It turns out that they have one, in case you were wondering.
House Democrats have formulated a plan of action for their first week in control. Their leaders said a Democratic House would quickly vote to raise the minimum wage for the first time since 1997. It would roll back a provision in the Republicans’ Medicare prescription drug benefit that prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from negotiating prices for drugs offered under the program.
It would vote to fully implement the recommendations of the bipartisan panel convened to shore up homeland security after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Democratic leaders said.
And it would reinstate lapsed rules that say any tax cuts or spending increases have to be offset by spending cuts or tax increases to prevent the federal deficit from growing.
That looks pretty good to me. If I would add one thing, it baffles me why Dems remain afraid of a policy initiative, single-payer healthcare, that would singlehandedly rescue United, GM, Ford and dozens of other American employers from bankruptcy and go a long way towards making it more competitive to do business in America. And oh yeah, you won’t have to make the emergency room your PCP if you lose your job.
Apparently impeachment has to wait until week three. I’m cool with that.
Otto Man
I’m with you on putting the health care plan front and center. The polls are behind it and, as you note, there’s a strong pro-business argument to be made for single payer care.
Oh wait — Sen. Frist is warning me about mean ol’ John Edwards! Run away!
neil
Apparently impeachment has to wait until week three. I’m cool with that.
How long do we have to wair to ban the Bible? That was the whole reason I voted for John Kerry in the first place.
ppGaz
As long as they don’t interfere with earmarks, I’ll vote for them.
The tsunami of earmarks is the secret good news of the Republican hegemony.
tBone
John Edwards smells of elderberries.
Ditto on health care. The Hillarycare debacle was 12+ years ago; it’s time for the Dems to pull their collective scrotum out of their collective body cavity on that issue. Assuming their HMO will pay for the procedure, of course.
Sherard
Golly, I hope that isn’t in response to me. Suffice to say if it were to happen, the idea that impeachment wouldn’t be agenda items 1, 1a, 2, 3, … 10 is not gonna fly with me. The barking moonbat left will be howling for Bush’s head from election day until the new Congress meets.
Also, minimum wage ? You’re gonna hang your party’s future on the minimum wage ? Not to mention all 4 items are nothing more than symbolic since the Senate certainly isn’t passing any of that. Except maybe the completely toothless “we’ll fund all of the 9/11 commission recommendations”. Sure they’ll vote for that, but only because it’s meaningless.
The Other Steve
Sounds good.
Would be nice pay back. To impeach a President who actively deserves impeachment.
Ryan S.
I fart in your general direction.
At least its an incremental change rather than a complete restructuring… much high probability of success.
Tim F.
Fill in the blank:
If the Democrats have lost Sherard, they’ve lost ________.
The Other Steve
If it’s so meaningless, why haven’t the Republicans implemented it?
Instead they want to give us $100 tax refunds to buy gas with.
LOL!
John S.
Sherard on the Titanic:
Lifeboats? Your brilliant idea is lifeboats?!? I prefer to stand here and go down with the ship…
Ryan S.
Hmm.. Lets see something bad happens.
Ok gather the best and the brightest in the same room. Say, “This is the problem you’ve got a year to figure out how to solve this problem”. After months of reviews, expenses and careful consideration they come up with good recommendations.
Then completly ignore the results and go on with business as usual and set-up another usless management bureaucracy for people to get stuck in.
Hmm. Maybe the crabs.
Didn’t even know they had him.
Ted
How long do we have to wait to ban the Bible? That was the whole reason I voted for John Kerry in the first place.
I’m sure that strategy will be tried again. It usually works, unfortunately.
Andrew
Sherard, Dick (a Republican), and François (a Democrat, obviously) are out quail hunting in Texas.
Dick offers to shoot Sherard in the face.
Sherard asks François if he has a better plan and François says, “Well, how about we don’t shoot anyone in the face?”
Sherard laughs, and says to Dick, “Those Democrats never have a plan! They’re only against things you come up with. That’s why America votes for Republicans, ’cause you’ve got a plan. Now fire away!”
chopper
i like it. i’d also throw in ‘audit the pentagon’ but that’ll never fly. like the kids on the hill actually care where ~3 trillion dollars disappeared to.
tBone
A net drain on their collective IQ.
Perry Como
Fisher-Price’s(TM) My First Political Opinion
Paddy O'Shea
The Bush collapse continues unabated. The new Gallup Poll puts his approval number at a ghastly 31%.
By the time 2007 rolls around there might not be anything left to impeach. Just a stain on the Oval Office carpet.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-08-bush-approval_x.htm
Krista
That was close — I almost sprayed beer on my new keyboard.
Zifnab
Impeach Bush? Please! We should run him for a third term. He’s the best thing to happen to the Democratic Party since Nixon. He’s the posterboy for why you shouldn’t vote for the Republican party. He’s a gift, a treasure. The embodiment of everything the Republican party has degenerated into.
We should censor him, reclaim all the Congressional power he’s garnered for himself, lock him in the White House, only to drag him out right before elections to say something stupid and bungle a political appointment. But impeach him? Hell,no.
The Other Steve
Great poing Zifnab.
tBone
Impeach, stain, Oval Office . . . not exactly an original concept, but I think this is one case where the sequel will be better than the original.
BlogReeder
This is the funniest bit of the whole piece. Is there such an animal as a spending-cut-Democrat? Must be rare indeed.
Pb
Also, there might be some backlash for impeaching Bush–some might find it mean for us to be kicking around a bumbling, toothless old man like that.
Digital Amish
the backwash.
Paddy O'Shea
Bush versus Nixon: Who will win the title of least-loved President?
http://tinyrevolution.com/mt-static/images/Bush-Nixon3.jpg
It really is quite a horserace. However, that Bush is making so strong a showing without the benefit of being subjected to impeachment hearings really is quite a remarkable achievement for him.
The Other Steve
The key for Democrats is to stop thinking a 20% approval rating for Nixon means people want McGovern.
Richard Bottoms
>If I would add one thing, it baffles me why Dems remain >afraid of a policy initiative, single-payer healthcare
Because the Republicans will call it Hillarycare and run against them on it. Is there some reason we’re required to be politically stupid and do the GOP’s job for them?
>The key for Democrats is to stop thinking a 20% approval >rating for Nixon means people want McGovern.
Did we invade Vietnam again? Don’t we have enough problems?
Oh, I get it. You mean negotiating with Iran before we bomb them is weakness. Better to go straight for the tactical nukes.
The Other Steve
Begun, the war on straw has.
Paul Wartenberg
Check the latest Gallup Poll. It’s not the 31 percent approval rating, IT’S THE 65 PERCENT DISAPPROVAL RATING. Care to explain how 65 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION are all moonbats?
That’s actually a winning issue. Every state where the public could vote for a state amendment or referendum on raising the minimum wage at the state level, those amendments/referenda PASSED WITH WIDE MARGINS. In my state of Florida it passed back in 2004 with 72 PERCENT OF THE VOTE. A lot of voters want the minimum wage upped: that should tell you something.
How toothless is everything now? The Senate GOP leadership has delayed or shuffled out of sight every existing legitimate investigation into Bush’s failures. The Democrats will actually do something for a change.
Paul Wartenberg
If he’s the best thing to happen to the Democrats then why are they and the rest of America still f-cked?
Bush is not the best thing to happen to anybody (except the arrogant theocratic rich). It would be nice to think he would end up an historical example to all future Presidents on how NOT to perform in office, but I worry that there won’t be any future Presidents the way things are now… :(
Paul Wartenberg
I think Nixon will end up losing as Worst President Ever on one point of technicality. Nixon at least was competent.
The more appropriate comparisons would be between Bush and Buchanan.
Paul L.
Pooh, Here is something from Democrat Senator Joseph I. Lieberman that I support.
Shouldn’t Taxpayers Get To See Taxpayer-Funded Research?
I am sure Tim F. does not support it
Pb
Paul L.,
Sounds good to me, at least on the face of it. I’m always in favor of the government keeping us informed as to what they’re doing, insofar as it’s our money, and it affects us.
And I’m not so sure of that, but we’ll see what he says.
Paul L.
Follow the link. Tim F. will say nothing. He is just like the law schools in the Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR). Give us federal funds but do not have any oversight in their use.
Mickey Finn
A look at all the legislation put forward by the dems in the past five years–and ignored by the majority–will reveal the ‘agenda.’ This B.S. about not having any ideas is sooo tiresome. Let’s see the hands of everyone who likes the current ‘agenda’….those making over $1 million a year don’t count.
Caroline
Yes, Jr. Bush has finally realized his dream of being the anti-Clinton. His disapproval rating is the same approval rating Clinton had in his second term (during impeachment even!)