Number 18 A little respect

Just a little bit..

The Great Compromise of '05 has been reached, but there are many questions, and many concerns remaining, at least on my part.

What exactly is the wording of the compromise, and what does it guarantee? It seems that the only guarantees are those that have been given to the Republicans: namely that they will have 'up or down' votes on five of their more controversial nominees, including Owens, Brown, and Pryor.
As I understand this compromise, the Democrats were not promised that the 'Nuclear Option' was off the table. The Republicans were not promised that the minority party would not invoke the filibuster at a future date, though I have heard it said that the filibuster will now only be used in extreme cases.

But if Owens, Brown, and Pryor are not extreme cases, I am at a loss to understand just who might be.

Underlying everything was a continued lack of respect -on the part of the Democratic leadership, for the important role that progressive activists have played in this and other debates. Democratic leaders have yet to understand that we do not represent a far-left, radical perspective. We represent a wide spectrum of political beliefs, but we are united against the far right, the religious right, and the corporate right.
I truly believe that without our efforts this so-called compromise would have never taken place. But to be honest, I feel that this compromise represents a defeat for progressives.

The real question is, who is responsible for this defeat: the right-wing, or the so-called moderates?