Bush's SOTU is not that far away, and it will set the tone for the rest of the year. With that in mind, its important for our legislative leaders to come out swinging right afterward and lay out a clear, concise set of programs that we as Democrats support and will fight for on the Hill.
We need to show that we have a plan to fix what's wrong with America, an "Agenda for America" if you will. Now, we all know that George Bush is planning to flight and promote his "Opportunity Society", that is basically a plan to outsource the New Deal to the private markets. We need a clear, contrasting alternative to Bush's crock of a plan.
When we give the Democratic Response to the SOTU, we should have an ensemble of Democrats to present each point. Both Liberals and Moderates, red and blue staters, male and females should be up there to present our "Agenda for America". I call it the Opportunity Society. Here's what it is, and more importantly, how we need to present it.
Note that the person who should present the point is in parenthesis.
Part I: Our Agenda for America at Home
Good evening, tonight the President laid out his plans for America. We agree that we need to take action to improve the quality of life for all Americans. However, we have a different view of what America needs and how we should accomplish it.
So tonight we come to you with a different vision for America. It is a vision in which all Americans have the tools and the chnace yo be successful. GWB calls his defines his society by ownership. We choose to define it by opportunity.
In our "Opportunity Society", Americans will be equipped to compete in the global economy. In our Opportunity Society, working class Americans will be given the financial security to be creative and innovative again. In our Opportunity Society, if you work hard to get ahead you will succeed. That's what we want for our country.
We need to give Americans something less quantifiable, yet immensely more valubale. All Americans believe in the idea that if you work hard to get ahead that you will be successful. However, in George Bush's America, wealth from stock investments is valued over weath gained from a paycheck. Americans who work hard are losing the battle. (Nancy Pelosi)
Churchill once said "Give us the tools, and we'll finish the job." I firmly believe that if we empower Americans by giving them the tools to succeed that America will become the prosperous land of opportunity that it once was. We need to give Americans the chance to believe again, the chance to believe that there is a prosperous future ahead for them and their children. If we give Americans something that they believe in, then we believe the possibilities are limitless.
So tonight, we are here to tell you that we have a plan which will level the playing field and enable you to compete in the global economy.
So what do we need to give America to be successful? We need to give them some guarantees which will encourage them to innovate and create the America that we all believe in- "The Land of Opportunity". (Harry Reid)
To do that we will provide Americans with the financial security they need in order which to eliminate the fear of failure. We will work to guarantee all Americans that the Social Security benefits that were promised to them are there when they retire. We uneqivocally reject any plan which will privatize the Social Security system. (Rep. Earl Pomeroy- North Dakota)
We need to make sure that all Americans have access affordable quality healthcare, because today too many individuals are shackled to a certain job because its the only job they can find with healthcare; and we need a real prescription drug bill which provides real savings to Americans instead of a system which rewards the big pharmaceutical industries (Sen. Mark Dayton-Minnesota).
We have to equip Americans to compete in the global economy. To do this, we need to invest in greater job re-training programs, and make tuition for college tax deductable. We need to have a civilian GI bill, which guarantees four years of paid education at a state school in exchange for service as teachers at inner city schools, work in the Peace Core, or other similar programs. We need to increase the number and quality of programs like Pell Grants. (Sen. Barack Obama-Illinois)
We need to support programs that make it easier for individuals to start small businesses, which create more jobs right here in America than do large corporations, by getting rid of tax breaks for companies which send jobs overseas and setting up a program by which entrepreneurs can get low interest loans from the federal government through the states. (Gov. Mark Warner-Virginia)
Next, we need to make it possible for economically depressed areas like Flint, Michigan to have the opportunity to be vibrant places again. To that end, we should support the ability for the Congress to be able to decalre certain areas "Economic Disaster Areas", just like we would for a natural disaster. This designation would give huge tax breaks for companies to create jobs in these areas and keep them there. (Sen. Debbie Stabenow-Michigan)
For farmers, we need to restore confidence in the system by repealing the Freedom to Farm Act, which hurts small family farmers and is nothing mre than a care and feeding act for corporate agribusiness. To this end, we will guarantee American farmers a fair price for their work, just as FDR did. (Rep. Dennis Moore-Kansas).
Corporate responsibility should be a hallmark of the "Opportunity Society". No longer will corporations be allowed to run roughshod over their workers and the IRS. We will fight for tighter accounting rules and eliminate tax loopholes so that companies pay their fair share. (State AG Eliot Spitzer-New York).
Not only do we need to reform America, we desperately need to reform Washington. As Democrats, we will fight for even greater campaign finance reform and also will fight against corruption in Washington (thinly veiled shot at DeLay). At the state level, we need to provide Americans with the assurance that their vote will be counted, and counted correctly. In addition, we support redistricting reform which allows the voters to choose their representatives, not the other way around. (Sen. Russ Feingold-Wisconsin)
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Well, that's a rough start. I'll do Part II: Our Agenda for America in the World tomorrow.