Party Time
"I'm not a member of any organized political party," Will Rogers famously said, "I'm a Democrat." Lately Democrats have been sensing some blood in the water, as the President's poll numbers hover near historic lows and half the Republican Congressional leadership has either been indicted or seems in danger of it. Naturally, being Democrats, they are busy booting opportunity out the window.
They adopted a fatuous and widely derided slogan ("Together, we can do better") that was previously slightly used by the Kerry campaign and the guy with the funky eyebrows, and then proceeded to squabble about the syntax. They do this because they can't agree on the major substantive issues (War, deficit, lobbying reform, health care) and are paralyzed by the fear that whatever they say, Karl Rove will find some band of loonies to advertise it as proof of treason.
They need to start by forgetting any fantasies of impeachment - yes, I too have that dream - but start by facing the fact that it's less likely than demolition by collision with an asteroid. Bush is the guy who's going to be driving this boat for the next three years. He doesn't need somebody to cooperate with him, he needs some critical supervision.
Americans has shown that they mainly prefer divided government, and Democrats need to appeal to that. The President claimed he needed a Republican congress to wage the war on terror and he got it, but what the country got was corruption, incompetence, and a hopelessly bungled war in Iraq. This Presidency needs to be held acountable by a Congress more interested in minding the country's business than stealing its money. We need a Congress willing to find out what the President is doing and hold him to account. A Congress willing to perform its constitutional duties.
Democrats need a platform for 2008, perhaps, but for 2006 they just need to promise to do what the Republicans have not, uphold the Congress's role in oversight
They adopted a fatuous and widely derided slogan ("Together, we can do better") that was previously slightly used by the Kerry campaign and the guy with the funky eyebrows, and then proceeded to squabble about the syntax. They do this because they can't agree on the major substantive issues (War, deficit, lobbying reform, health care) and are paralyzed by the fear that whatever they say, Karl Rove will find some band of loonies to advertise it as proof of treason.
They need to start by forgetting any fantasies of impeachment - yes, I too have that dream - but start by facing the fact that it's less likely than demolition by collision with an asteroid. Bush is the guy who's going to be driving this boat for the next three years. He doesn't need somebody to cooperate with him, he needs some critical supervision.
Americans has shown that they mainly prefer divided government, and Democrats need to appeal to that. The President claimed he needed a Republican congress to wage the war on terror and he got it, but what the country got was corruption, incompetence, and a hopelessly bungled war in Iraq. This Presidency needs to be held acountable by a Congress more interested in minding the country's business than stealing its money. We need a Congress willing to find out what the President is doing and hold him to account. A Congress willing to perform its constitutional duties.
Democrats need a platform for 2008, perhaps, but for 2006 they just need to promise to do what the Republicans have not, uphold the Congress's role in oversight
Comments
Post a Comment