Why can't a Democratic candidate campaign on the premise that

[Horse with no Name]

he will bring soldiers and jobs back home?
It is offensive that corporations get money from our government to outsource jobs. Why not cut the tax breaks and give the money to those who support jobs on American soil?
Why can't a Dem candidate use that and ONLY that as his platform?

[dsc]

1. because there are more than two issues in America

To site one extreme example David Duke favors both of those positions. Would we like him in government?

[ERF]

2. Because s/he wouldn't get elected. The are other issues

than those you narrowly define.

For instance, I would like to see a Manhattan project to switch to renewable energy. Than the US would't have to be back in the ME the next time.

I also think "bringing jobs back home" is absurd. Companies can outsource as long as the pay American workers a fair wage on the work they do. I wouldn't deny an Indian back office work the chance to provide for his family.

But, I would like to see Walmart employees have health care benefits.

[acmejack]

4. Absurd?

It is absurd to desire to have something resembling full employment here? Or do you just enjoy seeing how acerbic you can be? I suspect it is the latter, judging from the tone of your posts since day one...

[ERF]

5. Probably you are right. Of course "full employment" is

a tough thing to achieve and creates some serious constraints on the economy at anything lower than 4%. Essentially a "job market" ceases to exist and wage pressure creates inflation.

US unemployment figures are, of course, vastly distorted. If you look a the current approx. 5% and then add in the 1.5 to 2% who have simply stopped looking and then add the additional 2 million persons who are either in prison or guarding prisons (there are more in total, but some criminals would always be criminals whereas most are probably there do to solvable social circumstances) you end up with about 8-9% figure which is about what Germany has.

Other than during (real) wars, can you name me a time in modern American history where there was full employment?

Actually can you name a countrythat actually achieved "full employment" that wasn't in the extraordinary circumstance of rebuilding an industrialized economy following a war?

You only get that circumstance (full employment) as far as I can tell when you are either becoming industrialized, at war, or recovering from a war.

[Selatius]

3. It's virtually impossible to stop the free-trade boys at this point

Most of manufacturing in America no longer exists; we've become dependent on foreign-made goods.

The best thing to do is to tax corporate barons and use the revenue to invest in poverty relief, job training, vocational/college grants. High-paying manufacturing jobs may be gone, but that doesn't mean you won't find a steady job in the service sector. The benefits may be lower, and the pay may be lower, but if you have to put food on the table, there's really no other choice.

They say this is the best.

[earthside]

6. That Encompasses It All

The two points made just about encompass all that the OLD Democratic Party stood for -- Peace and Jobs.

'Peace' meant not just a healthy reluctance to get involved in wars, but advocating for diplomacy as the foremost way to conduct good foreign policy.

'Good job' meant not only protecting American jobs from overseas competition and corporate wage cutting and union busting, but supporting meaningful social safety net programs like Social Security, unemployment compensation, fair trade, and a clean, healthy working environment.

A Democrat still could run on those two issues and win -- actually, possibly, the only issues they can win on.

But NEW Democrats are unsure, hesitant, too desirous of special interest PAC campaign contributions, and so anxious to win that they won't stand for anything forthrightly.

So, if Democrats don't win this November it will be because of the reasoning seen in the replies your message has received ... comparing Peace and Jobs to David Duke? There are too many other issues? Free-trade, ie., corporate trade is unstoppable?

Unbelievable responses that are signs of confusion and lack of vision -- that could mean the Bushites stay in power in the Congress in 2006.

[Toots]

7. Kerry used those exact lines yet no one cared.

People in America deserve what they get..