With this simple act, I guarantee a Dem victory in '08

Dear future Democratic nominee for POTUS.

There is but one single act, which if you decide to undertake, will guarantee your victory in the general election...

This

sits in the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.

Mr or Mrs. Candidate, please meet with the fine administrators of this wonderful library.  Kindly ask them to allow you to borrow this magnificent icon of integrity.

Place the sign on the podium at the opening of your acceptance speech at the convention . Tell the American people that your first act as President will be to place that sign on the oval office desk.  

It will not move from your desk during the entirety of your presidency.
Every decision you make in the oval office will be made in the presence of that sign.
Every bill placed on your desk for your consideration will sit under the shadow of that sign.
And every conversation you have in the oval office with your subordinates will be informed by the ageless wisdom contained in that sign.

Do this, and you will have the largest electoral victory by any Democrat in over a century.

•  Nice!

  As Bill Maher said last night, "How ironic would it be if Hillary Clinton ran in '08 on a platform to restore dignity to the White House?"

  by thehim on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 09:56:49 AM PDT

•  The Buck Stops Nowhere

  Kindly ask them to allow you to borrow this magnificent icon of integrity.

  The library would, rightly, refuse.

  It would, of course, be easy to get an imitation made.  But it would be a one-day gimmick, good for a flash 2% in the polls which would be gone the following week.  We don't really need gimmicks at this point.

  More to the point, every single President of modern times, including Bush, has claimed that full  responsibility rests with them.  In fact, all Presidents, including Truman, regularly try to shove off responsibility on subordinates; often with some justification, as the federal government is simply too big for one man to monitor it all.  If Presidents really accepted full responsibility for all acts done under their administrations, they'd have to resign in a couple of weeks after taking the oath of office.  

  by WIds on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 10:02:01 AM PDT

  •  gimmick

    I agree that this alone certainly isn't enough to win the election, but the fact of the matter is that clever gimmicks are effective. Reagan and Bush have used them to great effect.
    The sign needs to be backed up by a candidate that can credibly back up that statement and I must disagree that any president would have to resign by accepting responsibilty.
    Everyone knows that if you run an organization with hundreds of thousands of employees, that some of them are going to be crooks and incompetents, but if you make it clear that you will take steps to correct problems and punish wrongdoings as they are uncovered, you will win the respect of most people.
    Do you think Bush would be as low in the polls as he is now if he had fired "Brownie" right away instead of praising him, if he had fired Rove and Libby months ago when it became clear they were involved, if he had not appointed so many obvious cronies in the first place?
    I think people are acheing for someone of integrity, and thats the key. If your going to post this sign, you had better well mean it.

    by fat old man on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 10:14:39 AM PDT

  •  2 points only? not worth it, because...

    Al Gore got 10 points up after kissing his wife at the convention.

    by ecoast on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 10:15:52 AM PDT

    •  Thank you

      for bring that up.

      Image is everything.

      Why 10% of the poll respondants would change their mind as to who to vote for because one of the candidates frickin' kissed his wife is beyond me.  In fact, it is a sad commentary on the level of our national discourse.  The fact remains however that such stupid stunts not only help a candidate win, nowadays they are necessary for a candidate to win.

      by Irrelevant Prolixity on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 10:42:08 AM PDT

  •  You sound like a

    Bush apologist.

    Well no.  That's not really true.

    I take that back.

    What I mean to say is that I don't believe you really understand what "the buck stops here" means.

    Of course it is impossible for one person to oversee every detail of something as large as the administrative branch of the federal government.

    What the phrase means, however, that even when you have no control over events that took place in your administration, if a problem occurs you look the American people in the eye and tell them... "This is my administration, I am responsible for what occurs in my administration.  I am disappointed with what occured and I take full responsibility for it.  I am going to work tirelessly to fix the problem and I am not going to be satisfied until it is solved."

    This is what we should all demand of every mayor, governor, and president.  That fact that you poo pooed such a basic concept of accountability is indicative of just how badly we've sunk as a nation.

    by Irrelevant Prolixity on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 10:36:44 AM PDT

    •  He's said it

         Bush has said that he accepts responsibility.  He just hasn't done anything about it.  Words are cheap.  Look at Rumsfeld -- claims full responsibility for Abu Ghuraib.  Well, then he's responsible for torture and murder.  He should be going to jail, not being Secretary of Defense, if he's responsible.  But does he resign?  No, of course not.  We have people who talk like they're responsible, but use their own claim of responsibility to remove accountability anywhere in the chain of command.
          The problem with Bush isn't so much that he doesn't take responsibility for stupid stuff his underlings do, although that's a little bit of the problem.  The major problem is that they are doing what he asks them to do -- but what he is asking is criminal.  It makes little difference if he accepts responsibility, but the public fails to demand accountability.

      by WIds on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 02:14:37 PM PDT

  •  P.S.

    I know people in Kos-land hate to hear this but...

    The vast majority of voting Americans don't give a rat's ass about policy.  Image is everything.  What passes for a cheesy gimmick to us is really what campaigns are won and lost with; and I am tired of losing.

    by Irrelevant Prolixity on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 10:38:58 AM PDT

    •  The sausage-makers.

      By the time an ad campaign gets launched, the people in the advertising department want to puke every time they see it. But it's new and (sometimes) interesting for everyone else.

      by mike101 on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 10:54:37 AM PDT

•  Good Call

  I can't imagine the library letting it be used idefinitely, but I'd be more than happy to make a replica for any Dem with the guts to use it.
  (I'm not holding my breath waiting by the way)

  by fat old man on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 10:03:20 AM PDT

•  Why don't we turn this around?

  Perhaps an enterprising young Kossak (i.e. with good Photoshop skills and plenty of time on her/his hands) can create and post a nice PDF version of a "The Buck Stops Here" desk sign...

  ... and then, on a pre-arranged day, we can mail millions of them to President Bush.

  by pat208 on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 11:06:48 AM PDT

•  Great idea

  Worthy of more than 10 comments, surely.

  This ought to be a central theme of the campaign, and is a simple one that even the sheeple can understand.

  Truman is Howard Dean's hero-- he'd be all for it.

  by For Dean in Dixie on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 11:17:18 AM PDT

  •  Thank you

    I appreciate that

    by Irrelevant Prolixity on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 11:58:38 AM PDT

•  Gimmick or Symbol

  Certainly the "Buck Stops Here" sign could be a gimmick if the candidate in 2008 whips the thing out at a debate, for example.

  But, the sign, and the phrase, can be so much more. They can be a symbol for Democratic policies:

  • We need to return RESPONSIBILITY to the White House and the Congress The Buck Stops Here
    
  • We need to get out of Iraq and get the international community involved The Buck Stops Here
    
  • We need real policies to build the economy The Buck Stops Here
    
  • We need real education policies and more money to educate our students. The Buck Stops Here
    
  • We need to provide Health Care for all Americans The Buck Stops Here
    
  • We need to promote investment in an Alternative Energy economy, to create jobs now and preserve prosperity in the future. The Buck Stops Here

  In short the Democratic party is going to work WITH the American people to make things better, and if we can't do it, kick us out. The Buck Stops Here

  by fuzzex on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 11:54:53 AM PDT

•  asdf

  Could also make one for George Bush which says:

  "The Buck Starts Here"
  

  by BradMajors on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 12:36:28 PM PDT

•  Limited Effect

  I think Jimmy Carter, IIRC, once gave a big speech using "The Buck Stops Here" slogan. Didn't help in the long run because his policies weren't popular or effective.

  by Realist2004 on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 02:04:07 PM PDT

•  The sentiment might work

  But they'll never cough up the artifact.

  by Bill Rehm on Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 07:48:30 PM PDT