#$@!*#%! Democrats

My heart dropped when I read this article in the New York Times:

Democrats Outline Agenda, Mostly Sparing the Specifics

...Congressional Democrats, eager to pick up seats in November but so far unable to capitalize on Republicans' vulnerability, fired back on Thursday, offering a sweeping agenda that was long on vision and short on specifics. In back-to-back talks at the National Press Club, the House Democratic leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, and the Senate Democratic whip, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, promised initiatives on education, health care and jobs, and a stronger, more secure nation, if voters put Democrats back in power...The two outlined what Ms. Pelosi called a "Democratic innovation agenda" that included encouraging scientists and engineers to become teachers, support for small businesses to help them offer health care to employees, and revamping the new Medicare prescription drug law to give the federal government authority to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower prices...Ms. Pelosi promised doubling the nation's budget for basic research in the physical sciences but did not say over what time period. In the Internet era's version of the Herbert Hoover era's promise of a chicken in every pot, she declared, "Our agenda guarantees that every American will have affordable access to broadband within five years."... Mr. Durbin... called for a "small-business health benefits plan to give employees of small businesses the same kind of health care that members of Congress enjoy today for much less than what these businesses now pay." "

More spending on research and development in physical sciences? Broadband access for every American? Small business health benefits plan? Good Lawd, if you want to get Democrats and Independents excited about voting Democratic, you've got to offer them more than that. How about: energy independence in 10 years; universal health care; withdrawal from Iraq; secure and portable pensions for all workers; challenge Bush on his claims to be above the law; oppose torture; end corruption in Congress; stop global warming; bring people out of poverty; attack corporate corruption. These are big themes, whereas the tendency of Democrats (witness Pelosi and Durbin's speeches) is to propose a bunch of narrow programs.

In their defense, apparently Pelosi did call energy independence in 10 years a goal (tying it into her R&D program). The transcript of her remarks is here. Maybe the Times is mischaracterizing the speeches [by the way, what's with the Times' demand that every policy proposal has to be accompanied by a cost estimate, as if Pelosi and Durbin had to have complete legislation prepared for every issue], but that's as much a problem with Pelosi and Durbin's speeches as with the Times. Democrats should understand by now that if you want to get your message out, you have to spoon-feed the media. Perhaps they should have spoken in front of a backdrop reading "Energy Independence" and "Universal Health Care".