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Here's why Dems will always be in the minority

craigfarmer

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Senate passes a budget
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-03-17-medicaid-budget_x.htm

The budget passed by a Republican Senate containing over 2.6 trillion dollars in federal spending is the number one reason it will be exceedingly difficult for Democrats to ever become the majority party again. Our only realistic hope is that scandal scars the GOP.

Here is how large 2.6 trillion dollars is:

2,600,000,000,000

This is ten years after the "Republican Revolution".

This budget is a symbol of the Republican strategy for the last decade: adopt every positive liberal idea, and leave liberals and democrats with the most extreme parts of their agenda to argue for.

It's difficult to assert that the Republicans are cruel, against the poor, focused only on the wealthy, etc. WHEN IT'S NOT THE CASE. They are proposing to spend 2.6 TRILLION dollars.

Those looking closely will point to the various details of how certain programs are being underfunded or how some powerful lobby has an unfair advantage. Yet this Senate budget has an answer to that also. They reversed President Bush's proposed "cuts" in Medicaid spending. So now the Republicans have "stood up" for the poor. A few weeks ago, the President warned Congress not to cut the Medicare Prescription drug spending. This is a shell game.

As long as the millions of voters who claim to believe in smaller government don't hold so-called Conservatives accountable at the ballot box, Democrats can't win. Republican leaning liberals and moderates have ample evidence that the President and his party are compassionate and on their side. The small government conservatives have learned to be "adults". Liberals and democrats have to wonder where the tipping point is. At some point Republicans will have to choose left or right, but for now they choose both.

That's because while they borrow our popular ideas ranging from the rebate tax cut checks, to the Dept. of homeland security, federal role in education, more spending on healthcare, and on; they are steadily producing tax cuts, government deregulation, and other popular parts of their agenda.

Anytime they go too far. They simply flip flop and undo the damage.

You have to think what will ever fracture this coalition. What will be one step too far for some of the Republican base? Tax increases?

There's word that the President is willing to raise taxes on some to enact a Social Security plan. I would say that would never happen under a second Bush administration, but history may tell a different story.

Ronald Reagan whose nickname had to have tax cuts in it, raised taxes several times. And yes, once was to save Social Security. Imagine how grandiose the President who has firmly stood against higher taxes for anyone will look if/when he offers a compromise plan that includes tax increases.

The question for Democrats is whether the GOP is on to something? Is the best way to attain/retain power in America to support everything popular to deflect the attention, and then do as much of your agenda as possible? Thereby exploiting the reality that only the headlines matter?
What about when the popular item is the opposite of your agenda. How far is too far?

10 years ago when Republicans assumed control of the Congress, and five years ago when they completed control of the government, many predictions on the left were grim.

The truth is we as a country are more liberal now than then. Prescription drug benefit in Medicare, a consensus on civil unions, the death penalty being banned for minors and mentally ill, affirmative action allowed, a federal education law, and so on...

I know many of you are thinking about the details... or the REAL plan of the Republicans. You may be right, but if you fake something for such a long time eventually you become it.

I can only imagine how Newt Gingrich would be plotting to have a Conservative take-over, until he realized it was his side in power.

Craig Farmer
making the word "liberal" safe again!

go to:
http://www.newliberals.org to whole piece and solution!

supported soley by users clicking on sponsors ads.
 
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I notice people don't often successfully criticize my ideas. They attack me personally, or some other aspect.

This goes for both sides. Maybe I'm on to something being a newliberal!
 
craigfarmer said:
I notice people don't often successfully criticize my ideas. They attack me personally, or some other aspect.

This goes for both sides. Maybe I'm on to something being a newliberal!
Personal attack? I'm just not a big fan of copy and paste.
But I do agree with you about keeping Terri Schiavo alive.
 
craigfarmer said:
The truth is we as a country are more liberal now than then. Prescription drug benefit in Medicare, a consensus on civil unions, the death penalty being banned for minors and mentally ill, affirmative action allowed, a federal education law, and so on...
Medicare is going down the tubes and its fiscal solvency is brought into question.

There's no "consensus on civil unions", some states have proposed laws to ban civil unions from happening in the state border.

Death penalty issues aren't a liberal/conservative thing.

Affirmative action's original weight is being stripped away.

Moreover, just because an idea is a democrat's idea, or an idea is a republican's idea, doesn't mean that it's not a good/bad plan for all. Government should attempt to represent the people and a good politician will set aside partisanship and vote for a bill based on its merits and not on its affiliation.

As for the spending thing... well, from a majority of the Republicans I've talked with, they are getting a bit sick of the spending that has been going on with this administration and have been calling for more fiscal restraint and I've been echoing their sentiments. If the government keeps spending like this, the US will quickly move from capitalism to socialism. We can't have tax cuts if we keep spending as we have been and I would bet my money on the backlash pony when the fiscally responsible republicans get sick of this admin's policies.
 
If Conservatives had integrity, there would be a legitimate third party "conservative" movement. But there isn't, and the result is that Bush has advanced as much of a liberal agenda as a conservative one. I know most dems and liberals like me complain bitterly, but the fact is Richard Nixon did similar things and got similar treatment.


Imagine a conservative party:

passing No Child Left Behind federal legislation

prescription drug benefit in Medicare without major reform

2.6 trillion in federal spending each year.

continued support for EPA, FDA, social security, medicare, etc.

abortions continue, and Republicans have appointed 7of nine S.C. judges

it goes on and on.

Republicans must really be moderates!
 
craigfarmer said:
If Conservatives had integrity, there would be a legitimate third party "conservative" movement. But there isn't, and the result is that Bush has advanced as much of a liberal agenda as a conservative one. I know most dems and liberals like me complain bitterly, but the fact is Richard Nixon did similar things and got similar treatment.


Imagine a conservative party:

passing No Child Left Behind federal legislation

prescription drug benefit in Medicare without major reform

2.6 trillion in federal spending each year.

continued support for EPA, FDA, social security, medicare, etc.

abortions continue, and Republicans have appointed 7of nine S.C. judges

it goes on and on.

Republicans must really be moderates!
Republicans are hardly moderate. You are a moderate, though you hold on to that 'new liberal' tag. Look at what your hero, Bill Clinton did. He was a new liberal, yet he overturned the Glass-Steagall Act! Under his administration we saw Reaganomics not brought to a halt, but continued, as labor unions faltered, business saw a golden age, a worker wages barely kept pace with inflation. Inequality soared, to a rate not seen since the 1920's. Taxes were kept fairly low, and because of his conservative fiscal policy, we see the recession before us today. Under his administration, we saw the supreme power of the market take control, as they enacted the new 'stock market option' for employees. Who needs a bigger salary when we can have the stock market, or so Clinton and his neo-liberals thought. No, Clinton was no liberal (he was certainly a neo-liberal, with more capitalistic ideas than all previous Dems), as he let inequality rise quite high. He and his 'third way' have destroyed old liberalism, and with it, the Democratic party. Now the socialists are right: it doesn't matter whether a Dem or a GOP man is in office, the rich now will continue to get richer, the poor poorer. How can you claim to be a liberal when you support the 'free' market, you are pro-market, and pro-business? Is that what a liberal is? A friend to the rich and powerful?
 
What A no brainier idea you cut taxes increase spending how simple and stupid i.e ( no brainier it take no brains to do it ) however there reality is their no Santa Claus that will come and put $ Billions of dollars to make up for the debt ........Yo Dude lets get real I love playing Santa Claus to my niece and nephews at Christmas time.

But I think most of us reading and writing these forum are adults reality check
 
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