- Nov 17, 2002
- 15,776
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Anyone who truly cares about America and American democracy must vote for their Democratic Congressional candidate on Tuesday. Yes, we've all seen the propaganda points about the evil things a Democratic Congress will do. They are transparently partisan FUD, so shrill and insubstantial that I'm frankly amazed so many of the Bush faithful have embraced them. It's not just that many of them are actually good things, nor that many others are pure Rovian inventions, but that virtually all of them are moot. Unless G.W. Bush suddenly turns into a liberal door mat, he can and will veto anything the Dems attempt that doesn't rigidly toe his dogmatic line. In other words, while the Dems can rein in Bush's extremist agenda, they will not be able to advance any agenda of their own.
Let me stress this critical point. Unless G.W. Bush suddenly turns into a liberal door mat, he can and will veto anything the Dems attempt that doesn't rigidly toe his dogmatic line.
The only exceptions will be those things that are sensible enough and moderate enough that Republicans will be willing to join with Democrats to override Bush's vetos. Americans gain both a centrist, bipartisan Congressional agenda to start solving our many problems, plus the adult supervision we desperately need to restore checks and balances. It's a win-win.
I'll concede it's possible the Repubs and Dems will take the low road and squander this opportunity, choosing instead to spend our time in petty partisan squabbles. That may even be the more likely scenario. While that would be unfortunate, we can live with gridlock for two years and fix it in 2008. It's no worse than today, and we still put a leash on Bush.
The other real plus of a solid Democratic victory is that it may force introspection by true conservatives and other Republicans. Maybe they'll finally realize just how far the party has strayed. Maybe they'll decide to eject the neo-cons and religious extremists who've hijacked the GOP, restoring it to its traditional values. Maybe Tuesday will be a big win for America.
Edit:
It's been suggested that I've glossed over one other aspect of the campaign to demonize Democrats, namely that the current Republican government has been the worst offender in many of the areas they attack the Democrats:
In short, putting Democrats back in control in Congress is the only rational path, no matter how much gloom and doom some Bush supporters fling. It is vital to getting back not only control of America, but also for traditional Republicans to get back control of their party.
Let me stress this critical point. Unless G.W. Bush suddenly turns into a liberal door mat, he can and will veto anything the Dems attempt that doesn't rigidly toe his dogmatic line.
The only exceptions will be those things that are sensible enough and moderate enough that Republicans will be willing to join with Democrats to override Bush's vetos. Americans gain both a centrist, bipartisan Congressional agenda to start solving our many problems, plus the adult supervision we desperately need to restore checks and balances. It's a win-win.
I'll concede it's possible the Repubs and Dems will take the low road and squander this opportunity, choosing instead to spend our time in petty partisan squabbles. That may even be the more likely scenario. While that would be unfortunate, we can live with gridlock for two years and fix it in 2008. It's no worse than today, and we still put a leash on Bush.
The other real plus of a solid Democratic victory is that it may force introspection by true conservatives and other Republicans. Maybe they'll finally realize just how far the party has strayed. Maybe they'll decide to eject the neo-cons and religious extremists who've hijacked the GOP, restoring it to its traditional values. Maybe Tuesday will be a big win for America.
Edit:
It's been suggested that I've glossed over one other aspect of the campaign to demonize Democrats, namely that the current Republican government has been the worst offender in many of the areas they attack the Democrats:
- Big spending? Check, the worst since Reagan's record spending (as a percentage of GDP).
- Big government? Check, the biggest expansion ever.
- Reckless fiscal policies? You got it, record deficits (in total dollars), almost doubling the federal debt in six years.
- Pork? Anyone want to buy a $200 million bridge to nowhere? Too bad, you are anyway.
- Welfare queens? How many billions in corporate welfare have we handed out lately (*cough* Exxon Mobil *cough*, not to mention the billions of profits Cheney's Halliburton is reaping from Bush's attack on Iraq, nor the multi-billion gift to big pharma when Bush & Co. prohibited the federal government from negotiating drug prices ... unlike every other insurance provider on the planet.
- Losing the "War on Terror"? No, that would be the Bush administration. The consensus of our intelligence experts is BushCo's action have increased our risk of terrorism. Iraq was a distraction, unrelated to terrorism (and has become a fiasco, of course). Bush's unilateral attack and occupation has inflamed hatred against the U.S. around the world, especially among Muslims. GWB is the new poster boy for al Qaida recruiting. Bush started strong in Afghanistan, but he's losing it, ceding it to the warlords. Osama bin Laden is still on the loose. Our ports are still wide open, our borders porous. People around the globe -- including our allies -- actually fear Bush more than they do loons like Kim Jong-il. The Bush administration has failed across the board in its responsibility to make America safer, and Congressional Republicans have been willing accomplices.
In short, putting Democrats back in control in Congress is the only rational path, no matter how much gloom and doom some Bush supporters fling. It is vital to getting back not only control of America, but also for traditional Republicans to get back control of their party.
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