Democrats theme for midterms: Anti-Corruption

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Democrats are planning to make Washington corruption a central focus of their midterm messaging, reviving a successful theme from when they took control of Congress in 2006. The anti-corruption push is the second part of Democrats’ “A Better Deal” platform. The first part, released last summer, focused on an economic agenda. The newest part is “A Better Deal for Our Democracy,” which puts forward proposals to increase access to the ballot box, fight special interests and combat big money through campaign finance reform.

The new initiative will center on both President Donald Trump’s administration and the culture in Congress that gives access to lobbyists and corporations. Trump’s Cabinet officials, including Environmental Protection Agency leader Scott Pruitt and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, have drawn a torrent of negative headlines over allegations of unethical behavior, travel practices and ties to special interests. The president’s hotel in downtown D.C., in particular, has been the subject of several lawsuits. Congress has to rein in the excesses of the executive branch, Democrats argue, and the current crop of Republican leaders aren’t going to do it.

Democrats unveiled their agenda Monday during a press conference on Capitol Hill. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) were joined by other lawmakers who have been working on these issues, including Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). “President Trump has become the swamp and Americans are paying the price. The American people deserve better,” Pelosi said at the press conference, citing the Trump administration’s failure to reduce the price of prescription drugs and its repeal of numerous Obama-era regulations concerning air and water.

Schumer similarly lamented that Trump had failed to take on the powerful pharmaceutical industry, which is something he promised to do while on the campaign trail. The Senate minority leader also pointed to the president’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, as an example of how influence peddling and special interests had consumed the Trump administration. Following the 2016 election, Cohen leveraged his relationship with Trump to receive millions of dollars from companies eager for insight into his administration. “The swamp has never been more foul than under this president,” Schumer said.

Democrats said they would bring accountability and transparency back to Washington by providing aggressive oversight of the Trump administration and by toughening the nation’s campaign finance laws in order to stem the flow of anonymous political spending known as dark money. This focus on corruption is a revival of the party’s successful messaging from the 2006 elections, when Democrats took control of the House and Senate from Republicans. They hammered away at the GOP’s “culture of corruption, cronyism and incompetence.”

In that election cycle, the GOP was besieged by scandals amongst House members. The most famous was the Mark Foley scandal, which involved Republican congressman from Florida sending sexually explicit text messages to teenage boys. When that news broke in September 2006, Republicans knew they were doomed. But other scandals had been dripping out bit by bit in the prior months. “Choking your mistress. Touching little boys. Taking money from the Russians. Questionable business dealings,” said a GOP strategist who worked at the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2006 and requested anonymity to speak candidly. “You name it, we had it. On and on, never ended.”

Pelosi has been testing out the anti-corruption message since at least April; for example, she went after Pruitt for being “a part of the Trump Administration’s culture of corruption, cronyism and incompetence.” But it remains to be seen how much of this push will actually trickle down to the districts. While Democratic candidates have been talking about the tax law and its benefits for big corporations and lobbyists, they so far have not been focusing on Trump and the problems in his administration. It’s rare to hear candidates talk about Trump in swing districts, with much more of the focus there resting on policy issues such as health care and gun control.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/de ... 3cdba4e329

Anti-corruption is fine, but the left still has to show voters how they will make their lives better.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Democrats theme for midterms: Anti-Corruption

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SubRosa wrote: Tue May 22, 2018 12:46 pm Patently lame, but so is a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

Seems to me they'ed get more mileage from specifics like shifting the budget from the wars to health care, infrastructure, education, environment, and social justice.

Subs
I came here to echo this point. And I agree100%.

Specifically they need to hammer on protecting public education and working towards universal health care.

Re: Democrats theme for midterms: Anti-Corruption

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I attended a meeting yesterday with one of the congressional candidates for the dems in my district.

It was very informal and was at the farm of friends who are officers of our local party chapter. There were about a dozen in attendance.

The candidates name is Joe Radinovich, a very smart and I feel sincere individual. When the 2nd am came up he parroted what appears to be a written script, when I pointed out innaccuracies he was very red in the face.

The subject of impeachment came up and it appears the party officers think that they are going to get both trump and pence at the same time. Some of these people are truly delusional about the reasons for clintons loss. I heard people who should know better voice the opinion that the rumor of her being involved with some kiddie porn operation being the reason she lost.

I feel the dems are only going to concentrate on another AWB and they are going all in. Root cause mitigation is not in the script and if a candidate does not toe the party line they will not get party support. After this year I'm done with them. I feel the party would rather lose to a conservative republican than take any challenge from within their own ranks for any progressive change.

Re: Democrats theme for midterms: Anti-Corruption

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Democrat Comedy Jam 2018

Hahahahahaha...oh this is rich.

Calling out someone for breaking campaign promises?
Failing to take on the powerful pharmaceutical industry?
Influence peddling and special interests?
A “culture of corruption, cronyism and incompetence"?
Tax law and its benefits for big corporations and lobbyists?

It's the pot calling the kettle black...Oh please stop, my sides are hurting!
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.

Re: Democrats theme for midterms: Anti-Corruption

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MaxwellG wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:26 pm Democrat Comedy Jam 2018

Hahahahahaha...oh this is rich.

Calling out someone for breaking campaign promises?
Failing to take on the powerful pharmaceutical industry?
Influence peddling and special interests?
A “culture of corruption, cronyism and incompetence"?
Tax law and its benefits for big corporations and lobbyists?

It's the pot calling the kettle black...Oh please stop, my sides are hurting!
Vote for the 'other' candidate or run yourself. I realized that runoffs and primaries are where you can make the most difference - if you vote. School boards and local leaders can be less corrupt, higher impact, and accountable to you if you vote. Living in GA, I have never had a say in national politics because it is a ruby red state.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Democrats theme for midterms: Anti-Corruption

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I vote in local elections, runoffs and primaries. In 2016 I refused to vote for Trumpenstien or the HildaBeast, in the Primary I voted for Bernie Sanders, in the Election I voted for Jill Stein.
Both parties are corrupt and have lost their way. it's no longer politics and legislation through a Democratic Process, it's about money and Big Business, Big Finance and the 1%er's running things.
The Dems are a better choice but only by a very small margin than the GOP, yet they managed to pull out the stops in 2016 Election scandals, only thing going for them is supporting Social Programs.

The Democrat Party needs to wake up, and revamp itself, they need to dump HRC and Co. get some new blood..or old blood.
The GOP is hopeless, it's a crazy ultra-conservative cesspool, they are useless and just along for the ride to make as much money as possible before the Good Ship Trumptanic hits the iceberg.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.

Re: Democrats theme for midterms: Anti-Corruption

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I saw a bumper sticker a few days ago: "My dog is a Republican!"

Not sure what they meant but I got to thinking about it. My cat (the orange one) is DEFINITELY a Republican, and a Trumpublican to boot:
1) He's orange
2) He's selfish
3) He's self-centered
4) He's a bully
5) He's a sadist (just ask the other cat)
6) He's jealous of ANY attention the other cat gets
7) He's incapable of learning anything positive (Brainless)
8) He's randomly, willfully, and needlessly destructive, like NO cat we've ever had.
9) He accepts NO responsibility for any of his actions
10) He can't even piss in his litter box without splashing the sides
11) He's charming and affectionate when he wants to be, then he'll nip you when he's in the mood.
12) And he's noisy as hell, by any means necessary.

Pretty sure the other cat is a Libertarian. He just wants to be left alone by the Orange Monster, whom we're thinking of renaming "Trump", but fights back when he has to, when "Trump" ambushes him.

The two dogs are probably Democrats because they are FAR more tolerant of "Trump" than he deserves. And, as Belgian Shepherd varieties, they have long, thick coats that are like armor against his claws.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

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