It's the Plaidder Primary Beauty Contest! Enter now to win!

[Plaid Adder]

OK, as I've said before, I haven't backed a horse yet. I'm starting to think about it. But I have made a solemn pledge to myself that these are characteristics that will NOT determine my position:

* tea-leaf reading about X candidate's "electability"
* Physical appearance and affect
* tie choice

No, instead I am starting, right here right now, my very own Democratic Primary Beauty Pageant. Here are the events:

1. PINK SLIP CONTEST

What's your candidate's plan for turning the economy around once Bush departs?

2. FORMAL WEAR

What does your candidate plan to do about the damage that the Bush administration has done to the structures that USED to protect our democracy?

3. EXIT INTERVIEW

How does your candidate plan to get us out of Iraq--AND Afghanistan--without leaving both places in worse shape than when we got there?

THE RULES:

1. Candidates who have no plan to accomplish one or more of these objectives are disqualified in advance.

2. Please do not just cut and paste boilerplate from your candidate's website or campaign materials. I want to see you communicate your candidate's position in your own words in a way that would be clear and comprehensible to the average uninformed but disaffected American voter.

3. Please refrain from attacking competing candidates' positions until you have made your own candidate's position clear. If you cannot make your own candidate's position clear without attacking another candidate's, that is a sign that your candidate has a problem.

4. Please wait until there is at least one post supporting each candidate on this thread before jumping in to eviscerate your candidate's competitors.

Let the games begin!

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

4.

[blondeatlast]

1. Plaid, may I be a "fair & balanced" judge?

What a great idea--I predict it will last until the first Kerry or Dean post.

Good luck!

[Plaid Adder]

2. Sure!

Anyone can be on the panel of judges. Oh, I can't wait to see the winner embrace the tearful runner-up and then walk on the runway with the tiara balanced precariously on his/her coif...

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[Plaid Adder]

3. Come on, people!!

What, a little constructive debate is too much to ask on a Wednesday morning?

:kick:

Sheesh.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[redeye]

4. Dean...

1. His plan to revitalize the economy is based on the principle of balanced budgets. He's repeatedly said that he'll repeal tax cuts as needed and even cut government spending if the situation calls for it (note: he hasn't said where he'll cut). Moreover, in one of his speeches, he used hand gestures to show he was giving voters a choice: they could either vote Bush and keep their 200 or 400 dollars, or vote for him and get those dollars back in the form of better health care and education. In other words, Dean's idea of stimulating the economy is based on increased government spending rather than tax cuts.

2. The Judiciary is crucial in protecting democracy and civil liberties. Dean will refuse to hold litmus tests for judges but will rather nominate them according to abilities (in other words, he may nominate a right-winger if his intelligence is on a par with Scalia's rather than with Thomas'), and "general agreement" with his beliefs. This is important to revitalize democracy because by depoliticizing the Judiciary, he can ensure that it'll rule based on its interpretation of the constitution rather than on partisanship, as happened during the 2000 selection. A president who holds litmus tests violates separation of powers because he in a way participates in the Judiciary where he should ideally confine himself to the Executive (apart from requests for certain laws from the Legislature), and moreover extends his power much beyond his term. While Dean's position is in no way perfect - the best thing Dean can do, IMO, considering that he'll have nominative power is go with the ABA and the Attorney General whenever they agree and only rule between them if they disagree - but it's much better than, say, Bush's or Kucinich's litmus tests (no bash intended).

3. This is the hardest one... Dean's plan, I guess, has to do with deploying more troops in Iraq but then phasing out and getting the UN in the US Army's stead. He hasn't said anything about Afghanistan, though :(.

[Plaid Adder]

5. Thanks Redeye--let's hear from some other people!

:kick:

The Plaid Adder

[Mairead]

6. KUCINICH

1. Create a WPA-type program to reconstruct our infrastructure nationwide. This would have the knock-on effect of restarting basic industries such as steel.

2. Dump the 'PATRIOT' Act altogether, instruct the AG to fully enforce the Bill Of Rights, invoke the sayonara clauses in NAFTA and the WTO, sign up for international 'good neighbor' treaties. (edit) (forgot these: ) Possibly end the WoD--he hasn't actually made that clear, but it sounds like it. This would have the knock-on effect of de-funding the prison-industrial complex. And then, of course, there're the difficult-to-predict knock-on effects from providing healthcare, reducing the military-industrial budget, and creating a Department of Peace.

Should I mention here his promise to appoint only litmus-tested judges, or his clear statement that LGB people should enjoy precisely the same rights as non-LGB people?

3. Hand Iraq and Afghanistan over to the UN to administer and reconstruct, with current contracts rescinded and new contracts put out for fair international bidding.


There's probably more, too, but I didn't want to do boilerplate, even paraphrased b.p.

[Plaid Adder]

7. Thanks Mairead--can I hear from a Kerry supporter?

Anyone?

:kick:

The Plaid Adder

[redeye]

8. Speaking of the Fascist Act...

...Dean unfortuantely doesn't support repealing it, but he does support repealing the unconstitutional provisions. I have no idea if the redefinition of hacking as terrorism and the no-fly lists are unconstitutional, but most of the scary stuff there is (jailing without a trial, for example).

[LWolf]

9. Good job, Mairead.

I don't have anything to add unless PlaidAdder asks another question!

By the way...

:hi: PlaidAdder. I was just wondering what you were up to this morning; I saw something that started with "plaid" and you came to mind.

[Eloriel]

10. Tsk, tsk -- Another for Dean

Teacher, teacher: This is just a little toooo homework assignment-ish for my taste:

2. Please do not just cut and paste boilerplate from your candidate's website or campaign materials. I want to see you communicate your candidate's position in your own words in a way that would be clear and comprehensible to the average uninformed but disaffected American voter.

Yeccch.

However, quickly:

1. ECONOMY
Repeal tax cuts. Balance the budget -- which would go a long way into reviving the economy. Healthcare for all, which would help the economy by letting people keep more of their money instead of spending it on insurance or healthcare. NAFTA must include labor standards, environmental and human rights standards. THAT will keep more jobs here, 'cause it won't be that damned cheap to send them overseas. He's got some suggestions for corporate overseas tax evasion, but I'll just leave it at that because the details escape me. Oh yea, fund special ed so the states don't increase property taxes to do it, and do whatever's necessary to fix No Child Left Behind so that's not an unfunded mandate to the states.

2. STRUCTURES PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY
DEFENSE
Tear up the Bush Pre-emptive War Doctrine on Day 1. Repair our relationships with allies and the UN. Renewable energy as a defense issue so money going to the Middle East for oil doesn't fund terrorists. Properly fund Homeland Security, first responders, properly protect our ports, etc., etc., etc. He sees repairing NAFTA (see below) as an important Defense issue because "countries with a middle class don't go to war."

CIVIL LIBERTIES (which I realize was what you were mainly asking about)
Repeal parts of Patriot Act. I personally haven't heard him be too specific about that. Put sane people in DoJ and get rid of a lot of how they've been interpreting and using Patriot, etc. (I'm trying to remember what else I've heard ... drawing a blank. I do feel quite comfortable, however, that he'll do all the right things on this issue. His stance on other issues -- drug war, medical marijuana, civil unions, abortion -- make me confident he'd be plenty civil libertarian enough. YMMV.)

3. Iraq and Afghanistan
Repair ALL our relationships with allies and the UN. Get NATO and the UN involved so as to internationalize both. He does call for more troops because our troops desperately need both more protection and rotation!!! but he would prefer they be international troops, including Arab and Muslim troops.

4. Why eviscerate at all?? I'm a little disappointed in this provision. Esp. since the only criticism I ever see of Dean is lies, distortions, misrepresentations.

Eloriel

[Octafish]

11. John F. Kerry

Hi, Plaiddy! Weighing in for John F. Kerry — strictly in my own words and from my own memory.


1. PINK SLIP CONTEST
What's your candidate's plan for turning the economy around once Bush departs?

John Kerry would apply the powers of the federal government to expand opportunities through investment in national security, transportation, infrastructure, and new critical technologies. Properly directed, these investments would serve to put people to work while helping solve many of the nation’s problems, such as dependence on petroleum, and put Americans to work solving them and building a physically and spiritually stronger nation. Kerry’s record in the Senate is one of supporting job creation by expanding public works, like highway construction, as well as expanding educational opportunities at all levels, including job training programs, for all Americans who need them. He also has promoted policies of benefit to small businesses and American labor.


2. FORMAL WEAR
What does your candidate plan to do about the damage that the Bush administration has done to the structures that USED to protect our democracy?

John Kerry has stated his Attorney General will be completely different than the one Bush selected in 2001, John Ashcroft. Kerry’s AG, thus, will be honest, intelligent, hard-working and completely dedicated to defending, upholding and enforcing the Constitution of the United States for ALL Americans. Kerry has stated, if the war on terror permits, he would enforce the sunset provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. His record in public service demonstrates a commitment to protecting the Bill of Rights and guaranteeing civil liberties for all Americans. Based on his record as a Massachusetts prosecutor, Kerry has taken on the hard cases, going after the Mafia bigwigs. As a US Senator, Kerry investigated the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) — almost singlehandedly — and found its ties to international terrorists, drug runners, money launderers, US and foreign intelligence agencies, as well as its ties to corrupt government officials here and abroad. He also investigated ties between Iran-Contra figures like Ollie North and known drug traffickers; for these efforts, North ordered the FBI’s crack anti-terror squad to investigate Kerry. The reason these treasonous conspiracies at the highest level of government were not prosecuted is that the Department of Justice refused to pursue the evidence. So, as President, he will make certain his AG fights corruption in government and the private sector, meaning Kenny Boy and Duhbya’s hoard at the Union Bank of Switzerland may not be safe, but the American people will be grateful to know they have an honest top cop on the beat.


3. EXIT INTERVIEW
How does your candidate plan to get us out of Iraq--AND Afghanistan--without leaving both places in worse shape than when we got there?

John Kerry has acknowledged that in order to win the war on terror requires an international effort. He has stated that in order to stamp out terror requires “draining the swamp” of the conditions that breed it — ignorance, poverty, want, hopelessness, hatred, and war. This would mean helping nations currently trapped into a cycle of breeding terrorists because of economic and political injustice. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, Kerry said he would turn over the police and peace-keeping functions to the United Nations when conditions make it possible for those countries’ governments to guarantee peaceful relations with the United States. In Afghanistan, that means Kerry would pursue and bring to justice the terrorists responsible for the attacks of 9-11. In Iraq, that means Kerry would guarantee that the nation posed no threat to America or its strategic (read “oil-rich” and “Israel”) allies.

[LWolf]

12. kick

:kick:

[Plaid Adder]

13. OK, we've heard from the Big 3, so Rule #4 is suspended

Since there may not be a whole lot of, say, Lieberman supporters on DU, I will open the floor for debate (please, for the good of the country, try to make it constructive). But I also hope to hear from the Gephardt, Edwards, Graham, Moseley-Braun, Sharpton, and yes, even the Lieberman folks, should there be any posting at DU.

Thanks to everyone who's participated; this has already been very informative. More later when I have more time.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder