This is a year of mid-term election. One of the key focuses is whether liberals can roll back or not. According to the latest CBS/New York Times poll, the approval rate for President Bush has dropped to only 31 %, which is the lowest since he took office. At this stage, 44 % voters say they support Democrats while 33 % of them support Republicans for the mid-term election.
Opinion poll results can change easily. If liberals were to govern the United States, they must show their own policy vision to win real trust from the whole nation. Without this, they end up simply criticizing the current administration.
In 2003, John Podesta, a former chief of staff to Bill Clinton, founded a liberal think tank, called the Center for American Progress (CAP), in order to counterweight major conservative ones like the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation. Currently, there are virtually no major think tanks to prevail liberal agendas. The Brookings Institution has strong ties with Democrats, but not so much ideologically-oriented. Moreover, Brookings has joint a project on regulation with the AEI. Most influential policy centers, including the Council on Foreign Relations, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and so forth are nonpartisan or centrist. Some like the Project for New American Century is neoconservative, and the CATO institute is libertarian.
Readers can understand that liberals are not in a good position when it comes to policy making. Actually, Republicans are rated better than Democrats in the war on terror, betting 40 % approval over Democrats’ 35 %. Therefore, it is vital to examine whether liberals can really manage current crisis imposed on the United States and the world.
First, let me review missions of this think tank. Their motto is “Progressive ideas for a strong, just, and free America.” For this objective, the Center for American Progress conduct policy research ranging from domestic, economy, to national security issues.
In foreign policy, they state the following.
We promote the need for a strong, smart military and believe America must safeguard its homeland, fight terrorism and take on threats that know no borders. And we believe America's interests are advanced when we strengthen alliances and work with multilateral institutions that support the rule of law.
Unlike conventional think tanks, they advocate anti-Bush straightforwardly. Also, this think tank is dedicated to public education on a broad range of policy issues. Do they have feasible policy ideas? Last October, CAP published a policy brief, “COMBATING CATASTROPHIC TERROR: A SECURITY STRATEGY FOR THE NATION”, written by top experts including Madeleine K. Albright, former Secretary of State under the Clinton administration. Though this policy brief recommends withdrawal from Iraq, authors do not suggest how to manage this country after that. Quite interestingly, liberal experts share common viewpoints with the current administration that democracy promotion in the Middle East is the key to US foreign policy.
To foresee what happens in America and the world, people should not be so nearsighted to focus solely on election results. Whether Republican or Democrat, winning election is just the means, not the ends. Liberals must persuade the whole nation that they can manage current crisis more effectively. Remember that their approval rate on the war on terror is lower than that of the current administration.
Can liberals deal with critical challenges to America and the globe much better than the current administration? The key to the answer lies in their policy visions. This is the vital reason why people need to keep an eye on this progressive think tank.
8 comments:
Citizens for the American Way, citizens for the separation of Church and state (NOT found in the Constitution-used to promote anti-Church policies such as infanticidal abortions, etc.), Teachers Unions, Big Labor, AFL-CIO, etc. These are just a few of the Democrats 'think tanks.'
They give the Rats their marching orders and talking points so the Rats don't have to do their own dirty work. However, they are very good at doing this all by themselves.
They would prefer we give Iran nuclear power. Do you agree with this policy? That is how NK got its nuclear weapon! I know you do not agree with them. I was just making a point.
They even have the media to help them. Why is it that when a democrat is in the Oval Office, there is no homelessness, but the minute a Republican becomes president, there they are! And it's all that president's fault!
It is not true that they disappear. They just don't get reported. It is the Democrats that signed a bill stating that we had to close psychiatric housing. People started ending up on the street.
There was nothing anyone could do, no matter what party they were from, when they came into office the next term. That person got blamed for this happening. That person? Ronald Reagan!
The Left (Communists) do have an agenda. They will never tell the truth, because they would be thrown out on their a$$es if the masses ever found out what it is.
Be careful, very careful, when it comes to analyzing the political democrat...
How are you? Well, I pray! :)
Shah,
The Democratic Party is in disarray and basically just reacts to the current administration. Everything the President says or does is help up to ridicule by the Dems, and they are looking silly in the eyes of the American people.
But they might win in the 2006 elections because so many Republicans are fed up with GWB's pathetic stand on immigration. Some Republicans I know plan to vote Democratic or to stay home from the polls, just to teach the Republican Party a lesson, the lesson being "Listen to your constituents." Among many conservatives, there has been talk of forming a third party for the 2008 election, but I'm not sure that a third party will be successful. You can see some discussion about a third party , here, at one of my favorite blogs.
As I mentioned above, the hot-button issue for the upcoming election is immigration. Of course, the focus would change were there to be another major terrorist strike on America's shores.
President Bush knows that the Republican Party is in trouble with regard to the issue of immigration. He's planning a special address to the nation on Monday night. As much as the media here say otherwise, the war in Iraq is not the topic on voters' minds. The cost of illegal immigrants has every informed voter worried, not to mention the possible risk to national security.
Second to immigration on voters' minds here, I think, is the matter of Iran. Interestingly enough, our news media give next-to-no coverage about what's happening with Iran.
There are numerous think tanks, and some of them pursue liberal agendas. This brand new policy center is large-scale, and seems to be more influential.
It is worth to see whether the Center for American Progress could bolster liberals' policymaking. Regardless of poll results, they have not shown persuasive ideas.
In any case, what happens in the latter half of the 2nd term of the current administration is an important determinant in this century.
Always on Watch,
Immigration has become a worldwide issue, now. A clash happened in France. Grassroots resentment against lenient immigration policy is one of the reasons why Labour lost in the last British election.
Third party? LA mentions about it sometimes. Will they grow up? This is important to see what happens in the latter half of this presidential term.
I am so angry right now I could spit. (I do not spit. It is just a phrase.)
Would you care to know why? Pre-Amnesty Speech and Post-Amnesty Speech.
There is another one after that, but I went a little nuts. Okay, a lot nuts. I declared for another Independence Day! lol.
Third parties are not going to work just yet, so we must work within the systems where we can make the most impact. Conservatives are very bright people. Let us use some of that intelligence!
We must use the primaries to our advantage. Any incumbant should be very, very worried. Let us watch the Pennsylvania primary today. This is going to be an indicator for this November.
I belong to pro-growth, conservative group who supports like minded people to Congress. THAT is who gets my money. No more money for the Senate. That well has dried up long ago.
The URL is www.clubforgrowth.org/. Check it out. Never give up hope. It does not give the effect you desire. It will only turn around and bite us very hard in the back. We must voice ourselves in the primaries. THAT is the way to get rid of these ne'ev-do-well's. Have a good day.
I will check the site you mentioned. It is important to see what happens in less than 6 month from now.
In American politics, a third party has never been much of a force--except to force reform.
In a single winner election, the third or fourth party cannot grow influential. It is true to Britain, Canada, and Australia as well.
Strangely enough, Japan has been under LDP rule for decades, though its election system is multiple winner constituencies.
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