Towards a Democratic Win in 2006

For the last five years the Republicans have controlled both houses in Congress and the Presidency. In my opinion, America has been terribly damaged by Republican rule (see below). We need to invoke the first rule of holes: "When you're in a hole, stop digging." We need to limit the power of the Republicans to inflict further damage on the country. This can be done by electing a Democratic majority to at least one house of Congress. As the founding fathers forsaw, a divided government is unable to execute the stupidest policies of either party, and is limited to the mistakes both parties agree on.

Here, in no particular order, are a few things I think the Democrats should do:

• Introduce a congressional resolution declaring war on al Qaeda and the Taliban and their allies. The constitution clearly states that only Congress can declare war, but this has been ignored since the 1940s. A legal declaration of war will have several benficial effects:
  • It will focus attention on the people that attacked us, al Qaeda, and their supporters in the Taliban. The Republicans have been unable to do this. Al Qeada received a lot of attention from Clinton, but was ignored by Bush before 9/11. For a brief period after 9/11 al Qaeda was the focus. Bush said he'd get bin Ladin "dead or alive." Indeed, al Qaeda was severely damaged when they lost their bases in Afghanistan. But the Republicans quickly lost focus and attacked Iraq. Since then al Qaeda has established a major presence in Iraq, the Taliban resistance in Afghanistan has gained strength, and bin Ladin has not been captured or killed. Indeed, the CIA unit assigned to capture bin Ladin was recently disbanded [reference].
  • It will reestablish the fact that only Congress, not the executive, can legally declare war. This will help strengthen the separation of powers the founding fathers so brilliantly established.
  • It will embarass the Republicans, because they didn't have the balls to do it.
• Introduce a constitutional amendendment requiring a balanced budget, allow a 3/5 supermajority over-ride. This will highlight the fact that the Republicans are borrowing trillions of dollars, which will require trillions of dollars of future taxes to pay back. It will also prevent the U.S. from going bankrupt, which will happen in 10-20 years if we don't change course. One could also point out that the Republicans promised a balanced budget amendment in their 1994 Contract with America, but failed to deliver.
• Pass legislation cutting off funding for a permanent military presense in Iraq. This is necessary to convince the Iraqis that we aren't there to steal their country and take their oil, and that we will leave as soon as we can. There is no other way to have any chance of winning the Iraq war.
• Read " Foxes in the Henhouse: How the Republicans Stole the South and the Heartland, and What the Democrats Must Do to Run 'em Out" by Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Sanders. This book, by veteral political operatives, shows how the Republicans have screwed rural and southern America and how the Democrats can recapture the 'red' states. This strategy was used in a successful Democratic bid for Governor of Virginia.
• Repeat the following phases as often as possible:
  • Culture of corruption
  • Borrow and spend Republicans are driving us into bankrupcy
  • The Republican Congress is a rubber-stamp for Bush failures
  • Bush doesn't win wars.
  • Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
  • Saddam didn't have much to do with al Qaeda, but Bush did invite the Taliban to Texas.
  • Bush lied about the Iraqi nuclear weaponds program, which didn't exist.
  • Karl Rove is a traitor for outing a covert CIA agent.
  • Bush lied when he said he knew nothing about outing a covert CIA agent. The outing was done by top admistration officials he saw every day.
  • Bush broke the law in Guantanamo, and probably broke the law wiretapping Americans without court order
  • When discussing wire-tapping: A free people doesn't let their government spy on them.
  • When discussing civil liberties: A free people doesn't let their government imprison them without trial.
  • When discussing gay marriage: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," the Declaration of Independence.
  • When discussing separation of church and state: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," U.S. Constitution.
  • When discussing the proper role of government: "...establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity," U.S. Constitution.

• After three years in Iraq we have failed to win in a country less than 1/10 the population of the U.S.
• After five years in Afghanistan we have failed to win in an even smaller population.
• Five years after 9/11 Osama bin Laden is still free.
• Al Qaeda is decisively winning the war for Muslim hearts and minds. U.S. efforts are pathetically ineffective.
• As a result, al Qaeda is apparently having no trouble recruiting new member to replace those America has killed and captured.
• When George Bush took office the U.S. military was invincible. Today it is mired in Iraq. As a result, North Korea and Iran can advance their nuclear ambitions with no fear of invasion.
• When the Republicans took control America was paying it's bills and reducing the debt by about $300 billion per year. Assuming a 5% interest rate, this eliminated $15 billion of interest costs every year, permanently reducing taxes. Today America borrows roughly $300-400 billion or more per year, requiring that much in future taxes plus $15 billion per year in additional taxes to pay the interest.
• When the Republicans took control America was respected abroad. At the recent World Cup in Germany, the bus carrying the American team was unmarked. Every other country's bus proudly displayed their national identity. Why? Because America is, in the eyes of the world, a nation that frequently invades other countries, bombs people, tortures people, disappears people, and evades the rule of law. If wouldn't hurt so much if they were wrong.