What Color Are The Ponies In Your World?
Michael Kinsley, writing in the Washington Post, takes a look at the almost completely unnoticed Democratic plan for what they plan to do if they win control. The 31-page document entitled A New Direction for America was released in June, but Kinsley may, in fact, be the first person in history to have actually read the thing. His conclusion? Ponies all around but not a hint of a plan on how to pay for all that horseflesh.
The document is full of bromides, of course, and like all good bromides, they come in threes. The Democrats promise "security, prosperity, and opportunity" in "diverse, safe, and vibrant communities." Not to mention "integrity, civility and fiscal discipline." They will "protect Americans, secure our borders, and restore our country's position of international leadership" through "homeland, energy, and diplomatic strategies." And we're only up to Page 3.
The two favorite words of Democrats on the cusp of power seem to be "tax credit." They promise to "modernize" the tax credit for research and development; to "expand and improve" the already ludicrously complex system of tax-deductible retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401(k) plans (and match "dollar-for-dollar" the first $1,000 a person puts in); and to provide a "100% tax credit for tuition up to $3,000." They want a "broadband tax credit" for Internet access in "rural and underserved" areas.
They call for a 50 percent tax credit for employee health insurance paid for by small businesses, as their solution to the health-care crisis. Needless to say, they love the tax credit for ethanol production and want to expand it for local ethanol producers. And — my favorite — they want a tax credit to cover the administrative costs of encouraging employers "to offer their employees the option to convert their retirement plan into an annuity when they retire." I don't know what that last one is about, but I smell an interested party. It's just not the kind of thing thought up by anyone who doesn't have some skin in the game.
In other words, pandering to special interests and proposing lots and lots of new expenditures and no plan at all on how to pay for anything. But we know what that means, don't we? Hang on to your wallets. Kinsley's most scathing remarks come at the end:
Competence, of course, brings us back to Iraq. Apparently and unfortunately, President Bush is right that the Democrats have no "plan for victory." (Neither does he, of course. Nor, for that matter, do I. But I don't claim to have one. And I didn't start it.) For national security in general, the Democrats' plan is so according-to-type that you cringe with embarrassment: It's mostly about new cash benefits for veterans. Regarding Iraq specifically, the Democrats' plan has two parts. First, they want Iraqis to take on "primary responsibility for securing and governing their country." Then they want "responsible redeployment" (great euphemism) of American forces.
Older readers may recognize this formula. It's Vietnamization — the Nixon-Kissinger plan for extracting us from a previous mistake. But Vietnamization was not a plan for victory. It was a plan for what was called "peace with honor" and is now known as "defeat."
Read the whole thing. Kinsley starts his article by asking people to read A New Direction for America - just not until after they vote. I think we know which side he's rooting for, then. But even he is unimpressed with the so-called new direction. After all, the new direction leads to a cliff.
Other Links to this Post
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The Scratching Post — Tuesday, 7 November , 2006 @ 7:06 am
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UrbanGrounds » Blog Archive » The Democratic Platform — Tuesday, 7 November , 2006 @ 9:11 am
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The Right Nation — Tuesday, 7 November , 2006 @ 10:48 am
By K T Cat, Tuesday, 7 November , 2006 @ 6:53 am
the Democrats have no “plan for victory.” …Nor, for that matter, do I. But I don’t claim to have one. And I didn’t start it.
Is that the most infantile quote you can imagine or what? How does the article end, with a “Neener, neener, neener?”
Throwing you a link from the Feline Theocracy.