The Facts Machine

"And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide"

Sunday, November 10, 2002

REPUBLICAN EAGERNESS ALERT

I've been warning them, but have they been listening? Nope, a number of Senate Republicans have come up with wish lists on the upcoming legislative agenda. What's coming our way?

-permanent tax cuts!
-a permanent end to the estate tax!
-corporate tax cuts!
-blatant union-busting disguised as a "homeland security" measure!
(no whistleblower protection either)
-less possibility of a full investigation into what went wrong on 9/11!
-blind and arrogant support of bush's oil war in Iraq!
(then again, he may postpone until just before the 2004 election)
-sweeping confirmation of uterus-invading judges! (or "strict constructionists" as the fascists say)
-drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge!
-more of our fogotten friend, nuclear power!
-a hollow, insurance-friendly prescription drug bill!
-gutting medicare!

and of course, need we remind you,
-privatization of social security!

Fun, huh? This is exactly what I thought would happen. First Gary Bauer, then Jerry Falwell, and now the Senate Rethugs themselves are becoming quite eager about the prospects of complete governement domination. Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. Remember what happened to the Democratic congress of 93-94? Doesn't sound like Trent Lott and the boys do!

Message for Senate Republicans: Your agenda, on the whole, isn't popular. Your "sweep" this past tuesday was no landslide; out of many millions of votes, if you changed around 22,000 of them, there would be a solid Democratic majority in the Senate. If you force your kook right agenda, there will be considerable backlash in 2004, a backlash that could reach all the way up to 1600 Pennsylvania. Of course, you won't listen to me. You're self-righteous, idiotic conservatives, and you just can't wait to try to shove your agenda down us normal people's throats. Good luck, sir's and maam's (mostly sir's).

Message for Senate Democrats: This is your chance!!! The overeager Republicans have put their far right agenda on the table, now it's time to show some contrast. Talk about raising the minimum wage, and cutting the payroll tax, as well as the taxes of the middle class. Talk about protecting Medicare and Social Security, remind everyone where the economy and the stock market are. The GOP has the votes for most of their agenda, I'd say that the Dems should let them bury themselves with it (except for ANWR, please filibuster that).

Still, some of the things the GOP will do in the next two years will be very hard to reverse, most siginifcantly the judicial nominations. The Dems really have no one to blame but themselves for that. However, the Rethugs are showing all the signs of overreach here from the git-go, and if they continue to do so, Dubya's re-election hopes will be in doubt.

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