TIME: Turning the Tables (Dems getting their act together, Repubs divided)

[sabra]

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1179973,00.html

Turning the Tables
For once, the Democrats are getting their act together while it's the Republicans who are divided

On Capitol Hill last week, it was almost as if the two parties had decided to switch roles. At a press briefing, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer was declaring, "Republicans don't have an agenda," a critique Republicans usually hurl at Democrats. The next day Hoyer and other Democrats from the Senate and House, along with state governors, got together to announce the party's unified plan for improving America's national security.

Meanwhile, Republicans were looking in disarray — even before the announcement this week that Tom DeLay would give up his House seat. Some House Republicans were quietly criticizing Majority Leader John Boehner for not supporting a 700-mile fence for the U.S.- Mexico border that was part of an immigration bill passed by the House in December, while Senate Republicans questioned if their leader, Bill Frist, was allowing his presidential ambitions to get in the way of passing immigration legislation. And as the Senate moved forward with a lenient immigration reform plan, a group of almost two dozen House Republicans held a press conference to strongly denounce the Senate GOP's approach.

The conventional wisdom in Washington in recent years has been that Republicans are more unified and disciplined and have better-articulated ideas than Democrats, who are often at war with one another and questioning their leadership. But lately the Democrats, looking to create a campaign platform for 2006, have put out some ideas that their famously fractured party largely agrees on. Earlier this year, they released a plan to reform lobbying following the scandals of Jack Abramoff. Last week's security ideas were hardly earth-shattering: increasing inspection of goods coming through U.S. ports, doubling the number of Special Forces troops, pushing Iraq toward full sovereignty by the end of this year, and increasing efforts to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil. Some Democrats, like Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha, have called for more aggressive steps, like the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. But Democrats seem to broadly agree on the security issues that hurt them in 2002 and 2004.

And Democrats can't be accused of lacking ideas: many of the party's most prominent leaders are putting out long tomes detailing their views. Later this month, Ted Kennedy's book America Back on Track will lay out ideas to ensure universal health care for all Americans, and House Democrat Rahm Emanuel and former Clinton aide Bruce Reed will put out a modestly titled book called The Plan in August that includes ideas such as a national science and technology center modeled on the National Institutes of Health. Illinois Senator Barack Obama has told the Chicago Tribune his new book The Audacity of Hope, due out in October, will look to show how politicians can "shift away from ideological debates and focus on traditional American common sense."

[jdadd]

1. Hmmmmm.....

Some House Republicans were quietly criticizing Majority Leader John Boehner for not supporting a 700-mile fence for the U.S.- Mexico border

Sounds like a job for Haliburton..... :silly:

[wryter2000]

2. Finally

I've been waiting for the silly soundbite that Dems are disorganized and have no message to disappear.

[rodeodance]

3. i am saving this--and every time I hear--the mantra that the dems do not

have a plan i will throw this at them!

[rodeodance]

4. nominate

nominate

[myrna minx]

5. Yay!

I've been waiting for the GOP mother ship to implode, and it looks like it's happening now. They seemed so invincible just two years ago, but now they are self destructing. Now, if only William F Buckley Jr would give a press conference and would apologize for the beast that he created. :hi:

[KingFlorez]

6. I'm more and more confident every day

[sandnsea]

7. Sounds like good news to me

Nobody's interested? :shrug:

Hmmm.

[iconoclastNYC]

8. "For once"

There's that legendary TIME fairness.

[IndyOp]

9. The Plan

by Rahm Emmanuel?

:scared:

[mzmolly]

10. "The times they are a changin"

That's my new meme.

Thank you Howard Dean, thank you Harry Reid, and thanks to the many many Democrats who are not only fighting the good fight, but FINALLY building an "organized front!"

:toast:

[JDPriestly]

11. The Democrats -- The Party of the Best Ideas

The Republicans - The Party of Bad Ideas

Just wanted to say it again.

Love the article. Our time as come again. The time for good ideas has come again. Democrats are intelligent and creative, and we can attract lots of the fringe GOPers who are good problem-solvers to our fold. We will soon be the party of the majority.

The most striking thing I notice is that DUers, as liberal as we are, do not espouse radical left ideas. We mostly want clean government, open government, civil rights and justice including just wages and benefits and healthcare for all. Those are just the old fashioned, conservative, Yankee values. There is nothing shocking about them at all. The Republicans claim to be the party of ideas. Unfortunately, most of their ideas are bad. They have all failed miserably. We need to vote them out and return America to the values that America has always stood for --- liberal values.

[KharmaTrain]

12. Steady As She Goes...6 Months And Counting

Seems more like the long-held Repugnican meme of "Democrats don't have any ideas" is starting to peter out. The corporate media has been goading Democrats as having "no ideas" or "in disarray" for so long, it's no longer getting any traction...but bashing Repugnicans now do. It's a matter of perspective and perception. When you've had your blinder on by Rove for the past 5 years and now can kinda operate freely, things look a bit different.

I've said in the past that there's no rush on the Democrats putting a national platform together. The game here is to win the house and to do it on a district by district basis. This election can't be strictly a mandate on booosh, but a mandate on the Repugnican party and their overall abuse of power and corruption. It's tying each Repugnican congressvermin with this regime and their own little piece of pork or corruption. Each candidate then can present their own ideas and alternatives...put a local flavor to it that is far more effective in these type of races.

Dr. Dean has had the right idea and it's good to see he's gotten Bill Clinton to buy in now and he'll be starting to campaign in key districts. Hopefully all the rancor that's part of the primary process and the infighting can subside long enough for all of us to fight the real enemy and finally get some power and a chance to put the brakes to this runaway regime.

[npincus]

13. Wow-- the MSM giving Dems a boost?

I think the corporate owners are sniffing a Dem resurgance... they know which side of the bread needs buttering.

i'm crossing my fingers for this to spread far and wide.

[Roland99]

14. I think you're on to what's driving them.

Makes you wonder if CBS will have cognitive dissonance over their hiring of their multimillion dollar baby.

[ElboRuum]

15. Hmm... Now there's a solution...

A 700-mile... fence. A fence. Not a wall. A fence. Cyclone? Picket?

:wtf: :rofl: :spray: :banghead:

I propose, instead, a 700-mile fence around the District of Columbia. Clearly these Republican congressmen have lost their minds and are dangers, both to themselves and others. Clearly, they want to keep illegal aliens out, that much is certain. If they actually believe that a fence will accomplish this, maybe a fence can keep them from escaping the Beltway.

:hide:

They'll run up to it, look at the fence, and lose all hope of leaving. They'll walk away with their heads hung low.

Relax. If this meets with any favor we're moving the capital. B-)

[ElboRuum]

16. Hmm. An interesting solution...

A 700-mile... fence. A fence. Not a wall. A fence. Cyclone? Picket?

:wtf: :rofl: :spray: :banghead:

I propose, instead, a 700-mile fence around the District of Columbia. Clearly these Republican congressmen have lost their minds and are dangers, both to themselves and others. Clearly, they want to keep illegal aliens out, that much is certain. If they actually believe that a fence will accomplish this, maybe a fence can keep them from escaping the Beltway.

:hide:

They'll run up to it, look at the fence, and lose all hope of leaving. They'll walk away with their heads hung low.

Relax. If this meets with any favor we're moving the capital.

[wryter2000]

17. Last night on the CBS Evening News

It was extraordinarily gratifying to hear a "main stream" outlet call the repugs "in disarray." I hope that albatross hangs around their necks for years to come.

[MrBlueSky]

18. Gathering Strength

There are some who may feel that we are still too weak... but we are gaining strength by the day.

Remember last year? We lost to Rep. Schmidt (who, by the way was very smarmy then... and is very smarmy today!) and, while the media was telling us that we would make gains in 2006, we were not expected to get nearly enough seats in either chamber of Congress.

Now, those same outlets are asking if the Republicans will be strong enough to keep even the Senate.

Yes, our fireball is relatively small right now... but we have the bad guys on the run. And, most importantly, each day our fire is bigger and bigger.

Last year, we turned the corner with the Terri Schiavo case. Our flame was just the flicker of a match then.

Every day thereafter, we grew slowly.

Today, however, our fire is growing massively every day... and in the next couple of months, we will become an all-consuming bonfire.

Watch it growing!!! And soak up its energy!!! Then, be ready to fight the good fight... VICTORY WILL SOON BE OURS, PEOPLE!!!!

[organik]

19. Just like in 2004

When the Dems were united like never before to beat Bush, but the Repubs were splintered in their support for him, with many conservative heavy hitters saying NOT to vote for him.

Sounds like they're fixin' for fraudulent election '06 - the precursor to fraudulent election'08.

The election fraud community is not surprised. We've seen this coming since 2000.

Sad. All the talk of "what the democrats did wrong". All the Dems did wrong is let them steal elections! Over and over and over again....

[MrBlueSky]

20. To Organik

Dear Sir/Madam Organik,

With all due respect, I must honestly disagree.

Facing a huge Democrat wave, it would be suicide for Karl Rove to rig the elections, as he may have done in 2004.

If we see "flipped" votes this year, resulting in 51%-49% Republican wins, then the public will likely riot, as was seen in Ukraine.

Karl Rove has only a small window of opportunity to cheat. You see, the outcomes need to closely match the voter approval ratings. It was possible in 2000, 2002 and 2004.

With all due respect, sir or ma'am, it is not possible this time. That window of opportunity has slammed shut this year. If he tries to flip the votes, the difference will be glaring. On election night 2004, Bush had a 52% approval rating... so Rove had the ability to flip the votes to match... which he did. But with Repubs having a 36% or so approval rating, flipping votes this time will lead to widespread rioting, protesting and lawsuits from coast to coast.

And, by the way... Mr. Friedman at BradBlog found that Democrats might have cheated as well. The conclusion at his blog site was that Kerry may have stolen Michigan (or was it Wisconsin???) and, here in Washington State... Gov. Gergoire may have stolen her election as well.

[TankLV]

21. Call me jaded. But unless someone tampers with their cable or

favorite shows or music, NOBODY will get off the fucking couch, let alone "riot". This has been proved time & again.

I just don't see if ever happening with the american sheeple.

They are too damn lazy, ignorant, short-attention spanned and selfish for their own comfort.

Politics doesn't even rate a blip in their universe.

We who post here are the above average political junkies - the american sheeple are sadly not.