Wonderful!

Now I see the Senate going by the loss of two races,  by an extremely thin margin.

And you claim landslide?  Like Lyndon Johnson I think you should henceforth be known as Landslide Big Tent... ;-)

What are they going to do? Just ask Michelle Malkin. She's always been reliable in the past, right?

I'm really trying to keep my spirits and yours up, but stuff like this ain't helping:

• President George W. Bush on Wednesday said increasing the national minimum wage is likely an issue on which he could cooperate with Democratic leaders in Congress.


• Hiking the minimum wage, which is now $5.15 per hour and has not been raised since September 1997, is a key initiative identified by Democrats. The president said he would be meeting with Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to be the next speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January.

More of what we're in for, via AP's summary of Democratic priorities for Congress:

• _Military: Force an immediate drawdown of troops in Iraq and conduct oversight hearings on missteps on the war. The announcement Wednesday that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was resigning met Democratic demands that he step down to take responsibility for the situation in Iraq.


• _Judiciary: Conduct oversight hearings on treatment of terrorism detainees, domestic surveillance programs and President Bush's use of "signing statements" affecting some requirements in the laws he signs.

  Beyond that, it's premature to make any sweeping statements, except maybe  that "on paper" the country moved "toward the Left" and the Democratic Party moved "toward the right.

  The thing is the country started from somewhere on the "Right side" of the spectrum and the Party started from somewhere on the "Left side." One now hopes this means that the Democratic Party and the general consensus of the country will come close to meeting near the "mythical center" in 2008 because that's where lasting victories occur.

   This was an important first step but we need to take advantage of it and some of early signs are encouraging. Pushing the minimum wage as the first big policy initiative is shrewd. Much better something that simultaneously reflects our traditional values and is not hugely controversial or divisive than to immediately start rarcheting up the rhetoric on divisive social issues.

  We need to keep plugging on the bread and butter economic issues and highlighting why Democratic policies are better for more people than are Republican policies. We can move on to advocating:

 A more progressive income tax that reduces the middle class burden without being fiscally irresponsible (i.e. revenue neutral by increasing taxes on upper incomes).

  Reform not abolition of the INHERITANCE (not "Death") tax. Measures are needed to allow small business and farm owners with significant net worths tied up in land, inventory, equipment and the like with relatively few liquid assets  the ability to ensure their children can continue the business or farm, but we need to make clear benefit of redistributing a portion of the wealth accrued by the very rich.

  Reinvigoration of the NLRB and other agencies charged with protecting workers; individual and collective rights.

   Environmental and energy policies.

   Jobs and Wages.  We need to reestablish ourseleves as the Party of the blue collar middle class. They are the ones for whom this Party used to exist and we need to get them back as loyal members because otherwise we will almost always lose except then large numbers are really mad at/disgusted with the Republicans, and that a position of structural weakness. We need to look both at trade policy and its obvious impact on domestic manufacturing and at a program that would provide real incentives for corporations to locate jobs in the U.S. A package of tax credits available to offset federal tax liability pegged to domestic payroll  expenditures deserves serious consideration.

 Social Security. It's not broke just underfunded and it can be made healthy for generations simply by raising and/or eliminating the the income ceiling on FICA contributions. Have tghose who benefit the most do the most to provide a financial security for the elderly poor and middle class. As it is I do as much to support Social Security as a CEO making 100 times what I make. We can't stop corporations from paying obscene amounts to their top executives but we can make more of that money helpe everyone.

  These are just some examples of where we need to focus btween now and 11/08 if we want the Presidency and a retention of a legislative majority. Obviously, we also need to address Iraq with sound and reasonable proposals for responsibly accomplishing a phased withdrawal without leaving chaos and further societal meltdown. Here we have the "advantage" of still not having the power of the commander in chief so we reamain less susceptible to blame. We really can only shoot ourselves in the foot by allowing the most radical and irresponsible voices drown out more senible leadership.

   Let the Republicans rail on the social issues while we show the country WE are the ones with real ideas about how to make this a better country for the majority.