Any regular reader/participant in DailyKos must be absolutely convinced that Democrats do NOT suffer from a lack of ideas. Here's one way to crystallize them into an easily understood platform: Imagine we have taken back the House and the Senate. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and savor it for a moment. OK--enough enjoyment. What are the highest priority items on your List of Things to Do?
The only requirement of this Progressive Fantasy Moment is that you leave out impeachment. IMO, basing a program on impeachment--however richly deserved and likely to happen--is a non-starter for the November elections. (Oh, go ahead, include impeachment if you just can't help it.)
It would be great to come up with a name for it. Here are some, but none of them feels exactly right: Reclaiming the American Dream. Rescuing the American Dream. Restoring America. Getting Back to Normal. Taking Care of Business. Right-size Government. Back on Course . Waking from the Nightmare. Back to Reality. Clean up the Mess and Get on with our Lives. Snap Out of It. Stop the Con. Enough Already. Here's my list with major nods to numerous DailyKos diaries and links, progressive talk radio, and progressive columnists. What's your's?
1. Bring U.S. troops home from Iraq, and support whatever forms of damage control and reparations to the Iraqi people are possible without further inflaming the situation. Support and honor our veterans.
2. Take United States security seriously. Secure our ports, chemical plants, nuclear plants, and critical infrastructure against terrorist attack. Support first responders and provide them with adequate funds and equipment.
3. End the use of torture as a tool of governmental policy. Support effective intelligence gathering including language and cultural studies.
4. Reaffirm the Geneva Conventions, the Kyoto Treaty, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and start the process of rejoining the international community.
5. Reaffirm the Bill of Rights. Reaffirm civil rights to vote, decide whether and when to have children, decide whether and what to worship, marry whom you choose, be free from warrantless searches, be confronted with the charges against you, and have assistance of counsel. Halt warrantless domestic spying. Reaffirm and strengthen FISA.
6. Mandate verified voting with a paper trail for all federal elections (for all elections if that's constitutionally possible).
7. Legislate for publicly financed elections at every level; close the revolving door between Congress and the lobbying industry. Strengthen (or simply go back to enforcing) conflict of interest laws that prohibit public appointees from making decisions that impact their personal financial interests. Resuscitate the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
8. Protect the Social Security Trust Fund from future raids and eliminate the cap on contributions.
9. Set up a sensible, simple, single payer system of universal health care. Find a simple, fair, understandable approach to Medicare drug assistance that mandates price negotiations with drug companies.
10. Raise the minimum wage and tie it to changes in the cost of living.
11. Cancel tax cuts for the ultra-rich and work out a simple, progressive system of taxation that doesn't put a disproportionate burden of paying for government on the backs of the poor and middle class.
12. Rescue our National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and National Forests from Pombo's tag sale. Roll back dirty air, dirty water and dirty tricks laws regulations related to the environment. Reaffirm the Endangered Species Act.
13. Put sensible breaks on corporate excess. Limit the ratio of CEO to worker pay (20 to 1? 30 to 1?). Enforce antitrust laws. Prohibit use of US resources to companies that pay little or no taxes. Reconsider NAFTA, CAFTA, involvement in World Bank. Figure out a way to end or limit outsourcing of good jobs (tariffs?). Reform patent and copyright laws to allow retention of patents and copyrights by the federal government which can then issue non-exclusive licenses. Prohibit patenting of any part of the human genome. Add social responsibility to corporate charters.
14. Direct resources into energy independence, health care, public transportation, and sustainable agriculture to increase national security and well-being, stimulate the economy, and create good jobs.
15. Increase support for education, particularly public education, at all levels while protecting local control, innovation and responsibility.