Acing our Midterms

Hey Dems! Now that the GOP have lost the public's trust, the Democrats must step in to fill the void. Here is what I suggest we use- feedback welcome...


1) Energy Independence, to be achieved through domestically produced renewable energies. This has not only environmental benefits, but will also undercut terrorism financing and provide enormous economic benefits for American workers .
-This should be done through market-based approaches as opposed to regulatory ones. For example, instead of raising the national mpg rates, congress can add a 1% sales tax on every mpg any car has that’s less than 35, and then give a 1% rebate via a tax deduction for every mpg a car you buy has over 35.
-Also, a large investment in mass transportation and smart-growth urban planning because that reduces oil use and helps revitalize cities so they can compete with the transportation-subsidized (through the federal highway system) suburbs in the free market for jobs. Likewise, instead of regulating pollution away, just tax each ton of carbon whatever-oxide that powerplants produce, so it becomes economically viable for energy producers to make clean energy. These taxes will not only help the environment and motivate cleaner fuels, but also raise revenue, which brings me to point #2…

2) Balance the federal budget and return to the Clinton-Era surpluses that kept interest rates and inflation down, reduced our economic dependency on China, and kept the economy booming. This will have to be done by repealing the Bush tax cuts to the highest bracket, as well as the taxes raised in point #1. But Democrats can’t just be about raising taxes. It’s time for democrats to start talking about small government, and make some serious spending cuts. A lot of this can be done in a non-heartless way. For example, one way to reign in the huge Medicaid costs is to not let recipients of Medicaid purchase crap food with their food stamps. Most people on Medicaid are also on food stamps and a lot of public health costs are multiplied by the heart disease, diabetes, and obesity epidemic that’s sweeping the country and is disproportionately among the poor. So, if the federal government only lets people spend their food stamp money on foods that mean minimum standards for health, a lot of Medicaid money will be saved. Likewise a sales tax on soft drinks and alcohol will also reduce these health problems and raise revenue. This is only one example of innovative cost-cutting measures that democrats should embrace.

3) Education, education, education. Education is the #1 civil rights issue of the 21st century. Also, education is the only way the US is going to remain at the forefront of the globalized world. No Child Left Behind is a good framework, but the democrats should ensure it is funded properly. In addition, the democrats should run on universal pre-k. Studies show that you by far get the most benefit for your public education buck when you have pre-k for 3 and 4 year-olds, and it also saves taxes in the long run through reduced public safety costs and increased worker productivity and helps us remain globally competitive. Also, dems should increase the affordability of public higher education. The Pentagon should help fund this, because without its technological edge, our Military won’t be the strongest in the world forever.

4) Business innovation through science and technology. Give massive tax-cuts for scientific firms, aggressively attract foreign talent, and increase the National Endowment for the Sciences.

5) Cut corporate taxes. This is necessary to keep America businesses globally competitive and will also undo the anti-capitalist image that the democrats have unfortunately gotten tagged with. This will also help create American jobs, and the revenue will be recouped through increased income and capital gains.

6) Reduce crime. It’s funny how the GOP used to run on law-and-order, but it took Bill Clinton to send crime to historic lows, only to have them start creeping up under Bush’s leadership. Clinton was helped by a booming economy, but he also started the COPS program, which put 100,000 more law enforcement officers on the streets. It’s mind-boggling how Bush could have cut that funding in the age of terrorism and meth epidemics. Regardless, democrats should run on restoring that funding. Crime reduction also has great economic benefits.

7) A sensible immigration policy. America needs immigration to keep the economy strong, and one of the greatest things about America has been its embrace of immigrants. Democrats must crack down on illegal immigration, because that’s a national security issue. But unlike the republicans, democrats should aim to drastically increase legal immigration quotas. Not only does this help the economy, but it also will help our global power remain competitive with China’s, who pose such a threat mostly because of their huge population.

8) Have a worldview that believes in democracy for all. Its really fucked up how a notion like this seems to make democrats wince just because Bush has used this in his rhetoric. The truth is, Bush is on democratic turf when he talks like this; before Bush, this was the mantra of Woodrow Wilson, FDR, and JFK. We should differ from Bush in his means (ie, war) but not in the ends. Some sort of free trade agreement that ties free trade to democratic and human-rights benchmarks to any country that meets these benchmarks will help democracy everywhere by making democracy economically viable. Likewise, we should win hearts and minds in Iraq and Afghanistan by strongly increasing the infrastructure aid we are sending them. Did you know that Afghanistan gets less than $ 1 billion a year from us? That’s 2% of the annual budget of New York City for Chrissakes.

9) Support free and fair trade. Free trade is the best antidote for world poverty. Its time for democrats to get off the subsidy-oriented mindset. No amount of subsidies can reduce poverty as effectively as good old-fashioned capitalism has for India and China, among others. Putting in minimal workers’ and environmental rights will make the US be on equal footing with the rest of the world, and stem the loss of jobs here for those reasons, but also allow better-paying jobs abroad.

10) Competence and civic responsibility. It’s time for the democrats to take the mantle of the CEO management mindset, because Lord knows, the republicans are a complete joke in that area.

11) Universal healthcare. We’re currently the shame of the industrialized world.


None of this is far-fetched. In fact, at least in the domestic arena, it’s what some democratic Governors are currently doing. If the democrats run on this, there’s now way they or America can lose.