Republicans Still Set the Agenda

It was no surprise to find Democrats raking over the same old issues in their last debate but it was shocking to find them raking over old Republican issues instead of their own. If they go on doing it they'll give away another election that was theirs for the taking.

In earlier debates it seemed the parties lived on different planets. Democrats talked about health care and getting out of Iraq. Republicans embraced Bush policies, if not Bush, and denied conscience and science to mollify right wing evangelicals. Advantage: Democrats.

Flash forward to Edwards and Obama clawing away at Clinton. They talked about health care but only as a character signifier. Iraq was an afterthought. In their stead came topics Republicans love: immigration, social security, invading Iran and that perennial GOP favorite, the intrinsic evil of the Clintons.

For Democrats to get mired in Republican issues isn't just bad for them. America needs to debate Iraq, health care and the challenges of energy independence and global warming. It would be nice to add in public debt and corruption. Yet Democrats are fixed on an agenda only Karl Rove could love. How come?

A part of the fault is Clinton's. She gets mad when others run plays from the Republican playbook. Perhaps she thought she had the only extra copy. Her annexing Republican language and concepts in discussing foreign and defense policy has set the tone to November regardless of who's nominated.

Fault lies also with her opponents. Beneath the surface, and often not far beneath, all their talking points are about her; not just whether she can win, but whether she can be trusted. Their strategy has served Republican ends more than their own.

Thus Iran is debated because Hillary voted to label Iran's Republican Guard 'terrorist.' The amendment in question was a calculated step to war but so transparent as to be useless to its plotters, a group including few of the 76 senators voting yes.

Democrats think an attack on Iran grows less likely. They talk so much about it because they don't know what to say about Iraq and because Hillary's vote left her looking like more of a hawk than she lets on and calculating to boot. Needless to say, it helps Republicans when Democrats are talking about staying out of Iran rather than getting out of Iraq.

Illegal immigration was an issue because Hillary mangled her answer to a question about driver's licenses. This one's even more of a godsend for Republicans, who need us to blame someone other than them for the middle class squeeze. Who better than Mexicans?

Democrats have a better grasp of the origins of middle class discontent and even some ideas as to what to do about it. But rather than make their case, they shoot each other over immigration. They should endorse a decent compromise and move on.

The most bogus issue of all is social security. After Bush failed to privatize the system, Republicans stopped talking about it. So why have Edwards and Obama resurrected it? Did they swallow Bush's blarney about an impending actuarial apocalypse? Not likely.

The point is again to paint Hillary as a hypocrite. Obama and Edwards would raise taxes on the rich to ward off projected deficits in the social security trust fund. Clinton waffles, while making the reasonable point that fiscal reform should precede tax hikes.

If her position doesn't quite etch a profile in courage, it beats running around screaming the house is on fire when it's not, as Edwards and Obama are doing. Social Security's trust fund is solvent until 2041. If we do nothing at all the shortfall then will be about 25%.

Clinton is right that fiscally responsibility would help. It's why Al Gore said we should put social security in a "lock box." (Nostradamus had nothing on Gore.) Either of Edwards' and Obama's modest proposals would take care of the problem altogether.

The real crisis is in Medicare's trust fund, which slips into insolvency a lot sooner. (2018) But talking about that requires getting all detailed and specific about universal health care and besides, no one's found a way to use Medicare to impugn anyone else's character.

Hillary and her rivals don't get all the credit for turning up the volume on Republican issues. It couldn't happen without the Washington press corps, still acting like marks for right wing grifters.

Reporters have reason to truckle to power: the rise of the right, the corporate culture of the newly merged media, the weakening of the profession, the fall of newspapers. Celebrity journalists are the worst. It was a dark day when reporters became peers of the powerful. It's harder to snitch on someone with whom one dines. Former ink stained wretches start to identify with those who, like them, must bear the burden of power.

Every so often someone tells them a secret but the effect is mostly to take the edge off their copy. Worst of all is the constant need to renew one's membership and the fierce loyalty it demands. When Tim Russert, Chris Mathews and Wolfe Blitzer took up the causes of Clinton's impeachment and Bush's war, their voices were often louder than the Republicans' own.

They're at it again. Matthews says immigration may be the key to the election, perhaps because things have gone so well for Tom Tancredo. All treat the imaginary social security crisis like global warming and global warming like a figment of the liberal imagination. They treat the campaign like it's a football game and they're John Madden. There's something here about being boys. One wishes Washington were less like high school, or that real high school had gone better for them all.

If Democrats must annihilate each other they should do it over issues that matter. Of course they'd have to search their own consciences and then share the findings. In the last debate energy didn't come up till an hour in, at 9:07 pm, EST. Discussion lasted till 9:12.

If the social security alarmists are right, in 34 years we may reduce retirement checks. If the global warming centrist are right, in 34 years we may run out of water. You'd think a Democrat would seize Gore's green mantle. But Gore wins a Nobel Prize, Karl Rove loses his job and Democrats embrace Rove's issues, not Gore's. Clinton needs to be challenged on issues. America needs to debate issues. Not these issues. Real ones.

Comments

[realpolitic]

Democrat's should speak of how they will restore transparency to the government, especially after the secrecy of the intransient Bush administration. Democrats should discuss in detail what they will do with the prisoners held at Quantanamo Bay and how will such prisoners be treated in the future. Democrats should focus on the loss of our civil liberties. Tell us how they will end the practice of listening to our international phone calls without a court order. Tell us they will restore habeas corpus. Tell us they will end extraordinary rendition and make all forms of torture illegal even for the CIA. Democrats must sound tough on defense, but even tougher on restoring our fundamental civil liberties guaranteed in the constitution.

Besides Democrats, the pundits adopt the Republican platforms, as well. Tim Russert asked all Democrat's in a recent debate to raise their hands and pledge that they will not let Iran get nuclear weapons. What is next? Will he ask all Democratic candidates to pledge everyone in America will own a gun by the end of their first term? The pundits want to be the stars of the show. That is why they limit candidates to 30 seconds to answer complex questions.

[Riker]

Just because Ron Paul is against the war, don't think he's any different than the other Republicans up there. He's very conservative, anti-choice and totally homophobic. There's really no major difference in any of those gray-skinned, small-minded, radical right politicians looking to keep our country in hostage to the same crackpots who've been in charge since Shrub stole the first election.

[splashy]

Well said! I agree wholeheartedly.

[marijam]

Bill Curry is right on the mark. Democrats ignore him at their peril. Don't let another election go by where we can say, "I tried to tell you". Immigration IS going to decide this election.

[BoulderSue]

Hasn't anyone figured out that this is as much our faoult as the candidates'? They have set the agend as think we see it. They need to be as informed of our opinions as our spineless Congresspeople do. Write to them and tell them you want to hear what they think about YOUR concerns, and stop playing in the sandbox, kicking sand in each others' faces. I think I've written this before, and I can't take credit for the idea, but send them a "donation" check with agreat big "VOID" written on it along with a letter about the things YOU want to hear discussed. This is supposed to a representative democracy, but if the reps don't know what we want, we have only ourselves to blame. Sure, they're playing their games. It's up to us to make sure that they know it's not a game to us. It's our country. And this goes for both parties.

[Silknspark]

situationcritical & littleblack cat,
Please read my earlier written thoughts.
Your articulate responses are welcome and encouraged.
How would you suggest we reintroduce manners and civility, to pave the way for equitable solutions?

[situationcritical]

Hillary bash, and bash and bash and bash. You really don't know what to make of a woman president do you?

But you will.

You think that by pointing out the weaknesses of the a democratic party bound and gagged by a 100% Rove Republican political environment, you're being intelligent and effective?

No my friend, you're being duped.

You've just been groveling in the dark since Bill Clinton's last day in office. The republicans have been kicking you in the gut while you were blind-folded and telling you it was Hillary's stilletto that you felt.

Open your eyes.

All these blackhole issues like immigration, life at conception or birth, whether a gay person really exists are time-wasting bullcouric. No one who steps into the oval office will be able to do anything to influence the outcome of those things to any great extent.

The USA is in grave danger and dark times because of Religion, Conservatives and Republicans. They know this. To them, they've done nothing wrong or evil because that is the very core of their nature, wrong and evil.

By their fruits you will know them. Now, what have the religious conservative republicans given the USA? Greed, sexual depravity, corruption, and scandal upon scandal upon scandal. They are every bad thing that they claim their opposition to be. This is no exaggeration.

I'm willing to hear anything, something, one little thing about how effective Liberal Democrats can be from Huffpo.

Anyone?

Anyone?

[littleblackcat]

While I'm on my soapbox, why is education not free for the most qualified people here in this, the so-called "richest nation in the world"? Wouldn't be because the rich and powerful KNOW that an uneducated person is a controllable person, now, would it? Instead we have a jackass (jackasses of the world please forgive me for lowering you to bushit's level) who is supposed to hold an MBA. We all know that is so much crapola, he is not smart enough to hold hold an associate's degree in finger-painting. One nation, undereducated, is a bumpersticker that is showing up more and more, and it is sssoooo true.

[littleblackcat]

It needs saying again and again and yet again, those people who bank paychecks in the millions will never need Social Security. These people do not actually "work" for a living, they 'delegate responsibi­lities'and it is the people who really do their work who will need SS. There is absolutely NO REASON for anyone to be finished with their Social Security obligations in the first fifteen minutes they work on the first day back from their extended Holiday vacations. Raise the cap to $2,000,000.00 at least, and you will have no problems with Social Security. The republican party needs to be declared an unlawful rogue establishment and prevented from holding office, making changes to laws, and gathering in groups larger than three. (That last bit is for laughs) Our Constitution needs to be amended to put term limits on the tenure of our supreme court justices. We are now saddled with people who will "interpret" the law to the favor of their friends and business associates and to hell with the average person for THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!! At very FAT paychecks and the first thing that greedy Roberts did was demand more money, saying he wasn't paid enough! What crust! If it wasn't enough, why did you accept the position? We thinking people KNOW why, because it set you up for life! You pay for next to nothing and get the best of everything for free while people who work for and deserve better get s**t on. Resign and let an honest man or woman have the post. There was a time when it was understood that when you entered public service, you KNEW you were a public SERVANT. The position was part of the reward, it was a priviledge!

[Silknspark]

Manners are fun. And useful. And delightful. And in today's culture, desperately needed.
If we exercised self-discipline, prudent restraint, and genuine thoughtfulness respective of being a good neighbor, we could eliminate 99.9% of all the costly problems written about on blogs such as this.
I'm willing to start. Who will join me?
For me to live sloppily, and expect my neighbor to pay for my doing so, is as ignorant and arrogant as if I were to walk up to a homeless person and demand he or she "buy me a Lamborgini," simply because "that's what I want."
There's real value in behaving as to not bring harm to our neighbor.
Some things I would like to have our canidates for president to address - and with solutions include:
1) Defeating LOST
2) Stopping the flow of illegal immigration
3) Diluting the harmful impacts of unions...on the whole of society
4) Stopping federal welfare to groups like The Nature Conservancy
5) Replacing "income" tax with a logical, fair form of "consumption" tax
6) Carve off the 51% budget that goes to food stamp and lunch room programs, and the ?? % that goes towards conservation easements - and work on a pure farm bill with the goal of maintaining safe, delicious, nutritional food products for the consumer.
7) Enforce "FAIR" trade
8) Block influence by the European Union on American policy making
9) Hold people accountable for knowingly bringing harm - in any fashion - to their neighbor, and have them pay instead of pawning off those expenses on taxpayers.
10) Demand the federal government get out of the "grant" business.
11) Replace sex education in all schools, with "economics of maintaining a family"
Who will join in with me - asking ALL candidates those questions equally...with expectation of a non-patronizing, full and well thought out answer/solution?

[GoreSavingPlanetForJesus]

As a person who believes in global warming, and believes Al Gore is sincerely trying to save the planet for Jesus, I also believe there is a reason democrat candidates are not talking about "green issues".

The reason: A recent poll I read said 85% of people in America believe in global warming, but only 15% believe it is man-made. Candidates typically schmooze the majority regarding any issue (such as 65% of Americans are against the Iraq war, so those 65% are the focus of talking points). It's a formula politicians must follow.

ABC News estimated Al Gore's net worth at $100 million, which isn't bad considering that he was worth about $1 million in January 2001...that's a 10,000 percent increase in wealth in less than seven years...

...this causes democrat candidates to hesitate because "green issues" are fast becoming the new "Big Oil" type money business (estimated $100 billion dollar business).

"the image of God can be seen in every corner of creation" (Al Gore, Earth In The Balance, page 265)

[Truthortradition]

I wish just one Journalist in America would the balls to ask the Republican oil barons what they have achieved over the last seven years while they had complete and total control of this country. Do they have ONE fucking thing to brag about?
Yes, they accomplished their mission in Iraq by getting and keeping control of the world's most lucrative oil. They charged us an arm and a leg for that feat by forcing us to pay for the war. Doesn't seem to matter that they promised the Oil would pay for the war, not middle class America. Also doesn't seem to matter that they are charging us an additional arm and leg to fill up our gas tanks everyday. That is the only goal they accomplished during their reign and I don't know why no one will point this out in a clear voice, over and over and over and over again.

[Not Blind]

Real issues are those which affect every citizen in this country: the environment, the economy, affordable healthcare, the Rule of Law and Constitutional (civil & legal rights), public eduction, the foreign policy and the infrastructure.
These are the topics which should be debated and each candidate should offer his/her proposals for improvement.
These, however, are not topics reporters, the media, the press are willing to cover. Instead, they portray candidates as celebrities, offer their spin on each, or perhaps, drag up some dirt on one or more of them.
Serious citizens who want to see a change from the nightmare we've had these past 7 years, need to look at the voting records of each candidate (to see their positions on such topics), follow the money trail for each (so we know to whom they owe favors), and then be able to predict just how a candidate will work as a future president.
The press, media and most reporters' jobs are controlled by corporate interests (parent companies), many beholding to the AIPAC or close allies of the PNAC, which is why we get the garbage we see each day in newspapers and on television and radio. There are NO independent investigations, factual or evidentuary discoveries, because reporters and writers fear angering their corporate interests (their salaries and stock options), so they sit back and just tell us what they think, and do NOT report what is happening.
Every time a debate is covered, you hear and see nothing but spin about each candidate, rather than evaluating their positions on real issues. It's disgusting.

[Truthortradition]

I watched the Republican debate last night in horror as people cheered Huckabee like he was some kind of prophet. He managed to steal the limelight by, in essence, recommending that the federal government be dismantled by getting rid of the IRS. No revenue, no government. The other means by which he got such great reviews was by, no surprise, talking about Jesus.
What is wrong with people? Don't people know that theocracy has been a weapon of dectators since the begging of time? Don't they know our founding fathers were secular liberals who went out of their way to ensure the government was NEVER destroyed by religious zealots.
Do these Republican oil barons really want us to be ruled the way people are ruled in the Middle East where people bow to the Koran bible and oil barons, where no constitution exists and dictators get away with murder on a daily basis. Don't people understand that the Koran is not that much different than our bible. They even have a Jesus.
I agree with all the statements in this post regarding the fact that the Democrats are still allowing the Republicans, namely Rove, to call all the shots.
Instead of talking about Republican issues, they should be talking about going green, the high cost of gasoline and the lives that have been lost on both sides over OIL.
Democrats should be talking about the huge deficits in a LOUDER voice and they should be pointing out that the Republican candidates are NO different than Bush. They are the Bush clones--------Not Hillary.
And yes, someone should tell the public that the Republicans have continously taken over the media to the point that we are not much different than China now, where only the government can print all the news that is fit to read. Yes indeed, the Republican debate last night proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that our country is under assault by religious zealots who worship oil and will do anything to keep robbing our treasury until 99 percent of all Americans fall to their knees.

[WoodyCPM]

This is brilliant. The market explained. Wall Street unmasked. Oh that we might have the same bright lights in our media in the U.S.:

http://www.alleyinsider.com/2007/11/how-citi-merrill-hsbc-morgan-et-al-vaporized-billions.html