Tuesday, March 22, 2005
If there's one thing I've learned, it's that life is one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead.
Okay, it's time to fix this. And I need your help to do it. I think the title of this USA Today editorial is pretty close to accurate:
All opposition, no ideas cast Democrats in poor light
Now, what they're talking about it Social Security, which is one place where I'm pleased with the Democrats' stand. Actually, I'm supportive of most of what the Dems are doing in Washington, with the exception of individuals who are crossing party lines on things like bankruptcy reform.
(By the way, speaking of bankruptcy reform, do the credit card companies know something we don't? Fact is, they made huge profits last year, and I would think that the low interest rates helped make that possible. Interest rates are sneaking back up now, which will most likely increase the number of people seeking bankruptcy, so the companies are saving their own future necks. I haven't heard any discussion of interest rates rising in the discussion of the bill, but it's going to be a huge issue over the next few years if they continue to rise.)
But I want to make this brief: the Democrats have become conservative - the party of the status quo. We don't want radical changes like a flat tax, Social Security privatization, the tearing down of international bodies, environmental & consumer protection deregulation. Moreover, when we do want things accomplished, we're usually just as happy to go through the courts (then again, so are radical Republicans). But "going through the courts" is not a political winner in this democracy.
So I'm starting a project to identify a Progressive Platform that we can start pushing. We can encourage politicians to run on these 8-10 planks, push articles in the media about these planks, present them to America as a vision for the future. And accomplish them. They should cover domestic policy, foreign affairs, defense, the economy, taxes, etc. And rather than be a laundry list of "special interest" constituencies' goals, they should be well-integrated into a larger vision of what we want the U.S. to look like.
First step: in comments, please list your own personal Top 3 list of proactive measures you'd like to put on this Progressive Platform. Also, if you know of good links to similar projects, please share.
In a few days, I'll identify my Top 3.
Go!
All opposition, no ideas cast Democrats in poor light
Now, what they're talking about it Social Security, which is one place where I'm pleased with the Democrats' stand. Actually, I'm supportive of most of what the Dems are doing in Washington, with the exception of individuals who are crossing party lines on things like bankruptcy reform.
(By the way, speaking of bankruptcy reform, do the credit card companies know something we don't? Fact is, they made huge profits last year, and I would think that the low interest rates helped make that possible. Interest rates are sneaking back up now, which will most likely increase the number of people seeking bankruptcy, so the companies are saving their own future necks. I haven't heard any discussion of interest rates rising in the discussion of the bill, but it's going to be a huge issue over the next few years if they continue to rise.)
But I want to make this brief: the Democrats have become conservative - the party of the status quo. We don't want radical changes like a flat tax, Social Security privatization, the tearing down of international bodies, environmental & consumer protection deregulation. Moreover, when we do want things accomplished, we're usually just as happy to go through the courts (then again, so are radical Republicans). But "going through the courts" is not a political winner in this democracy.
So I'm starting a project to identify a Progressive Platform that we can start pushing. We can encourage politicians to run on these 8-10 planks, push articles in the media about these planks, present them to America as a vision for the future. And accomplish them. They should cover domestic policy, foreign affairs, defense, the economy, taxes, etc. And rather than be a laundry list of "special interest" constituencies' goals, they should be well-integrated into a larger vision of what we want the U.S. to look like.
First step: in comments, please list your own personal Top 3 list of proactive measures you'd like to put on this Progressive Platform. Also, if you know of good links to similar projects, please share.
In a few days, I'll identify my Top 3.
Go!
