The year ahead/The state of OUR union

We are now nearly a month into the new year, and an exciting year it should prove to be indeed. A battle over a supreme court nominee right out of the gate to being the new year, the winter olympics beginning soon, an electoral victory for Hamas raising even more questions for the middle east, and we are only 27 days into the year! Who knows what else we will see throughout the spring and summer before the year culminates in the all-important mid term elections.

On Tuesday, President Bush (and, more or less by default, his fellow Republicans) gets to lay out his plan for the year, explaining to the country what he plans to get done, what he sees as the most pressing problems facing our country and our world, and what he intends to do about those problems. In addition, he will probably invite some famous people and some "ordinary Americans" who are exceptional in some way and play some other interesting PR games.

Of course, after the speech, several Democrats will make responses, mostly saying that they disagree with his insistence on suspending certain civil liberties in-the-name-of-The-War-On- Terror and saying that they really do hope he plans to work with congress and Democrats on whatever issue he promises to work with congress and Democrats on. I think the Democrats need to do something different though. We need to have our own State of the Union. Despite its name and whatever its original intent was, the event has mostly become an opportunity for the President to recap the previous year and explain his agenda (his public one anyway) for the coming year. Just because the white house and congress are GOP controlled, that doesn't mean that Democrats don't have an agenda, and doesn't mean that they don't have the right or ability to lay out that agenda in a speech.

Doing so woule have a several advantages, both politically and otherwise. First of all, many Americans are not terribly satisfied with the Presidency of George Bush right now. That means that, whatever it is Americans are looking for from their federal government, the White House, and the GOP in general, are not providing it. That also means the Democrats can provide it. If the Democrats announce a comprehensive plan that aims to accomplish many of the things Americans are looking for, people will get behind democratic leaders. Doing so would force Republicans to back suck intiatives, especially in a year when all of the house and 1/3 of the senate are up for re-election. This is especially true at a time when many polls show Americans expressing disappointment with the President, but also frustrated with the alternative (or lack thereof) presented by Democrats. Secondly, even if not a single person sees or listens to OSU (= our State of the Union), it still is a way that all Democratic leaders in congress as well as at other levels of government can all be on the same page. Of course, Democrats in Congress discuss strategy and whatnot behind closed doors, but clearly not all democrats in government can be at those meetings. If Democrats come out from behind those doors, everyone can be working from the same game plan, and the game plan can be about what Democrats are going to Accomplish this year (e.g. bring healthcare to all Americans) not what they are going to prevent the GOP from accomplishing (e.g. stop the Republicans from giving away tax dollars to HMO's).

I was going to discuss some ideas I had for what Democrats could include as goals for this year (and for years down the road) but this post has already reached significant length. I think what I will do therefore, is focus on one particular policy or issue in each future post. That will give people more of an opportunity to leave comments about their feelings on each issue I bring up.

Here's to a happy, safe, and democratic 2006.