There are those on the right who claim Democrats are only able to criticize, not offer solutions and those on the left who bemoan the inability of Democrats to effectively capitalize on Republican reversals with new ideas. How about this for the Democrats' plan: "Above All, Do No Harm!"
Personally, I think a good Democratic plan would be one that requires Republicans to sit quietly and keep their hands where they can be seen while we figure out what to do. Somehow, though, I think more is needed to turn around the perception that the Dems' idea well is dry, but let me say first that I do not believe the Democrats are without a plan or constructive ideas.
Putting forward a "plan" for governing, however, is very difficult when Democrats are a minority party at a time where the majority seeks to muzzle and destroy opposition, Democrats are treated as "second-class citizens" by the media, and years of Republican mismanagement left us often limited to choosing the least bad option. In these circumstances, it's relatively simple for Republicans to make the "no plan" canard top-of-mind to most Americans.
Democrats, therefore, must do something a bit more creative, and more pointed, to break through. Given how things have been run off the tracks, over the cliff and into the gorge lately, it would be completely legitimate to say "First thing we'll do is, not allow this idiotic crap to continue. Then we'll figure out how bad off we are. After that, we'll have an idea of how much bitter medicine we are all going to have to swallow to put it right. And it's not going to be fun."
That's way too long for a bumper sticker, and it's about fifteen sound-bites so how about something pithy like,
"The Democratic Oath: Above All Do No Harm!"
This, of course, is something of an homage to the "Hippocratic Oath" taken by physicians since the time of Hippocrates--except, of course, that it is not. Taken, that is. This particular understanding of the Hippocratic Oath is brought to us generally by television writers, who consider the backs of cereal boxes to be primary reference material. The slogan itself is great, but let's all share a brief understanding of its history so no one lights me up in their comments:
Origin and Uses of Primum Non Nocere--Above All, Do No Harm!
Cedric M. Smith, MD, FCP
From the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.
ABSTRACT
The so-called Hippocratic injunction to do no harm has been an axiom central to clinical pharmacology and to the education of medical and graduate students. With the recent reexamination of the nature and magnitude of adverse reactions to drugs, the purposes of this research and review were to discover the origin of this unique Latin expression. It has been reported that the author was neither Hippocrates nor Galen. Searches of writings back to the Middle Ages have uncovered the appearance of the axiom as expressed in English, coupled with its unique Latin, in 1860, with attribution to the English physician, Thomas Sydenham. Commonly used in the late 1800s into the early decades of the 1900s, it was nearly exclusively transmitted orally; it rarely appeared in print in the early 20th century. Its applicability and limitations as a guide to the ethical practice of medicine and pharmacological research are discussed. Despite insufficiencies, it remains a potent reminder that every medical and pharmacological decision carries the potential for harm.
With that out of the way, here's how "The Democratic Oath" could be applied in ten direct "Principles" or pledges Democrats could take not to do, allow or enable certain harmful actions. I chose to have ten Principles because that is always a really nice number for these sorts of things (c.f. Moses; Commandments; Framers; Bill of Rights; David Letterman; "Top Ten" lists).
THE DEMOCRATIC OATH:
- We will not endure the corruption of the people's government.
- We will not allow our troops to be in harm's way without a compelling justification, adequate resources, and the best possible plan for the conclusion of hostilities.
- We will not ignore scientific evidence and valid theory for political expediency.
- We will not suffer laws to be evaded even by the most powerful entities.
- We will not condone economic policy that brings greater advantage to the privileged.
- We will not stand idle while the safety and health of the American people is compromised.
- We will not employ tactics designed to silence the voice of dissent.
- We will not allow rights of women, minorities, and those who are disadvantaged to be ignored or repealed.
- We will not disregard the security, economic, and environmental threats that reliance on oil for energy impose upon America and the world.
- We will not permit a government that is hostile to its own mission of service to the people and support of the common good.
As we work together to find the best possible solutions even in the worst possible times,
Above All, We Will Do No Harm!
If you read them carefully, you will see that although stated as Principles against actions and behaviors, they also mandate that certain proactive measures will take place. Also, much more can be read into some of the Principles than may appear.
For example, Principle 2 covers Iraq and then some. Topics like global warming, stem cell research and intelligent design are covered in Principle 3. Investigations of past wrongs, from illegal wiretaps to vote fraud, will result from Principle 4. Measures as diverse as national security, emergency management, health care, the environment and food safety can all be read into Principle 6. (I'd be interested to see what else the Kommunity can spot.)
I admit I don't have the absolute, mortal-lock answers for health care, a plan for Iraq or the next energy source. Let's be honest: No one does. All we can do is our best, but the worst keeps getting in the way. I believe, however, if we could rely on these "we will nots" we'd at least be in better shape to work out a lot more of the "we wills."