On Feb 7th Paul Krugman wrote that Democrats need to build a unified front. The Republicans are self destructing, but Democrats are just about as unpopular as the Republicans, because they haven’t come up with any alternative ideas that they can all agree on. The Public is disgusted with the Democrats, because they have no backbone! They are afraid of appearing too soft on terror, or of being too liberal.
The Democrats need a Contract with America, like the one Newt Gingrich used to unify Republicans.

But what platforms could they all agree on? Why not just do what Mainstream America wants?

1. Universal Health Care. 65% of Americans say the government should guarantee health care for everyone, even if it means raising taxes.
2. Raise the Minimum Wage. 86% of Americans, even social conservatives, favor this.
3. Repeal all of Bush’s Tax cuts, or at least those to the rich. 60% favor this. Why not try some real tax reform, that is simple, and fair?
4. Reduce the deficit, by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes. 66% favor this.
5. Protect the Environment. 77% think we should do whatever is necessary to protect the environment.
6. Research Alternative Energy, funded by windfall profits on the energy companies. 87% of Americans favor this, including 76% of Republicans.
7. Bring the troops home. 55% of Americans now think invading Iraq was wrong and 59% say the troops should leave as soon as possible.
8. Campaign reform. Let’s stop the bribery.
9. Election reform. Demand a paper trail and trustworthy voting systems.
10. 69% of Americans think we are on the wrong track. Let’s try diplomacy instead of belligerence. Let’s spend money helping people instead of killing them. Let’s hire the best and brightest instead of cronies without experience. Lets have openness instead of secrecy. Lets restore an America that is of, by, and for the PEOPLE, not the corporations.

Why can’t Democratic leaders get behind such common sense platforms, that represent what the majority of people want? Why can’t the Democrats show the discipline the Republicans show?

The reason Republicans are so disciplined today is because of Grover Norquist (the architect of Bush’s Tax Plans), and his organization “Americans for Tax Reform”.
Grover Norquist pressured all of the Republicans to sign his pledge, never to raise taxes for any reason. It doesn’t matter if we have a war, a bad hurricane season, record deficits, or anything else, no new taxes.

Grover is able to funnel funds from Jack Abrimoff and thousands of other corporate lobbyists, to those members, who signed his pledge. He has convinced over 90% of Republican House members, over 80% of Republican Senate members and over 60 % of Republican Governors to sign his pledge. This is why we are awash in debt.

Twice a week Republicans meet at the organization, and synchronize their “Talking Points”. This is why they all say the same thing. If anyone doesn’t tow the party line, Grover Norquist will cut off all funds and will give that money to a challenger in the next election.

This process has short circuited Democracy in America. Carl Rove understood long ago that with enough money and good propaganda job he can get Americans to do anything he wants. He can even get us to invade a non threatening nation that hasn’t attacked us, in violation of international law.

Tom Delay understood that Money equals votes, so he formed the “K Street Project”, that insured that Democratic lobbyists would not get hired and would not be heard in Washington.

The only industry that America is dominant in, is the Weapons industry. The Military Industrial complex has hundreds of thousands of businesses in every community in America. They give trillions to influence policy, so it is no surprise that the government is now planning for “The Long War” or “War Without End”.

Only Industry and the rich and powerful can influence Washington. You and I and the old lady on Medicare are not heard, because we don’t have the money. That is why the Tax Policy and the Budget so clearly favors the rich and powerful at the expense of the weak and powerless.

How can we the people TAKE OUR AMERICA BACK?

The Democrats don’t have people like Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist to buy votes, because they depend upon thousands of small individual donations. The only way we can influence lawmakers is if we join our millions of voices together.

What would happen, if we withheld money from organizations that did not support a Democratic Contract With America? What would happen if a coalition of organizations like Move On, with an e-mail list of 3 million supporters, decided to support only those Democrats that pledged to support the Democratic Contract with America? There would be a huge incentive to do what is right. If Representatives sold out to special interests, the coalition could support an opposition candidate instead.

Sure we would be influencing votes just like the Republicans, but it would be millions of Americans representing the people’s interests, instead of a few greedy corporations out to enrich their stockholders.

We have tried Bush’s way. It doesn’t work, and we have lost our democracy. Isn’t it time to try a better way. and Take Our America Back.