What's the first thing a Democratic Congress should do?

[Tactical Progressive]

Assuming we win the Senate and/or House back in 2006?

I think voting reform:

- paper trails
- software auditing & hack-proofing
- oversight and verification (catch-all against Harris & Blackwell type corruption)
- extend voting period
- internet voting
- etc

First thing, right out of the box. Nothing but a national emergency gets in the way.

Besides the obvious reason - Republicans have been engaged in major election sabotage on a variety of fronts for at least six years and the country can't take any more of it - I think putting it first sends the message that Democrats know that the treachery has been going on. There's not much we can do about the stolen election in 2000 and the likely theft in 2004, but this will show we know what's been going on and put a taint on all of it, which is probably the best we can do with what's already happened. It would be a well-deserved black eye for Republican election thievery.

If Bush were to try to veto it or Congressional Republicans block it, it would look even worse for them, and send an even clearer message to Americans that Republicans in Washington are complicit in trying to protect election theft at the state level.

But put down whatever you want. We won't be getting out of Iraq wholesale no matter who wins the mid-terms with Bush still in there, and it would probably be a big political mistake to make that a fight from the start, though a Democratic Congress might be able to come to some kind of compromise with the administration to draw the troops down faster than Bush currently plans. I don't see that as an opening statement.

If election reform seems to be a clear priority in the results, put down a second choice too.

[edbermac]

1. IMPEACH!!!

[Tactical Progressive]

2. I knew that was coming

But I thought it might take more than 60 seconds!

[troubleinwinter]

3. Break up the media corporate monopolies.

[against all enemies]

4. How about getting elected?

[Tactical Progressive]

15. Gee, I don't know

do you think maybe the premise of the question might have implicitly handled that?

I think it's a big step just taking the focus off of the 2008 presidential run, back to the importance of what we could start doing in 2006 if we concentrate on winning that. I thought this might be helpful in maintaining our attention to 2006.

Or maybe we should only discuss what we should do tomorrow morning. I'll run it by you next time I have an idea for a post.

[bluerum]

30. I think they need to begin looking at 2008 presidential elections

if they are lucky enough to get a congressional majority. That means managing out of federal control spending, cleanning up the messes in Iraq and Afghanistan, rebuilding the Gulf Coast and creating jobs.

Thats a lot to do in two years.

[against all enemies]

37. How about " How do we win either the House or Senate In 2006"?

Sorry I don't like to put the cart before the horse. Do you have any suggestions as to which House seats we can win from the Republicans? Maybe an idea how to win a few seats from Iowa or Connecticut? Maybe an idea which Senate seats can be won and how?

Before you make plans on how to spend a million dollars wouldn't it be better to have a plan how to earn it?

[madeline_con]

36. Why not steal elections like THEY do? n/t

[HereSince1628]

5. Impeach then start the process of repealling Patriot Act, Tax cuts

[ThomWV]

6. IMPEACH

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Well, right now they can oppose the delay for DeLay

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5710365

[B Calm]

8. Vote on articles of impeachment

[Mojorabbit]

9. Tighten back up

all the environmental laws that have been loosened and start us on an alternative energy program.

[ptolle]

17. that's a couple

And, IMO work to reverse the information dead zone the chimperor created with his executive orders locking up his gubernatorial papers and the docs from his poppy's time in the white house. Those sorts of things are ,to my mind, the most indicative of how truly short-sighted this twit is in that it's like he thought he'd be pretzeldent for life and no future administration would ever reverse his actions.

[Stephanie]

10. They need an uber-panel to coordinate the investigations

Too many scandals to look into. They need one impeachment panel to receive reports from the Abu Ghraib hearings, the WMD Lies hearings, the Plamegate hearings, the Warrantless Eavesdropping hearings, etc. And let John Conyers chair the Uber-panel, and let every member of the Congressional Black Caucus have a vote on it. Then impeach the rat-bastard and start the criminal proceedings.

[wavesofeuphoria]

11. agree with breaking up the corporate media .. and ..

campaign finance is still a biggy .. so is the lobbying cash cow (a la Abramoff)

overhauling DHS .. take FEMA out of it .. get a freakin' plan going to really deal with disaster aftermath such as Katrina

and well .. there is the deficit mess and the obvious inequity between the rich and not nearly that rich

[Horse with no Name]

12. I truly believe that they need to invalidate all legislation

that was signed into law by an illegitimate President--that includes tax cuts, privatization...every single thing that this Presidency has wrought should be undone with ONE act of legislation.
Otherwise, they will spend their entire terms in office undoing what has been done and not be able to fix damages that have been done.
If this isn't legal--then they need to pass a law making it legal.
Enough is enough.

[FlemingsGhost]

13. You think a DLC led Democratic Party will make real change?

Status Quo.

Slaps on wrists.

Bidness as usually ...

[unblock]

14. fairness doctrine

fix the media, the rest will follow.

[Tactical Progressive]

18. I think restoration of the 'fairness doctrine' is meaningless

We already have fairness in the media: for every progressive truth they allow a right-wing lie the same amount of face time.

I've been on the media alot longer than most DU'ers, and I've come to the conclusion that there is no fixing them. You can't legislate their attitudes and opinions, which have been fully co-opted by right-wing mindsets.

Breaking up media consolidation through antitrust principles, sure. But legislating 'fairness'? No way.

[unblock]

35. except that that's not even true

there are plenty of political talk shows or news stories that only present the right-wing side; others where the right-wingers outnumber the lefties; still others where the "lefty" is hand-picked by the right wing rather than by the democrats.

i agree that merely requiring equal time isn't enough, but it's a step in the right direction.

[SomewhereOutThere424]

16. Investigate every republican senator/member of the house/governor

Hopefully it would further show that bush isn't the real problem, but corrupt and psychotic members of our government who help vote people like bush in. A result of the disease, a symptom, not the disease itself. When people can understand, atleast for now, voting republicans=BAD, maybe it'll give us more time to do REAL good in ANYTHING we pursue.

[Vincardog]

19. after election reform comes PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS.

Get the money out of politics. End Corporate person hood.
Universal health care
Universal free education all the way thru PHD if you have the grades
Full employment at a living wage (Minimum wage increases every time Congress raises its' own pay).
Fund and enforce the Environmental laws.

[WeRQ4U]

20. Campagin Finance reform.

Our "representative government" will continue to be a sham until we fix it.

[Tactical Progressive]

22. That won't happen

until Democrats are running the executive and both houses of Congress, and even then I doubt it. For one thing alot of it is in the courts, with money counting as speech, and for another, let's face it, Democrats are invested in the same system.

McCain and Feingold did as much as they could, over a long period of time, just to get the reform we did a few years ago and regulate the amounts of money coming into the system, and still more money is coming in than ever.

While I certainly support the idea, all the way to federally-funded elections - it isn't going to happen quickly, it will be a big fight leading to a lousy compromise at best, and as such I don't think it is the kind of thing to lead off with.

[WeRQ4U]

25. No less plausible than impeachment.

That being said, I support and hope for both.

You have to start small. Perhaps actually holding accountable those people who break the already relaxed laws. It would be a start.

[Lefty48197]

21. Give Texas back to Mexico

.

[B Calm]

23. Better yet, send all the republican traitors to Mexico

[barbtries]

24. impeach

and prosecute all the criminals in the current administration

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. Defund the occupation of Iraq and get the troops out.

As for voting/electoral reform - get the money out and put limits on campaign expenditures.

[PoiBoy]

27. I agree... voting reform..

..the future of our country depends on free, fair and verifiable elections...!!!

:hi:

[Justice Is Comin]

28. First thing on the floor of both houses

is let the republicans know we're going to return the favor of how they did business the last five years and lock them out of every committee, every mark up, every hearing. Only we'll be doing GOOD things for the country.

When we get the legislation ready, we'll give you two hours to look at 700 pages in the bill and then we'll pass it with our majority vote.

Just like we had to do it with Clinton when we had prosperity and money in the bank. I'd tell them prepare to know how payback works. Then note the absence of a quorum.

[Initech]

29. First thing's first - deregulate the media!

Break up the monopolies that are controlling every aspect of our lives - Clear Channel, AOL Time Warner, and so on.

Then once the media has been deregulated, we can get down to the business of impeachment!

[Tactical Progressive]

31. You mean re-regulate the media

I think we should, but I don't think it will do much. American media is a business now. Their journalistic integrity is merely a token; just sufficient to maintain enough credibility to convince an audience not to change the channel. Beyond that, the individuals bringing us the news, from the producers to the newsmodels, are all in the upper percents of American wealth, and their perspective has shifted to that demographic. That's the way it is, and it won't get better.

Beyond breaking up the monopolization of TV and radio markets, I don't think much can be done by regulation. Progressives need their own network like Fox.

[in_cog_ni_to]

32. Without voting reform, we have NOTHING to look forward to in '06.

We MUST get a paper trail or get rid of the freakin' machines...PERIOD. Without a fair election, this administration will COMLPETELY destroy this country in the last 2 years in office.

After '06 when we take back the House AND Senate, IMPEACHMENT......immediately.

[Tactical Progressive]

34. I don't know how much can be done along those lines

before the 2006 elections. Diebold has been kicked out of some states, and there are lawsuits. Whatever we can do in the spring and summer of 2006 will be helpful, but until we retake Congress, or at least half of it, there won't be major election reform in the six months before election season takes hold with Republicans running Congress.

That's one reason why an immediate push for election reform in 2007 is so important.

[More Than A Feeling]

33. So much to do, so little time.

-voting reform.
-upping the congressional budget so that laws will once again be written by legislators and their aides, not unaccountable think tanks and corporations.
-withdrawal from Iraq
-investigations galore

[Tarc]

38. Fix the voting system

Diebold is out, paper receipts for all touch-screen style machines. Ensure that adequate polling station coverage is established in urban areas.