I need a good response to "well the democrats don't have any solutions to "

[southernleftylady]

the problems
or they don't have any ideas blah blah blah

they forget that the repugs are in charge, the Dem's have to meet in basements to get together but still..
so i need something good to say when I hear this again...
so what do ya ll say when ya ll hear this?

[zbdent]

1. "So, all those times you said that Plan X would cost

too much money, raise taxes and kill jobs in America, you were just hallucinating about the Democrats' solution?"

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Start with the Democrat's Plan for America

or whatever its called. It starts by saying the Dems will concentrate on capturing Osama. It goes on to say we'll inspect 100% of cargo coming into ports. It goes on from there. I'm sure the entire plan has been posted here many times.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. The Dems do have solutions, but most people are not responsible

enough to accept the answers. Someone said that the Dems are the designated drivers of this country. They face the real problems and offer realistic solutions, but the American people are not ready to make the necessary sacrifices.

It's going to have to be a very strong leader that will shake them to their senses and point out to them that that believing in people that tell them what they want to hear has taken this country deeper into a shit hole.

[oscar111]

13. Dem plans dont require sacrifices.. GOP actions are the ones causing us

to sacrifice healthcare, lost college aid, lost food stamps and housing aid, no bridge repair, no pothole repair, cuts to cops and firefighters, cuts to vets, etc.

dems end taxcuts to the rich, which makes possible repairs to society with no sacrifice by the middle class... dems regain jobs lost to mexico by ending NAFTA, outsourcing, et.

GOP is the party of sacrifice, of austerity for the Middle class. Third-worlding of America .. called TWA.

Dems END sacrifice, bring peace and prosperity.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. I like the way you turned it around.

"Dems END sacrifice, bring peace and prosperity."

But the bottomline is that someone has to pay. If the Dems can show that we can sock the rich for the taxes they sucked out of the system within the last five years, and that is enough to get us back on the right road, then we may have something. But, bottomline, someone has to pay. So the Dems need to know who to approach for the billions stolen during the Bush Administration in order to revitalize the system, without putting fear into the hearts of the middle class that eventually it will come out of their pockets. i.e. if we take it out from the petroleum companies, will they retaliate by charging us more at the gas pumps?

My suggestion is to go get it from Halliburton. I say we eminent domain that bitch and liquidate their assets.

[oscar111]

29. Truman's tax rate at the top, 91% in 'fifty two.

more than enough to do what you proposed in your fine reply.

Current top rate is you know, thirty five percent.. a pathetic sick puppy rate...

and the EFFECTIVE rate is less, due to loopholes.. my calculation is thirteen percent, way less than the middle class effective rate of fifteen percent.. income only, not counting effect of regressive sales tax, which ups the bite on middle class to thirty percent. I am not a tax pro, so verify the thirteen percent before quoting it.

[tabasco]

24. Dems do require that the government pay the bills.

And not sell out future generations for instant political gratification.

Republicans borrow the country into massive debt and increase foreign control of our Nation.

Republicans borrow enormous amounts and do their best to funnel the money to the ruling elite.

Republicans borrow and spend the nation into oblivion and the Democrats have to restore reality and pay the bills.

I LMAO when I hear a freeper cry "tax and spend" liberals.

Tax and spend is also known as paying the bills. So in that regard, the Dems do institute responsibility and austerity.

Democrats have been cleaning up republican disasters since FDR.

[oscar111]

28. Austserity? where? i dont get it

loved your post, not being critical,

just one point, one word.. i dont see how austerity fits what you and i have posted.

the middle class gets lots more under the dems... no austerity for us middle classers.

None. Pls dont camlpaign with that word . It doesnt fit reality, and drives voters away in droves.

[tabasco]

38. Government austerity. Decrease govt spending.

Especially reduce "defense" spending.


http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=austerity

1. The quality of being austere.
2. Severe and rigid economy: wartime austerity.
3. An austere habit or practice.

[meganmonkey]

34. You think the Dems will end NAFTA?

The Dems passed NAFTA to begin with, and CAFTA wouldn't have passed if so many Dems hadn't supported it (because there were several repubs against it).

I understand there are many good things that Dems would do, but we have to be totally honest about our expectations. I don't want false promises, you know?

Peace.

[crispini]

4. Don't have any solutions TO WHAT?

Tell me what problem you're talking about and I'll tell you the Democratic solution.

(Of course, if you're going to issue this challenge, it helps to be familiar with the national platform, your state party platform, and a variety of proposed Democratic legislation. I cherrypick freely among them when debating. Actually my favorite is my state party platform which is quite liberal; most state party platforms usually are more liberal than the national platform.)

[oscar111]

end any reply with plugging them into CONTINUING source of LW info...

like "now be sure to listen to AAR for even more dem solutions to problems".. "frequency is such and such."

and tell them the url of demunderground, Latest Threads Page.

office debates are not enough info to convert many. They need deprogramming which takes a lot of time. So you must plug them into AAR and DU. Give them old copies of Progressive mag. and The Nation.

PS we need a debate handbook. Anyone getting one prepared?

[ProfessorGAC]

5. I Have Two Responses For You

1) When you're in the minority, ideas don't get any media play. Remember, that's what you guys used to complain about. So, there are ideas, you just don't know about them.

2) When a Congress and Administration have a track record of failed initiatives like we've seen over the past 5 years, the FIRST and FOREMOST function of the minority party is to BLOCK ANY FURTHER MISTAKES FROM BEING MADE!

They can't get their ideas through as a minority, but they have an OBLIGATION to prevent further damage from taking place.
The Professor

[KharmaTrain]

37. As Always Professor...Well Stated!

Right now any idea has to be better than the ones the Repugnicans claim to have.

The goal right now is to stop further damage...to put the brakes to this runaway train. The "Democrats have no idea" meme is a Rovian ploy to divert from the dismal failures of this regime and the Repugnican party. It's a "do you beat your wife" argument as anything Democrats have said over the past decade have been all but muted by a well-orchestrated Repugnican spin machine.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Triple Post

..

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Triple Post

...

[wake.up.america]

8. My solution: vote his co-horts out office. That's my plan.

[meegbear]

9. We do have a plan ...

we're gonna look at all the things you did to fuck things up, and then don't do that.

[lonestarnot]

20. Oooooh this one is goooood! And so true.

[blm]

22. Haha - Kerry said to Tweety, "Democrats know HOW to govern."

Seriously, Republicans look at everything the lenses of power and greed, while Democrats look at issues through the lens of good governance.

[Zen Democrat]

10. The Republicans have phlucked everything up .... I'm for repealing it all.

Let's get back to where we were in 2000 -- and then move forward with healthcare -- just as soon as we get out of the Middle East.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. With all the money we're going to save...

by not going into stupid wars or giving tax breaks to people who don't deserve them:

We'll start fixing all those potholed roads, sagging bridges, and broken levees WE built and the Republicans let go to hell.

We'll commence on a plan to get everyone decent health care and a pension, without breaking the bank to do it.

We'll get decent textbooks and science labs in the schools, like we used to have before prayer became more important than reading.

We'll have the various police types go back to actually finding real criminals of all stripes instead of peeking in bedroom windows and spying on everyone.

We'll go back to work cleaning the air and water so it won't kill the birds, the fish, and us.

We'll have a serious way for energy independance and lowering the costs of gas and electricity.

And more-- just like we've always been doing.

[Justice Is Comin]

12. Tell them to

stick around until November. They'll find out what our solutions are.

[Montagnard]

14. The Solution of Any Problem begins with Recognizing there is a Problem

The Republicans will not admit anything is wrong with anything; on the other hand the Democrats are willing to admit the Republicans have screwed up the entire country.

[Festivito]

15. Why? Did the Dem platform disappear from the web?

What part of reduce deficits, create surpluses, pay the debt, then finish by paying back the Social Security debt, DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?
Let me help: You have a mortgage on the country, you don't ignore it, you don't make fun of it, YOU DON'T BORROW MORE, you pay it. Then you help your own folks when they need a little kick in their retirement. See the analogy. It's real. It's ... a ... plan.
Or, at least it was until your ilk came along.

Murtha had a pracTICable plan for Iraq. Why did Republicans not only squelch it, they re-wrote it to a degree that even Murtha did not vote for it.

Dems may not have time to hear every opinion, but we don't deny available rooms, or turn off microphones on Representatives of the people as Republicans DID.

You mean a plan to kill Osama binladen with a missile that Bush made into humor calling it trying to hit a camel in the butt during the 2000 campaign?

You mean openness in government instead of Republicans making Freedom of Information harder to obtain?

Solutions to what? Remember Clinton's eight years of increasing prosperity, successful low casualty world-supported war, five thwarted domestic terrorist attacks, a WTC attack a month into his presidency ending in the perpetrators sentenced, daily anti-terrorism meetings that Bush refused to do, peace in Ireland, negotiations instead of suicide-bombers around Israel, negotiated light-water non-bomb-making reactor for North Korea which Congressional Republicans refused to fund, and increased federal park holding.

I'd guess Democrats should include in their platform to give people brains.

[oscar111]

31. Festi is talking to the GOP person, not the OP poster person.. to clarify

i misread festi's post and thought he was berating the OP person.

so i want to clarify it all for others reading Festi' reply.

BTW, good post, festi

[Festivito]

32. Thanks, oops, guess I got carried away.

I just don't understand why we let the CONs get away with these framing diatribes.
So, I start right in without transition.
Thanks for reading well.
And being kind.

[johnnie]

16. Honestly, here is what I do

I shrug my shoulders and say "nevermind".

I know we should be trying to educate the "other side" when they claim they want a discussion, but my experience has shown me that when the people who are so into bush and his cronies ask me a question like this, it usually means they wouldn't listen to anything anyway.

If the person saying that is truly willing to listen, then that is another story. But if they really want to learn they can find information out there for themselves.

In other words, I have given up on "debating" with the thick minded republicans.

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. IF the Democrats had a PLATFORM to VOICE their plan, people would know it.

HOWEVER, the freakin' repukes control the messages that make it to the airwaves. Their REPUKE corporate owned media controls the the TV airwaves and their corporate owned/religious entities control the radio airwaves.

THANK G-D for AAR and The Nation Magazine.

The Democrats have plans. They just aren't allowed to tell anyone so the REPUKES can say, "The Democrats don't have any plans."

I might add that the RW TALKING HEAD SHILLS are complicit and go along with the undermining of Democrats. Notice how they always have as guests, strong REPUKES to speak for the REPUKE party and find some unknown WEAK Democrat on to speak for the Democrats? OR they call Joe Lieberman to speak for the Dems.:eyes:

[abluelady]

18. Use Two Words

"You're Wrong."

As has been said often, the minority party is getting no media attention. Tell those folks to watch c-span in the evening and listen when the dems are given time in the congress. They have many ideas. We just have to search for them with a corporate owned media.

[Armstead]

21. Better answer: Liberals and Prtogressivesd have Ideas

What I find so frustating about the media and political dialogue is that there are TONS of ideas and alternative visions out there, but they get ignored both by the Mainstream Media and the be;ltway Establishment.

Pick an issue, any issue. One the grassroots and among activists there4 are a lot of ideas abot how to deal with problems and p
Job insecurity? Stop Outsourcing all our jobs. Pressure corporations to behave like they have a responsonsibility to the society theyt are part of. Pressure lawmakers to stop rewarding outsourcing and other screws to te working class.

Lot of ideas both general and specific.

[Norquist Nemesis]

23. Response: "Really? Where'd you hear that?" n/t

[bush_is_wacko]

25. "Amendments and proposals to counteract everything that the Republicans

screwed up over the past 6 years are all over the place. It is the responsibility of an informed voter to seek this information out for themselves. If you need information on where to go to find those proposals try looking at Congress.org under sponsored bills/legislation or co-sponsored bills/legislation of a Democrat of your choosing. While you're at it, attempt to read through any piece of legislation passed by Congress in the last 6 years so you can understand what the real game is."

OR direct them to whatever websites you use to find the information.

There are "plans" out there the pukes have just knocked them down at every turn. Republicans have control of both houses. They use that iron fisted control to ram through everything they want and frankly, if these uneducated Democrat bashers would read through just a small handful of the legislation their party has rammed through they would likely shit their pants!

[Poiuyt]

26. From the Democrats.org web site:

* Keeping America Safe at Home
* Strength Overseas
* Honoring Our Troops, Veterans, and Their Families
* A Strong Economy
* Education
* Retirement Security
* Affordable Health Care
* Honest Government
* Election Reform
* Protecting Our Environment
* Civil Rights

details at:

http://democrats.org/agenda.html

[no_hypocrisy]

27. Dems should stick with the classic "You were told but

didn't listen."

Is it realistic that if THE ultimate collection of remedies were rolled out by say, John Kerry or Ted Kennedy , that Bill Frist would take the podium and announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, I urge you to stop being republicans and democrats and to unite as Americans to take this project to its fruition."

Nah, I don't think so.

[B Calm]

30. The dems plan is "Corporate Responsiblity and Individual Freedom"

The repigs plan is just the opposite!

[salin]

33. heh... there is an irony in the statement....

as it is a nonthinking repitition of rw talking heads (take your pick, they are all saying it) - so the speaker is indicating their inability to express something original - repeating a stale charge about democrats not being able to express something original.

What democrats have they heard speak on policies lately? How have they come to this conclusion if they haven't been listening/looking for information about democratic solutions?

No easier way to deflect this than to turn it on the person making the charge - empty "everyone knows it" is easily responded to with "knows what? where are the details? Which dem's policies/positions are being described?" Don't know? Well dear friend, go to various dem leaders websites and read what they say about different positions - then lets talk somemore."

[chicofaraby]

35. I ask if they have an Internet connection

because the Democrats have had a website for over a decade. It's just chock full of ideas, position statements, platform, etc.

[Kansas Wyatt]

36. Stop shouting the Democrats down & give them the microphone

Because Democrats can govern, unlike constant republican campaigning.