Lets hear from the Democrats

Ok, the Democrats are in charge. Are there any Democrats on this forum who could let us all in on what to expect for the next couple of years?

Thanks.

Comments

  • 18 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • Well, North Korea is doing a happy dance.
  • In Missouri the tobacco folks are happy (additional tax was defeated) and the independent stem cell researches are happy. The min. wage is going to $6.50 1-1-07. Min. wage can now go up each year based on inflation, but most folks do not realize the our elected officials also included their wages in this bill. We lost one Rep. Senator for a new Demo. Senator.
    And the beat goes on and on and on....
  • I guess I was hoping to hear from the liberals...
  • Paul,
    I don't consider myself a liberal particularly, however, at the risk of being attacked by all the republicans on this forum at this point any change is better than no change.

    The Democratic Party does not have all the answers, no one does. However, the fact that there was such a change in power must tell someone that the people are unhappy with the present administration and they want it to change.

    Not only do the people want a change, they do not trust the republicans to make that change.

    I do not know what will happen next, but we can only hope it is for the better of the country.


    Shirley
  • Shirley, I don't think anyone will attack you here.

    The seachange has sent a message to the Repubs, loudly and clearly. I think there are two issues that brought down the Repubs, the never-ending war in Iraq and ethics.

    People are beginning to wonder if the Iraq War is this generations VietNam War. Will it end, what will victory look like, and is it even possible?

    The Repub response to the Folley Follies said alot. Too much. People became disenchanted with these people who ran on family values then turn out to be worse than the so-called godless Dems. The Repubs have made Clinton look good, relatively speaking.

    I read today, that many Repubs were upset that Bush waited until after the election to can Rumsfeld - and I highly doubt he resigned completely on his own. They believe that if Rummy had been canned prior to the election, they would have stood a better chance of reelection.

    The Repubs have been awakened from their complacency. If not, they'll die.
  • Good points Ray. I have always done my best to understand the issues (this can really be a reach sometimes) and how the candidates stand on same (this can even be a bigger reach) and then vote accordingly. I have never voted a straight party ticket and I hope that my wife and I are teaching our boys that it is important for them to form their own opinions and then stand up for them.
    Only time will tell if our new elected leaders can really make a difference.
  • Ray,
    You are so on target with the war in IRAQ, however, for many of my friends and colleagues it was much more than that.

    Most of us lived through the vietnam Era and the Cubin Crisis. Than we had the Cold War.

    Along comes Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and IRAQ. Then on the coattails of these incidents we hear rumblings from the administration about North Korea and Iran.

    Now we are looking at each other and saying "Where does it end?" Does this administration plan to attack every nation that believes differently than us, that has different customs and religions?

    We do not wish to be in war forever and we do not wish to be the policemen of the world. We wish our Nation to be strong to defend us, but we do not wish to defend everyone else in the world.

    Our business, our people, our nation, our families are in the United State of America. Perhaps we would be better off if we put a bit more emphasis on being The United States of America and less on being the watchdogs of the world.

    Just my political two cents and yes I protested the Vietnam war. I do not like war, I do not think it is the right way to settle anything. I lost may classmates in that war and it was for nothing.

    I do support our men and women in the armed forces as they place themselves in harms way to do what they believe is right.

    Shirley
  • Shirley, I turned 18 while the VietNam war was winding down, but they were still drafting guys and sending them over. Initially, I had a student deferral, but that was taken away and I became a 1A my freshman year in college. My draft number was 115, they stopped drafting in the low 100s. I was sweating it out until then, thinking that if I went to Nam, I'd come home in a body bad. I've always had a pessimistic streak.

    So, I understand what you are saying. Even though I am very conservative, I too oppose war. I think a strong military is important, but it should be used as a last DEFENSE. Notice the caps. When Bush announce we had attacked Iraq, I screamed at the TV. I feared we would end up where we are today.

    North Korea and Iran pose much larger threats to us than Iraq ever did, but no way do we have the ability to deal with them. What do you think would happen if the draft were reinstitued?

    Unfortunately, we are locked in a battle. Terrorists know they can get to us. We are in a cultural war, but also a religious war, as defined by the extremist Muslims. There is no backing out.
  • "There is no backing out?"

    So you are saying that we are going to fight the "Holy War" for the rest of time?

    Everything in life has a circle...a beginning and an ending...it is time for the war to find an ending.

    Shirley
  • [font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 11-09-06 AT 12:02PM (CST)[/font][br][br]The radical Muslims hate us for our culture and derisively refer to us as "worshipers of the cross". And that is aimed at westerners in general. Look at France, they have tried to appease the Muslim community, but the radicals still have commit terroristic attacks. What do you think would happen if we drew all our troops back home and decided the war was over? Would bin Laden do a victory dance and retire? Or do you think he might see a chink in our armor and decide to hit us again, worse than 9/11?

    I agree, we need a new direction in Iraq and that war has to be over, but there are too many that see this as a holy war and will keep it going. I wish you were right, though.

    Here's a quote from a political observer from Britain:
    "I think...that the most likely outcome of these mid-term elections is another major terror attack on America. Whatever the smart analysis of the likely shape of domestic American politics over the next two years, America has now signalled a faltering of resolve; and that’s the cue for a redoubled Islamist attack."

  • I hope you are wrong about another attack, however, if that comes to be I only hope we have not weakened our defense systems so much by sending all out troops elsewhere that we do not have the power to defend our homeland.

    Shirley
  • Shirley, I hope I'm wrong too, but not willing to become complacent.
  • Shirley, good to hear from you as always. I would hope no one on this forum would attack anyone for simply stating their opinion.

    Now that this election is over, I am looking forward to hearing what the Dems plan to do. Its my understanding that there are some ideas out there. Even some plans on how to get us out of Iraq. I hope that they have the opportunity to clearly communicate those.

    Part of whats wrong with our political system is neither the fault of the Democrats or Republicans. Its the media which consistently chooses to avoid serious, substantive discussions of issues.

    Yelling, backstabbing, and namecalling make for better TV so thats mostly what we get.

    I dont know that Pres. Bush really had a fair chance to clearly communicate his ideas either. I hope the Democrats are able to.
  • As a Gen Xer (at least that's how one chart categorizes me!!), I think that people in my generation do not get out and vote at the rate that my parents and those before them did. I view all political races as opportunities for the candidates to throw their money around, lie, cheat, and tell stories about their opponents. RIDICULOUS and I think it should be outlawed completely. Can you imagine an election year without political TV commercials? Oooh...I like it! :)

    I'm an issues voter and never vote straight party as none of their ideas seem to gel with my thoughts. Give me a regular person, male or female, that states what they're about and what they hope to change with their election. Be honest. I don't give a rat's butt if you smoked pot at 18 (and did inhale)! Hopefully you learned from it and stayed away from drugs. I don't like what our country is turning into. I don't like how our children are turning out. How much more will it take to make a drastic change?

    I'll get off my soap box now, thanks for listening!
  • Shirley, you may have seen this online today, it clearly supports my theory. [url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15646571/[/url]

    The British public has vocally denounced their government's involvement in the Iraq War, yet the terrorists have made Britain a prime focal point for attacks in the West. How long before that happens here?
  • As an Independent voting straight Democrat this year, I expect and hope that we have some ACTION on issues that the majority of the public are really concerned with the WAR in IRAG is the most pressing. I personally expect to be more involved, write, call, walk, run whatever it takes to keep the momentum going. We showed what makes America great now we just can't get lazy.
    Stay involved, pick a cause and go with it.Mine is the Death Penalty and the abolition of it.
  • I am a registered republican, but always vote based on the candidate and issues. This year I was so busy trying to get ready for vacation that I forgot my absentee ballot. I believe voting is my duty, so am heartily ashamed of myself.

    I really can't tell you who I would have voted for anyway. This year we had the worst negative campaigning I have ever seen. It really became a case of who NOT to vote for.

    My brother in law is a seriously left-winged liberal (the dems are usually too conservative for him, but he votes for them as they are superior in his mind to the nasty, greedy republicans). It made for an interesting debate when he came to see me while I was visiting my mom in California. I have to tell you though, some of his ideas are too far out there for me. (He told me that we won in Viet Nam - we killed more than they did so it was a military victory). I can only hope that the new democratic house and senate are a little more centered than he is.

    I sincerely hope this change in power works out for the better. It is hard to believe we can do any worse in Iraq, but of course, as soon as you say so it gets worse.

    Whoever won, let's get behind them and support them. Let's give them a chance to make a difference. If they can't, we'll have to use our vote to make a change again later on.

    Nae
Sign In or Register to comment.