Why haven't more Dems been hammering this as a platform, akin to the GOP's 1994 "Contract On America" snake oil that allowed a bunch of these oxygen-deprived mouth breathers to glorp into power in the first place...
Here are the highlights:
• Enact rules to weaken lobbyists influenceI am sorry to say that there was no mention of investigations of the Bush crime-family or throwing the brakes on New American Mercantile Empire in Iraq, or re-establishing the rule of law. But it is still a good list, and things I would personally be pleased to see happen.
• Enact the recommendations of the 9/11 commission
• Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour (still too little, I think)
• Cut interest rate on student loans in half
• Allow government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare
• Expand federally funded stem cell research
• Roll back the Bush tax cuts
And it's none the worse for being unlikely to ever be a reality. It is highly unlikely that the Dems will be in veto-proof majorities in both chambers of Congress. This is still something that should be pounded on by Dem candidates, and then can be used as a coffee-break moment for voters as we head into the 2008 race... "you mean we coulda had less expensive medicine, more access to money for college and increased wages?"
That's why I would like to have seen something about Iraq or investigations, or repealing the Patriot Act or MCA as part of a comprehensive "First 200 hours" plan. Because as our military adventure in South Asia continues to swirl down the crapper, and the myriad criminal enterprises of the GOP are being dragged from under their rocks into the light of day, I think the choices between the parties become ever clearer.
As I have written before, if the Dems get both houses back, this will not be a panacea. Not everyone gets everything they want. But I find it difficult to believe things won't be measurably better on some level.
mojo sends
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