"Pelosi's 100 Hours" - we should be ready to promote the plan at TDay dinner

[greeneyedboy]

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/11/22/0259/2848

Pelosi's 100 Hours - kid oakland

. . . . As far as I can tell there is one thing that everyone in the country is aware of regarding what our new Democratic majority is going to do in what promises to be an action-packed January. That one thing is Speaker-elect Pelosi's program for the first 100 Hours of a Democratic-controlled House. Why aren't more people talking about the specifics of this? If the GOP had a 100 Hours program they'd be selling it like it was going out of style. Heck, we in the netroots should be able to run down the list of that Democratic program as if it were the menu for Thursday's Thanksgiving dinner. I'd like to offer a brief break-down of this 100 Hour Plan (w/ links) and speculate on how we in the netroots fit in to Democratic strategy a bit. Let's take a look at Speaker-elect Pelosi's plan:

The Democratic One Hundred Hour Plan

1. Cleaning up Congress
a). Breaking the link between lobbyists and legislation
b). Commiting to Pay as You Go
c). No new Deficit Spending

2. Making our Nation Safer
a). Implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 commission

3. Making our Economy Fairer
a). Raising the Federal Minimum Wage
b). No new pay raises for Congress without a raise in the minimum wage

4. Making health care more affordable
a). Fixing the Medicare Prescription Drug Program by Negotiating Lower Prices
b). Promote Stem Cell Research

5. Broaden College Opportunity
a). Cut interest rates for student loans by half

6. Energize America for Energy Independence
a). Roll back subsidies for big oil companies

7. Guarantee a Dignified Retirement
a). Fight the attempt to privatize Social Security

That's seven planks with 10 action items. Step one for the "Democratic netroots framing brigades" should be to learn this list, critique it, and practice selling the hell out of it. Hell, we've been talking about framing the debate for years now. Here's some policy...we're all heading into the critical Turkey Day political melt down...let's do some work on Pay as You Go and Minimum Wage, let's move the ball on Lobbying Reform and Stem Cell Research. Let's examine what the specifics of the Oil Industry Subsidy roll backs will be.

I wrote a post-election diary on MyDD called Crafting the 60 percent position. The point of that essay was that we Democrats and our newly-minted majorities need to get focused on taking action and delivering the goods for this country on policy. Outrage and opposition won't cut it anymore. It's time to craft and win with majority positions. Let me be frank, I think we liberals and progressives have a lot to learn in this department. FDR knew how to craft majority positions, we should too.

Now, there are naturally debates within the Democratic Party and the netroots about strategy going forward. I've got some thoughts on that that I'll share below. But, before I dive into that I'd like to make this simple point. Everybody in the country knows that Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Party have a 100 hours program. Shouldn't we all get behind it and talk about it a bit?
. . . .

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/11/22/0259/2848

[pencilpen]

1. NOT ENOUGH!

Frankly, this plan is totally insufficient!

To me, the PRIMARY goal should be IMPEACHMENT of Cheney and Bush (in that order) and then the trial of Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, and the surviving Supreme Court Justices who put this gang of criminals, crooks, liars, and thieves into power. If these people are NOT held accountable, then we might as well finish King George's task of tearing up the Constitution because it won't be worth the paper it's written on.

As for "affordable" health care, this is a JOKE! Affordable? How about making it AVAILABLE for the ENTIRE country, as is done in EVERY SINGLE CIVILIZED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. Get the god-damned insurance industry OUT of health care and simply EXTEND medicare to the entire country. Congressmen and Senators have great health care! Why don't the rest of us? And it should include alternatives like diet, chiropractic, food supplements, etc. etc.

You want to clean up Congress? It's simple: simply OUT LAW funding from ANY source except taxpayers. In other words, no more funding of elections by corporations, lobbyists, etc. Presto. No more problems. All civilized countries do this. Only in America do we privitize elections. It's DISGUSTING!

You want to make us energy independent? Fine. Finance a MAJOR push in every way possible to develop alternative sources of energy. Sponsor a NATIONAL LOTTERY that will pay $1 billion to anyone in the WORLD who can come up with a clean, affordable, cheap source of energy.

If the Democrats are TRULY interested in change, seems to me these are some of the problems they have to deal with NOW - not in the future, but NOW! Otherwise, once again, they're only talking talking talking with no interest in substantial change.l

[pencilpen]

2. One more thing...

Finally, in addition to the above, I would suggest a really easy and simple way to end the way. Dennis Kucinich already said it: De-fund the war, take the money out of the loop and the war will end INSTANTLY. Just leave enough to bring the soldiers home. If the US is OUT of Iraq, the temperature will immediately be turned DOWN and the violence stopped.

[pencilpen]

3. One more thing...

Finally, in addition to the above, I would suggest a really easy and simple way to end the war. Dennis Kucinich already said it: De-fund the war, take the money out of the loop and the war will end INSTANTLY. Just leave enough to bring the soldiers home. If the US is OUT of Iraq, the temperature will immediately be turned DOWN and the violence stopped.

[greeneyedboy]

4. we do have more than 100 hours to work on the harder stuff.

this is all home-run stuff that can be accomplished before *'s SOTU address.

the other goals will take a little more time. that's how the system works. no need to shout at other DUers about it.

[pencilpen]

5. Really?

Impeachment MUST be the first thing on the agenda. Period.

[greeneyedboy]

6. more important than ending the war? how about stopping the bloodshed before humiliating Bush&Co.

[pencilpen]

8. What? You can't do two things at once?

I thought we were now a multi-tasking society!

So, what's the problem? We begin by impeaching Cheney, etc. SIMULTANEOUSLY we pull the financing on the war, leaving only enough in the budget to bring the troops home.

This is a problem? Both can't be done at the same time?

[greeneyedboy]

9. which is better - start the first four days (100 hours) with popular initiatives

or with obviously partisan and controversial measures?

scoring a few home runs in the first few days with extremely popular measures the GOP has been stifling makes total sense.

unless you're a troll, in which case pushing for the least popular most polarizing measures first and trying to hobble the Democratic Party makes sense.

which do you prefer?

[pencilpen]

10. LIFE-LONG REGISTERED DEMOCRAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've just moved but have always been a LIFE-LONG REGISTERED DEMOCRAT.

Are you starting a Fascist Democratic Party where only those who tow the bullshit lines are allowed in?

Get smart and open your eyes. There are a LOT of people - DEMOCRATS LIKE ME - who DEMAND the impeachment of Cheney and Bush NOW. They MUST be held accountable for what they have done.

I repeat: Democrats CAN chew gum and walk at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[greeneyedboy]

7. anyway, i am THRILLED to see the Democratic Party taking some initiative.

happy days are here again!

the GOP is on defense--let's keep it that way.