Can DU Build a Winnable Platform (National Agenda) for 2006?

[The Whiskey Priest]

What are the objectives (points) of an agenda that we present to the American people in 2006 that will allow progressives and/or liberals to take the Congress in 2006.

Please only offer on agenda, plus the argument that will convince and compel the American people to give us a chance to lead this country.

Each of us here has very strong opinions that to us are self-evident, those opinions do not seem to be serving us well in elections. Perhaps, this exercise will allow us to evaluate how we win elections, rather than spend the next two years waiting for 2008.

I guess what I am asking is, can we annunciated attractive reasons for the majority of the country to follow us?


My intention is to take all of the response, if any, and bring them back to the forum for consensus.

[napi21]

1. Here's my first suggestion.

Promise to reform the "prescription Drug Bill" to instruct the Fed Gov't to negotiate the best price/volume cost of drugs.

*It's a winning plan because it reduces the cost of the Gov't expense for the plan, and it also reduces the cost of the drugs to the consumer. It's a win/win because it saves money on all sides and actually will help reduce the deficit!

*It's also targeted to the very voters who are the most likely voting block.

*George Bush has already stated he is AGAINST doing this, so it's an obvious Democratic difference!

edited for spelling

[The Whiskey Priest]

2. That is an excellent point

Question: Would a single payer, rather than a multitude of private plans be a winner?

[Lost-in-FL]

3. Are we a political party now?

[The Whiskey Priest]

5. I don't know? Are we?

The board seems to be filled with political talk......

[Warren DeMontague]

4. I think this gentleman Hackett in Ohio has the right idea.

http://www.hackettforohio.com/

Not only do we need to articulate what we stand for, we need to stand BEHIND it and not apologize for it.

[The Whiskey Priest]

6. Which is?

All I am asking is for everyone to offer one point that would help the progressive and liberals win...for you that point would be?

I think if we offered up cat juggling...it might not be a winner, no matter how much we stood behind it, and how adamant were about not apologizing.

[Warren DeMontague]

8. The short version? Don't apologize, don't back down.

That was what I meant with Hackett. He's clearly not afraid to call them like he sees 'em.

The long, more unrealistic, larger vision version: I want our party to articulate a solid, across-the-board, commitment to not only the constitution and the bill of rights, but also to the principle of absolute self-determination in matters pertaining to one's own life, body, and physical person. That means reproductive choice, that means the right to a pain-free, peaceful exit of ones' own choosing, that means an end to a $40 Billion-a-year failed "drug war". Bottom line is, we have seen a stripping away of individual rights as we have simultaneously seen larger and more expansive rights granted to the imaginary entities known as 'corporations'. My broad idea is for the party, rather than trying to play this bogus 'values' game to win over voters who aren't coming our way come hell or high water, to instead embrace some solid populist real-world solutions for the heartland that exemplify REAL 'family values'- namely, a Single Payer Health Care system (funded by a downsizing of the M-I complex to a sane size, along with, again, the defunding of the drug war and the cessasition of a massively expensive program of incarceration for millions of non-violent drug offenders), a liveable minimum wage, and a solid social safety net for the folks who are hurting. At the SAME TIME, we need to appeal to the large numbers of urban, socially libertarian minded voters who can't figure out which party has more control freaks -- by unapologetically standing up for the rights of consenting adults to be left the hell alone about their personal choices, insofar as they aren't harming or interfering with the rights or freedoms of anyone else.

That's my rant. Peace.

[The Whiskey Priest]

11. Very good, lots of thought provoking stuff there

If you would please indicate which one you think we could use to convince the nation they should let us lead?

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Nothing's going anywhere unless we learn to stand up for ourselves.

The GOP has given us plenty of material with which to wallop 'em in 2006. The media, of course, is doing their damnedest to play it down, but if our guys get up and start hammering themes: Corruption, lies, fiscal irresponsibility, we are less safe - I think we can win a lot of elections that way.

Overarching themes? America is about Freedom. The GOP is destroying freedom even as they claim to be sacrificing (other people's) lives for it.

[The Whiskey Priest]

13. That was the purpose of this post....the starting the standing up

I think it is always helpful to know what you are standing for and what you asking others to stand up for....

You touched on a point that I have been considering for sometime...we perhaps should have as part of the agenda, disclosure..if the
American people want to know what is going on, they will only find out if they elect someone other than republicans, someone who will investigate the past actions of a party that has engaged in questionable, if not criminal, activity.

[Boojatta]

7. Years of free public education for the benefit of students

Remove age restrictions for taking the GED. If that is too expensive, then charge a user fee to take the GED test.

If someone passes the GED test but "still has more years to go" then credit those years to the student who leaves the public education system early so that, when the student needs more education, the student can go back and get that many years of free education.

[welshTerrier2]

9. ETFWN

end the fucking war NOW!!!

without even arguing the merits of the war in Iraq, this issue should be a HUGE political winner for Democrats ... it's clear bush's policies are a dismal and catastrophic failure ...

but the Democratic Party just refuses to distinguish its views from bush's views on this issue ... one Democrat says we should bring MOST of the troops home over the next year or so ... another says we need to engage in more dialog with surrounding nations ... another says we should get all troops out in TWO YEARS ...

the American people see virtually no difference between what Democrats are pushing and what bush has done ... are there some important differences? probably so ... but the differences are far too subtle to be politically viable ... the bottom line is that Democrats refuse to stand up and call for an immediate end to the war ... if we don't do this as a Party, we have thrown away one of our most potent issues ...

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Yeah, that too.

AGREED.

[CTyankee]

14. Here goes

1) Seek an immediate end to the quagmire in Iraq, using diplomatic and political means and networking with other nations.

2) Universal, single payer health care.

3) Stop giving tax cuts to the very rich. Reinstate the inheritance tax on estates totalling over (fill in the blank. It used to be $1m)

4) Aggressively reduce the deficit.

5) Call for an education "summit" to address the problems of literacy and eduational inequity in our society. This is an ECONOMIC issue if the U.S. is to stay competitive with the rest of the world.

6) Vow to nominate only prochoice, proreproductive rights individuals to fill any Supreme Court vacancies (some a just hanging on til this happens, I believe).

[American liberal]

15. Here's mine (in no particular order):

:bluebox: Rollback tax cuts that benefit the rich in an effort to reduce the deficit

:bluebox: Freeze wages for Congress and Judges

:bluebox: Overhaul campaign financing rules

:bluebox: Put environmental controls back in place and make polluter penalties stiffer

:bluebox: Figure out a way to make sure everyone has health insurance--especially kids--and a way to control increasing healthcare costs

:bluebox: Provide better funding resources for public education; explore models that compensate teachers fairly and that keep student/teacher ratios 25:1 and below.

:bluebox: Get us the hell out of the Middle East

:bluebox: Fix trade imbalance and rein in free trade; stimulate the economy while making sure basic services are provided and needs are met

:bluebox: Institute a think tank devoted to figuring out how to pay for the most expensive social programs (i.e., Social Security, Medicare) without having to keep borrowing against the future

:bluebox: Trim the federal budget without trimming worthwhile programs/services (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, subsidized day care programs)

[Boojatta]

16. Stop spending government money to develop superior military technology

Alternative: Train lots of good spies to report military technology being developed by all the other countries in the world. Simply copy the best of what other countries are developing.

Is there any amount of spending to develop new military technologies that would be enough to guarantee superiority? First, if there are spies in the USA, then how can the USA maintain superiority over the countries that are doing the spying? Second, can money alone triumph over ideas? What guarantee is there that a dangerous new military technology is not being developed somewhere right now on a very low budget?

Coincidentally, good spies are exactly what is needed to deal with the threat of terrorism.