Oh, Democrats, you are so mercifully free of the ravages of intellect.
You know, if the grand plan was to make absolutely certain that I clamp my pocketbook closed and reach for my shotgun to chase them off my land the next time the Stupid Party came around begging for campaign donations, this is an *excellent* way to implement it. Here you've got a perfect way to make the Coward in Chief beat the Evil Party to death with the club of his own obstinacy (Gosh, we keep trying to fund the troops even more than the B*sh Junta wants to, but for some bizarre reason Maximum Leader Genius just doesn't want to support the troops!,) but, in the grand tradition that lost you the House in 1994, the White House in 2000, and the Senate in 2002, you're just dropping it on the floor?
Ok, then. So even when the Democratic Party wins big in the midterm elections, I should expect that the hoisting on their own petard instinct will remain in force? If I'd not already stomped off in a snit over the torture bill (not repealed yet) or the continued lack of concern over the destruction of New Orleans, Louisiana (the amount of concern coming out of the Democratic Party since the election has been, um, not exactly awe-inspiring,) this would be another point where I throw up my hands and scream OH, FUCK IT ALL! before stomping off in a snit.
When I pull the lever for the SPUSA candidates, I know they won't win, but right now it certainly looks like if I pull the lever for the Democratic candidates they won't win either. Sure, the nicely suited body that made all the promises about getting out of an unprovoked preemptive invasion of a innocent third-world country will win, but as soon as the last vote is tallied they'll bring out the pods and put in another cowardly lion.
If the result are not different, there's no reason for me to vote strategically. I don't know if this is the sort of lesson the Democratic Party needs to teach, but that's certainly what they're teaching. And I am not mollified by the minimum wage increase and (piddly) hurricane relief funding riders that were nailed onto this sellout bill.