From the DNC

I'm on an email distribution list that delivers stuff like this to me every now and then. This message seems pretty solid to me:

In the face of Republican obstructionism, Democrats have accomplished more in the past six months than Republican Congresses had accomplished over the past six years. Democrats are proudly touting the fact that Congress have passed the 9/11 Commission recommendations, energy legislation, and tough ethics and lobbying reform. We also raised the minimum wage and balanced the budget.

Meanwhile, President Bush continues to promote a Republican culture of lawlessness. On Monday, he commuted the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the highest-ranking White House official to be convicted of a crime since the Iran-Contra affair in the 1980's. Just last week, President Bush has refused to cooperate with Congress and invoked executive privilege to prevent former White House aides from testifying publicly under oath about the firing of federal prosecutors.

Democratic Accomplishments:

MAIN POINT: Democrats have delivered on our promise to move this country in a new direction, focusing on important issues Republican Congresses and the President chose to ignore. We will continue to listen to the American people and deliver on the issues most important to them, not the special-interest agenda championed by Republicans.

Despite Republican attempts to block progress at every turn, Democrats have accomplished more in the past six months than Republicans accomplished in the past six years. Even with Republicans fighting us at every step, Democrats have passed:

o the 9/11 Commission recommendations making our country and our communities safer and more secure against terrorist threats
o a raise in the minimum wage that helps hard-working Americans
o pay-as-you-go budgeting that restores fiscal responsibility to Washington
o tough ethics and lobbying reforms to reverse the culture of corruption that thrived under Republican control
o energy legislation that creates jobs, strengthens national security, and protects the environment.

The immigration vote this week is a reminder of why the American people voted Republicans out in 2006 and why they'll vote against them in 2008. We could accomplish more if Republicans were not blocking progress at every turn. For example:

Republicans have stood with President Bush and refused to change course in Iraq, even in the face of evidence showing the "surge" is not working.

President Bush vetoed stem cell research legislation, going against 64% of Americans who believed he should not have vetoed the bill. [USA Today/Gallup Poll, April 2007]

Democrats in Congress deserve a lot of credit for listening to the American people and delivering on the issues most important to them. Democrats will continue to move this country in a new direction, not follow the special-interest agenda championed by Republicans.

President Bush Commutation of I. "Scooter" Libby's Sentence:

MAIN POINT: Once again President Bush and the Republican Party have undermined a core American value: equal justice under the law for every American. By commuting this sentence, President Bush is sending a clear message that the rules don't apply to the Bush White House or loyal Republican cronies.

After promising that anyone who violated the law would be 'taken care of,' President Bush instead handed Scooter Libby a get out of jail free card. Though Libby was convicted by a jury of lying about a matter of national security, President Bush is sparing him the consequences ordinary Americans would face. It's a sad day for America when the President once again puts protecting his friends ahead of equal justice under the law.

With 72 percent of Americans saying that President Bush "should not" pardon Scooter Libby, the Republican presidential candidates will have a tough time on the campaign trail defending their position. [Time magazine/SRBI poll, March 9-12]

Republican Culture of Lawlessness:

MAIN POINT: President Bush's efforts to keep information about the Attorney General scandal from Congress is another example of a culture of lawlessness that Republicans have promoted. The American people rejected the Republican culture of corruption last year-- and they are going to reject it again in 2008.

The ongoing cover-up in the Attorney General scandal is another example of how Republicans have arrogantly abused power. This scandal is a serious matter: The Bush White House seems to have rewarded cronies to advance their narrow political agenda and they are trying to cover it up. During the past six years, Republicans have stonewalled when questioned about a variety of scandals, including:

o The RNC systematically destroying email records, including email records for 51 White House officials who may have illegally used those accounts.

o Vice President Cheney refusing to reveal that he met with oil company executives while he was formulating the national energy policy.

o The White House effort to viciously smear critics while selling the Iraq War instead of planning for postwar Iraq.

The Republican Party is in deep trouble. Led by a Vice President who can not decide if he is in the executive branch or not, a lame-duck president who thinks he is above the law and a White House staff working overtime to find ways to circumvent the law, no wonder Americans want Democrats to win the presidency next year by 52% to 31%.[NBC News-Wall Street Journal Poll, 6/13/07]

Recent polls show Republican and Hispanic voters are leaving the party in droves. By 49% to 36%, Americans say the Democratic Party more closely shares their values and Hispanic voters identify themselves as Democrats rather than Republicans by 51%-21%. [AP-Ipsos Poll, 6/7/07, NBC News-Wall Street Journal Poll, 6/13/07]

It took a Democratically-led Congress to bring this abuse of power to light. Democrats are getting to the bottom of these scandals and we are committed to upholding the integrity of our nation’s laws.