Pre-Buttal?

posted by BH

About Alito's confirmation:

Democrats weren't convinced, with liberals even unsuccessfully trying to rally support to filibuster Alito on Monday. "The 1985 document amounted to Judge Alito's pledge of allegiance to a conservative radical Republican ideology," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said before the vote.
This is awesome. When did Democratic leadership decide that trying to woo Republican voters was not how to win elections, instead deciding that calling them names is the way to go? Seriously, is any Republican switching parties because of Reid's statenment? I like that he says, "conservative radical Republican ideology." That pretty much covers all of them.

This part comes from Pelosi's "Pre-Buttal." It's cool that in a few years, the president will be giving a "Pre State of the Union "address.

“First and foremost, America must remain pre-eminent in the world, with a strong national security that keeps America safe and a strong economy that produces good jobs. Nothing is more urgent than keeping America #1. For over a year, Democrats have been working with leaders in business and the academic community to put together an aggressive plan to maintain America’s leadership in innovation, and unleash the next generation of discovery, invention and growth. This is our Democratic Innovation Agenda – our commitment to competitiveness to keep America #1.
"For over a year, Democrats have been working...to put together an aggressive plan?" Over a year? Aggressive plan? The problem with the Democratic party at the moment is that the leadership has convinced the rest of the party that it seems to be enough to simply say that you've got a plan. John Kerry had a plan to get out of Iraq, though I never heard that it was anything more than a plan.

“Our innovation agenda begins with a serious, sustained commitment to America’s schools. Nothing could be more important than providing opportunity for our children, and to secure America’s leadership in the world. In a globalized, knowledge-based economy, America’s greatest resource for innovation and economic growth resides within America’s classrooms. We’ve pledged to create a new generation of innovators by calling for a qualified teacher in every math and science K-12 classroom and by issuing a ‘Call to Action’ to engineers and scientists to join the ranks of America’s teachers. Along with other Democratic proposals such as the Teach Act and the Strengthen our Schools Act, we intend to make sure young children have qualified teachers and supportive environments in which to learn.
Do we currently employ unqualified teachers in our K-12 math and science classrooms? And how exactly are you going to get scientists and engineers to "join the ranks of America's teachers." Are you going to pay them more? Maybe what they would make as scientists and teachers? Non science and math teachers might fight you on that. Are you going to pay them the same as other teachers? What sort of incentive do you see for those scientists and mathematicians?

“We recognize that independent scientific research provides the foundation for innovation and future technologies. That is why we pledge to double federal funding for basic research and development in the physical sciences.
Now, either you're going to have over-qualified science teachers (that may or may not actually be good teachers) and under-qualified scientists, or the other way around.
Making it more lucrative to be a scientist seems like a good way to get more of them into teaching. By the way, this is way too vague. Basic research and development? Doesn't Charmin to that?

“High-speed, always-on broadband will create millions of good jobs. Our agenda guarantees that every American will have affordable access to broadband – within five years."
How will it create millions of good jobs. Maybe it will. How? It sounds like you've got a plan. It sounds like your plan has to do with saying things that make people happy without respecting their intelligence enough to tell us how the plan is supposed to work.

“Taken together, our Democratic innovation agenda, – education, R&D, public-private partnerships, energy independence – is a decision in favor of the future."
It really sounds good. But my plan sounds good too. My plan calls for a 1000% increase in yearly income for all those who wear black shoes. It also calls for increased production of lingerie. That's definitely in favor of my future. It's also just as implausible.

“Next week, when Congress returns, the first bill we will vote on is the Republican budget. Regardless of what the President may say on Tuesday night, the Republican budget tells an alarming story: It includes policies that increase the deficit by nearly 300 billion dollars, heaping mountains of debt on our children. It increases the cost of student loans while cutting taxes on the wealthiest Americans. It cuts funding for the basic research vital to creating jobs. It cuts funding for health care for our children.
Classic political buzzwords like "wealthiest," "our children (twice)," "health care" and "jobs." Meaningless crap. Especially the part about funding basic research vital to creating jobs. What, Monster.com?

“Why, the American people ask us, ‘are we considering a budget that is so out-of-step with our values and our priorities?’ The answer is the Republican culture of corruption that has permeated the White House and the Capitol.
Do the American people ask you this in unison? "The Republican culture of corruption?" Are all Republicans corrupt?

“How many times have you heard of a special-interest provision that was slipped into a bill in ‘the dead of night?’ or a thousand-page bill that no one was given time to read before voting on it. That’s because Republicans have been doing the bidding of special-interest lobbyists who have purchased access to the legislative process.
In the paragraph before, she writes, "The answer is the Republican culture of corruption that has permeated the White House and the Capitol." Here she writes, "Republicans have been doing the bidding of special-interest lobbyists who have purchased access to the legislative process." Has Pelosi ever taken any money from the Sierra Club? Let's remember that special-interest lobbyists occupy both sides of the aisle on the capitol. What lobbyists do, as a rule, is not illegal.

“The American people pay the cost of corruption. That’s why we have a confusing Medicare prescription drug bill that actually raises the cost of prescription drugs for middle income seniors. That’s why we have an energy bill that gives huge tax breaks to oil and gas companies that are making record profits, while Americans pay record energy prices. And that’s why we have legislation larded up with special-interest earmarks and ‘bridges to nowhere’ that increase the deficit.
Oil and gas companies are making record profits because people are willing to continue using oil and gas in huge amounts. It's this crazy thing call supply and demand.

My whole issue with this is that Pelosi has never done anything to try to bring the two parties together. One could argue that it's her job to rally support for her party, but that seems to be the job of Howard Dean and the DNC. Nancy Pelosi is a representation of what's wrong with the Democratic party at the moment. Voters don't want to continue hearing that the other side is to blame, listening to press release after press release and speech after speech in which old, worn out cliches are trotted out as if they were from somewhere other than the eighteenth century. Democrats cannot continue to follow leadership that thinks the best way to run the country is pointing out that they are not the other guy. It's not enough to say that you've got a plan. It's not enough to rip on the other party for what amounts to idealogical differences. We all know what they are. Figure out a way to positively change and help education, R&D, public-private partnerships, and energy independence in a way that actually works, without raising taxes to the point that I get only 3% of my salary at the end of the year. Do something that tells us why you believe your principles are right, rahter than repeatedly telling voters why the other guy's principles are wrong. There are a lot of registered Republicans out there who are feeling a little iffy at the moment about the direction of their party, yet leadership on the other side of the aisle is giving them no reason to look to the left.