Democrats and courage
The playwright David Mamet has a column in the LA Times taking on the Democrat's
courage problem. He uses a poker metaphor to argue that the Democrats will
continue to lose unless they take the offensive. Unfortunately, if the
Washington folks who have consulted us into our present mess have their way,
Mamet's advice, like that of so many others making the same point in different
ways, will be ignored. Remember back when Howard Dean was running for president,
and ask yourself why he was so despised by the Washington Democrats. He was not
a wild eyed anything, but he did appreciate the point that Mamet makes in this
column. It was his aggressive, anti-Republican stand that turned them off.
Their guy lost, in part because they advised him into turning the other cheek
once too often. A few thoughts for the short term, if the Dems want to recover
their majority:
1. Filibuster the repeal of the estate tax, and start calling it by some pejorative name like the Paris Hilton Relief Act, or something to that effect.
2. Ditto with the attempt to make the tax cuts permanent.
3. Continue to call for an independent inquiry on Katrina, refuse to cooperate with the proposed committee, and, again, come up with a snappy epithet for the Republican whitewash attempt and repeat that epithet constantly.
4. Insist on honest administration of Katrina relief, and filibuster the money bills until and unless Bush takes Rove and his ilk off the case and appoints someone honest. Insist that Davis-Bacon pay levels be paid, and forbid no-bid contracts. Snappy phrases again.
5. Propose universal single payer health care.
6. Insist on a departure date from Iraq. Every Democrat in the Senate who voted for that war, including Saint Joe (yes, I know it will never happen) should step forward and say: I never thought that any President, even a President as dishonest as George Bush, would lie this country into a war. I trusted him when I cast that vote. I was wrong. It's time to get out. We have screwed up so bad in Iraq that the situation is beyond salvage. The Islamic state we are going to get, whether we leave or stay, is George Bush's responsibility.
7. Filibuster John Roberts. What good is the right to filibuster judicial nominations if you can never use it. Everyone knows that Roberts is a disaster. Just do it.
Of course, none of this will happen. The Democrats will figure that the Republicans low numbers will translate into victory for them. They just have to pick up the apples as they fall off the trees. It won't work, or at least it won't work as well as an aggressive and coordinated attack will work. Gingrich proved that with his Contract on America. The Democrats can do better if they try, since the small print in the Contract was something only someone from the Heritage Foundation could love. Time and again we read that most people agree with the Democrats on the issues. It's time that we cashed in on that advantage.
1. Filibuster the repeal of the estate tax, and start calling it by some pejorative name like the Paris Hilton Relief Act, or something to that effect.
2. Ditto with the attempt to make the tax cuts permanent.
3. Continue to call for an independent inquiry on Katrina, refuse to cooperate with the proposed committee, and, again, come up with a snappy epithet for the Republican whitewash attempt and repeat that epithet constantly.
4. Insist on honest administration of Katrina relief, and filibuster the money bills until and unless Bush takes Rove and his ilk off the case and appoints someone honest. Insist that Davis-Bacon pay levels be paid, and forbid no-bid contracts. Snappy phrases again.
5. Propose universal single payer health care.
6. Insist on a departure date from Iraq. Every Democrat in the Senate who voted for that war, including Saint Joe (yes, I know it will never happen) should step forward and say: I never thought that any President, even a President as dishonest as George Bush, would lie this country into a war. I trusted him when I cast that vote. I was wrong. It's time to get out. We have screwed up so bad in Iraq that the situation is beyond salvage. The Islamic state we are going to get, whether we leave or stay, is George Bush's responsibility.
7. Filibuster John Roberts. What good is the right to filibuster judicial nominations if you can never use it. Everyone knows that Roberts is a disaster. Just do it.
Of course, none of this will happen. The Democrats will figure that the Republicans low numbers will translate into victory for them. They just have to pick up the apples as they fall off the trees. It won't work, or at least it won't work as well as an aggressive and coordinated attack will work. Gingrich proved that with his Contract on America. The Democrats can do better if they try, since the small print in the Contract was something only someone from the Heritage Foundation could love. Time and again we read that most people agree with the Democrats on the issues. It's time that we cashed in on that advantage.
Posted: Saturday - September 17, 2005 at 09:17 AM
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Published On: Apr 17, 2007 07:15 PM
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Published On: Apr 17, 2007 07:15 PM