Young Democrats: Issues

Holt Makes an Appearance at the NJYD Convention

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:51:03 GMT

Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ-12) dropped in the New Jersey Young Democrats Convention. Competence and confidence. According to Congressman Holt, that's what all voters, in particular young voters, are looking for in their leaders today. He reminded us that young voters have the numbers to actually demand this through their vote.

Congressman Holt was asked about the failed bill regarding funding for the war in Iraq. Voters young and not-so-young are upset that the Democratic congress has not been able to get us out of Iraq. Holt mentioned that this was one of many expectations that voters want out of the Democratic Congress. He felt that even if the Dems didn't have the votes to over-ride the presidential veto on this, they are still changing the tide, including the direction of the war. He noted that Speaker Pelosi is committed to ending the war and that it will happen eventually.

The Congressman was asked about the viability of a single-payer health system. Holt noted that the best health care system we have right now is Medicare, proving that single-payer universal coverage does work and he feels that eventually we will have it in this country.

One young dem bemoaned the political apathy on his college campus - the College Republicans had two members and the College Dems didn't exist. Holt responded without hesitation: "So you have a tremendous opportunity there!"

North Carolina YD's working on in-person voter registration

Thu, 24 May 2007 18:30:05 GMT

(via email)

Below is a great op-ed that was placed in the Fayetteville paper this week regarding our In Person Registration bill.

Melissa Price
Vice President of the Young Democrats of North Carolina

Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Bill makes voting easier
By Phillip Hunter Gilfus
Fayetteville

I arrived in Mosul, Iraq, two months after the January 2005 elections, the nation's first free election in almost half a century. Despite the threats of widespread violence and terror, the Iraqi people went to the ballot box in droves, proudly displaying their purple ink-stained thumbs, symbolizing they had voted. Those purple thumbs were not only a source of pride for the Iraqis, but also for my fellow soldiers. They secured themselves a place in history by providing the opportunity for the people of Mosul and the larger Ninawah Province to take their first steps into a newborn democracy. The sense of accomplishment and hope for the future remained in the region, even after the ink had been washed off those thumbs.

Today in North Carolina, we have an opportunity to enhance our own democracy, which has served as a beacon of hope for the people of Iraq and for many nations in the world. This past March, the state House passed House Bill 91, a bill that provides for in-person registration at the "early voting" polling sites (usually the county Board of Elections). However, this bill has yet to be acted on by the state Senate. Many organizations, including Democracy North Carolina, Common Cause, the Election Boards Association of North Carolina and the N.C. League of Women Voters, support this bill and hope to persuade our own state Sen. Tony Rand to schedule this bill for a simple vote. Our other state senator, Larry Shaw, is the primary sponsor of the Senate's version of this legislation (Senate Bill 195).

Many have called this legislation "same-day voter registration," but that description has led to some confusion. I encourage people to read the bill for themselves on the General Assembly's Web site: www.ncleg.net. Briefly, it would allow eligible voters to register to vote and then cast a ballot at an early voting poll site during the early "no-excuse" voting period, but not on Election Day itself. Voters must show proof of their addresses and sign a statement attesting to the given information. If this attestation is false, it would constitute a Class I felony. The county Board of Elections then verifies the registration information before Election Day, preventing any potential voter fraud.

Like other citizens of our community, and as one who was privileged to wear the Stars and Stripes on his uniform, I am proud of the sense of duty, honor and country in the uniformed members of Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base. However, as much as we make of the freedom they defend, it seems that we do not place the same emphasis of duty, honor and country in the exercising of that freedom through voting and participation in our government.
During France's recent presidential election, they had a voter turnout rate of 85 percent. Our state's average voter turnout rate is 47.8 percent, and in 2004, of those age 18 to 24 years old, only 38 percent of them made it to the polls. These statistics should ring as a call to action for us. In the six states that have in-person registration, the average voter turnout rate is 74 percent. We should strive to make our county and our state as among the best in voter turnout.

The most common concern with this bill is the potential for voter fraud. This bill has already been given support from the state Board of Elections. Gary Bartlett, the executive director of the state board, wrote in a Feb. 15 letter that "following the procedures described in the legislation, I believe we can preserve the security and integrity of the election process and provide additional access for citizens who miss the registration deadline." He further said that this bill would actually lessen the amount of work that local boards of elections must do by decreasing the number of provisional ballots. The states that already have this process in place have not reported any significant amount of voter fraud or any other concerns.

It should be our goal to eliminate all impediments to voting for all eligible citizens. It should not be easier to vote for "Dancing With the Stars" or "American Idol" than to vote for our elected leaders. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist No. 1 that "it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country...to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable...of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend...on accident and force."

Let us renew our commitment to our democracy and to our civic religion by promoting our fellow citizens' ability to reflect and choose. We should not allow the future of our community, state and nation to be determined by accident and force. It is up to us to contact our state senators through e-mails, telephone calls or letters to the editor and let them know that we want to increase the number of people who can be proud of those purple thumbs here at home.

Phillip Hunter Gilfus is the vice president of the Cumberland County Young Democrats. He can be contacted at ncpublicservant [at] gmail [dot] com.

--
Melissa Price
Executive Director of Wake County Democratic Party
Vice President of Young Democrats of North Carolina
Chair of Young Democrats of NC Women's Caucus

A Victory for Voting Rights in NC

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 20:40:36 GMT

(Submitted by Mark Newman (NC) )

A Victory for Voting Rights in NC!

Dear Democracy Advocates,
Great news! House Bill 91: In-Person Voting and Registration at One-Stop Sites (otherwise known as "Same Day Registration") passed the NC House yesterday with bi-partisan support! The final vote was 66 to 45.
Check to see how your representative voted by clicking here.
Thanks to all of you who took action by emailing, calling or meeting in person with your representative in support of this bill. Yesterday’s vote is a landmark success for voting rights in North Carolina!
If your representative voted “YES” for SDR, please take the time to write or call to express your appreciation.
Most importantly, stay tuned! Same-Day Registration is on to the NC Senate. Watch your email closely for updates and alerts about the upcoming vote!
Again, thank you for your support. This victory for North Carolina would not be possible without you!
Onwards,
Your Democracy NC team

Young adults' votes (letter to the editor by YDNC leaders)

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 18:05:33 GMT

(cross-posted from http://www.newsobserver.com/580/story/549022.html)

Political consultants tell their clients that young adults do not vote; therefore they can save money by eliminating efforts to target them. Why does this happen? Do young adults not care about public policy that affects them?

No. It's because less than 2 percent of North Carolina young adults (ages 18-24) know about the 25-day deadline for registration, which causes turnout to be the lowest in this age group.

Young adults are disenfranchised by the voting system. They move frequently for school and jobs, making it harder for them to stay registered. It's time to follow the lead of other states and adopt a new system.

The State Board of Elections says it now has the technology to register voters and allow them to vote in person at one-stop absentee voting sites.

House Bill 91, sponsored by Reps. Ross, Holliman, Parmon and Tolson, will allow for "In-Person Registration and Voting at One-Stop Absentee Voting Sites." Already, 57 Democrats have signed onto this bill, and we thank them.

The measure has the power to increase youth voter turnout in presidential elections by as much as 14 percentage points, according to studies. More important, young adults who vote now are more likely to participate for the rest of their lives.

North Carolina is moving forward, and with the support of our legislature young voters can help chart the course of our collective future.

Tony McEwen
Statewide president, Young Democrats of N.C.
Mooresville

Jason Kessler
Chair, Wake County Young Democrats
Raleigh

Speaker Pelosi: We Kept Our Promise

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:43:50 GMT

(Via email from pelosi@democraticleader.ctsg.com)

January 19, 2007

We Kept Our Promise

"We have demonstrated that the Congress of the United States is not a place where good ideas and the optimism of the American people go to die. It’s a place where issues that are relevant to the everyday lives of America’s working families will receive the respect and the change they desire."
- Speaker Pelosi, 1/18/07

House Democrats promised to take our country in a New Direction, to change the way Congress does business, and to get to work addressing the real challenges facing the American people. All within the first 100 hours. Yesterday, after only 42 Hours and 25 minutes, House Democrats passed the last of our 100 hours bills, legislation to end taxpayer-funded subsidies for Big Oil and create a Strategic Energy and Renewables Reserve.

With broad bipartisan support, the House passed measures restoring honesty and openness in government, re-establishing fiscal responsibility, strengthening our national security, and giving more Americans a realistic shot at the American Dream. The new Democratic Majority is committed to real and lasting results for all Americans. These successes are just the beginning. We have set a tone for the 110th Congress that is one of cooperation, consensus and compromise that extends beyond party lines. Democrats are setting our sights beyond the first 100 hours to make America safe and strong.

Watch Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats on the conclusion of the 100 Hours >>

See the full results of the first 100 Hours >>

Speaker Pelosi and Senate Leader Reid Deliver Address on the State of Our Union

Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi addressed the National Press Club this morning to deliver Democrats' national Address on the State of Our Union. Speaker Pelosi spoke of a New America. The founders of this great nation foresaw an America driven by the optimism and creativity of its people. They imagined an America always renewing itself to meet ever-changing challenges and to seize ever-growing opportunities. As we stand on the edge of a new century of discovery, innovation, and solutions, Congress must use the opportunity to prepare a new America for the 21st century. We must seize the future and forge 21st century solutions through discovery, creativity, and innovation, sustaining our economic leadership and ensuring our national security.

Read the speech >>

Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

This week, Speaker Pelosi announced plans to create a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to raise the visibility of these urgent issues and gather critical information to protect America’s security. The Select Committee will not have legislative jurisdiction, but will help develop information that will help give these issues the legislative priority they demand.

The science of global warming and its impact is overwhelming and unequivocal. We already have many of the technology and techniques that we need to reduce global warming pollution, and American ingenuity will supply the rest. With this new Select Committee, we demonstrate the priority we are giving to confront this most serious challenge. Now is time to act; the future of our country, indeed our entire planet, is at stake.

President Bush Adheres to FISA Court

The decision by the Bush Administration to require approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for the President’s domestic surveillance program is a long-overdue recognition that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) process is fully capable of considering requests to employ these techniques. Although the judge’s order announced this week needs to be reviewed thoroughly, the fact that the President will no longer be authorizing unilaterally intrusive surveillance of people in the United States is good news.

Policy makers should focus on uninsured youth

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 21:05:30 GMT

By Lauren B. Goode (Ohio)

Bird flu. Meningitis. Sexually transmitted diseases. With the threat of global pandemic and the continued spread of infectious diseases, the fact that many young people are uninsured is troubling. In 2004, 13.7 million young adults aged 19 to 29 completely lacked health care insurance, according to a recent study by The Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey. And without health insurance, young people don’t see doctors for routine checkups and exams and they don’t receive the prescription drugs they need – the lack of simple preventative measures could mean even more dangerous illnesses or death.

The study found that age 19 is the turning point for most young people; once turning 19, most become ineligible for federal and state health care assistance, most private insurers drop them as dependents of their parents, and most entry level jobs don’t provide health care coverage.

Most students remain on their parents’ health insurance plan throughout the duration of their undergraduate years. The biggest difficulties face new workers without college education who are likely to earn lower wages. Forty-three percent of all workers ages 19 to 29 who earn less than $10 per hour are uninsured, according to The Commonwealth Fund study. A third of workers between the ages of 19 and 29 have jobs that pay less than $10 per hour. This means that many young adults don’t have insurance through their employer nor the means to pay for health insurance on their own.

Much ado has been made by policy makers over the growing elderly population, and the soaring lack of health care under the Bush Administration. Sorely overlooked is the silent problem of uninsured young people, who are in particular need of preventative care, routine mental health care and immediate medical attention to injuries. More than half of young adults in the survey said they had bypassed necessary health care because they couldn’t afford it.

Health issues do confront the young: one-third of all HIV diagnoses are made among young adults; over 3.5 million pregnancies occur among the 21 million women ages 19 to 29; fourteen percent of young adults in this age group are obese; and emergency rooms are more likely to see young adult patients for injury-related emergencies rather than children or older adults.

Policy makers perhaps tend to ignore the crisis of uninsured young adults because of the tendency of this group to be healthy, and because of the overwhelming responsibility to promote health coverage for children and the elderly. This is not a healthy outlook.

Recently, Congress considered legislation that would prohibit individuals without health insurance from suing if they unfortunately are victims of medical malpractice. This clearly sends the message that not all lives are equal, and in particular, the lives of young people without medical insurance are not as important as those who can afford insurance.

Congress and the states should continue to keep the plight of those who are working and are uninsured in mind as they make critical policy decisions governing our nation’s health care system.

Lauren B. Goode represents the Young Democrats of America as a member of the Democratic National Committee. She resides in Chillicothe, Ohio.

In New Congress, Seniority Takes Back Seat to Spirit

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 06:51:25 GMT

Forwarded by Tom Manatos (MD)

Young Democrats Reap Benefits of Work

By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 11, 2006; A12

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/10/AR2006121000926.html

They call themselves the "30-Something Working Group," a loose collection of House Democrats in their 30s and 40s who have begun making waves.

During the campaign season, the group took to the floor of the House nightly to give speeches during a period known as special orders, when lawmakers are permitted to speak for up to an hour about any topic after the day's business is complete.

The core of the group -- Reps. Kendrick Meek and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Timothy J. Ryan of Ohio -- began talking at 10 or 11 p.m. Never mind that the House chamber was essentially empty at that hour. C-SPAN was recording the sessions, and insomniacs around the country got to know the three young Democrats. The trio sometimes used props and took irreverent jabs at the Republicans in honing their party's message.

"I was in the Minneapolis airport and the clerk in a shop said to me 'Are you on TV?' " Wasserman Schultz said. "I couldn't believe it. People across the country were watching."

The young Democrats played an important role in helping their party take control of Congress, and now they are beginning to reap the benefits. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who will become speaker of the House when her party assumes control of Congress next month, is making room for these and other young House Democrats, giving them opportunities they would not normally enjoy under the rigid seniority system that typically defines life in the Capitol.

Last week, Pelosi announced Wasserman Schultz will be a deputy chief whip and Meek and Ryan will serve on the party's steering committee, which sets policy and makes committee assignments, along with two incoming freshmen. In addition, Wasserman Schultz and Davis are being considered for a seat on the prestigious Ways and Means Committee, which sets tax policy, and Meek is vying for a seat on the Appropriations Committee.

"Some members have waited four or five terms to be a member of Appropriations or Ways and Means," said Meek, who hauled an oversized rubber stamp to the House floor to argue that the Republican Congress was in lockstep with the White House. "The fact that an incoming third-termer is even being considered is evidence that Speaker Pelosi is committed to giving opportunities to younger members to participate in real policymaking."

At a Tuesday meeting of the Democratic caucus, where House members heard from several experts about Iraq, Pelosi insisted that freshmen members ask the first round of questions, a departure from past practice.

And when the new Congress convenes next month, Democratic leaders will break an ethics reform package into several individual bills so that freshmen can introduce each bill and get their first opportunity to make a speech on the House floor.

The idea, aides and party strategists say, is to put a younger, fresh face on the Democrats to embody the change Pelosi promised throughout the midterm campaign. They say she wants to reward several young lawmakers who worked hard during the election. And she wants to help establish those who won Republican seats and need to gain credibility before the 2008 election. She is also looking for ways to cultivate young voters for the party, aides say.

"People who were recently elected and have been through tough elections have a sense of the mood of the country and their communities, and [Pelosi] wants to encourage those voices," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), 48, also considered part of the new generation. "There was a period of time where the attitude was newer members should be seen and not heard. That's not the case."

Van Hollen worked closely during the campaign season with Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) and is a leading candidate to replace Emanuel as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Emanuel, 47, was elected chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, making him the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House.

One common thread that set the young representatives apart from longtime party stalwarts was a hunger and a determination to take control of Congress, several younger members said.

"The 'old bulls' have been in the minority for 12 years, and all of them recognize what landed us in the minority and that a new working order is necessary and is in the works," said Rep. Stephanie Herseth, a sophomore lawmaker from South Dakota.

Almost two-thirds of the Democratic veterans in the House have known only life under GOP rule. "They stopped believing it was possible," Wasserman Schultz said. "If you keep losing election cycle after election cycle, it wears you down. We were able to restore some of their belief. They needed our energy and our intensity."

FW: State-by-State Information on Bush Tax Cuts

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 14:10:40 GMT

From: Manatos, Tom
Subject: State-by-State Information on Bush Tax Cuts

Democrats have long fought for middle-income tax cuts. This is in stark contrast to the Republican tax breaks for the super rich that have led to a budget that is grossly out of balance and a national debt that is morally indefensible.

Democrats are offering a New Direction to provide real tax help to hard-pressed families, which will inject demand into our economy, spur economic growth that will produce jobs, and reduce the deficit, and we will do it in a fiscally responsible way.

Below is a link to recently-released state-by-state information from Citizens for Tax Justice on the Bush tax cuts that may be helpful in discussing the failed economic policies of the Bush Republicans.

http://www.ctj.org/bushtaxcuts.htm

Only 25% Approve of the Republican Congress

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 14:46:11 GMT

From: Tom Manatos

The American public is realizing that this do-nothing Rubber Stamp Republican Congress needs to go and that it is time for a change and time for New Direction Democrats.

New York Times - Only 25% in Poll Approve of the Congress

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JANET ELDER

With barely seven weeks until the midterm elections, Americans have an overwhelmingly negative view of the Republican-controlled Congress, with substantial majorities saying that they disapprove of the job it is doing and that its members do not deserve re-election, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The disdain for Congress is as intense as it has been since 1994, when Republicans captured 52 seats to end 40 years of Democratic control of the House and retook the Senate as well. It underlines the challenge the Republican Party faces in trying to hold on to power in the face of a surge in anti-incumbent sentiment.

By broad margins, respondents said that members of Congress were too tied to special interests and that they did not understand the needs and problems of average Americans. Two-thirds said Congress had accomplished less than it typically did in a two-year session; most said they could not name a single major piece of legislation that cleared this Congress. Just 25 percent said they approved of the way Congress was doing its job.

But for all the clear dissatisfaction with the 109th Congress, 39 percent of respondents said their own representative deserved re-election, compared with 48 percent who said it was time for someone new.

What is more, it seems highly unlikely Democrats will experience a sweep similar to the one Republicans experienced in 1994. Most analysts judge only about 40 House seats to be in play at the moment, compared with over 100 seats in play at this point 12 years ago, in large part because redistricting has created more safe seats for both parties.

The poll also found that President Bush had not improved his own or his party's standing through his intense campaign of speeches and events surrounding the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The speeches were at the heart of a Republican strategy to thrust national security to the forefront in the fall elections.

Mr. Bush's job approval rating was 37 percent in the poll, virtually unchanged from the last Times/CBS News poll, in August. On the issue that has been a bulwark for Mr. Bush, 54 percent said they approved of the way he was managing the effort to combat terrorists, again unchanged from last month, though up from this spring.

Republicans continued to hold a slight edge over Democrats on which party was better at dealing with terrorism, though that edge did not grow since last month despite Mr. Bush's flurry of speeches on national security, including one from the Oval Office on the night of Sept. 11.

But the Times/CBS News poll found a slight increase in the percentage of Americans who said they approved of the way Mr. Bush had handled the war in Iraq, to 36 percent from 30 percent. The results also suggest that after bottoming out this spring, Mr. Bush's approval ratings on the economy and foreign policy have returned to their levels of about a year ago, both at 37 percent. The number of people who called terrorism the most important issue facing the country doubled to 14 percent, from 7 percent in July; 22 percent named the war in Iraq as their top concern, little changed from July.

Across the board, the poll found marked disenchantment with Congress, highlighting the opportunity Democrats see to make the argument for a change in leadership and to make the election a national referendum on the performance of a Republican-controlled Congress and Mr. Bush's tenure.

In one striking finding, 77 percent of respondents - including 65 percent of Republicans - said most members of Congress had not done a good enough job to deserve re-election and that it was time to give a new people a chance. That is the highest number of voters saying it is "time for new people" since the fall of 1994.

"You get some people in there, and they're in there forever," said Jan Weaver, of Aberdeen, S.D., who described herself as a Republican voter, in a follow-up interview. "They're so out of touch with reality."

In the poll, 50 percent said they would support a Democrat in the fall Congressional elections, compared with 35 percent who said they would support a Republican. But the poll found that Democrats continued to struggle to offer a strong case for turning government control over to them; only 38 percent said the Democrats had a clear plan for how they would run the country, compared with 45 percent who said the Republicans had offered a clear plan.

Overall discontent with Congress or Washington does not necessarily signify how people will vote when they see the familiar name of their member of Congress on the ballot, however. Democrats face substantial institutional obstacles in trying to repeat what Republicans accomplished in 1994, including a Republican financial advantage and the fact that far fewer seats are in play.

Thus, while 61 percent of respondents said they disapproved of the way Congress was handling its job, just 29 percent said they disapproved of the way their own "representative is handling his or her job."

The New York Times/CBS News poll began last Friday, four days after the commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and two weeks after the White House began its offensive on security issues. A USA Today-Gallup Poll published Tuesday reported that Mr. Bush's job approval rating had jumped to 44 percent from 39 percent. The questioning in that poll went through Sunday; The Times and CBS completed questioning Tuesday night. Presidential addresses often produce shifts in public opinion that tend to be transitory.

The nationwide poll was conducted by telephone Friday through Tuesday. It included 1,131 adults, of whom 1,007 said they were registered to vote, and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

As part of the Republican effort to gain advantage on the war in Iraq, Republicans have accused Democrats who want to set a timetable for leaving Iraq of wanting to "cut and run." But 52 percent of respondents said they would not think the United States had lost the war if it withdrew its troops from Iraq today.

The poll also found indications that voters were unusually intrigued by this midterm election: 43 percent said they were more enthusiastic than usual about voting. However, with turnout promising to be a critical factor in many of the closer Senate and House races, there was no sign that either party had an edge in terms of voter enthusiasm.

Evidence of the antipathy toward Congress in particular - and Washington in general - was abundant: 71 percent said they did not trust the government to do what is right.

"If they had new blood, then the people that influence them - the lobbyists - would maybe not be so influential," said Norma Scranton, a Republican from Thedford, Neb., in a follow-up interview after the poll. "They don't have our interest at heart because they're influenced by these lobbyists. If they were new, maybe they would try to please their constituents a little better."

Lois Thurber, a Republican from Axtell, Neb., said in a follow-up interview: "There's so much bickering, so much disagreement - they just can't get together on certain issues.

"They're kind of more worried about themselves than they are about the country."

Incumbents and challengers nationwide are trying to accommodate this sour mood. Democrats are presenting themselves as a fresh start - "Isn't it time for a change?" asked an advertisement by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee directed against Senator Jim Talent, Republican of Missouri.

And Republican incumbents are seeking to distance themselves from fellow Republicans in Washington. "I've gone against the president and the Republican leadership when I think they are wrong," Representative Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican locked in a tough re-election battle, said in a television advertisement broadcast this week.

The Republicans continue to be seen as the better party to deal with terrorism, but by nowhere near the margin they once enjoyed: it is now 42 percent to 37 percent. When asked which party took the threat of terrorism more seriously, 69 percent said they both did; 22 percent named Republicans, compared with 6 percent who said Democrats.

Voters said Democrats were more likely to tell the truth than Republicans when discussing the war in Iraq and about the actual threat of terrorism. And 59 percent of respondents said Mr. Bush was hiding something when he talked about how things were going in Iraq; an additional 25 percent said he was mostly lying when talking about the war.

Not that Democrats should draw any solace from that: 71 percent of respondents said Democrats in Congress were hiding something when they talked about how well things were going in Iraq, while 13 percent said they were mostly lying.

Robert Allen, a Democrat from Ventura, Calif., said: "We're in a stalemate right now. They're not getting hardly anything done." He added, "It's time to elect a whole new bunch so they can do something."

DNC Alert: Heightened Political Rhetoric about War on Terror

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 22:55:40 GMT

From: Alice Germond
Subject: DNC Alert: Heightened Political Rhetoric about War on Terror

This week, Democrats aggressively responded to a new volley of political rhetoric about the war on terror launched by Secretary Rumsfeld and President Bush.

As roadside bombings and mass killings continue to savage Iraq, and on the day Iran defied a UN nuclear deadline, President Bush kicked off a month-long PR campaign that offers no plan for Iraq, no plan for the war on terror and no new direction for America's foreign policy.

Below are talking points to help Democrats respond to the Republicans' misleading political rhetoric. These talking points tout our new direction for America's defense policy.

To ensure that your thoughts, comments, questions, or additional names to be added to this project go straight to my inbox, please email me directly at AliceGermond@dnc.org.

Thank you,

Alice Germond
DNC Secretary

WAR ON TERROR RHETORIC

MAIN POINT: We are going to hear more of the Republicans' tired right-wing rhetoric between now and Election Day. Republicans are desperate. They have not done their job to protect America. Democrats offer a defense policy that is tough and smart.

We are going to hear old and tired right-wing rhetoric and exaggerations from Republicans in Washington between now and Election Day.
It is insulting to the American people and the American people are going to see it for what it is: smear and fear. Republicans are campaigning on fear and resorting to these desperate tactics because they have lost the trust of the American people.
You can't trust Republicans in Washington to defend America On the Republican watch, five years after 9/11, our nation is neither safer nor better prepared because of the blunders of the Bush Administration. Look at the facts:
- Osama Bin Laden is still on the loose,
- Iraq is in civil war,
- Iran and North Korea are emerging as nuclear threats,
- The Taliban is resurging in Afghanistan,
- Al Qaeda has moved to a new location in northwest Pakistan.
- Our troops are stretched way too thin, and
- Gaps still remain in our security right here at home.
President Bush has offered no new plan for the war on terror or Iraq. He continues to offer only a "stay the course" strategy.
Democrats are going to tell the truth. The truth is the war in Iraq has bogged us down from fighting the real global war on terror against al Qaeda. We need new leadership to fight the war on terror by fighting the terrorists where they are.
Democrats are offering a new direction. We are fighting for a defense policy that is TOUGH and SMART. That means:
- tracking down terrorists,
- providing our troops and agencies with the tools they need to stop future attacks,
- implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations to close the gaps in our security,
- securing our ports and borders, chemical and nuclear power plants, and
- properly equipping our first responders and our national guard.