyone.
Mario must be vulnerable. Otherwise, why hasn't he run for Prez?
VietVet8666 @ 21:
they are all vulnerable, some just can weather the gop bullshit better.
just another bozzo @ 16:
We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to right a wrong. For Gods' sake, stop thinking about what a candidate looks like or sounds like and start paying attention to the message. Cuomo is right in that the Constitution is the law of the land. The sooner we as a people return to the very laws that set us free as a society, the sooner our once proud nation will be able to take its rightful place as the worlds leader it should be.
The Democrats need to find their damn spine and all of them should push a copy of the Constiitution so far up the butts of the Republicans that would make their heads spin.
Either we are well on our way as Aaron Russo would say From Freedom To Facisism, or we take back our country from those who neither derserve our votes or would sell out our country to the highest bidder.
An Al Gore/ Cuomo ticket would win in a landslide!
VietVet8666 @ 21:
I think he's too smart to involve himself in this "fustercluck".
Cue concern troll bringing up skeletons in Cuomo's closet in three... two... one...
great interview! this is the info i've been hoping to hear for the last 2 years. whats it going to take for the rest of the Dems to get on track? maybe some are l but their not getting enough air time?
NO MORE WAR (WITH IRAN) !!!!!!
we held the communist with diplomacy, we can do it again with the terrorists.
VietVet8666 @ 21:
Welcome VietVet8666! And since Mario has more money than the Catholic Church he probably doesn’t need the headaches!
IMO,
The people of the U.S. are in the process of abandoning the Constitution.
He was great ! however, I may be wrong , this statement from him seems off.
Let’s not do what we did before and wind up apologizing for our resolutions and saying we’re sorry. Now remember, the Founding Fathers gave the powers to declare war to the Congress. That power cannot be delegated to the President.
I don't recall duhbya declaring war. At least not in iraq.
Andrew @ 23:
I was just jokin, sheeeees
what is it going to take to make congress understand what we the people want?? We voted out the warmongers. nothing has changed. i don't understand what else we can do other than take up arms.
[...] THIS soundbite tastes so good to the ear, all I can think to say afterwards is, “More please.” [...]
Pelosi Can't take the responsibilty to FUCKING impeach off the FUCKING table.The constitution is not on some FUCKING table as an orniment but the FUCKING law of the land and if she ever took the time to read it she would see it mentioned six FUCKING times.Do the job you accepted to do or FUCKING resign.My keys are on the table from pounding this keyboard not the constitution.Leaders lead period.
The problem is that it's just easier to pander to the public and leave the heavy lifting to others rather than risk taking an affirmative stand for something. Mario says it well. I have never seen such a risk adverse Congress in my life.
Congress needs to do the bidding of those that elected them. If not, remove them from office. What does it take to get through to the people whose salary we are paying? The media is NOT paying their salary. Neither is GW. so get on with it.
They Abdicated their Constitutional responsibilities so they could all blame it on Bush. Killer Hillary gets away with it everyday and the Dems who support her and gonna vote for her are her Enablers.
Peace
VietVet8666 @ 21:
Because, he said, re. the rightwing: "these are mean, ugly people".
Maybe he was too revolted and/or protective of his family or his health.
I'm from NY, and we've hardly had leadership--anywhere--since Cuomo.
I love it. I've had to watch the vid several times now.
"The difference is, and this is what was said at the Convention, and this is common sense:
You give it to one man and he may be mad.
He may be an egotist.
He may be misguided
or he might be stupid."
Bush is all of the above.
I'm nodding my head so hard listening to this guy, my neck hurts.
Why didn't he run for president, again? He had (has) the stuff to be a great one.
Props to Cuomo for speaking truth to power
So many smart people here!
This should not be considered rocket science, just a simple interpretation of the constitution. And yet our congressional Dems haven't the backbone to acknowledge this reality.
Simply amazing. At least the Repugs stand up for something they believe in, even if what they believe in is only existent in the twilight zone. Congressional Dems are useless appendages.
He tells it like it is.
Uh oh, faux opinion broke the new rule Rush broke on hating the troops:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/09/29/hunt/index.html
Perhaps what I said was too unkind. Dem leaders and half of Dem congresscritters are useless.
Aw screw it. Congressional Dems are useless, period, except for a small handful. Feingold is one of the few exceptions.
Lauren @ 6:
Pelosi's latest line about Iraq which she gave to Wolfie Blitzer and the Boston Globe that the Republicans own this war won't fly either. If Democrats vote on the war, they own it just as much as the Republicans.
Good on you about the money. You should have seen my comments I returned on a money plea from Bill Clinton for his wife!
Bull Shit! Chris Matthews. Ron Paul talked about The Constitution during the debates on the floor of the House re: the wars powers article and it was Congress's duty to declare war. But, it was refreshing to hear someone else mention it after all these years.
good to hear from mario cuomo, he was gov. of NY for a good chunk of my youth, and i named a goldfish after him at one point. glad to see the fish was not named in vain.
Orangutan. @ 16:
I REALLY hope you're right.
*
Sen. Byrd talked about the Constitution too, maybe not on that show.
But Cuomo made Matthews shut up longer than I've ever seen. Cuomo commands respect. He was a great governor. People were really sorry when Pataki won; just goes to show that you never throw your vote away in protest.
[they were angry about high taxes, which of course continued w/Pataki].
There's no hope of these Democrats doing the right thing. All they care about is money in their pockets, whoever will pay them and give them votes, they'll support. It's sickening. I finally realized that Pelosi, Durbin and Edward Kennedy are all Catholic. That's why they fight so hard to let illegal Mexicans come in here and stay. I imagine the corrupt Catholic church is paying them handsomely. This is as bad as what the evangelicals do.
VietVet8666 @ 22:
I have always thought that someone must have something that keeps him from running. He's too smart to be so underused by this country. You would think that he would have held some cabinet job like Housing and Urban Dev. at least.
naschkatze @ 46:
I hate to say it, but Nancy Pelosi has been a terrible disappointment as the first woman Speaker.
Cuomo speaks.."rah rah".
Enough congressional democrats will ALWAYS run from a righteous fight, and into the welcoming arms of their "loyal opposition", to render all such rhetoric just so much hot air. Even those among them who know the score still refuse to damn the GOP as enemies of our Republic. When the chips are down on fundamental issues, the democratic party invariably folds.
"No lie, just fact".... Will Sonnet
justabill @ 39:
My wife and I were watching this live and as soon as Cuomo said this we looked at each other and said, "Yep, all four." I called it a "quadfectra".
kaT @ 51:
The Democrats are the worst, except for all the others in Congress. What's your choice? It's a 2 party country and will be for a long time to come. And the other guys have even fewer redeeming qualities.
Some of you young'uns might like to know that there actually was something called a Liberal Party in NY, even just a couple decades ago, which more often than not, endorsed the same candidates as the Democratic Party.
These days, the democratic party doesn't rate any capital letters.
.
I have always seen this invasion and occupation as a Constitutional issue. Sure, it's a moral issue too, underscored by it being a Constitutional issue. Many argue, agreeably so, that there have been war crimes committed.
Yea's in the face of Treason:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2002/roll455.xml
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm...
No where in the Constitution does it say Congress may give up the power of declaring war. The fact that a majority in Congress behave as if they believe that they are exempt from following the very document they swore to defend and support, should be no way, a deterrent to Truth and Justice.
This, will take a revolution.
We, The People, must be willing to face our Representatives. They need to understand that they ARE replaceable. I've faced mine down in a forum with this simple question: "How are you supporting and defending the Constitution of the U.S.A. when you tolerate and defend the usurpation and violation of the Constitution of the U.S.A. and the Laws derived from it?"
McDermott now supports Impeachment AND the Anti-war movement.
.
That was refreshing to watch :)
MARIO CUOMO FOR PRESIDENT & BILL BRADLEY FOR VP!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Cuomo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bradley
Why did Cuomo never make a serious run? He has a great record and no skeletons in his closet that I know of. I think he and Bill Bradley would kick some serious butt running as independents!!!
kaT @ 51:
What kind of racist / religiously bigoted crap is that? Worried the brown skinned Papists are gonna get you?
It-za me, Mario!
add me to the list who would prefer Mario to any of the current Dem candidates. and it ain't even close.
As far as Iran is concerned, The Nation reports that Pelosi and the Democrats considered and then withdrew provisions requiring the President to come to Congress, giving the President a plausible rationale that Congressional approval isn't needed for war with Iran.
There may be an AIPAC factor at work here.
woodguy @ 55:
Bush is all of the above.
My wife and I were watching this live and as soon as Cuomo said this we looked at each other and said, "Yep, all four." I called it a "quadfectra".
As soon as he said "or he might be stupid" I about fell out of my chair.
fiver @ 61:
Thanks, fiver! Great questions. I was really wondering if kaT wasn't a troll or something.
Choked me UP!
This IS what it IS ALL ABOUT!
The Constitution of the United States of America.
Something we all forget from time to time and the people in power tend to forget ALL the time!
Canuknotusa @ 11:
I was going to come on here and make some kind of snarky remark about expecting to hear Marlon Perkins narrating this piece, as it is one of the last known sitings of an almost extinct species in the process of reverse evolution - Democraticus Vertabrinus - last seen somewhere during the Nixon hearings.
Glad to see someone else here beat me too it. Minus the extra points for the Marlon Perkins reference, of course.
I especially liked his reference to the Sureme Court not recusing itself in Gore v Bush in 2000 or in other words the year of the Supreme Judicial coup d'etat
There is no way that congress doesn't know they have been abdicating their responsibility. It can be nothing else but willful neglect of their duties. The question is how long the people will continue to let them get away with it.
On a side note. I hope C&L posts the Bill Mahr clip where the panel and the audience take Rham Emmanuel to the woodshed about cutting off funding. It was quite satisfying to watch the audience start shouting him down when he began peddling his weak excuses. It has never been so obvious that the democratic leadership is completely out of touch with the people, or at least ignoring them, which is just as bad.
http://rawstory.com//news/2007/Kucinich_seriously_thinking_about_forcing... DK talks about a vote to impeach Deadeye Dickhead Chainy.
Jo @ 66:
"I’ve always admired the no nonsense approach of Mario Cuomo."
H'yeah, me too.
WHERE HAS HE BEEN?
You know, Bushco didn't take over the country yesterday, but Mario Cuomo has been pulling the ultimate Bill Clinton -- OUT OF SIGHT, UNHEARD OF, HAS NOTHING TO SAY, DOESN'T NEED TO WORK FOR CHANGE.
Instead, now he has sprouted anew, as if none of it went down while he was SNOOZING.
And he also doesn't seem to be able to count the votes -- no wonder he is out of politics. Probably he's been growing green beans -- between his ears.
firstly, cuomo is too smart to ever run for prez, and thats why he chose not to and made way for clinton
secondly, what the fuck is tweety talking about? cuomo is not the first to note the constitutional role of the congress in regards to declaring war, or even noting that congress cowardly abdicated their role
tweetie needs to get out more
Cuomo: "This is an opportunity for the Democrats to show real leadership. And the presidential candidates should lead the way. And if they don't then the question is going to be, well, when it comes to improvident war making, why are you any better than Bush?"
From the debate at Dartmouth:
RUSSERT: You were in the Senate, and you take credit for stopping the draft.
If you were a senator right now, what advice would you give your colleagues still in Congress about how they can stop the war, even though they don't have enough votes to stop a debate or to override a
veto? What should they do?
GRAVEL: Well, the first thing, you stop the debate by voting every single day on cloture. Every day. Twenty days, and you'll overcome cloture.
The president vetoes the law. It comes back to the Congress. And in the House at noon every single day you vote to override the president's veto. And in 40 days, the American people will have weighed in, put the pressure on those.
You tell me that the votes aren't there -- you go get them by the scruff of the neck, that's what you do. You make them vote.
RUSSERT: Senator, are you suggesting that these candidates suspend their campaigns, go back to Washington, and for 40 consecutive days vote on the war?
GRAVEL: If it stops the killing, my God, yes, do it.
And, Tim, you're really missing something. This is fantasy land. We are talking about ending the war. My God, we're just starting a war right today. There was a vote in the Senate today. Joe Lieberman, who authored the Iraq resolution, has offered another
resolution and it is essentially a fig leaf to let George Bush go to war with Iran.
I want to congratulate Biden for voting against it, Dodd for voting against it.
And I am ashamed of you, Hillary, for voting for it. You're not going to get another shot at this because what happens if this war ensues, we invade, and they're looking for an excuse to do it. And Obama was not even there to vote.
--
I DARE ANYONE to say that Mike Gravel is "crazy". HE WAS THE SANEST ONE ON THE PLATFORM!
The useless line up of Democrats we have in congress, led by that scrawny, whiny mouth Harry Reid are no match for a man who has lived to kick some ass and who has the balls to do it again.
We're in for more bush war, folks.
Perhaps before our national prison sentence of 8 years is up we can truly say, "That's All Folks!". The good news, should the maladministrator take to war once again, is that Democrats may not have much left to govern.
I, [name], do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
The oath of allegiance taken by every member of congress and violated routinely by the majorities of both political parties. People who violate their oaths as a matter of daily business have no honor They consider oaths to be trivial or arcane rituals. Such people can never be trusted, nor should they ever hold any office of public trust.
It's like Mathews just got paroled out of a ten year prison term and discovered a ranking person to merit for what simple citizens have known since 911.
____________
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits
in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.
- Helen Keller
If Cuomo has even half the spine he seems to have, I'll take him over Pelosi as leader of the House any day.
And yes I realize he's not a congresscritter.
Otay @ 78:
Pelosi is a smart cookie. She says chimpeachment is off the tables but she and the rest of congress who are anti-war have contingency plans for cloture and sensure as well as the golden ring - chimpeachment neatly ready for to drop like the proverbial hammer upon the heads of this corrupt administration. You can bet on it! Take the winnings to the bank!
So..... why can none of these people in Washington understand this?? It's clear as a bell to me. I just an average guy and I get it.
The people that we elected do understand what Mario is saying and they agree that it is the right thing to do. But that doesn't stop them from putting personal agenda ahead of doing what is right for the country by the Constitution.
kaT @ 51:
And they're also after YOU!!! Run along and hide, like a good little boy. You're not safe, and may never will be.
I didn't watch the debate. I wont watch them. They are garbage because, a priori, I know for a fact that that only viable and correct candidates (Gravel, Kucinich, perhaps Dodd) are not going to be allowed by the Punditocracy to be the Dem candidates. The Dem party itself, and the DC Pundits have already declared Hillary to be the candidate regardless.
I also know a priori what everyone's answers to questions will be. I don't need to watch the debates to know that I will never ever ever vote for Hillary and never again call myself a Democrat or ever again give so much as a DIME to the Democrat party.
That long and ranting preamble completed, what was War Criminal Hillary's response to Gravel's factual declaration?
Where has this voice been for the past 5 years? It pisses me off that this voice, this logic, has not been heard by mainstream Americans or our so-called political leaders. It's tragic. We need to hear a lot more of this.
Mario IS spot on. So were a lot of other Dems, who then seemed to immediately forget their constitutional rolls upon being elected to office.
oops "roles"
OH YES, Mario. Tell the Congress what they should be doing.
If the Congress protects our Constitutional rights, they are doing their job.
If the Congress protects our Constitution, then history will see them as doing the right thing.
This administration has shredded the Constituion to fit their needs.
NO, NO, this is not what is supposed to happen.
We elect a body of people who are supposed to look after our rights.
Bush has been stripping us of our rights. Now, Congress must put a stop to this.
JM @ 85:
Couldn't agree more.
Unless US Americans figure out how to get "this voice" back into the mainstream of political dialogue, you are doomed as a free nation.
Doomed, I say.