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Stephen Crockett
Stephen Crockett
Gas Tax Nonsense and Fundamental Energy Industry Change
The idea being promoted by both John McCain and Hillary Clinton of canceling the federal gasoline tax for the summer is a terrible idea. It fails to address the real issue of runaway fuel prices. It has negative consequences for the safety of our roads and bridges. It is essentially a campaign stunt and distraction. The oil profiteers have already gobbled up any benefit consumers might gain from the cut far in advance of the proposed summer suspension.
May 1, 2008 - 10:08:35 AM
Stephen Crockett
For the Good of the Party and America, an Obama-Clinton Democratic Ticket
Hillary Clinton should end her bid for the White House. Obama should offer her the Vice Presidency. Clinton should accept the offer. It would be a bitter pill for both to swallow but it is what both the Democratic Party and the American nation desperately needs. Neither Clinton nor Obama should place their personal ambition, pride or emotions ahead of the needs of the American people.
Apr 30, 2008 - 12:07:41 PM
Stephen Crockett
Sam Bennett: Democratic Hope in the Pennsylvania 15th Congressional District
If I had only one Republican controlled Congressional District to target in a key battleground state this year, it would be the Pennsylvania 15th. This is a proven Democratic performing District that could very easily take the swing out of the swing state of Pennsylvania. Turning the 15th Congressional District solidly Democratic along with the recent electoral gains made in eastern Pennsylvania by Democrats means the state will remain reliably "Blue" in upcoming elections.
Apr 2, 2008 - 11:40:29 AM
Stephen Crockett
National Regrets and Paying for Reagan-Bush Policies
Our current list of national economic difficulties and governmental failures is a direct result of nearly 30 years of failed Republican policies. We are paying the price in many ways for our national love affair with slick, emotionally appealing Republican political rhetoric and candidates. We ignore the harsh reality behind the deceitful words.
Mar 23, 2008 - 9:52:10 PM
Stephen Crockett
Maryland Republicans Set to Lose Congressional Seat
Democrats have numerous possible opportunities to replace Republican members of Congress with Democratic challengers in 2008. Republicans are retiring at rates that must be alarming to the Republican Party. While it is difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of Republican retirement announcements, I believe that at least 26 Republican House members and 6 Republican Senators are leaving office. Only 6 Democratic House members are confirmed as retiring. Zero Democratic Senators are currently known to be leaving office. Some of the Democratic House members are seeking Senate seats.
Feb 5, 2008 - 9:40:57 AM
Stephen Crockett
Change Is About Policies Not Speeches or Symbolism
Edwards has better policies for substantive change than either Clinton or Obama. Symbolism and speeches is not enough.
Jan 4, 2008 - 7:54:11 PM
Stephen Crockett
Medicare For All via H.R. 676
It is obvious that none of the major Presidential candidates of either the Democratic or Republican Parties are supporting the right approach to providing universal healthcare. Frankly, all the Republican candidates are going to be major obstacles to achieving this national goal. While the top Democratic candidates (Clinton, Edwards and Obama) do support the concept, they are all offering Band-Aid approaches for a life-threatening economic and health crisis in America.
Jan 1, 2008 - 12:31:00 PM
Stephen Crockett
Edwards is FDR With a Southern Accent
The Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards is potentially the person most likely to realign the two major political parties for the next generation or two. Edwards is a Democratic political leader who is not only closely mirroring FDR as a historical figure but is doing so by following in the same political and economic traditions as FDR. The main differences are personal backgrounds and accents.
Dec 23, 2007 - 5:25:45 PM
Stephen Crockett
Lieberman's "Nothing" Endorsement of John McCain
The media filled the airwaves and wasted tons of paper reporting on the endorsement of independent Senator Joseph Lieberman of Republican Senator John McCain. While Lieberman does have a stronger base in the Republican Party than he has among independents or Democrats, he has very little support anywhere.
Dec 18, 2007 - 10:22:22 PM
Stephen Crockett
Policing Corporate Pricing Policies
Among the top priorities of the current and next Congressional sessions should be new laws to regulate corporate pricing policies. In particular, our nation needs strict new federal laws against price-gouging and predatory pricing.
Nov 29, 2007 - 8:51:46 PM
Stephen Crockett
Waterboarding Republicans vs. Supporting Our Troops
You cannot honestly say you are supporting American soldiers if you support the use of torture techniques like waterboarding. By any objective definition, waterboarding is torture. The technique is a type of simulated drowning of a prisoner who has their limbs bound.
Nov 11, 2007 - 12:55:57 AM
Stephen Crockett
No Fun Being A Republican
BB King said it best when he sang "the thrill is gone." It certainly is no fun trying to defend Bush Republicanism going into the 2008 elections. Bush has simultaneously radicalized and corrupted the modern Republican Party.
Nov 8, 2007 - 9:26:08 PM
Stephen Crockett
Picking A Democratic Presidential "Winner" Candidate
Let me start this column with a personal admission, I like all the Democratic Presidential candidates. Frankly, every single Democratic contender is far superior to any of the announced Republican candidates.
Nov 4, 2007 - 11:08:56 PM
Stephen Crockett
Free Trade Policy Craze is Crazy, Like Healthcare
The most recent statements coming from Ford and General Motors, demanding massive cuts in the benefits paid to auto workers or those companies will move their factories to low-wage countries, demonstrates the complete failure of current government economic policies. The automobile manufacturers should not be able to make such threats nor should they need to make such demands. The failures of current government economic policy makes both a reality. Changes in government economic policies can quickly correct the situation.
Sep 4, 2007 - 6:24:14 AM
Stephen Crockett
C.L.E.A.N. - Community, Labor, Environmental Action Network
The best ideas emerge unexpectedly from the grassroots in seemingly unlikely places. One of those ideas is an organization called C.L.E.A.N. which stands Community, Labor, Environmental Action Network. The story behind the creation of this group is both enlightening and interesting. The concept is very sound. I hope C.L.E.A.N. chapters will eventually be in every state.
Aug 22, 2007 - 10:45:55 AM
Stephen Crockett
Karl Rove: Democratic Secret Weapon
Karl Rove gave the Republican Party the political equivalent of the credit card teaser rate! It sure seemed good in the short term but reality sets in over the long run. Yes, "political genius" Karl Rove is the Democratic secret weapon that spells many, many Democratic victories over the next generation.
Aug 15, 2007 - 8:59:24 AM
Stephen Crockett
Misplaced Republican Spending Priorities
The kind of money being spent by the Bush Republicans can result in saved or lost lives. We all can see the results in the case of Iraq. Launching his optional war against Saddam Hussein, in the way he did, Bush has directly cost the lives of thousands of American soldiers and maybe a hundred thousand mostly innocent Iraqi civilians. We have failed as a nation to come to terms with the massive costs that are less direct and obvious but just as real.
Aug 3, 2007 - 10:54:14 AM
Stephen Crockett
Impeachment and Preserving Our Constitution
The United States has been in a prolonged Constitutional crisis since the Supreme Court showed it had been corrupted by partisan politics when the Bush vs. Gore ruling was issued in December, 2000. The Bush Administration began by Republican politicians thumbing their noses at the rule of law. The past seven years have been an unending assault on Constitutional government, American political traditions and personal freedom.
Jul 31, 2007 - 12:03:58 PM
Stephen Crockett
What The Pundits Are Not Saying About Vitter
This writer is surprised that the mainstream media seem to be controlling the political dialogue in America and (this is the surprising part) the political class is simply going along. The questions not being asked, the ideas not being reported and the serious problems not being addressed are much more important than those frequently available from the corporate controlled, mainstream media. The Vitter Sex Scandal is just one interesting example with a degree of sex appeal.
Jul 20, 2007 - 8:26:43 AM
Stephen Crockett
Republican Rulers Are Out Of Control
"Out of control, elitist power mongers" would be the best phrase to describe the political mindset of the Bush Republican machine. The current Bush Administration and their Senate allies are completely unwilling to bend to majority rule on the Iraq War or the other major issues of today. In the Republican elitist world, the people are to be ruled over instead of represented by Republican officeholders and judges.
Jul 13, 2007 - 9:02:46 PM
Stephen Crockett
Democrats Support The Fairness Doctrine
Corporate Media pundits and sell-out Democratic personalities are denouncing a return to the Fairness Doctrine standards in broadcasting eliminated by the Reagan Administration. They are falling into a trap set by the Republican Right and the largest corporations in America. Essentially, they are letting Republican political spin set the agenda for "acceptable" political views.
Jul 6, 2007 - 8:58:48 AM
Stephen Crockett
Affirmative Action for the Poor
In the aftermath of the recent Supreme Court ruling gutting affirmative action to deal with the historical impact of racial discrimination, I propose that Democratic political figures should push for new laws promoting affirmative action on behalf of poor Americans of all races. Unequal educational opportunities are an important factor contributing to pockets of entrenched poverty.
Jun 30, 2007 - 8:44:58 AM
Stephen Crockett
Political Corruption on Steroids
Corruption and dirty politics is nothing new in America. However, the level and scope of dirty politics within the Republican Party at this point in American history seems to be unprecedented! It increasingly looks like the Republican leadership has become a kind of mafia-style criminal gang pretending to be a political party.
Jun 28, 2007 - 7:06:13 PM
Stephen Crockett
Time for Republicans to Choose: Bush-Cheney or America
The recent claim by Dick Cheney to have both executive privilege and not to be part of the executive branch of government seems to amount to a claim that Cheney is simply above the rule of law. It appears that both Bush and Cheney think they rule by divine right like the absolute monarchs of medieval Europe or the dictators of the old Soviet Bloc. Both need to be impeached. Until they are removed from office, the media, Congress and the courts should be aggressively investigating, exposing and opposing their abuses of power.
Jun 25, 2007 - 10:50:17 AM
Stephen Crockett
Why Be Afraid of Filibusters or Vetoes
This writer fails to understand why Democratic officeholders in the US House and Senate are not actively seeking situations where Republicans resort to filibustering popular Democratic legislation and situations where Bush vetoes similar measures. The benefits in political terms for Democrats far outweigh the risks and good legislation might just get enacted into law.
May 30, 2007 - 4:48:04 PM
Stephen Crockett
Just Say "Hell NO!" To More Unfair Free Trade Deals
It looks like the House Democratic leadership simply did not get the message in the last election. Working Americans want no part of more falsely named "free trade" deals. This is absolutely not an issue where grassroots Democrats want our elected representatives compromising with the Republicans. We want an immediate change in direction concerning trade policy.
May 19, 2007 - 6:10:45 PM
Stephen Crockett
Organized Labor Is Alive and Well
Organized labor is alive and well in Pennsylvania! Despite much of the prevailing gloom about the future of the labor movement in media pundit circles, the hopeful future of organized labor was apparent during a recent visit by this writer to the Lehigh Valley region (Allentown, Bethlehem, Northampton) of eastern Pennsylvania.
May 11, 2007 - 7:00:19 PM
Stephen Crockett
When Politics Becomes Criminal
It has recently been reported that prominent Republicans in the Bush Administration are screening potential federal government employees concerning how they intend to vote in upcoming elections. This development calls for both Congressional investigation and an independent federal prosecutor.
Apr 28, 2007 - 9:04:07 PM
Stephen Crockett
Stalinist Justice and Incompetence in the Bush Era
There seems to another perfect political storm brewing in our federal government that will likely impact the 2008 elections. A crisis of corruption, injustice and incompetence is being faced by potential Republican candidates as a result of actions and inactions by the Bush Administration and their allies in Congress.
Apr 20, 2007 - 8:38:52 AM
Stephen Crockett
From The Top A Smell Of Corruption
Even Republican partisans cannot miss the overpowering rank smell of corruption that seems to be coming from the Bush White House and the upper ranks of the national Republican leadership. It is little wonder that fewer and fewer Americans are identifying themselves as supporters of the Republican Party.
Apr 15, 2007 - 7:50:58 AM
Stephen Crockett
Only Fair and Balanced Trade Is Free
Trade policies are finally starting to get serious consideration in Congress, and among Presidential candidates, for the first time since the 1993 NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) debates. Trade policy, by our federal government in the past 14 years, has been a disaster for the working people of America.
Mar 27, 2007 - 8:12:57 AM
Stephen Crockett
Bloggers and Other Writers Should Unionize
The benefits of unionization are frequent subjects for many Democratic, progressive and other reform-oriented Internet writers. Unfortunately, many of these writers are unaware that an excellent union is available for freelance writers like them to join. This union is the National Writers Union (www.nwu.org) which is Local 1981 of the United Auto Workers (www.uaw.org).
Mar 23, 2007 - 9:12:24 AM
Stephen Crockett
Republican Political Mafia and Federal Law
There is nothing as corrupt as using the governmental powers of law enforcement, to selectively prosecute your political enemies and to cover-up criminal behavior by your political organization and allies, while in a position of political power. This situation is the essence of the current scandal concerning the firing of US Attorneys by the Bush White House.
Mar 19, 2007 - 10:05:14 AM
Stephen Crockett
Employee Free Choice Act and Republican Disinformation
Republicans opposing the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act are lying up a storm to swing public opinion against the proposed law. Their primary attack claim is that the bill denies workers a free, fair election by secret ballot. Unfortunately, there is nothing free or fair about the current system of voting on unionization. The law is tilted heavily in favor of company power and against the workers.
Mar 5, 2007 - 9:24:31 AM
Stephen Crockett
Bush and the Iraq Blame Game
The Bush Republicans seem to be playing a very cynical political game concerning the Iraq policy debate. The overwhelming majority of policy experts and the American public has already concluded that the Bush White House policies pursued in Iraq have been complete failures. The policies were ill-conceived in design and executed poorly at the political level.
Feb 28, 2007 - 6:54:28 PM
Stephen Crockett
Patriotism Requires Economic Nationalism
If you consider yourself a patriot are not concerned about the ballooning trade deficit, the huge national debt and the loss of 3 million manufacturing jobs since the current Bush first occupied the White House, you are lying to yourself. If you are a political figure, you are likely lying to the American public, as well.
Feb 21, 2007 - 9:52:49 PM
Stephen Crockett
Defining and Refining the Democratic Message
Democrats have usually won the war of ideas but not always the war of words with our opponents, the Republican Spin Machine. Our opposition has far too often been successful in spinning us into some kind of parody of who were really are in the eyes of far too many voters. We have been less than effective in connecting emotionally with the language in which we present our ideas, programs and candidates.
Feb 18, 2007 - 1:47:20 PM
Stephen Crockett
Republican Dishonesty on Iraq
Telling the truth to both the American public and themselves are weak points in the thinking of top Republican political figures. They have been intentionally dishonest with the voting public and intellectually dishonest with themselves on almost every aspect of the Iraq War.
Feb 14, 2007 - 1:12:15 PM
Stephen Crockett
Oil and Foreign Policy After Bush
The Bush Administration has failed miserably to construct a logical, workable, long-term foreign policy to deal with our national dependence on imported oil.
Jan 22, 2007 - 11:32:25 AM
Stephen Crockett
Democratic Presidential Candidates Look Good
Any look at potential 2008 Democratic Presidential candidates shows the depth of talent currently available in the Democratic Party. The potential candidates most frequently mentioned include Senator Kerry (MA), Senator Clinton (NY), Senator Obama (IL), Senator Biden (DE), Senator Bayh (IN), Governor Richardson (NM), Governor Vilsack (IA), former Senator Edwards (NC), former Vice President Gore (TN), and DNC Chairman Dean (VT). Many others are possible.
Dec 10, 2006 - 1:16:16 PM
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