We've all heard the complaining and seen the hand ringing about the Democrats not having a message and no one knowing what "they" stand for - often from Democrats themselves. That's all pretty silly, as we Democrats know what we stand for - caring about everyone and not just the wealthy, and all the policies that reflect that outlook.
But thinking about that complaint got me thinking about the Republican "message" - the mantra everyone knows: (1) national security, (2) reduced taxes, (3) less government in our lives. And I thought it was time to take a look at that tidy, easy- to-memorize little message.
Let's start with "national security." What have the Republicans done for us in that regard?
* They missed/ignored all kinds of indications of the impending September 11 attacks; neither the president nor his national security staff - Dr. Rice - bothered to pay attention to the Presidential Daily Briefing in August 2001 that said quite plainly that Al Quaeda was planning to attack us using airplanes as missles; the FBI and CIA could not manage to do their jobs, etc.;
* The President and Vice President did not bother to interrupt their vacations last year to acknowledge the disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina and make sure that government departments - FEMA and others - were doing their jobs;
* The Republican Congress passed a Medicare bill that makes our elderly and vulnerable more confused and less secure about their health care coverage;
* Many of our ports are managed by foreign companies;
* The Iraq war has involved our National Guard who therefore cannot be stateside to help in national emergencies;
* Our governmental departments are run by appointees who have little or no interest in the departments' missions; as a consequence, career employees have left in droves, taking with them the history and expertise that had allowed the departments to function or at least attempt to function in the interest of the American public;
* Etc.
"Reduced taxes"
* OK, let's admit they technically have reduced taxes, especially for those who need it least - the wealthy - BUT
* If we have to pay more for government services previously funded or subsidized with federal tax dollars, our functional taxes have gone up: higher costs for education and local and state government services for which states no longer get federal funds;
* An enormous and ever-growing federal budget deficit that will be a serious burden - through taxes and otherwise - on our children and grandchildren;
* So, given that taxes raise funds for services that take care of the population, if tax revenues are reduced and the population has to pay more for those services, the Republican have in effect raised our taxes.
"Less Government in our Lives"
* Terry Schiavo is a dramatic and sad example of the lie of that point; and with Bush et.al. flying in from all over the country to promote their "culture of life" in that fiasco, right wing fanatics all over the country have taken license to attempt to interfere in all sorts of private affairs;
* The anti-gay marriage bandwagon is another example of government interference in private lives, hiding behing the silly notion of "protecting marriage;" what does that mean anyway? Do you know anyone whose marriage has ended because of gays marrying or living down the street? It's a ridiculous charade that cannot hide the bigotry on which it's founded;
* The notion of government deciding if a woman will have a baby is another blatant example of the emptiness of the smaller government tenet.
We all have more examples of how the Republican "message" is a mantra without truth. Isn't time to take charge of this issue and have a real conversation about who has a message and who doesn't? Have we once again been duped by the right wing into focusing on our so-called deficiencies rather than on their morally bankrupt positions?