Wildcard Ky
Southern culture liason
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2004
- Posts
- 3,145
This is in response the Shers thread Dear People Who Didn't Think It Mattered Who Won the White House
I have submitted this piece to my local newspaper as a Letter to the Editor. I don't know if it will get printed or not, but I felt it was worth posting here. I titled it Apology Owed
APOLOGY OWED
As we move into the latter part of 2005, this country is coming to a great crossroad, one that will define us as a nation for the next several decades. That crossroad is the makeup of the Supreme Court. Justice O’Connor has already announced her resignation. Justices Stevens and Rhenquist are expected to resign in the near future, and now word is coming out that Justice Ginsbergs health may be failing. We are looking at the very real possibility of replacing 4 of the 9 Justices in the next year or two.
President Bush has a chance to make a mark on American history that few presidents have ever had the opportunity to make. He can appoint nearly a majority of the court. The course of our nation will be in the hands of one man, and the skill of his political team to get his nominees confirmed. To date, his political team has been masterful at getting what the President wants. With a Republican controlled House and Senate, the odds of Bush getting the people he wants on the court are better than any other president has had in over 40 years. This country could take a swing to the right not seen since the days of prohibition.
If you brand yourself as a conservative, this is good news to you. If you brand yourself a moderate, like most of us do, this causes you a bit of concern. If you brand yourself a liberal, this is horrible news.
In all of this, there is an honest and open apology owed to the American people. That apology is owed by the Democratic Party. The Democratic party has failed it’s purpose miserably since 1992. They have failed through a lack of vision, a lack of a plan for this country, the inability to produce viable candidates, and the lack of knowing what to do to put themselves back in touch with mainstream America.
In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected to office with a majority in both houses. The was the Dems one great chance to put their stamp on our future. They ran on such noble ideals as tax relief for the middle class. Once they were all seated, the ideals went away. Gone was the middle class tax cut. In it’s place was the largest tax increase in history. Gone were many other things that were promised. Two years later, the Democrats majority in the House and Senate was gone as well.
The Republicans had learned their lessons in the defeats of 92. They spoke to the American people and came up with a tangible plan. They set their plans into motion and won a majority in both houses. They found that the people liked it when a plan could be laid out for all to see. The plan promised success, but no one realistically expects for all plans to perform to perfection. The important part was having a plan, and being able to show a direction.
Bill Clinton was quoted as saying he “got the message from America” when the Republicans gained the majority in both houses. Perhaps he did get the message. The rest of his party didn’t.
The Democrats bemoaned their losses in 94. In 96, their president was re elected (remember, he got the message). However, the Democrats failed to regain the majority in either house. In the 98 elections, the balance of power remained unchanged. Throughout these defeats, the Democrats didn’t offer a counter plan of their own. Their campaigns were based on voting against the other side, not voting for them.
During Clintons second term, the Republicans began to flex their muscle. They impeached, but didn’t remove a sitting president. They were setting forth their course of morality for the nation to see, yet the Democrats never offered a plan of their own. The Democratic strategy seemed no more than to point to the faults of the other side without offering any type of plan or alternative of their own.
In a hotly contested election in 2000, George W Bush beat Al Gore by the narrowest of margins. The muscles that the Republicans had been flexing for years now had their final piece in place. They owned the complete majority.
The Democrats spent 6 years watching this shift in power take place, but weren’t able to come up with an attractive option of their own. They continued to rely on attacking the other side rather than espousing the virtues and plans of their party.
The Republicans have always offered a plan. Beginning with the Contract with America, and through the War on Terror. These plans aren’t fool proof. In some cases, such as Iraq, it’s proven that they aren’t even good plans. Yet they are a plan. People like plans. People want to know which way the leaders are going. The Republicans have hammered this point home since 1994. With the exception of Bill Clinton, the Democrats still don’t get it.
In the 2004 race for the Presidency, the Republicans were successful at labeling John Kerry as a flip flopper. That translates into someone without a plan. Perhaps a man without a plan was the perfect candidate to represent a party without a plan.
President Bush has offered a plan for revamping Social Security. I don’t know if it’s a good plan or a bad plan. It is a plan though. Democrats widely criticize Bush’s plan. They spend enormous amounts of energy criticizing it, yet they haven’t offered a plan of their own.
President Bush has a plan for the war in Iraq. Through good and bad, he has stuck to his plan. The Democrats widely criticize him for how he handles Iraq, but don’t offer a plan of their own.
The early buzz for Democratic candidates for the Presidency in 2008 include names like Kerry and Gore. Why come up with new and exciting candidates when you can recycle the old ones? They should still be well versed in 40 year old party mantra.
Now the Democrats are vastly afraid of the nominees that Bush will put forth for possibly four seats on the Supreme Court. They are now reaping the fruits of what they’ve sown through their own inadequacy as a political party. In 1992 they had complete control. They were only able to hold it for one election cycle. By 2000, they had completely lost all control. They show no signs of being able to regain any of that control. Meanwhile, the conservative Republican agenda marches on……..according to plan.
That agenda will soon manifest itself in Supreme Court Justices. Make no mistake about it, there is a plan. Everything from abortion, to civil rights, to privacy, to the right to die will be decided by conservative Republican appointees, not appointees agreed to by a split government. I’m not real comfortable with that.
The Democrats and Liberals aren’t happy with it at all. They’re probably willing to admit that they’re scared by it.
In the end, it’s their own fault. Through their own bumbling incompetence as a political party, they have allowed this super majority to occur. They haven’t offered us any plans for the future. They haven’t offered good candidates with a plan. They haven’t offered any fresh, energetic faces that can articulate why the Democratic party is good for America. It seems that their only campaign slogan right now is “Vote for us because Republicans suck”.
The time has come for the Democratic party to quit crying about their losses and do something about it.
The Democrats owe America an apology. An apology for falling apart as a party. An apology for losing everything that they had gained. An apology for allowing one party to gain this much control. And an apology for not having anything to offer in opposition to the other side other than criticism.
After the apology, the Democrats need to get to work on making themselves a viable political entity again. They could start by actually getting a plan.
I have submitted this piece to my local newspaper as a Letter to the Editor. I don't know if it will get printed or not, but I felt it was worth posting here. I titled it Apology Owed
APOLOGY OWED
As we move into the latter part of 2005, this country is coming to a great crossroad, one that will define us as a nation for the next several decades. That crossroad is the makeup of the Supreme Court. Justice O’Connor has already announced her resignation. Justices Stevens and Rhenquist are expected to resign in the near future, and now word is coming out that Justice Ginsbergs health may be failing. We are looking at the very real possibility of replacing 4 of the 9 Justices in the next year or two.
President Bush has a chance to make a mark on American history that few presidents have ever had the opportunity to make. He can appoint nearly a majority of the court. The course of our nation will be in the hands of one man, and the skill of his political team to get his nominees confirmed. To date, his political team has been masterful at getting what the President wants. With a Republican controlled House and Senate, the odds of Bush getting the people he wants on the court are better than any other president has had in over 40 years. This country could take a swing to the right not seen since the days of prohibition.
If you brand yourself as a conservative, this is good news to you. If you brand yourself a moderate, like most of us do, this causes you a bit of concern. If you brand yourself a liberal, this is horrible news.
In all of this, there is an honest and open apology owed to the American people. That apology is owed by the Democratic Party. The Democratic party has failed it’s purpose miserably since 1992. They have failed through a lack of vision, a lack of a plan for this country, the inability to produce viable candidates, and the lack of knowing what to do to put themselves back in touch with mainstream America.
In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected to office with a majority in both houses. The was the Dems one great chance to put their stamp on our future. They ran on such noble ideals as tax relief for the middle class. Once they were all seated, the ideals went away. Gone was the middle class tax cut. In it’s place was the largest tax increase in history. Gone were many other things that were promised. Two years later, the Democrats majority in the House and Senate was gone as well.
The Republicans had learned their lessons in the defeats of 92. They spoke to the American people and came up with a tangible plan. They set their plans into motion and won a majority in both houses. They found that the people liked it when a plan could be laid out for all to see. The plan promised success, but no one realistically expects for all plans to perform to perfection. The important part was having a plan, and being able to show a direction.
Bill Clinton was quoted as saying he “got the message from America” when the Republicans gained the majority in both houses. Perhaps he did get the message. The rest of his party didn’t.
The Democrats bemoaned their losses in 94. In 96, their president was re elected (remember, he got the message). However, the Democrats failed to regain the majority in either house. In the 98 elections, the balance of power remained unchanged. Throughout these defeats, the Democrats didn’t offer a counter plan of their own. Their campaigns were based on voting against the other side, not voting for them.
During Clintons second term, the Republicans began to flex their muscle. They impeached, but didn’t remove a sitting president. They were setting forth their course of morality for the nation to see, yet the Democrats never offered a plan of their own. The Democratic strategy seemed no more than to point to the faults of the other side without offering any type of plan or alternative of their own.
In a hotly contested election in 2000, George W Bush beat Al Gore by the narrowest of margins. The muscles that the Republicans had been flexing for years now had their final piece in place. They owned the complete majority.
The Democrats spent 6 years watching this shift in power take place, but weren’t able to come up with an attractive option of their own. They continued to rely on attacking the other side rather than espousing the virtues and plans of their party.
The Republicans have always offered a plan. Beginning with the Contract with America, and through the War on Terror. These plans aren’t fool proof. In some cases, such as Iraq, it’s proven that they aren’t even good plans. Yet they are a plan. People like plans. People want to know which way the leaders are going. The Republicans have hammered this point home since 1994. With the exception of Bill Clinton, the Democrats still don’t get it.
In the 2004 race for the Presidency, the Republicans were successful at labeling John Kerry as a flip flopper. That translates into someone without a plan. Perhaps a man without a plan was the perfect candidate to represent a party without a plan.
President Bush has offered a plan for revamping Social Security. I don’t know if it’s a good plan or a bad plan. It is a plan though. Democrats widely criticize Bush’s plan. They spend enormous amounts of energy criticizing it, yet they haven’t offered a plan of their own.
President Bush has a plan for the war in Iraq. Through good and bad, he has stuck to his plan. The Democrats widely criticize him for how he handles Iraq, but don’t offer a plan of their own.
The early buzz for Democratic candidates for the Presidency in 2008 include names like Kerry and Gore. Why come up with new and exciting candidates when you can recycle the old ones? They should still be well versed in 40 year old party mantra.
Now the Democrats are vastly afraid of the nominees that Bush will put forth for possibly four seats on the Supreme Court. They are now reaping the fruits of what they’ve sown through their own inadequacy as a political party. In 1992 they had complete control. They were only able to hold it for one election cycle. By 2000, they had completely lost all control. They show no signs of being able to regain any of that control. Meanwhile, the conservative Republican agenda marches on……..according to plan.
That agenda will soon manifest itself in Supreme Court Justices. Make no mistake about it, there is a plan. Everything from abortion, to civil rights, to privacy, to the right to die will be decided by conservative Republican appointees, not appointees agreed to by a split government. I’m not real comfortable with that.
The Democrats and Liberals aren’t happy with it at all. They’re probably willing to admit that they’re scared by it.
In the end, it’s their own fault. Through their own bumbling incompetence as a political party, they have allowed this super majority to occur. They haven’t offered us any plans for the future. They haven’t offered good candidates with a plan. They haven’t offered any fresh, energetic faces that can articulate why the Democratic party is good for America. It seems that their only campaign slogan right now is “Vote for us because Republicans suck”.
The time has come for the Democratic party to quit crying about their losses and do something about it.
The Democrats owe America an apology. An apology for falling apart as a party. An apology for losing everything that they had gained. An apology for allowing one party to gain this much control. And an apology for not having anything to offer in opposition to the other side other than criticism.
After the apology, the Democrats need to get to work on making themselves a viable political entity again. They could start by actually getting a plan.
Would you say the same to Amicus?
