Tim Roemer, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, argued in a New York Times commentary that the Democratic message for the midterm elections should be a twist of advertising executive Karl Frost’s successful 1946 slogan “Had Enough? Vote Republican!”
Roemer wrote: “’Had Enough? Vote Democratic!’ is a slogan that spotlights the many mistakes in Iraq, the mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina and the mangling of fiscal responsibility with ‘bridges to nowhere.’”
He went on: “And if you want to fire up the base, you can string together references to Jack Abramoff, Abu Ghraib and the Dubai ports deal.”
OK, the polls suggest there’s a lot of interest in dissing the GOP right now, but Democrats shouldn’t stop there. Some viable policy ideas would be welcome, too.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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44 Comments
Whomever leads this country in the future must attack corporations ripping the consumer off.
No more rising pay of politicians when the minimum wage isn’t.
Insurance, medical coverage confusion and economical accessiblity. Home owners insurance, including flood damage when its reasonable that it occured.
Gasoline and oil, no more tires causing roll overs because they were cheaply produced for profit’s sake. Gasoline price spikes reasonable, no fits high price one night and then higher the next night and we’re shocked at the world price of oil.
No supporting drillers in national parks or off the coast of Florida.Do something with car manufacturers to make different engines eventually. If its hydrogen fuel cells in the future, leap fast to that technology.
When natural disasters happen, save Americans with water and medicine quickly within hours not days going by. The government can’t let the media over create fears with their one sided views on a story.
No more pre-emptive wars for political reasons. Listen to the world a little better. Fight wars where people are being enslaved or killed in genocide ways.
Create immigration rules and enforce laws on the books. Companies should check every S.S. number against a legitimate database or INS has to keep raiding some companies for effect. Every illegal, not just the Hispanics.
I’m never believing in a political party so individuals have to impress me to get a vote.
Stop catering to the gun lobby and its always increasing need for everyone to be armed in public, carrying guns into every building.
Have a legitimate enviromental policy, no blue skies left behind and clean river water initiatives.
Don’t let corporations self report their own toxic wastes. Make sure they clean things up. Lets try to recycle in every community somehow.
Politicans can’t let the energy mafia raise too high prices for power and natural gas heating. Its never supply and demand if they can restrict the flow easily.
Who’s powerful enough in their own morals to be a reasonable politician and not just a rubber stamper. Too high and mighty over believing religion is never wrong.
Don’t let abusers be in religions and no charges filed.
Some capitalism is evil and hurts the common person, its worse than being called a liberal. Reverse the severity of those terms politically.
America is under the thumb of egregious capitalism, cheaper mass labor constantly. Searching for it world wide, outsourcing. Streets over run with people not understanding English and the social network not be afforded properly.
Create a border and enforce it, not just lip service, a group of illegals with no identity just let to wander further on through the country. Its trespassing when people are here illegally and no identification. States Rights, dealing with illegals and not just waiting for the feds to make a decesion.
The number one problem America faces, or fails to face is Zionist Israel turning the Middle East Oil fields into a Nuclear radio active wasteland.
Zionist Israel is our greatest expense in both treasure and prestige, and holds the United States up to the rest of the world as a naive ship of fools.
The Zionists work us as though we were Carnival Marks while ripping-off our money, killing our soldiers and stripping America of her moral values by financing the abhorrent, disgusting slaughter of defenseless Palestinians.
Zionist Israel has outworn its welcome and is abusing every privilege we’ve offered them, and our continued financing of this “Death Star of the Middle East” is only making matters worse.
Without our support for their awful conduct, Zionist Israel would need to change its despicable ways and make peace with its Arabs neighbors.
Being made to consider the rights of others would be the best and most powerful cure for theRogue State of Zionist Israel.
There is an urgency in punishing the Rogue State of Zionist Israel, as they have the United States poised on the brink of an unnecessary use of Atomic Weapons, both ours and the ones which they stole from us.
Correcting those urgent problems are paramount for the United States.
Fair Tax.
Quit going after corporations for political gain.
Quit treating the American people like they are stupid.
Quit pandering to interest groups, and grow some nads.
Stop pork.
Quit trying to take care of everybody. Everybody needs to wean themselves off of Government and quit going to them for every tiny problem in their lives that they can take care of themselves.
More tort reform. Keep the money hungry leftist attorneys from stealing settlements from those who need it and quit clogging the system with frivilous ones.
Better business climate is needed. We are dropping fast in the rankings among the world in business friendly countries.
Enforce our borders.
Fair tax.
Don’t have a leftist agenda.
Then I’ll vote for ya! Or who ever I feel comes the closest to my ideals and issues I care about.
Joe Williams,
Here’s one: no more pandering to self-proclaimed ‘centrists’ who don’t share the traditional, pro-citizen and pro-family egalitarian ideals of the Democratic Party.
That’s right, the Democratic Party: the Party with a proven history of doing right by working people and offering successful solutions to big problems.
They have a proven history? Wow!
Didn’t know that.
I’ll vote for a Democrat, so long as that Democrat is not a leftist.
Good grief, did you WE editors drink koolaide and not coffee at your last meeting?
Melissa shills that jackass Krauthead, Phillip joins the MSM in ignoring Colbert while praising the preznit, and Rhonda repeats the “dems have no plans or ideas” meme.
What is next? A gratuitous attack on Howard Dean? A thread praising the administration for not drooling on itself today? Maybe Theresa can give us another cheerleading pep talk about how great life is in kansas.
Man, I shouldnt even ask that question about what’s next!!!!
And do we ever get a water thread….? Probably now that we discussed it somewhere else.
The Eagle Editorial Board: where tired spin is sent to die.
Joe Williams,
Correcting your ignorance of Twentieth-Century American history, thankfully, isn’t my job.
Actually CF. The feeling is mutual. The ignorance of your faith in communism and the illusion of the success of leftism and Democrat control of government is overwhelming sad.
No wonder most people ignore you on this blog. You’re a blow hard. Even Ed Friedemann gets more respect than you do.
Bye bye!
Joe,All I’m going to say, is that you are wrong on several counts here today. I will leave it at that.
Shaking my head…
Where am I wrong?
Better point it out and prove it.
I think Roemer makes a good point but Rhonda does as well. Democratic candidates in the coming mid-term elections need to show some ideas of where we go from here. One point I would make – I don’t know that anyone could do a worse job than Bush et.al.
Ben
We are in agreement there.
But using the “Bush is Bad” isn’t going to work, although Bush is bad.
They need good ideas that the American people can relate to.
“Where am I wrong?”On this thread pretty much everywhere.
“Better point it out and prove it. “I might try, if I thought it wouldn’t be a total waste of effort and band-width. You’ve demonstrated yourself enough times for me to realize that beating my head against that particular wall would be a complete waste.
So, Joe, I’m declining your invitation. But, I am still shaking my head.
Joe,Why do you sound like an idiot and then make some sense? Your last post was on target and I agree with it!
Just when I think I can relegate Joe to the “nonsense partisan waste-bin”, he shows me wrong.
I guess I am grateful and am no longer shaking my head.
Raise taxes.Cut and run.Gay Marriage.Kill Babies.Spend money.Cut defense.Burn Flags.Raise taxes.Vote for it before voting against it.Pretty much sums up the Democrat platform.
Speaking of “had enough” and of late threads…
No thread about MSNBC reporting that Valarie Plame was working on IRAN NUKE TRACKING when she was outed? And that experts say her outing caused the CIA to be LESS ABLE to track Iran’s nukes?
And who outed her? Whether it was the rovester or scooter or darth cheney himself, it was still a member of this administration.
And the damage done? A decreased ability to track Iran’s nukes!
Gee, do ya think that is why we now have to go to war with them? Why we have to nuke them? Because the preznit’s henchmen destroyed our capapbility to KNOW not guess about what was going on in iran?
All for the sake of quieting someone who dared question the men behind the curtain?
I suppose the outing of Valerie Plame will help provide the same great “intelligence” that made it possible for us to create a terrorist haven in iraq.
I mean, we couldnt have the TRUTH or good intelligence could we? Naw.. then we’d have no excuse to go to war… one more time… with feeling…..
Get the full story from Raw Story
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/MSNBC_confirms_Raw_Story_report_Outed_0501.html
worst. president. ever.
As was pointed out to me in a previous thread, XXX listed the democrat party platform. The problem as I see it is the platform is not getting any air or print time, and so the general public has no clue as to its existence.
Ben remarked that the problem is the right-wing press. I have to disagree with him on that. There are many newspapers in this country that lean more to the left than the right, such as, the New York Times, Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Times, a list of left-leaning zines: http://www.cjnetworks.com/~cubsfan/zines.html , CNN, and many weekly and weekend political shows.
The only reason this platform is not getting out, IMHO, is the Democrats are afraid to take on the Republicans. They’re afraid of losing votes, which, again IMHO, is reason enough to vote the incumbent incompetents out of office and vote new blood in.
But who are we going to vote for if the platform doesn’t get out? Being an independent, I know I will look at all candidates and make, what I consider to be, an educated choice. But knowing the platform is out there, and not hearing about it on mainstream information highways, will make my choice that much easier, and that much more difficult, to make. I sure as hell don’t want another administration like the one we’re stuck with now.
“The only reason this platform is not getting out, IMHO, is the Democrats are afraid to take on the Republicans. They’re afraid of losing votes, which, again IMHO, is reason enough to vote the incumbent incompetents out of office and vote new blood in.”
I totally agree walker. Add that on top of a right leaning MSM (why did the nyt cow tow to bushco on the war?) and you have the perfect non storm.
Dems need to stop being so polite and get the real word out. MAKE the msm pay attention, or call them out for being the bush lickers they are.
NO INCUMBENTS!!!!!!!!!
BlowJoe,
The 2006 Republican Party Platform:
-Shred Constitution-Break laws-Lie to the American public-Invent phony threats-Kill American soldiers for nothing-Hire prostitutes-Spy on American citizens-Assassinate democratically elected leaders-Serve the rich, soak the middle class-Destroy the environment-Pander to racists-Cater to religious extremists-Deny responsibility. Above all, deny responsibility.
Joe Williams,
And, once again, you prove yourself a contender for ‘dumbest guy on the WeBlog.’ My posting on communism clearly distinguished between 20th century state communism and Marx’s definition as collective ownership of the means of production and radical democracy. Those are PRINCIPLES, Joe Williams. In no way did I defend twentieth century state communism. So quiet the knee-jerk voice in your head, think about the PRINCIPLES that I elaborated, and debate THOSE.
If you are going to assess FACTS against principle, I suggest you start with the facts of capitalism and how these fail to match up with the outcomes predicted in capitalist theology. Capitalism has had 500 years to do what it claims to do, and is no closer now than when it began.
As for the history of the Democratic Party in the Twentieth century, I’ll put that record up against the track record of the Repubicans any day of the week. Here’s a partial list.
-Victory in W.W.I.-Creation of the New Deal and Social Security (revisionist historians such as Paul Johnson aside, these saved America from either going fascist or communist, or from total social collapse. These also made possible the conditions for the postwar middle class.)-Victory in W.W.II-The GI Bill, which developed the U.S. system of higher education into the best in the world.-The Marshall Plan-Containment-Civil Rights Legislation (And if you STILL want to claim this as a GOP victory, I laugh at you. Face it, Joe Williams: on the issue of race, you’re in right-wing revisionist fantasy land)-The US moon landings-Peace between Israel and Egypt
Republican accomplishments?-The Interstate Highway System.-Turning back the clock on every one of the above advances.
I think this is a beginning. Thoughts from other folks on this list?
Hey, Ed. Just curious.
What’s your stand on Zionist Israel?
Good grief.
Lie to a federal judgeSubborn perjuryPander to RacistsBomb aspirin factoriesDiscuss what the definition of “is” is.Screw gov’t employess (don’t cost nuthin’)Campaign on a tax cut for the middle class. Ditch promise after the election.Don’t enforce any SEC regs ensuring Enron and WorldCom on your watch.Raise gas prices by not allowing for new refineries or drilling.Read Wall Street Journal make fortune in cattle futures.Obtain raw FBI files on political enemies.White House coffees.Lincoln Bedroom.Sell secrets to China.
Want more?
-Lie about the presence of WMD to get the American public to support a war.
BlowJoe, mine’s bigger than yours.
BlowJoe’s just mad because no zaftig intern wants to wave his magic wand.
Below are some operational methods to implement the goals CF outlined:
-Serve the corporations, screw the citizens-Pander to big oil, let them write energy policy-Privatize solid working government programs (such as Social Security)-Ignore dysfunctional governmental agencies (e.g., FEMA)-Put Cronies in important positions (e.g., Brown)-Govern as if politics are everything, and policy is nothing-Prevent Military input on military decisions-Speak and listen to only hand-selected audiences-Read no newspapers-Ignore all polls-Repeat lies ad nauseam-Remember that you create reality and you are not bound by it (it is bound by you)-Always use signing statements to convey that you are above the law-And if all else fails, call Karl
Joe Blow’s just mad that the vast majority of the country doesn’t buy what he, Rush, and the other wingnuts are selling anymore. After all, you can only get so far drumming up fear of the gay menace and brown people, and by calling your opponents baby killers, and by constantly ignoring reality. The diehard 20% of the population that still supports Bush is beyond saving – its best to save your breath with those twits.
CF, I think Joe, like 95% of Americans, confuses Communism with totalitarism. Most people have no idea what communism or socialism really are.
No surprise that Joe would be confused.
X,if you’re talking about Joe Williams, you’d be correct.
I think Joe Blow confuses Clinton with Bush. That is a much more impressive state of confusion, wouldn’t you say?
The Republicans are the party of bad ideas. The Democrats are the party of no ideas.
We’ve been looking at one side to solve all our problems practically ever since our country was founded. We’ve never solved all of our problems because not just one side has all the answers. Somebody will do a few things right for awhile, then do something stupid, everyone gets pissed off and they jump on the other bandwagon. It goes back and forth and on and on.
I’m not saying I’m any smarter. I’ve been waiting for option C, a true middle of the road candidate or party who puts the best interest of the country first and political pandering or extremist special interests second at most. My expectations might be even more unrealistic. But option C will never come along unless the people demand it.
BlowJoe – bombing an aspirin factory was bad I agree. However, invading Iraq makes that seem like nothing! Lying about a stained dress was bad; lying about going to war infinitely worse!
Shocker,I have to agree with you on some aspects. At least the one where a new party, that recognizes the fact that we are a nation of differing opinions and one size doesn’t fit all, can come along and give us leaders who will work with the people of this nation and not the special interests that run Washington now.
As kfg says time and time again, “No incumbants.”
XXX,”Communism refers to a conjectured future classless, stateless social organization based upon common ownership of the means of production, and can be classified as a branch of the broader socialist movement. Communism also refers to a variety of political movements which claim the establishment of such a social organization as their ultimate goal.”
“Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. This control may be either direct, exercised through popular collectives such as workers’ councils or community councils, or it may be indirect, exercised through a State. In the latter case, the issue of who controls the state is crucial. A primary concern of socialism (and, according to some, its defining feature) is social equality and an equitable distribution of wealth that would serve the interests of society as a whole.”
Both definitions were taken from Wikipedia.
Neither defines liberalism, as practiced in the states. But Liberalism does adhere to some of the socialist philosophies. Something I don’t agree with. I find most socialistic ideas do nothing more then dampen the human spirit by attempting to make everybody the same. It does, by its very nature, repress the cream from rising to the top. And, like any other form of government, absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are always leaders in government, and the Socialist leaders of the past have proven the absolute problem correct every time. If fact, I would be surprised if any socialist government of the past hasn’t turned into fascism. It’s the next logical step.
Communism is FEMA.
Zionist Israel is the only true “terrorist” State in the world.
{ a complete 180 to try to establish credibility }
Palestinians targeting soldiers not terrorists: Israeli FMPalestinians who attack Israeli soldiers cannot be labelled as terrorists, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in an interview with US television network ABC.
“Somebody who is fighting against Israeli soldiers is an enemy and we will fight back, but I believe that this not under the definition of terrorism, if the target is a soldier,” Livni said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In a later interview with Israeli public radio, Livni, also the justice minister, said a distinction should be made between Palestinians who attack soldiers and those who target civilians.
“We must say to the international community that terrorists who take the lives of civilians are terrorists, that you cannot justify their motivations,” she said.
Experts believe that the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, now in government after a landslide election victory, has changed resistance tactics, targeting only Israeli military targets within the territories occupied in 1967.
On the ground, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Tuesday his forces would intensify its bombardments of Gaza despite the recent deaths of two Palestinian children.
“Our operations are going to intensify,” he vowed.
Sixteen Palestinians have been killed since last week, by continuous Israeli strikes and tank shelling.
The latest victim was eight-year-old girl Hadil Ghaber who died on Monday, April 10, when an Israeli shell struck a house in Beit Lahiya.
A seven-year-old boy was also killed in an air strike on Friday.
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees mission in Gaza, John Ging, expressed “great concern” over the situation after visiting UN-run schools which he feared could end up in the firing line.
“My reaction is to have an expression of very great concern. It is not at all acceptable that innocent lives are lost. I went to the schools (in Beit Hanun and Beit Lahiya) to see for myself the danger that the children are in from this shelling,” he said.
Israel withdrew all its ground troops from the Gaza Strip last September but its bombardments of the territory from the air and tank shelling from across the border have not ceased.
Livni acknowledged that such tactics could have tragic consequences as they obviously include innocent civilians who are considered “collateral damage”.
The number of Israeli reservists who refuse to do their military service in the occupied Palestinian territories is on the rise. Twenty-seven reserve and active duty airmen signed a letter in September 2003, refusing to carry out “immoral and illegal” raids on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In November 2003, four former heads of the Israeli Shin Beth interior security services warned of the “disastrous” consequences of Israel’s continued occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya said the continued bombardment is designed to bring the Palestinian people to their knees.
“The bombardments in the north of the Gaza Strip and in Khan Yunis (south of Gaza)… are part of a political and economic siege of the Palestinian people,” he told the weekly cabinet meeting.
“This is an attempt to bring the Palestinian people to their knees and strangle the government which was democratically elected.”
Haniya also blasted a decision by the EU decision on Monday to suspend aid payments to his government, which follows a similar move by Washington last week.
“We can see that this decision as a green light for Israel to continue its aggressions and as a collective punishment on the Palestinian people over its democratic choice.”—–
JM, no incumbants agreed! However, the problem is the new guys we’d elect will either be Republican or Democrat (or worse yet, Libertarian). Forgive me if the thought of this still makes me hurl.
Shocker – why not look at the minority party in your district and register as a member. Then run for that party’s nomination in that district. Often there is no contest in the minority party primary. Then the key becomes getting enough fed-up voters to vote the majority party incumbent out.
Note that this can apply to either Dems or Reps depending on the district. Unfortunately, far too many people vote the party so guys like Joe “buy-me-lunch” McLeland get a free ride.
Years ago Roger Grund lent me a book “You Don’t Think We Read the Bills do You?” by a Republican legislator in California. He had a very interesting take on just how those guys keep getting elected.
Interesting concept Ben. You’re right–some things don’t change because the voters don’t have a choice, and people who vote by party ignore the fact that the best person for the job may be someone from the other party. Thanks for the suggested reading–I’m not taking summer classes so I’ll need something to do on my downtime.
Another example of the Democrats inability to be creative and original. They have no original ideas, no ideas that really work, and no plan. The old jackass isn’t really appealing anymore when its underbelly is exposed by non-MSM outlets. Too many former liberals decided that they were tired of being held down by the Democratic elitist like Ted Kennedy and Steve Forbes, and decided to break out of the victim mentality mold to empower themselves. And when they found out they could break out of the ‘club’ without big brother government subsidies, they switched to the party of self-reliance, self-empowerment, self-determination, free market capitalism. Funny how that works.
Now, certain individuals that call themselves Republicans are bad news, BUT, the party platform and planks are based on a better foundation than the Dem’s. Unless of course you want the inefficient/ineffective government to provide you with umbrella services. Your choice.
I have had enough! I’m relocating to retire in Mexico on their food stamps and use their free emergency rooms – at their tax payer expense!
Say no to taxes that support the robbing of America. We no longer can afford it!
“Unless of course you want the inefficient/ineffective government to provide you with umbrella services.”
Yeah, like the republicans and their crony appointees botching the katrina response. There is an example of republicans and their inefficient/ineffective government.
Or the Dubai ports deal, another little republican gem. Or the government’s inability to design and implement an effective prescription drug program for the elderly. Or mandating “no child left behind” with no funding to go along with it.
Or this administration’s handling of immigration, or social security.
Or the culture of corruption (jack abramhoff, tom dely, duke cunningham, ralph reed, et al) that republicans have going NOW in D.C.
Nope, we sure wouldnt want to change horses now that the republicans are doing such a GOOD job running the country. I guess those 67% of americans who agree with me that the nation is heading in the wrong direction are all democrats who can not be creative or original.
I think we as a nation have had all the republican “creative and original” ideas we can stand!!!!
ID,
Just because Rush uses drugs, doesn’t mean YOU have to smoke that crack too, man.
Give the stuff up before you go deaf. Too late on the “dumb.”
*****
CF,
That was an excellent point you made–capitalism has had 500 years to do what it was supposed to do, “trickle down” and make everybody rich.
Yup, how’s that worked out so far?
*****
Joe W,
“Better business climate is needed. We are dropping fast in the rankings among the world in business friendly countries.”
As opposed to where? China, where their astonishing prosperity is bought by turing the sky black with pollution and the water grey with chemicals?
Yup, that’s business-friendly alright. Unfortunately, it’s also mortality-friendly as well.
TB, sorry life is so bad for you and it hasn’t turned out like you thought it would. Your are getting intellectual atrophe from not being able to think or help yourself out of the poor-me blues.
TB
http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/countries.cfm
*Jabbing the radical right and the radical left*