the big frame for GOP

[yurbud]

If we want to win, we have to get things down to short sentences even a retard could understand (and if you bitch about my use of retard, you've already missed the point).

Therefore, how can we sum up the GOP in a way that will be true and instantly memorable?

[clydefrand]

1. These are short sentences??? How about something like this?

Name one thing besides cutting your taxes a republican has ever done for you.

[yurbud]

6. besides cut my taxes?

They cut my college financial aid, and now that I teach college, they've made it harder to get a full time job.

I like your idea.

Al Franken had something similar in his book: is that $200-300 check enough to make up for what you've lost in services?

Here in Oregon, I asked my conservative friends that after they had to shorten the school year because of tax cuts. They thought it was more important to punish bureaucrats than educate their kids though.

[clydefrand]

13. I think you and the next poster to my post misunderstood me.

I don't think the Republicans have done anything good for us, frankly; but all I ever hear from them is cutting taxes. Of course, I know that the wealthy get the most out of getting their taxes cut.

I just think the question that should be asked of repugs is:
What does a republican politician actually do for you that is positive?

No republican has ever helped a poor person that I know of. They give lip service to the idea of helping them, but I'm like many of you...I don't think they give a damn about anyone but themselves and their wealthy cronies.

[ClearMessage]

11. cut taxes?

First of all, cutting taxes by going into deficits (as opposed to cutting spending) doesn't really count.

Look at this graph. You can see the blue line (richest Americans) getting a tax break from republicans, but the poorest Americans (green line) got a nice tax cut from Clinton.

Besides, is it worth for the country to go into so much debt just to appease the rich?

[Tony_Illinois]

2. We will need something more than the choices here. There must be some way

to address the (wrong) belief of many of the Bushbots that Democrats will force all of the social issues that they disapprove of down their throats. We all know the list, so I won't go into it.

The point is, while I believe the item about the tax cuts for the wealthy being more important than education, etc., has excellent potential, there MUST be some way to make the point that Christians can vote for Democrats and not be serving the fucking devil.

(Great post).

[wuushew]

4. They could also not vote or vote third party

just like 4,000,000 of the Bush base did not in 2000. Sometimes the 180 degree turn is more difficult then the non vote.

[yurbud]

7. culture condensation

That's a tougher one. The GOP is playing into a real fear of diversity and change, and we have a real ethical difference: on the left, we don't care what you do in your private life as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else--actually, that would be a pretty good selling point to all but the religious right.

[SharonAnn]

3. Why vote for people who are stealing from you?

How are they stealing from me?

They're stealing your safety:
Cuts in fire and police protection
Inadequate Homeland Security protections
Enraging our enemies, breaking international agreements

They're stealing your money:
Off-shoring jobs
Cuts in retraining programs
Cuts in funds to states and cities (you have increases in your state/local taxes or cuts in services)

They're stealing your children's future:
Cuts in school programs
Cuts in Pell grants
Poisoning your community

[yurbud]

9. Do you only deserve if...

I like your idea. A variation would be to ask if you only deserve as much education, healthcare, and police protection as you can afford to pay for.

[laura888]

19. VERY nice!

you put it in terms everyone can understand. One for my files!

[bain_sidhe]

5. What makes you think they're gonna cut YOUR taxes?

One of the biggest scams the GOP has perpetrated is that they're gonna cut taxes for the peons that vote for them. Of course they're not going to do that, "my taxes are too damn high" is the REASON peons vote for them. Yes, they've still got the god guns and gays crowd, but a great many MORE people vote for them because they think their taxes are too high. And guess what? Their taxes ARE too damn high. And they're gonna stay that way as long as it serves the GOP's interests. We need to point out the REASON their taxes are too damn high... because the peons are financing the tax cuts for Little Georgie's buddies and the corporations that finance his campaigns.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[yurbud]

10. thank you, senator biden

I think I made that one up myself.

If I worked for them, I'd spend all day screaming, "Get to the fucking point! Don't be polite! Call a spade a spade!"

The actually deleted a post of mine from the Kerry boards because I said to call Bush a liar. If you can't put things that plainly, you will never be heard or understood. And I won't be listening either.

[ClearMessage]

12. "Republican-Deficit "

Just like the republicans have been saying "Tax & Spend Democrats" forever, we should prepend the word "Republican" every time we say "deficit". Repeat ad-nauseum.

It is easy to demonstrate that republicans have been responsible for most of the national debt we accumulated over the last 25 years, and the only president that actually balanced a budget in modern history, was Bill Clinton.

[clydefrand]

14. Agreed. Let's defy the deficit-making Republicans.

Somehow, some way, we Dems must get our message out that they are the ones who have created a nightmare for years to come with this deficit.

But I believe that most of them have so much money..those that create ppolicy and the legislation, that they have no concept of how bad the deficit really is or that there is anything wrong with it.

[CBHagman]

15. They care more about Paris Hilton than you and your family.

Alternate: They think you should be taxed at a higher rate than Paris Hilton.

On edit: Most people apparently don't understand how the estate tax works or what it really is, or that the GOP is not seeking to eliminate it because they're worried about family businesses and farms. Most people also don't understand that the GOP is creating a tax system in which labor is taxed at a higher rate than income through investment or inheritance, or that the GOP is looking at a nationwide sales tax and eliminating the deduction for health insurance, which will throw virtually millions of people out of insurance coverage.

[yurbud]

16. paris hilton, inheritance tax, and porn

Whenever someone says we need to do away with the inheritance tax, I think they really just want Paris Hilton to have more money for higher production values on her next porno.

[two gun sid]

17. Empty symbols

All the right wing nut jobs I know talk about honesty and integrity being more important than money. What they never stop to think about is that even with a total repug government not one of their 'moral' issues is acted upon by that government. Abortion? nope. Gay marriage? nope. Sex and violence in movies and on TV? nope. What do they get? Less worker protections,loss of overtime benefits, tax cuts for the wealthy, less environmental protections. I'm no longer gonna explain how being against abortion and gays is wrongheaded and stupid. I'm just gonna tell how this government dupes them with these phony wedge issues.

[yurbud]

18. what family values does big business practice?

Would a member of your family want to deprive you of medical care, take away over time pay, and make it harder for your kids to go to college?

You could extend that analogy to fit the GOP as a whole:

Would they send your sons and daughters to die in a war with a country that didn't threaten us to profit a handful of their business partners?

Would a family member make life easier for the richest, harder for the poorest, and figure out ways to steal grandma's social security check?