More from Arthur Silber:

Chris Dodd is attempting to stop, or at least slow down, this monstrous attack on truth, justice and (insert laugh track) the American way [that is, retroactive immunity for telecoms for illegally spying on U.S. citizens]. Good for him. That the protection of fundamental principles of fairness —- to say nothing of some of the foundations of the original conception of American government —- should depend on such parliamentary strategems reflects only how frayed the imitation of a democratic republic that serves as the U.S. government has become.

This is why, among many other reasons (some discussed by Arthur in that very post) “more and better Democrats” would be no good as a solution to our political woes even if we found many more and better Democrats hiding in a cupboard or something. If the decline or rise of fascism and authoritarianism in your system of government depends on electing the right or wrong politicians, your system of government is already fucked even before the wrong politicians take power.