Here’s David Lightman in the Hartford Courtant with his analysis of the midterm elections: “Tired of GOP, wary of Dems”
The mood on the streets of this small Virginia town is the same one dominating the political landscape across key states in this last full week before the Nov. 7 election: People are fed up with Republicans, but not sure they want to vote for Democrats.The Democrats have managed to turn this election into a referendum on Republican rule by assiduously avoiding any mention of what they would do if elected:
On national security, the House Democrats' plan offers more goals than details. Who could disagree with promises to "eliminate Osama Bin Laden, destroy terrorist networks like al-Qaeda, finish the job in Afghanistan and end the threat posed by the Taliban" or "redouble efforts to stop nuclear weapons development in Iran and North Korea?" But the hard part -- on which Democrats offer no details -- is how that is to be done.At this point it’s looking likely that Nancy Pelosi will be the new speaker of the House. But I also remember a Democratic operative on November 2nd, 2004 saying of John Kerry: “Now Americans have to vote for him.” If Americans take a second look at what the Democrats aren’t saying, the Congressional shift may fizzle out.
On Iraq in particular, the agenda calls for "the responsible redeployment of U.S. forces," with "Iraqis assuming primary responsibility for securing and governing their country." Again, what's missing are the details of what "responsible redeployment" might look like. "Insist that Iraqis make the political compromises necessary to unite their country and defeat the insurgency," the Democrats say. Okay, what if that insistence doesn't yield the desired result?
Extra - James Lileks on the Democrats' first 100 days. Now that's an agenda.
3 comments:
It's not really realistic to compare 2002 or 2004 with what's going on today. In the previous elections, Bush had high approval ratings and terrorism was the number one issue with voters during those elections. the Democrats were merely "hoping" that the tide would change in their favor, but the polls didn't suggest that it was going to happen. I know many people point to the "exit polls" in the beginning that showed Kerry was ahead, but those types of polls are never reliable,and it was ridiculous to hang anyone's hat on something like that.
The climate is different now. Iraq is the number one issue, which most Americans are now against, and Bush has awful approval ratings. the polls that have been taken over the past few months are not exit polls. and if yo look at all the polls, including conservative polls like Fox News, you'll see that, at the very least, republicans will not gain seats. Whether or not the Dems take control has yet to be seen. But one thing's for sure. They will pick up at least 12 in the House (Though Kristol and Barnes say more), and 4 in the Senate. There is no chance that Republicans keep all of their seats and gain more to widen their majority.
I understand why most on the left are staying positive, but you know in your heart of hearts that this year is a loss for Republicans. The only question is how bad will it be.
The Dems cannot be any worse thean the Reps.
Six years later: two failed wars, Bin Laden still out of reach, spiraling deficits, mammoth borrowing from China and other Asian countries, high oil prices, no reconstruction in sight for New Orleans, pervasive corruption in Congress, increasing government intrusion in people's lives, institutionalization of torture, spying on American citizens without warrants, etc... The list is not exhaustive.
If the Dems sit on their hands for the next two years and manage to keep Bush and his gang from sinking the country completely into the ground, it will be an accomplishment.
Your statement that the Democrats have stated no plans for when they will take back the House and possibly the senate, is inaccurate.
The Democrats have said *exactly* what they will do.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100600056.html
Day One: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."
Day Two: Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Time remaining until 100 hours: Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step. Cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.
Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds _ "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.
All the days after that: "Pay as you go," meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority.
To do that, she said, Bush-era tax cuts would have to be rolled back for those above "a certain level." She mentioned annual incomes of $250,000 or $300,000 a year and higher, and said tax rates for those individuals might revert to those of the Clinton era. Details will have to be worked out, she emphasized.
"We believe in the marketplace," Pelosi said of Democrats, then drew a contrast with Republicans. "They have only rewarded wealth, not work."
As for what will be done regarding Iraq: there is only one thing that needs to be done for *ANYTHING ELSE* to work - and that is listen to our generals, and remove Rumsfeld.
Democrats have been very clear and almost unanimous about wanting Rumsfeld out of there, due to his staggering failures and borderline criminal negligence.
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