RESPONSE:
Whenever you hear a Republican say, “Slow this down“, they are really saying, “America, take a nap.”
FOLLOW-UP:
Except, of course, when they are in control. Then all they say is, “don’t ask questions.”
Posts Tagged ‘Congress’
Slow this down- [StrongDems]
March 18th, 2010Health bill contains a provision that can’t be repealed- [StrongDems]
March 11th, 2010Might also be:
- Senate Health-Care Bill Provision Would Make it Impossible for Future Congresses to Repeal Parts of Bill
- Independent Medicare Advisory Board creates entirely new rules out of whole cloth
——-
RESPONSE:
This is an example of Republicans lying right through their teeth. They are playing the American people for chumps, while lining the pockets of their insurance lobbyist friends.
FOLLOW-UP:
The Independent Medicare Advisory Board can be repealed by a vote of three-fifths of the Senate. And if you missed the name, it says ADVISORY.
The Board develops Medicare cost-saving proposals which Congress must adopt unless it can come up with other ways to save an equivalent amount.
The commission would not be allowed to change Medicare eligibility or benefits, and its ability to change payment rates would be limited.
UNCOVERS:
Republicans will lie, distort, and use fear in order to kill any legislation they disagree with (or are being paid off to vote down). The key here is to use the word LYING or LIE.
DO NOT use the words, hypocrisy, distortion, fabrication, exaggeration, or misinform- they are too soft.
People understand what a LIE is. Many will tune out for all of the long-winded explanation of how they’re wrong, and facts and figures often merge together. In the end, what is important is they walk away knowing that it is a LIE.
SIDE POINTS:
CBO analysis estimated that the commission as described in the bill would reduce spending by $23 billion through 2019.
- http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/11/25/could-an-independent-commission-save-medicare/tab/article/
- http://www.factcheck.org/2010/01/medicare-board-unrepealable/
- New York Times column
The Democrat Party- [StrongDems]
March 10th, 2010RESPONSE:
Maybe history isn’t one of X’s strong points, but Thomas Jefferson and James Madison started the Democrat-ic Party. There is no such thing as the ‘Democrat’ Party.
FOLLOW-UP:
And BTW, a democrat is a person who believes in the ideals of democracy, personal freedom, and equality. I think that sounds pretty good, how about you? The Republican Party believes in Corporations having more rights than you do. My question to X is, is America for Democracy, or for the Corporations?
UNCOVERS:
Puts the end to the pejorative use of Democrat as an adjective, and then makes your opponent have to slow down and measure their words while going through their talking points.
It also establishes Democrats traditions, and brings us back to Jefferson and Madison who always poll higher than our Congress.
By placing the choice between two items, Democracy or Corporate rule, people will go with Democracy.
And by posing rhetorical questions in the middle of a sentence doesn’t allow the other person to respond with talking points directly, so it is a win.
SIDE POINTS:
1) If they still use the epithet, it is fair game to go after them with your own set:
- RAY-Publican Party
- CON-servatives
- Republican’ts
- Obstructionist Party
- Hypocrisy Party
- Reaper-can Party, or “As a Reapercan, you…”
- (insert colorful metaphor here)
2) If they use the old, “We aren’t a Democracy, we are a Republic” argument, use Thom Hartmann‘s line:
- Actually, we are a “Constitutionally-limited, Representational, Democratic Republic.”
3) If they go off on the line and say, “it was the Democratic-Republican Party”, you can respond:
- Right, after the war in 1812, Andrew Jackson and the Jeffersonian’s threw the Republican name right off, just like the American people should do at the ballot box in November.
More Tax Cuts- [StrongDems]
March 8th, 2010RESPONSE:
Republicans should just call their entire economic plan, Deficit Payments to China.
FOLLOW-UP:
I would like to ask my esteemed colleague, how much do we spend each and every year on the Interest of the debt that Ronald Reagan, Bush, and Bush racked up?
Look, President Obama inherited a Bush $1.3 trillion deficit when he first took over the Oval Office. The Obama forecast a $1.56 trillion deficit in 2010, and that is after experiencing the biggest economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. If the Republicans can’t do the math, maybe that is the whole reason they ran up such high deficits in the first place- so why are we listening to them?
UNCOVERS:
Shows the link between the Republican tax cuts actually RAISING deficits. Simple math- money in, money out.
SIDE POINTS:
On the interest number: In 2009, YOU, the American taxpayer, paid $383 billion dollars in INTEREST on the DEBT that the Republicans ran up while they were in control. Just in 2009! In 2008 it was $451 billion!
Under President Obama, 2010 is estimated at $181 billion dollars. However, there are estimates that say when you factor in the continuation of Medicare Part-D and the Bush tax cuts, it will become $500-800 billion dollars, JUST IN INTEREST!
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/ir/ir_expense.htm
Obama numbers: On Jan. 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama took office, the Congressional Budget Office reported that the deficit for fiscal year 2009 was projected to be $1.2 trillion. The 10-year projection was estimated to be about $3.1 trillion. So Obama’s number was very close on the 2009 deficit — he said $1.3 trillion — but substantially different from the 10-year projection — he said $8 trillion.
There are two reasons why he differs from the CBO. On the difference between the $1.2 trillion and the $1.3 trillion, the Obama administration credited a small portion of spending on its watch to policies of the previous administration. The reason for this is that the federal government runs on a fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, so Bush and Obama technically split responsibility for 2009 spending.
The large difference on the 10-year projection has to do with Bush administration tax cuts. The CBO creates its estimates based on current law, which means the CBO assumes that the Bush tax cuts will end in 2010 and everyone will start paying higher taxes in 2011 and going forward. The Obama administration, on the other hand, assumed in its baseline that those tax cuts would be renewed.
Fight the lies: Start your engines
March 4th, 2010
Hey everyone! In the next few weeks, I will be launching this site, StrongDems.com, as a place to get the latest Talking Points from a Democratic perspective.
“Talking Points” are often seen as a strategic informational attack on a target topic, typically to propagandize, specifically using the technique of argumentum ad nauseam, i.e. continuous repetition within media outlets until accepted as fact. They may not necessarily be factual in any way, shape, or form, because they are tools used in information warfare.
The Republican Party (GOP) has been extremely good at this over the last 15-20 years. We have moved into the sound bite era, and they are winning the battle. Mostly because they are well-organized (in this regard), and because the conservative mindset is to look for a father figure, and follow the leader.
That is NOT what we are looking to do here.
StrongDems.com will be a Blog/Twitter/Buzz delivery system for our thoughts on topics that come up daily. These talking points will be factual, not simply to score points. I’ll try and hold firm on the ‘Daily’ part of the title as well. Our hope is that we can give you the tools, in short form, to combat the misinformation war that is being fought from one side.
When it comes down to the 15 second sound bite, you need to counter-punch without need for an explanation. If you are explaining your position, you’ve already lost. We Democrats have lost this ability over the years, and being tough is no longer a question. If you are not angry about what is going on in Washington, you haven’t been paying attention. Fighting Dems need to stand up for our core principals, explain them clearly, and show that we are the Party of the Middle-Class.
The Democratic Party has a rich heritage, a distinct set of core values, and a commitment to community. Together we can make this site a success. We’ll be expanding it very soon, so bear with us while we get the site up and running.
Thanks!
-Z
