A *REAL* Agenda for Change?

Anyone remember the Contract With America that Gingrich and the Repubs took over Congress with in 1994?

What a colossal failure that cynicism turned out to be. Took only about a decade for the Republican-run Congress to turn its back on the American people and become even more arrogant and driven by the corruption of power and money than what they replaced in the Democrat-run Congress.

Just as a reminder of that nightmare, here's what they proposed - http://www.house.gov/house/Contract/CONTRACT.html

Now, along comes an article in The Nation by Robert L. Borosage that deconstructs that older contract and poses some ideas for a Democratic version. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051024/borosage

Some good ideas (and my comments are below), but is this a winning strategy for the Dems? Does anyone think they will have credibility to deliver on this with voters, especially after they've essentially spent the last five years mainly complaining and not offering much in the way of counter solutions that make sense to the Republicans. Is it just me-tooism?

The real question it seems to me is whether we can have an honest debate about the real role and limitations of government and whether what we need and want is competence more than grand visions that die in the stranglehold of partisanship. I actually do think we need some strong vision, but I worry that without some meat to it, that it's not credible, and the current administration and Congress have been so brutally incompetent and inept that the Democratic vision needs to be as much about competence and management of government as it does about grand vision.

One suggestion would be for the Democrats to commit, that if they retake the House and Senate in 2006, they will immediately change their leadership. Pelosi, Durban, Reid, et al, are so mired in the partisan politics of the last 12 years that they simply are not credible anymore. What a coup it would be for them to announce that they will relinquish their leadership posts in the interests of the country and common ground and will open the leadership of both houses to a new vote from both parties on who should lead and set up some criteria for that leadership with regards to working together on the issues of the American people and a grounding in good management skills.

Here's what Borosage has put forth (with my comments in parentheses):

§ Crack Down on Corruption: In contrast to conservative cronyism, shut the revolving door between corporate lobbies and high office. Prohibit legislators, their senior aides and executive branch political appointees from lobbying for two years after leaving office. Require detailed public reporting of all contacts between lobbyists and legislators. Pledge to apply this to all, regardless of party. Take the big money out of politics by pushing for clean elections legislation.

(This seems really obvious and not even bold enough. The Democrats should make a firm commitment to legislation that addresses the worst of the lobbying scandals, makes a promise to funnel money donated to political campaigns to local campaigns only and takes the money out of legislative influence once and for all)

§ Make America Safe: Commit to an independent investigation of the Department of Homeland Security's failures in response to Katrina. Detail action on the urgent needs that this Administration has ignored: Improve port security, bolster first responders and public health capacity, and require adequate defense planning by high-risk chemical plants. End the pork-barrel squandering of security funds.

(And, what is the role of the military and civil defense functions - building bigger and more powerful weaponry, or defending the country? I never see much in the mainstream media questioning the entire structure of the military and the defense budget and where all that money really goes. Not to troops and body armor apparently.)

§ Unleash New Energy for America: In contrast to the Big Oil policies of the Administration that leave us more dependent on foreign supplies, pledge to launch a concerted drive for energy independence like the one called for by the Apollo Alliance. Create new jobs by investing in efficiency and alternative energy sources, helping America capture the growing green industries of the future.

(This one is critical. What's missing is the boldness to step up and call for national sacrifice around this issue, like increased gas taxes and mileage standards, to not only address energy for America, but for the entire planet. We need some kind of multilateral plan, with countries like Russia, China and India to address long-term global energy needs.)

§ Rebuild America First: Rescind Bush's tax cuts for the rich and corporations, which create more jobs in China than here, and use that money to put people to work building the infrastructure vital to a high-wage economy. Start with challenging the Administration's trickle-down plans for the Gulf Coast, which will victimize once more those who suffered the most.

(There is always talk about how we need to retrain the workforce because of outsourcing and globalization. Yes, but if you're over 40 and your job just got outsourced, likely you need another job, not to go back to school. A solid plan for education aimed at the economy and jobs sector that will keep America competitive combined with an infrastructure program would make this even more compelling.)

§ Make Work Pay: In contrast to the Bush economy, in which profits and CEO salaries soar while workers' wages stagnate and jobs grow insecure, put government on the side of workers. Raise the minimum wage. Empower workers to join unions by allowing card-check enrollment. Pay the prevailing wage in government contracts. Stop subsidizing the export of jobs abroad.

(This is all well and good, but only if unions actually bring themselves into the 21st century and lose their outmoded thinking about the relationship between jobs, job security and disincentivizing actual job creation and entrepeunership. Sorry, I'm not a big fan of unions, but I do think we need a better balance of pay in this country.)

§ Make Healthcare Affordable for All: Pledge to fix America's broken healthcare system, with the goal of moving to universal, affordable healthcare by 2015. Start by reversing the Republican sellout to the pharmaceutical industry by empowering Medicare to bargain down costs and by allowing people to purchase drugs from safe outlets abroad.

(Universal, single payer healthcare. It's the only thing that makes sense and it still amazes me that corporate America hasn't lined up behind it as it's likely the only thing that will actually alleviate their pain on healthcare costs and keep them competitive with emerging economies.)

§ Protect Retirement Security: In contrast to Bush's plan to dismantle Social Security, pledge to strengthen it and to require companies to treat the shop floor like the top floor when it comes to pensions and healthcare.

(It works. Give it the resources and commitment it needs for the long term and stop messing with it.)

§ Keep the Promise of Opportunity: Instead of Republican plans to cut eligibility for college grants and to limit loans, offer a contract to American students: If they graduate from high school, they will be able to afford the college or higher technical training they have earned. Pay for this by preserving the tax on the wealthiest multimillion-dollar estates in America.

(And, while we're at it, let's educate and pay teachers what they are actually worth and what they contribute to society, as opposed to overpaid eg-driven entertainers and sports figures.)

§ Refocus on Real Security for America: In contrast with Bush's pledge to stay in Iraq indefinitely, sapping our military and breeding terrorists, put forth a firm timeline for removing the troops from Iraq. Use the money saved to invest in security at home. Lead an aggressive international alliance to track down stateless terrorists, to get loose nukes under control and to fight nuclear proliferation.

(Amen.)

Comment on this post and let's get a dialogue going about how we make effective changes.