Screwed again
by Matt Giwer, © 2006 [November 12]

Remember way back when twelve years ago when Newt Gingrich lead the "Contract with America" campaign? Remember after the Republican win only a few of the "contract" items were put to a vote with zero support for their passage? Remember they all lost? Remember when the voters complained they stuffed all the rest of them into one bill and by voice vote rejected it? Did you feel screwed? Bend over. Here it comes again.

When future Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi asked about the agenda of the Democrats she had this response.

Together, we can set a new course for America. Nowhere did the American people make it clearer that we need a new direction than in the war in Iraq. We are committed to finding a new solution to Iraq, but we know that actions speak louder than words. That's why we will go forward with our "Six for '06" agenda:

  • To make our country safer by implementing the 9/11 commission recommendations
  • To make our economy fairer
  • To make college and health care more affordable
  • To move toward energy independence
  • To guarantee a dignified retirement
  • To do this in a fiscally sound way with civility, integrity, and bipartisanship.
Just maybe someone can remember one campaign speech which mentioned any of those six items. Just maybe some local poll found one of the six to be a consideration in who to vote for but not one national poll mentioned a single one of them.

In the polls the leading issue was the war. The difference between positions was how quickly to leave Iraq. Does the electorate get what the majority voted for? Of course not.

Just like Newt Gingrich.

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