As primary season winds down and the real contests for November heat up, I, like many here, remain frustrated on the lack of a strong, coherent line of attack on the part of Democrats. The title above represents my attempt at a catch phrase which-I believe-properly brands the consequences of Republican obstruction. I'll explain below.
First of all, two things are apparent.
- The most popular (or at least one of...) phrase deployed to represent the GOP, and its strategy of obstruction, delay and distraction has been The Party of No. But is hasn't projected beyond our own insular boundary, from what I can tell--certainly not enough. Part of the problem is that there are plenty of "No's" that Republicans are proud to boast of: no to high taxes, no to big government, no to government takeovers of...well, take your pick. As an expression of what's wrong with Republicans, it doesn't clearly say what they are preventing by saying no.
- It is also clear that the Republicans can, and have, continued to get away with all manner of outrageous claims and statements, with little meaningful pushback. I submit that we need a way to redirect as many of these kinds of statements back to what's important in the electoral battles to come. Jobs and the economy being leading factors.
The current economic climate is, by most measures, showing improvement in most if not all important metrics, yet the rebound in unemployment still lacks the type of impact to dramatically improve the mood of voters, as evidenced by this article
(h/t Americablog.com)
If democrats wish to reverse, or at least minimize, the negative impacts of the current situation, then they need to eliminate perception of Republicans as a viable alternative for a prosperous future. Enter the Republican Roadblock to Recovery.
First of all, this clearly associates consequences with the Republican strategy, something that they have not really faced before.
Second, it allows Democrats to attack Republican inaction while still claiming some successes. "Job growth is back--think of how much better it might be had the Republicans chosen to participate, instead of blocking our efforts." Republican action--their Roadblock to Recovery--now takes on a new urgency. To help themselves, they are working not against Democrats, or Obama, or Socialism, but against the interests of every American.
The choice is simple: Stop the Republican Roadblock to Recovery. Vote Democratic.