Just finished off this fab report on why Progressive (dare I say it, “Liberal”) policies are best for America.
And please note, fear isn’t used to drive any of these points home.
Some highlights:
On Health Care: 69 percent of Americans think it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have access to health coverage; 76 percent find access to health care more important than maintaining the Bush tax cuts; three in five would be willing to have their own taxes increased to achieve universal coverage.
On Energy Policy: 52 percent of Americans believe “the best way for the U.S. to reduce its reliance on foreign oil” is to “have the government invest in alternative energy sources”; 64 percent are willing to pay a higher energy tax to pay for renewable energy research; 68 percent of the public thinks U.S. energy policy is better solved by conservation than production.
On the Economy: 77 percent of Americans believe Congress should increase the minimum wage; 66 percent believe “upper-income people” pay too little in taxes; 53 percent feel the Bush administration’s tax cuts have failed because they have increased the deficit and caused cuts in government programs.
On Government’s Role: 69 percent of Americans believe the government “should care for those who can’t care for themselves.” Twice as many people (43 percent to 20 percent) want “government to provide many more services even if it means an increase in spending” as want government to provide fewer services “in order to reduce spending.”
On Immigration: 62 percent of Americans believe undocumented immigrants should be given a chance to “keep their jobs and eventually apply for legal status.” 49 percent believe the best way to reduce illegal immigration from Mexico is to penalize employers, not more border control.
This report by the Campaign for America’s Future and Media Matters for America shows that in study after study, solid majorities of Americans take progressive stands on a full spectrum of issues, from bread-and-butter economics to the so-called “values†issues where conservatives claim preeminence.
Isn’t it amazing how Democrats can never seem to win the White House campaigning on a platform of bigger, more controlling government and higher taxes? I guess the American people aren’t reading the right polls.
More interesting is the fact that George Bush campaigned on smaller government and lower taxes, then give us a massive increase in government with unparalleled assaults on our personal freedom, and saddled us with a huge deferred tax increase.
And the sheer corruption of this administration belies is unprecedented, to the point where Republicans are the party of kleptocracy.
Matt — that wasn’t part of any Demcoratic platform I can remember, but I do recall the majority of voters favored Democratic candidates in three of the last four presidential elections. And in the fourth, a “war” president won re-election by the smallest margin veer recorded.
Aunt Millie — you left out W’s promise of “no nation building.”
Dan:
You might recall that in two of those elections — 1992 and 1996 — the Democrat failed to win a majority of the vote. In 1992, Clinton won with 43%.
More interesting is the fact that George Bush campaigned on smaller government and lower taxes, then give us a massive increase in government with unparalleled assaults on our personal freedom, and saddled us with a huge deferred tax increase.
Hence the perilous straights the national GOP finds itself in. We should leave the government-growing to the experts — the Democrats.
And the sheer corruption of this administration belies is unprecedented, to the point where Republicans are the party of kleptocracy.
You must have forgotten the parade of independent counsels during the Clinton Administration.
Dan:
You’re claiming Americans wants bigger government and higher taxes and saying that proves this is a “progressive” nation, yet you admit that Democrats don’t campaign on such when they run for president. If bigger, more controlling government and higher taxes are what Americans want, why don’t Democratic presidential candidates promise to deliver them?
Although there was that Walter Mondale guy who promised those things back in 1984…
Matt —
Mondale was prophetic; you can’t run up the massive deficit Reagan did without finding a way to pay for it. And Bush 41 raised taxes to pay for Reagan’s bills. I believe the term was Voodoo Economics.
“Hence the perilous straights the national GOP finds itself in. We should leave the government-growing to the experts  the Democrats”
— interesting concept Matt. But when has a Republican actually shrunk the size of Government in California or as President of the US? I believe the last President that shrunk the size of government was Bill Clinton.
“You must have forgotten the parade of independent counsels during the Clinton Administration.”
Oddly enough, almost no investigations of Republican wrongdoings when you had control.= of the House and the Senate. Its called stacing the decks. And please do no go there. Corruption with THIS administration makes anything the Clinton’s did look like elementary school.
And I’m pointing to a new study; I didn’t do the study. But I believe reallocating budget could accomplish a progressive agenda just fine.
From Matt Cunningham, “Hence the perilous straights the national GOP finds itself in. We should leave the government-growing to the experts  the Democratsâ€Â
This is more of Jubal’s Republican humor, I think, sort of like attacking Nancy Pelosi for covering her head in Syria, but giving Laura Bush a pass for wearing a scarf at the Vatican.
The Republican Congress and Republican President have accomplished their goals. They have cut taxes for the richest Americans, rewarded their cronies with government contracts, and destroyed government departments like FEMA that used to be highly effective. Their stated goal, a la Grover Norquist, was to wreck the Federal government in order to crush Americans’ belief in government. They’ve saddled us with a crushing debt load, and their candidates are going to pay
Their strategy is vicious partisan politics, and they sacrifice competence to reward partisans at every level of the government, whether it’s the voter suppression campaign by the US Attorneys, the earmarks that reward their campaign contributors, or the naked criminal corruption of the Delays and Cunninghams.
They also needed a new enemy, so they could campaign on fear and smear. After Bush chose to ignore warnings of terrorist attacks so he could enjoy his vacation, and sat helplessly for minutes reading My Pet Goat after he realized he had allowed America to be attacked because of his incompetence, he lashed out against Iraq, rewarding Iraq’s jihadist enemy Iran. It’s another permanent war to replace the Cold War.
Now that the American voters are catching on to the corruption, the incompetence, and the waste, they want to claim that Bush wasn’t a real Republican, and they just need somebody who reflects their principles.
Don’t believe a word of it. We’ve seen their principles at work, and they are repugnant to decent Americans.
Spin it any Jubalicious way you want, Americans are done with these crooks and liars, tired of smear and fear, damned sick of seeing these people waste our money with their politics, and bleed our kids life out in the desert, and tell us they are the moral ones.
Jubalicious…is that like Fergulicious?
Hey Matt, anytime you want to let Karl Rove testify under oath about the Valerie Plame case, firing of US attornys, or , oh, ANYTHING, I’m game. Because a lie has to be delivered underoath for it to count apparently.