A Message To The Democrats

[la dj]

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Rebuilding the American Community

Similar to the Contract on America that the GOP issued in 1994, the Democrats have a unified message heading into the mid-term elections as well. The broad themes are:

Honest Leadership & Open Government
Real Security
Energy Independence
Economic Prosperity
Educational Excellence
A Healthcare System that Works for Everyone
Retirement Security

This will continue to develop over the next few months, but it is the start of a national ground campaign that will launch this weekend. The plan is to give a test run of neighborhood canvasses, sending tens of thousands of people out walking door-to-door in all 50 states to communicate with voters and share with them the Democratic Party vision. This canvassing will take place again in July, and of course every day after Labor Day.

Here is a link to the door hanger that will be used in this door-to-door program.

http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v002...vass/flyer.pdf

[Dionysos]

Let's see if the Dems can actually stick to this idea, unlike the GOP. I'm not holding my breath.

[la dj]

we can hope!

[Adam D]

We'll see what happens when it comes time to actually putting that into legislation.

It is about time they think up a party platform though.

[E-Nice]

the other night on hardball chris matthews claimed that the amount already spent in iraq would have ensured social security for 75 years.

oh well, since democracy has taken root so well in iraq, the middle east will certainly follow. money well spent i say! Go 107th congress!!!
Probably the most prudent and couragous congress ever. Washington kicks ass. if poor retirees can't get their checks the least they could do is get us better combat footage on the tube.

[zerojunkie]

Originally Posted by E-Nice

the other night on hardball chris matthews claimed that the amount already spent in iraq would have ensured social security for 75 years.

????

$5,287,500,000,000 != $1,000,000,000,000

/that's just at today's SS payout rate
//supposed to increase by about 30% in the next 75
///this isn't fark, damn it.

Originally Posted by E-Nice

oh well, since democracy has taken root so well in iraq, the middle east will certainly follow. money well spent i say! Go 107th congress!!!
Probably the most prudent and couragous congress ever. Washington kicks ass. if poor retirees can't get their checks the least they could do is get us better combat footage on the tube.

oh, I get it, the Chris Matthew's thing was part of your biting satire too....

[PETA]

Originally Posted by la dj

Honest Leadership & Open Government
Real Security

Real vague

Originally Posted by la dj

Energy Independence

I believe I've heard GW mention this while the Dems argue against opening oil fields in Alaska

Originally Posted by la dj

Economic Prosperity

Have you seen the unemployment rate?

Originally Posted by la dj

Educational Excellence

WTF does this mean? Throw more money at failnig schools even when it has been empirically demonstrated that there is no causal relationship between the two?

How about considering school choice and vouchers if they with to pursue this - or is school choice undemocratic? Is it inexcellent?

Originally Posted by la dj

A Healthcare System that Works for Everyone

cough cough entitlement program

Originally Posted by la dj

Retirement Security

cough cough entitlement

from the party that refused to lift a finger in social security reform and refused to consider individual retirement accounts payed for with money that the feds take from our paychecks and force us to invest in a Ponzi scheme (social security) - sacre bleu!

Originally Posted by la dj

we can hope!

did they finally reveal their plan - because this was supposed to be out a long time ago - or rather - it was supposed to be one plan a long time ago. is it whittled down to one?

anyway - I love apple pie, puppies and the fourth of july too

[Dionysos]

Originally Posted by xian

cough cough entitlement program

Hi, my name is the Medicare prescription drug benefit program, likely to be the most expensive entitlement program ever enacted by American legislators. Guess who shoved me through Congress and signed me into law? (hint: it wasn't the Dems)

Originally Posted by xian

from the party that refused to lift a finger in social security reform and refused to consider individual retirement accounts payed for with money that the feds take from our paychecks and force us to invest in a Ponzi scheme (social security) - sacre bleu!

Why should they have lifted a finger? Bush's plan sucked.

Originally Posted by xian

did they finally reveal their plan - because this was supposed to be out a long time ago - or rather - it was supposed to be one plan a long time ago. is it whittled down to one?

They're not big on "plans" or "cohesive messages" these days.

[zerojunkie]

Originally Posted by Dionysos

Why should they have lifted a finger?

Because the problem hasn't gone away.

[Dionysos]

Originally Posted by zerojunkie

Because the problem hasn't gone away.

It's not nearly as big a problem as the Medicare issue though. Let's focus on that one first, as it's going to be 10x the problem SS will ever be.

[zerojunkie]

Originally Posted by Dionysos

It's not nearly as big a problem as the Medicare issue though. Let's focus on that one first, as it's going to be 10x the problem SS will ever be.

Well, they're about equal with each other in projected percentages of the GDP...but really, does it justify their inaction, actually their impedance, to addressing the issue? I mean they were applauding themselves for not doing a damn thing about it during the president's State of the Union Address. Yay, go democrats, applaud your inaction.

[Hey Bubu]

So how much longer do you all give the States to remain in super power position? I say a hundred years or less..

[zerojunkie]

Originally Posted by TypeH

So how much longer do you all give the States to remain in super power position? I say a hundred years or less..

With or without the democrats in power?

[shonuf]

fifty years if we are real lucky.

[Dionysos]

Originally Posted by zerojunkie

Well, they're about equal with each other in projected percentages of the GDP...but really, does it justify their inaction, actually their impedance, to addressing the issue? I mean they were applauding themselves for not doing a damn thing about it during the president's State of the Union Address. Yay, go democrats, applaud your inaction.

Have you read the cost projections for Medicare? It's going to dwarf SS, I mean they really won't even be close.

I'm not going to defend the Dems, because realistically they aren't coming up with better alternatives right now. But I don't blame them for not backing Bush's plan, because none of his plans really seem to work at all in the long-term.