learn something new every day... I did not know that PA had referendums.
what are the 3 isues in Philly?
Almost forgot you were from PA with the giant "Ting" banner on the side of your blog! There's a great article/op ed piece today in the Washington Post on "The Rising Radical Center," discussing how many of the Democrats that threaten to change the balance in Congress are, like Bob Casey in PA, generally moderate and pragmatic.
In the end, I view this election as a referendum on the status quo - "stay the course," if you will. The status quo has this country moving in the wrong direction; the leadership of this country has the world moving in the wrong direction. It is time for a change. Ryan is correct; the Republicans have done little to nothing to earn the support of their usual constituents. Any readers who have not already made up your minds: don't let the fear of change and the fear of accountability affect your decisions as you vote. There is a big difference between hearings about a President's sex life and hearings about the reasons that a nation went to war, a war that costs more American lives every day. The current leadership, under the Republican Party, has not provided the leadership necessary to look into and move past these vital issues on to a better future. Denying the reasons and original goals for a war means that it is open-ended, and the time has come to think about how to bring closure in Iraq.
When leadership fails, we as the American people have the power and the responsibility to bring about change. The time is very near for us to do that.
The country will be ripped apart if the dems gain control of the house or senate or both? Don't you think that is being a little dramatic Ryan? I mean I thought the country was going to be ripped apart when Bush won in 2004 and look how that turned out...oh wait.
I don't think I am being overly dramatic. Bush had already governed for four years, so the chance that he was going to start tearing apart the country in January of 2005 was slightly less believable.
The people who will put the Democrats in power are the same people telling us that Bush should be impeached, that 9-11 was an "inside job," and that we're in Iraq for oil.
Just because a small group of Democratic supporters subscribe to conspiracy theories does not make all of our ideas meaningless. As I watch Bush flounder politically as he tries to find a position on Iraq that people can swallow and still vote Republican (wait, look, GAYS ARE GETTING MARRIED!!! - WHO CARES ABOUT IRAQ??). Did that seem inappropriate in the flow of my comments? You bet, but watch, that is exactly what the Republicans will try to do now. Iraq is a losing issue, Bush is flip-flopping more than Kerry ever did, and the Congress is plagued with corruption and scandal. The Democrats are offering a real alternative and hope for positive change. How will the Republicans stop this "nightmare scenario"? New Jersey just gave them a diamond ring on a golden platter; "rallying the base" of backwards-thinking homophobes may be the only chance the Republican Party has at keeping power. Sad, isn't it?
How's that for a conspiracy theory? Oh, and North Korea has nukes, Iran is on the way, and there's a genocide in Darfur. Do you think we were worried about Iraq because we really like sand? But maybe Iraq was only about revenge for a plot to kill Bush senior. Either way, we got a mess, its our responsibility, there are already a lot of dead Americans, and Bush surely doesn't seem to know how to get us out. Maybe a nice Democratic Congress can come up with some ideas to help him along...
Maybe a nice Democratic Congress can come up with some ideas to help him along...
Where are the ideas? All I ever hear about are those conspiracy theories you sort-of deride. I don't hear about real solutions to the problems. I hear about "change," but a change to what?
Shouldn't people seeking power have an agenda other than "Bush and Republicans suck"?
As opposed to the Republicans who are running on a platform of "stay the course"? I certainly agree the national democrats currently in power have not done their jobs at getting out a unified message, but individual candidates have all produced good, practical ideas aimed at change. At this point, just trying something different sounds a whole lot better than going even further down the wrong path.
I doubt the Republicans, given the already lame duck status of Dubya, could really manage any large new legislation. So we wouldn't be going really any further down this path.
"I certainly agree the national democrats currently in power have not done their jobs at getting out a unified message, but individual candidates have all produced good, practical ideas aimed at change."
So are you voting against Tom Carper? He's a Democrat "currently in power" who has no ideas. Point me in the direction of one who does have ideas. I will grant that Biden has ideas, but he's not up for reelection this cycle.
I mean more those in the national party, not nationally elected Democrats (Dean, for instance, though I do approve of his tactics of trying to win locally by building up structure in areas formerly without a major Democratic presence). I like Carper, and I think he does have some very good ideas. He has done a lot for the state of Delaware in his various positions, and I am sure will serve us well for the next 6 years.
Mike, not one piece of legislation that Carper was the lead on passed in Congress. You call that leadership?
Yes, I do - because at least he was proposing legistlation. It is not his fault the right-wing do-nothing Congress refused to pass it.
Leadership is about more than legislation anyway; Carper does a lot for his constituents and provides leadership when it comes to working WITH the other party and actually getting something done. We're fortunate to have such a good man representing us in the Senate.
I agree that the Republicans have done little to merit votes to keep them in their seats. I don't want Congress swinging all the way to the left though either. Where's the middle ground? That's what I'm hoping for -- enough of a balance where party majority doesn't dictate what gets done and what doesn't. Sometimes you need to swallow your pride and change course - this goes for both sides. We need collaboration and compromise for the good of the country -- not the good of getting elected, special interests, or personal gain.
On Iraq, Dems have two ideas:
Run Away now
and
Run Away next year.
What then? what happens in Iraq after we Run Away.
How will Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iran and Lebanaon react?
Yeah, because if the United States leaves, Iraq just might descend into total chaos. Factions would be fighting for power, militias would try to take over cities (and succeed), and people would be murdered in the streets in all types of reprisal killings.
If this sounds familiar, it is because you watch the news; that is already what is happening every day in Iraq. The only difference is US troops are dying in the process. Americans die every day as both parties use Iraq as a means of gaining the political edge in the upcoming election. I'm not saying we need to completely withdrawal all of our troops (most Democrats still are not), but we need to reduce our numbers and strategically redeploy sooner rather than later.
Bush and the Republicans have produced no new ideas on Iraq since the beginning. That is why we are in the present mess we are in. Biden came out with a concrete plan, right or wrong, that called for more federalism. At least he’s trying.
Sorry Willy, I just couldn't let that comment stand. It was just flat wrong.
wrong, your leaders are saying run away now, but either way, if we leave Iraq prematurely, Bin Ladin will declare victory and grow stronger ("follow me, I drove the Russians out of afghanastan andthe US out of Iraq"). Iraq will become a terrorist state, a giant safe house from which attacks can be planned, trained for and launched.
If you are so worried about Bin Laden, we should focus more on Afghanistan where the Taliban regains strength every day. Bin Laden is still out there because Bush took his eye off the ball when we went into Iraq. That of course is the irony in your statement. In spite of the blind optimism coming from Republican leadership, Iraq has already decended into a chaotic state of civil warfare and a place where terrorists thrive. Leaving our soldiers in the middle of a civil war isn't helping anyone. The time has come for new ideas, not the same old stale Republican backslapping and reassurances.
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