Democrats Continue to Move America in a New Direction - Talking Points for Democrats
On Monday, President Bush will address the nation on the State of the Union. The 110th Congress has begun to move America in a New Direction—but we face challenges that demand much more change. We hope to hear from the President plans to reinvigorate the American economy, reduce global warming, and restore our leadership in the world.
RE-INVIGORATING OUR ECONOMY
We need to hear a plan for an American economy that works for all Americans. The gap between the richest Americans and everyone else continues to grow. Americans are facing real hardships as they struggle to make ends meet in a slowing economy, with rising prices for gas, home heating oil, groceries, and health care.
We need urgent bipartisan action to get our economy moving. The 110th Congress has been working with the President in a bipartisan way to provide a timely, targeted, and temporary stimulus to the slowing economy, and urgent relief to American families.
- More than 100 million Americans will get a recovery rebate
- Millions of Americans will get tools to avoid losing their homes
- Small businesses will get tax cuts to spur investment and job creation
We need to hear a new long-term vision to provide more stability, to grow our economy and create good jobs here at home, to boost America's ability to compete, and to better protect America's middle class and the American worker.
We need to hear a plan to:
- lower health care costs and increase quality by boosting medical research, improving diagnosis and prevention, employing technology, and cover 10 million children
- lower energy prices, create hundreds of thousands of new "green" jobs, provide incentives for clean, renewable energy and embrace this Congress's work to fight energy price gouging and potential price fixing by OPEC
- bolster the housing market and help Americans keep their homes
- make college more affordable and K-12 classrooms more successful
- empower American ingenuity and give businesses the tools to win in a global economy
- develop a plan to rebuild and modernize our nation's roads, bridges, levees, and energy grid, and extend high-speed Internet communications to create jobs across America
- create tax fairness, with no call to make permanent tax cuts for the richest Americans
- restore confidence in consumer goods, like toys, food, and medicines
We need to hear a plan to reduce the deficit, restore fiscal responsibility, and put us in a strong position to tackle the challenges ahead.
REDUCING GLOBAL WARMING
We need to hear a plan to take further significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are pushing us closer to the brink of global climate catastrophe—and to make the U.S. a global leader in bringing all countries into binding agreement. We must build on the work of this Congress to lower vehicle emissions for the first time in 32 years with new CAFE standards, to increase efficiency for buildings, lighting, and appliances, and to increase clean, renewable fuel usage.
We need to hear a plan to:
- design a carbon cap and trade system
- set a renewable electricity standard nationwide
RESTORING OUR LEADERSHIP IN THE WORLD
We need to hear a plan to change course in Iraq and hold Iraqis responsible for their own country's progress. After five years, nearly 4,000 American deaths and more than half a trillion dollars in taxpayer money, we are still mired in an open-ended civil war with no end in sight. While we cheer reduced violence in parts of Iraq and salute the brave U.S. troops who have made that possible, the stated goal of the surge - political reconciliation - has failed.
We need to hear a plan to:
- redeploy our troops out of a civil war
- bring any long-term security agreements to Congress
- stop spending billions in borrowed money at the expense of priorities at home
We need to hear a plan on how America will more effectively address the very real threats posed by Al Qaeda and other terrorists around the world. Osama Bin Laden remains free and the Al Qaeda network grows ever stronger. Afghanistan continues to backslide into violence, Iran remains a leading supporter of terrorism and pursuer of nuclear technology, and the path toward democracy in Pakistan wavers.
We need to hear a plan to:
- pressure Pakistan to restore democracy
- engage in a diplomatic surge toward Iran
- double the intelligence/special operations teams hunting bin Laden and Al Qaeda
We need to hear a plan on how President Bush will reinforce the work of this Congress to address the military readiness crisis, which is at its lowest levels since the Vietnam War. There is no doubt that our military performs every mission with tremendous courage and skill, but the failures of our foreign policy have stretched them to near a breaking point and have left us less secure.
We need to hear a plan to:
- give our troops sufficient training
- give our troops necessary equipment
- give our troops a 12-month-on/12 month-off deployments schedule
- give our veterans educational opportunities through a new G.I. Bill
- give our veterans the health care and job support they deserve
We need to hear a plan to restore America's moral leadership in the world. The President's go-it-alone foreign policy has alienated our allies, diminished our credibility and hurt our ability to respond to critical security challenges
We need to hear a plan to:
- reject torture, including waterboarding
- close Guantanamo
- expand our Foreign Service, Peace Corps and funding for international development
- pursue a surge of diplomacy abroad as well as at home with Congress