A "Short List" of 2006 Democratic Platform Items, Starting Today

[Parisle]

---- It's really hard for the democrats NOT to look disorganized, I guess,... but it should be fairly easy to select those "hot buttons" which will ring loudest for the electorate,... especially those still undecided. And recent events have definitely helped a lot. Here we go:

---- The Iraq War & Terrorism: The NIE Report and the panel of dissenting generals tell the whole story,.. and Bob Woodward backs it up. Not only was the war a mistake, but it was dishonestly promoted, poorly executed and has led to even worse prospects for terrorism. Question: "how can the president's word trump the considered findings of 16 separate intelligence agencies, and a host of generals?" (Not to mention what is plainly there for all to see.) Conclusion: The GOP "strong point" is rhetoric, BS, a lie, a mirage,....

---- Social Security: Wall Street isn't going to let their shills give up. They're going to make another run on the peoples' supplemental retirement fund. Democrats: "We will immediately begin putting surplus contributions in the bank."

---- Economy: Wages down, foreclosures & bankruptcies up and consumer debt out of sight. What more do you need to know? Deficit spending, no-bid contracts for administration pals and patrons, record profits for Big Oil. Out-sourcing and offshoring. Democrats: "We TOLD you the Bush administration would be the puppet of Big Business and the rich,... and we were RIGHT."

---- Illegal immigration: Enforcement first. Strict penalties for violating employers. Extreme security screening for legal immigrants. Existing law is just that: "existing law"

---- Culture of Corruption: Abramoff looks bad, but the real money has gone to corporate cronies in the so-called Iraq reconstruction fiasco. C'mon,... $9 billion "missing" from the CPA? Give us a break.

----- Folks, that's about all America can digest,... and even that but sparingly. As a parting shot, some enterprising democratic functionary might want to draw up a list of just what the $300 billion wasted in Iraq could have bought for Americans in terms of education, health care, environmental protection and housing,... not to mention the federal debt. That would be an interesting list, no?

[derby378]

1. There's something glaring missing from the list - TORTURE

As in, who gave The Devil and his minions and Congress permission to legalize it in defiance of the Constitution?

[Parisle]

2. Not Disagreeing,....

---- I counted it among the issue points of the war,..... and the civil liberties aspects of the issue,... the NSA spying, Patriot Act, habeas corpus, etc,... will have to be handled once the democrats have cleaned house, busted some traitors, etc. This is about getting elected.

[Doctor_J]

3. You forgot torture and protecting pederasts

Of course, with this GOP it's hard to keep up with all of their disasters.

[terrya]

4. May seem minor in the scheme of things, but...the environment.

The Democratic Nominee for 2000 has a brilliant movie out right now talking about global warming. The Democratic Party needs to put in its platform the need to address global warming and protecting the environment in general.