A DEMOCRAT CONTRACT :

Death and Taxes (Michael Crowley, 04.25.02, New Republic)

After enduring weeks of ridicule for their lack of a cogent political message, Democrats have even rolled out a new platform for the 2002 elections. Following consultations between Tom Daschle, Dick Gephardt, and strategists at the Democratic National Committee, last week Democrats arrived at a list of five key issues--printed on laminated cards and distributed to House and Senate members--that contrast "Democratic Values" with "Misplaced Republican Priorities." Its pillars are Social Security and "pension" security (not-so-implicitly tied to the Enron meltdown), the environment, a prescription-drug benefit, and new spending on schools.

Mr. Crowley goes on to belittle Democrats for their incoherence on the Bush tax cuts, but these five issues do seem to establish the grounds for a worthwhile debate between the two parties. If Democrats are truly willing to step forward and say that they are unalterably opposed to Social Security reform, favor greater government control over private pension plans, favor greater government control over business (for environmental purposes), favor further socializing medicine, and oppose any alteration to the current system of public education, then there might be life in the old donkey yet. One suspects that such a program, which openly exchanges freedom for security, would be wildly popular with their base, with the very wealthy (among whom the Democrats have made great inroads in recent years), and with those notorious soccer moms. If they have sense enough to make these into a kind of Democratic Contract with America, they could even nationalize the coming congressional election and win governing majorities in both houses of Congress this Fall. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 28, 2002 8:16 AM