As a break from the too-long campaign, let's play pretend. If Dems "sweep"

[T Wolf]

next November and take significant majorities in both houses and win the WH, how would YOU like to see them behave and what would YOU like to see them do? In particular, I am curious what people here want them to do with all the power that George has gathered unto himself and may still be available to a Democratic president, especially with a Dem-controlled Congress. Be specific.

In my mind, it can play out as either:

a) revenge to the nth degree
b) playing nice and doing what is best (in a middle-of-the-road fashion) for the country
c) somewhere in between

Some might argue that, e.g., destroying the GOP, would be best for the country so revenge is the best way to go on both counts. Some might, including me.

[cali]

1. oooh, I like this game.

OK, I'm going to add some detail. Dem president, 58 dem Senators, 267 dem reps. That's pretty solid. I do NOT want to see the dem president hanging on to the powers accrued by bushco. That's the first thing. Unitary power is a bad idea, period. So here's my list of priorities for the first 6 months:

All troops out of Iraq, and a decent Iraq policy.

Close gitmo.

Restore Habeas Corpus.

Pass SCHIP.

Repeal the MCA

Repeal key parts of the Patriot Act.

Repeal NCLB.

Investigate bushco malfeasance through the JD.

And that's just for starters!

[Lasher]

2. Justice and revenge are not exactly the same.

But OK revenge if I must put it that way. Investigations and, if found guilty, prison for Junior, President Cheney, and anyone else who may have committed crimes. Full disclosure to the public and open hearings. None of these closed door backroom deals.

We can't start to heal if we don't have a good understanding of just what has been inflicted on us.

It is wrong for the Unitary Executive and his co-president to have as much power as they do and it would be wrong for a Democratic president to retain it. But if we reverse this, we must have a way to be certain that the next Republican or whatever president can't just do it again.

[onehandle]

3. Undrape the Spirit of Justice in the Great Hall at the Justice Department that Ashcroft covered.

My run-on sentence aside, that would pretty much signal the end of the dark times for me.

[DCKit]

4. Agree. We should prosecute to the full extent of the law and set an example....

So this NEVER happens again.

Put the neocons - and anyone with similar aspirations - on notice.

[Warpy]

5. Obviously, c

because doing what's best for this country will be seen as revenge by the GOP true believers in their loopy economics theories. They'll scream like scalded cats every time industry is re regulated, monopolies are broken up, and a working person gets a well deserved raise at the expense of the thieves who have been strip mining us for the last 38 years.

Conservatives have had their chance and they've screwed things up the way they always do. We all know now their way doesn't work, there's no longer any doubt. It's time to keep them out of power until the kids who are in their diapers now fall for the line of baloney all over again 40 years from now.

[AndyTiedye]

6. Justice. Send the War Criminals to the Hague

[dajoki]

7. Somewhere in between...

Whoever is next will have the hugest mess in our history to clean up. I'm talking about the WH as well as Congress. So the first thing that must be done is to restore our rights, all of them!!

At the same time we must get out of Iraq, take care of our vets and regain our standing in the world.

Again, at the same time, we have to do something to take care of the less fortunate in this country. Universal healthcare, good paying jobs, fair trade as to not hurt our own workers and gain control over out of control corporations and their CEO's.

I keep saying "at the same time", and that could be done. Because, again, at the same time, when they uncover all the crimes left behind by this administration, that could also be taken care of in the process. And by taken care of I mean PROSECUTED!!

Nome of this will be a cakewalk, but they are just some of the things that MUST BE DONE. They will not make it easy, power is like a drug to them and they will not go away quietly. They will fight tooth and nail all the way to prison, where they belong. Our leaders will just have to fight harder than they do.