Well, that certainly didn’t take long…
The Republicans, as you know, came out a few days ago with something they called their Pledge to America. The idea was pretty simple – they wanted to recreate the excitement of 1994’s Contract with America, and, at the same time, reach across to that faction of the Tea Party movement that claims to care about fiscal responsibility, making the case that, should they retake the Congress, they’ll do things differently this time. But, it would seem, no one bought it. After the announcement, there was dead silence. Not only had Boehner said very little to excite the people of America, but, once people looked into the tiny booklet that he kept waving around and pointing at, they realized that it contained absolutely nothing new. And it certainly wasn’t fiscally responsible, as it made the case for permanently cutting taxes on America’s most wealthy, without showing how the cost would be offset in the federal budget. So, not only was there not any enthusiasm, but there was a steady stream of criticism. And, now, it would seem, the Democrats are starting to feel a bit emboldened. Yesterday, President Obama even joined the offensive, saying the following about the Republican Pledge:
“It is grounded in the same worn-out philosophy: cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, cut the rules for Wall Street and the special interests and cut the middle class loose to fend for itself… It turns out that one of the ideas that’s drawn the most interest on their Web site is ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas… Funny thing is, when we recently closed one of the most egregious loopholes for companies creating jobs overseas, Republicans in Congress were almost unanimously opposed.”
So, now, the Democrats are hitting back hard at their Republican challengers, exposing them for who they are. And there’s some evidence that the polls are moving in their favor.
Now, if we could just get the Democrats to go one step further, and actually take credit for health care reform, which, contrary to what you might have heard, is already beginning to benefit American families. It’s not enough to just expose the Republicans as the cruel social darwinists that they are – we need to stand up for what we believe in, and not hide from it… We need, in short, to stop being cowards.
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The White House should have stayed on health care reform after it passed. They should have been out there in front of the American people, talking about he positive changes that were coming. They should have been talking about the families that couldn’t get coverage before who are now able to do so. They should have been talking about people with preexisting conditions who now have insurance. Instead, they gave up the fight. It was the wrong thing to do. They should have supported the Democrats who voted with them. Instead, they ran for cover. Hopefully there’s still time for them to turn it around.
Speaking of health care, did anyone catch the interview with Carter where he said that we would have had national health care during his presidency, if not for Ted Kennedy?
http://dailycaller.com/2010/09/17/carter-ted-kennedy-killed-healthcare/
Fortunately, people from all walks of life except the utterly stupid are laughing at the new Contract on America.
I saw a quote from Boehner somewhere today saying that they weren’t ready to mention specific cuts.
OK, I found it. The quote was, we can’t “begin to talk about potential solutions” yet.
You can find it here.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/27/john-boehner-we-cant-begi_n_740124.html
I know that the reliability of the information is only as good as the expert, but if one of Reagan’s economic policy advisers says that the Pledge to America will deplete government funds to the point where all government agencies besides the military will have to close by 2020, then something is seriously wrong.
Some are speculating that the plan the Republicans have to balance the budget includes privatizing Social Security. Hence their inability to say anything prior to the the election.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/27/white-house-and-kristol-d_n_740572.html
A simple question. If your Boener turns orange, shouldn’t you report it to a doctor?