I was energized by Obama's State of the Union.
-He successfully defended the TARP and Stimulus bills that were passed last year.
-He clearly articulated where the country was at the beginning of his term and why we are in the morass that we are in now. And he pointed fingers in the right direction.
-He said the Supreme Court's recent decision on "Citizens United" was a major mistake and action needs to be done to correct it.
-He chided the Republicans for not applauding his many tax cuts.
-And he called out the conservadems in the Senate for "running for the hills."
However, as the election approaches, Democratic candidates need to be even clearer and sharper than this about which people are the problem and who are the problem-solvers. Specifically, they need to say clearly what the Republican Party--their political opponents--have and have not done in the last decade. It is time to rename the party the "Wet Blanket Party" and repeat that refrain again and again for the rest of the year.
The Republicans are the "Wet Blanket Party" because they have taken up space in Congress and have done nothing but obstruct and mischaracterize the problems and the problem-solvers. While Democrats have wrestled with the major problems of the day--including tackling highly unpopular problems like bailing out Wall Street, and running up the deficit--they have been engaged, making tough votes, and deliberating through very complicated set of problems. I have not agreed on everything they have done. They didn't spend enough in the stimulus bill, they didn't start the health care reform debate by proposing a single-payer system, nor fight hard enough for a real public option. They haven't repealed DADT, and much more. However, I am more than pissed off that the Republicans have done nothing but obstruct and spread lies, including blaming Democrats for the major problems Obama and our nation inherited after eight disastrous years under Bush and a Republican majority. And Scott Brown gets elected by Obama voters because he represents "change." BULLSHIT!!!
A "wet blanket" is a drag. It is something that needs to be dropped. If you are running a marathon do you want to be carrying a wet blanket? No, and that is exactly what the Republicans are. They need to be dropped and ousted. The marathon is hard and tiring. We need helpful and positive problem-solvers in Washington and the only people who fit that description are in the Democratic Party (and Indepedents, such as Bernie Sanders).
A "wet blanket" is a perfect description of the Republican Party. I hope all Democratic candidates and activists repeat that line again and again for the rest of the year to make clear the true role of Republicans in Congress. Many voters do not read political blogs, watch Sunday news shows, or read the newspaper. Most voters decide who to vote for based on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family members. That's why soundbites are important. A soundbite, like "Wet Blanket Party," is something that's memorable and can be spread by word-of-mouth. Let's make sure "Wet Blanket Party" is on the tips of every tongue come November.