Blogging the Denver SOTU protest
At democrats.org, only a few people had signed up to attend the State of the Union rally on the west steps of the capitol. So I was surprised to see about three dozen people taking the opportunity to express their feelings about the Bush administration.I'm not saying CD7 candidate Herb Rubenstein was the only candidate there. But he was the only one I saw. Give the man credit for reaching out.
The State of the Union is starting as I type these words. I am sure the national blogs will have plenty of coverage. Try daily kos.
UPDATE: This thread is open for comments on the speech. At least Bush identified the right issues - terrorism, the Iraq mess, the environment and healthcare. I was afraid he'd start rambling about nonissues like steroids or Mars again.
4 Comments:
How he could blow his nose on the dead soldiers, then caw about ETHICS and HONESTY...
The bastardy is simply beyond fathom.
The fact that God didn't strike him down right THEN tells me there's a much WORSE fall coming.
I remember Nixon and how he kept INSISTING he was innocent. Even after he was impeached.
Golly. To get to see TWO Republican Preznits impeached in one life is almost too much to hope for.
Almost.
I won't keep praying for another chunk of the Supreme Court building to fall off and clobber both Roberts and Alito at once.
That would be too obvious, even for a vengeful God.
But it would be a nice cherry on top of an impeachment.
I got there around six, and decided it was too cold to deal with what I saw in front of me. So I went back.
At least another blogger was there.
From Gov. Howard Dean's SOTU email:
"...When will we have a new strategy in Iraq that protects American lives? Violence is increasing, not decreasing there and the mismanagement of this war has cost the lives of Americans and billions of dollars in fraud. And when will we secure our ports and chemical and nuclear plants, which remain vulnerable?
"When will the Republican Party put its responsibility to the people before its greed and thirst for power? The Republican culture of corruption in the executive and legislative branches has violated the law and cost taxpayers billions.
"When will President Bush and the Republican Congress wake up to the economic crisis tens of millions of Americans face? Good jobs are leaving this country, and many of the jobs that remain exploit working families by denying them adequate benefits. Millionaires and corporations receive tax breaks while Americans can't afford to save, and the gap between rich and poor continues to widen to levels unseen since the 19th century.
"When will we finally do something for the 46 million Americans who lack health insurance? Many have had their lives ruined financially when the worst happened, and many more no longer seek the care they need because they cannot afford it.
"When will we make serious strides towards energy independence? We get a greater percentage of our oil from cartels and dictatorships now than we did in 2000.
"When will he take steps to further ensure retirement security for every American? Growing old with dignity is a right, not a privilege, and dismantling Social Security in favor of private accounts is the wrong direction for our society.
"If Bush and the Republicans would bother to answer these questions, the answers would be simple. But they won't answer.
"That's because the answer to each and every one is 'Never.' Never as long as they control our government, never as long as they can execute the same incompetent, dishonest and destructive government without paying a price at the ballot box. The answer will be "never" until we grow the operation and build the infrastructure to beat them.
"Part of that means telling people clearly and unambiguously what we stand for -- and I'll tell you right now:
"Real security -- we will protect Americans at home by getting serious about homeland security, and address the real threats abroad by capturing or killing Osama bin Laden and focusing on actual (not imagined) nuclear proliferation. We will be prepared for the threats of tomorrow, and we will always tell the truth to our troops and the American people.
"Honest leadership and open government -- we will end the criminal Republican culture of corruption and restore a sense of responsibility to elected office, and we will pass fundamental reforms that make government more honest, open, and accountable to the American people than ever before.
"Economic prosperity and educational excellence -- we will keep good jobs from leaving and ensure that every job in America is a fair deal. We will balance the budget, ensure that the tax code is simple and fair, and invest in education to ensure that every American has an equal opportunity to succeed.
"A health care system that works for everyone -- we will join every other industrialized country by making sure everyone has access to affordable health care. We will change a corrupt, inefficient system into one that makes sure the world's wealthiest country is also the healthiest.
"Energy independence -- we will reduce our reliance on foreign oil by investing in cleaner and more efficient technology. We will treat energy independence as what it is -- not only a conservation issue, but an economic and national security issue.
"Retirement security -- we will strengthen Social Security and make sure that a retirement with dignity is the right and expectation of every single American.
"Tonight and tomorrow, Republicans will be out in full force, spinning, distracting, distorting and dividing. But don't be fooled. You know what you heard in Bush's speech -- and you know the reality.
"When Republicans hurl insults and lies, we must be ready to stand up and speak the truth in response -- and to make sure our friends and neighbors are not afraid to do the same."
Doogman, how very theatrical of you..
My favorite part was when the dems made fools of themselves with the social security set up. It was a classic.
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