How about no more pre-emptive war? We only attack in self defense. After all, it is called the Department of Defense.

Personally, I'd like to see the Constitution restored. Right away.

I know the idea is to avoid a complicated laundry list, but there need to be a couple of structural planks to make this more than a flash in the pan:

5. Public campaign financing.

6. Eliminate restrictions on labor organizing.

1. Wars for self-defense only, and passed by Congress only. (that would take care of out of Iraq).

2. Restore the Constitution

3. Save the environment/energy conservation/stop global warming

4. term limits & public financing of campaigns

5. no more white guys elected

(okay, I'm just joking on the last one)

What happened to Trippi's idea? Don't worry. It'll be revived when the Democrats want to sucker the folks who would otherwise vote third party back into the tent with another faux populist (like Dean).

Jonathan S.,

I see poll after poll ask

"who would handle [thing x] better, the democrats or the republicans?"

The fascinating (and maddening) thing about the non-specificity of this tired question is that it:

reinforces the views of both,

democrats who think that avoiding defining themselves is best,

and those who want democrats to start talking specifics.

John Edwards wants to do away with free trade agreements

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0218-02.htm

John Edwards wants to pull out of Iraq

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/08/05/john_edwards_calls_for_immediate_withdrawal_from_iraq/

Whoops, John Edwards voted to de-fund renewable and solar energy programs. Oh well you cannot win them all.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2004/John_Edwards_Energy_+_Oil.htm

John Edwards wants universal health care.

http://www.themonitor.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=13326&Section=Local

Three out of four is not too bad.

Hillary Clinton a mixed bag on free trade agreements.

Voted yes on Oman free trade, is for on free trade with china and Chili but not with Andean countries and she voted no on CAFTA

http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Hillary_Clinton_Free_Trade.htm

Hillary Clinton is not for universal health care rather is more worried about undermining health insurance as we know it via this NPR interview, just click the listen button.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1840383

Hillary loves Iraq and wants us to stay with what she calls phased redeployment.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/460752p-387658c.html

"There are certain groups of the Iraqis that will fight, but the vast majority of the 350,000 are not prepared to stand up and fight for Iraq. They might stand up and fight for their tribe or for their family or for their religious affiliation. And that's not going to change unless they have to face the reality that, guess what, we are going to start, what we call, in the Democratic alternative, a phased redeployment.

Now, that doesn't mean initially, out of Iraq. It could be just moving to the North, because I do think we have an extra obligation to the Kurds not to desert them once again. It could certainly mean just over the horizon in Kuwait. But what we've been doing is not working."

But Hillary is for alternative energy.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2006/2006-09-15-09.asp

One out of three is not too good.

If you trust this CNN poll from last month Hillary is looking like the front runner for democrats in 2008. Read them and weep.

Hilllary at 37 percent

Al Gore 20 percent

John Edwards 11 percent

John Kerry at 11 percent

Rest of the rabble 3, 2 and 1 percent.

http://www.2004dnc.com/2008presidentialelection/

This is why I hesitate to indulge in fantasies because they lead to so much disappointment and despair. On the bright side 2008 is two years away and a lot can happen and I think it really is too early to say who will win the nomination and if we are lucky Lieberman might win. The Lieberman remark was a joke by the way. Ha, ha.

oh, I have to add:

free and adequate health care for all children......

the adults can go to hell - they got us into this mess, they deserve no health care.

I am 51.

There are no adults, never has been any.

Correction please: There was one adult until August of 2006. That's when I moved to Canada, eh! Have fun with your pseudo-elections, you crazy Yanks!!!

Oh c'mon JLaR if the elections were not real the oil companies would not spend so much money to buy them.

This is not serious. You need to convince 100 million people, not collect 100 million dollars.

Why didn't Trippi & Co. just try to raise all that money for Kucinich in 2004? He's right there on all these issues, and has been for years.

I guess seeing how hard it was to find out about this proposal is a measure of how likely it is to succeed.

but he's a vegetarian who won the gandhi award... we dont want a hippy like him anywhere near our Military-Industrial teat

I'd like to include a comprehensive voting rights package that includes public campaign funding, vote count assurance and run-off voting. Get this right and many of the other issues will suddenly seem less important.

Joe Trippi doesn't believe that anyone, Democrat or not, can win on this platform. He's not going to pursue it or back those Dems who are actually following it. Joe Trippi, whether he realizes it or not, is deeply in love with 'organization'; he's really not so interested in what the organization achieves, other than winning.

C'mon yerself, Rob!

If the elections were real, the electoral college would not be the deciding factor. The popular vote didn't even exist until the 9th or 10th election. This outrageous farcical insult they call 'democracy' is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution and the time has long passed for the true representative republic to finally emerge.

The point is moot now anyway since the Constitution doesn't exist anymore. The Bush Crime Family is definitely in charge now. Notice that the heroin production has increased mightily also since the anti-drug Taliban was ousted. Oil isn't their only business.

JLaR,

Lighten up, that was supposed to be a joke. Geez.

Rob,

What you said was much too true to be considered a real joke. But 'ha, ha, ha' anyway!!!

JLaR,

I am glad you agree that elections are real, ha, ha, ha, ha.

Impeach!