DELAY, OBSCURANTISM & OBSTRUCTIONISM:

Drama on the Hill: Americans shrug: As the Senate nears a showdown over filibusters, the answer to which party is winning the PR battle may be 'neither.' (Amanda Paulson, 5/23/05, The Christian Science Monitor)

In Washington, the showdown is looming. Republicans and Democrats are filling their PR arsenals and spinning the news before it occurs, trying to liven up arcane subjects like cloture and calling their opponents names that range from Hitler to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the latest Star Wars villain.

Inside the Beltway, it's shaping up to be the Great Filibuster Battle of 2005. The rest of America, however, seems to be giving the face-off a collective yawn. Many voters don't even know it's occurring, and many of those who do, don't care - or, worse, see it as more proof that Congress is wrapped up in its own partisan bickering when it should be dealing with issues that matter.

The Democrats have picked three issues to fight on: getting rid of Tom DeLay; not confirming judges; and not reforming Social Security. Who do they think those stances appeal to outside Washington?

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 22, 2005 8:20 PM