We are poised to win back the governing of America

[salinen]

And if we do, what are the lessons learned from former democratic administrations that we should avoid this time around?

We need more than 4 years and out. It will take a serious effort to undo the damage done in the last 4 years. These are a few of the goals I think should be accomplished:

1. Pay down the deficit.
2. Bring troops home from many oversees bases, and close those bases.
3. Reengage in world treaties such as Kyoto and SALT.
4. Return to correct campaign finance rules that are fair.
5. Public airwaves should not be used as propaganda tools.
6. No faith based subsidies from Washington.
7. Ban assault weapons from private citizens.
8. Empty the prisons of pot smokers.

What else?

[metisnation]

1. indict GW

on war crimes.

[KissMyAsscroft]

2. Thats a good start...

Very good start.....this insane Bankruptcy Bill needs to be tossed, the tax cut rescinded, cut off military welfare, car milegae standards, renewable resource investment...

[mandyky]

3. Voting reforms to include

preportional governing and instaant run off voting

[kaitykaity]

4. Impeach the Felonious Five

who installed Bush in the first place.

Remove all of the judges Bush appointed to federal courts,
if that is at all possible.

Use the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up the media
monopolies.

Reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine to shut up the right
wing attach machine.

Put as many of the Thug criminals as possible in jail.
Take away all of their ill-gotten gains.

[catzies]

5. Yes! A "Manhattan Project" ridding us of our oil addictions.

This is a great positive uplifting thread! Just what I needed! :bounce: Why not aim for the moon? :D

[KittyWampus]

16. This One Goes To Top O' The List!

:)

[DEMVET-USMC]

6. Do whatever it takes to solve the Homeless Problem in the U.S.

One of our fellow DUers described an awful situation he and his family has to endure regarding abusive homeless people. I`ve been homeless and it is a growing problem here in the U.S.. There are many working homeless also , but at McWages they cannot afford housing. This is an important issue all us Dem.s can get behind and it should be an important issue and part of the parties platform in the upcoming election. ...Oscar

[JanMichael]

10. Having experienced it yourself what would you suggest?

A "Make Work" Plan? "Kibbutzing"? Invest more in CDBG/HOME?

I'm involved (Work related) in my area in seeking out answers to this situation, that most people either ignore or throw their hands up in defeat, so I'm truly interested.

It can happen to almost anyone at any moment, and it won't resolve itself on its own.

[DEMVET-USMC]

19. Build the necessary housing in suitable sites and fund them.

Make it a major platform of the Democratic Party and make good on it. ...Oscar

[JanMichael]

29. Permenent housing?

The HOME Program is best suited for that, it would simply need much more in the way of funding in order to build/buy/rehab enough units.

How/where though should the units be placed and what sort of permenent, not just "job training", jobs should be made available? I personally wish we'd fund a Mondragon-like industry.

[jo35042]

25. Amen and

Thank you....There is no reason for homelessness in this country, except greed on the part of some and apathy on the part of others.
We need to work together.

[opihimoimoi]

7. Address Global Warming, Making the Planet SUSTAINABLE, and Astroid

Protection by InterNational Deflection Program(UN Sponsored)

These are the 3 top things facing this Human Species and we are not on the DIME. Get on it NOW!!!!!

[shraby]

9. One more!

Make it so a president cannot pardon past administrations for crimes.

[ronatchig]

8. I have to say

drastically cutting the DOD Budget by a min of 50% to start.

[Virginian]

11. Build a bridge to the Republicans

We don't need any more frivilous impeachment trials. This country is so polarized it is almost like the eve of another Civil War. We need to unify. We need to get rid of the animosities between Dems and Pubs. Somehow, we need to shake hands and become friendly opponents.

[RC]

12. Only if they are real Republicans and not part of bu$h's

criminal administration. We let them slide and they will not go quitly into the night. They will not even go away. Remember how they were during the Clinton years?

[playahata1]

33. With everything that has happened since 1992

(i.e.: The Hunting of President Clinton) why should anyone trust anything a Republican says or does?

Republicans are the enemy, and you do not compromise, trade, or negotiate with the enemy.

[Alerter_]

13. forget the "gun control" part and you're right on

"Ban assault weapons from private citizens."

Don't! Everything else, and you have a super-majority of Americans.

[Massacure]

14. I agree with you

No sane person will try and mug someone if they have suspicion they are carrying an Ak-47 under their coat.

The criminals just get them on the black market anyways.

Btw, I think improving Mass Transit should be a big goal for the next 8 years. That will really cut down on reliance on oil

[KittyWampus]

15. Do NOT Hold Secret Policy Meetings Ala Hillary or Cheney

just not a good idea no matter which side of aisle you're on.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

17. Win back? We never had it! The senate denies us equal representation.

This has never been a democracy and this error was known at the outset. Unfortunately, it has gotten much worse.

To achieve democracy, we have to eliminate the US senate. Then re-elect everyone in congress. Then get our airwaves back from the weapons merchants who now own them.

[juajen]

21. Without the Senate, we would have been in even

worse shape in the past monstrous three and a half years. What we really need to get rid of are lobbyists. Outlaw them completely, and the people's voices might be heard. Also, make sure that each candidate has equal money for their campaigns, financed by the people, and free reasonable TV and radio time. Of course, good health care for every citizen. Yes, I said citizen. Illegal aliens need to be deported. If they are so needed, make them legal.

[Steven_S]

18. Two things not yet mentioned..

1. Legislation ending the doctrine that corporations have equal rights as citizens.

2. Abolish the electoral college.

[catzies]

22. Belated welcome to DU! Your no. 1 is fantastic.

:bounce:

[Ironpost]

20. as my mother would say

expect the worst and never be disapointed. Never count your chickens before they hatch.

[catzies]

23. In honor of our vets: stop lying to them and give them all the care

they need.

No more denying Agent Orange / Gulf War I syndrome / depleted uranium / vaccines with harmful side effects /


In honor of Memorial Day: support the troops -- give them better care after they come home!

[DaveSZ]

24. "7. Ban assault weapons from private citizens."

Explain how this particular erosion of personal liberty is any different from overturning Roe V Wade or passing the "Patriot Act."

[sandnsea]

26. END REAGANISM FOREVER!!!!!

Once we get our country back, it is time to make sure they never take it again. It is time to turn the full force of energy on the ideologies that allowed this to happen in the first place. It's time to shout Bobby Kennedy Jr. from the rooftops:

Ideas like this:

So your environmentalism is not the luxury hobby of a rich kid?

"There is no stronger advocate of free-market capitalism than myself. As a small businessman who is founder and operator of a bottled water company, I believe in and understand the free market a lot better than Sean Hannity ever will. But in a true free-market economy, you can't make yourself rich without making your neighbors rich and without enriching your community. What polluters do is make themselves rich by making everyone else poor. They raise standards of living for themselves by lowering quality of life for everyone else. And they do that by escaping the discipline of the free market. Show me a polluter and I'll show you a subsidy, I'll show you a fat cat who's using political clout to escape the discipline of the free market and forcing the public to pay his costs of production.

You look at all the Western resource issues, like grazing and lumber and mining and agriculture, and it's all about subsidies -- for some of the richest people in America, these welfare cowboys in the Western states who are getting $35 billion a year in federal subsidies that are destroying our ecosystems out there. And these are the same people who financed this right-wing revolution on Capitol Hill and helped put Bush in the White House, and now they have their indentured servants in Washington all demanding that we have capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich."

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2003/...bobbykennedyjr/

[pentalarc]

27. two suggestions for now, more soon. and a bit of explaination

Stop going after smokers. This has caused a lot of possible current and future voters to be lost. IT seems like such as simple issue, but it isn't. Some of the previous mentioned ones would also help this group, as would cracking down on censorship. We're losing losing young working class and lower middle class voters.

Secondly, we need to pick our battles. We need to concentrate on what will cause real results, real lasting results. Not simply symbolic victories which often hurt our cause and brings up a lot of new enemies rather than really having a good, lasting effect.

Pentalarc

[newyawker99]

35. Hi pentalarc!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[JayS]

28. "Ban assault weapons from private citizens"

This sounds so much like Kerry...

[natrat]

30. restart the northwest forest

alliance or whatever it was called

[KG]

31. a good start toward socail reforms

but, you aren't really expecting the dems. to take these initiatives are you?

[kodi]

32. expect an equivalent of political guerrilla warfare to come from the GOP

those folks are like al quida. they will lurk in the tall grass to destroy any initiative for progress from the democrats.

as we have seen in iraq, winning a war is nothing compared to winning the peace, and wining an election is a cakewalk compared to governing effectively when your opposition is willing to do anything to stop you.

one would hope that once kerry is elected in november his first words are "now the truly hard task of governing awaits us."

[w4rma]

34. Let's not implode, either, like Dems did between 1992 and 1994. (nt)