The Moderate Voice has an excellent take on what aling the Democrats these days: the problem? Lack of vision. Case in point: the President's speech, both last night and at his Inaugeration was quite visionary. You don't have to agree with it, and there is are somethings I don't, but he is trying to create a vision of what America can be. The Dems? Well look at this excerpt from the Democratic response from Sen. Harry Reid and Representative Nancy Pelosi:
"We Democrats have a different vision: Spurring research and development in new technologies to help create the jobs of the future. Rolling up our sleeves and fighting for today's jobs by ending the special tax breaks that encourage big corporations to ship jobs overseas. A trade policy that enforces the rules of the road so that we play to win in the global marketplace instead of sitting by and getting played for fools."
Well, that gets me excited , how about you?
There is nothing here that makes people excited about the Democrats. Basically, Reid says we need to create new jobs and punish those who outsource. Okay, jobs are nice, but what is their vision? What will make people follow their agenda over Bush's? Reid and Pelosi talk about new Marshall Plans and GI Bills. They are basically trying to exhume old Democratic programs instead of fashioning new plans for a new day.
Take Social Security. Basically, the Dems' plan is to oppose Bush, but they don't offer anything new. For instance, they seem to think there is nothing wrong with a program that in 2042 will only shell out 75% of promised benefits. Now, they maybe correct that Social Security will be bankrupt, but do we really want a government program that only pays 3/4 of its promised benys? Is that fair? As someone who will be receiving benefits in 2042, I'd kinda like the full benefit.
Bush might have a bad plan, but he has a plan. And people are going to go with the guy with a plan over the one who has none.
Democrats think that they have a winning issue in blocking Bush's plan, but I think they are wrong. Bush is crafting a vision that might not knock people's socks off, but they will find it appealing. The Dems have no idea, no vision for Social Security. That's a recipe for disaster.
If there is a lesson the Dems should have learned after the 2004 election, it's this: people might not be crazy about Bush, but he's good at setting grand vision. Kerry had none to share. All he could say was that he was not Bush. The American people deserve more and until the Dems can come up with a reason for the public to support them, they should prepare to be the permanent minority party.
Posted by Dennis at February 3, 2005 10:19 PMI am definitely a moderate Republican - believe in fiscal responsibility - and lower taxes - however there is a reasonable amount that must be collected to pay for needed services - and war specifically. How does everyone define the core values of the Moderate Republicans?
Posted by: teak simonton at February 15, 2005 11:34 AMhello! my name jeff I found your site by looking at the the problem with social security. one of the biggest problmes is giving aid to anyone who does not speak our languge and have never paid one penny in to it. the numbers are stagering ,the moneies beenging paid out and the people collecting it,one hundred % of these people from other countries, its not wright and it needs stopped right now! its dam good place to start.Jeff Oliver fithe generation american!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Jeff Oliver at February 12, 2005 02:07 PMDemocrats do have plans for Social Security reform, but the television time was specifically set aside for Bush to get his plan out first and then for Democrats respond. They have not been asked to voice their views on television yet, but it's coming. Watch C-span if possible. For those of you who did not catch the 2006 budget proposal, it will be a probably be a shock when you do see it. Let's hope Congress does a good job of going over every item with a fine-tooth comb. Republicans and Democrats alike, especially children, veterans, seniors, and the poor, will suffer heavily from the budget cuts Bush wants to make. Please write to your reps to urge them to do their jobs with the best interests of the people of the United States in mind. This is NOT a partisan problem - it's potentially disastrous for all U.S. citizens.
Posted by: Teena at February 9, 2005 01:47 PMI think you are right.
Hello! My name is Paul and I'm a Moderate Repulican. I've just discover this site and I like it. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: BigGator5 at February 4, 2005 01:48 AM