We heard a lot of the same old rhetoric at the Democratic debate tonight, albeit in an unusual format. Here are some things I didn’t hear.
• “I have a plan to win in Iraq”: Every candidate has a plan to get out of Iraq. None of them even mentioned a plan or even ventured an opinion that winning in Iraq would be a desirable outcome.
• “I will secure the borders and stop the flood of illegal immigration”: For those who care about this issue, the Democrats are in favor of amnesty, not in favor of border security. The closest any one of the candidates came to offering even a modicum of restraint was Bill Richardson’s saying that illegal immigrants should pay something for the healthcare they receive.
• “I will keep the president’s tax cuts in place”: In fact, the Democrats are licking their chops as the tax cuts pushed through by the White House expire in 2010. That will be the largest tax increase in history. That will be the price the people will pay with the Democrats in the White House.
• “You know, this economy is going pretty well.”: Low interest rates, low inflation, low unemployment, the stock market breaking 14,000. Hard not to argue that the economy is strong. But you won’t hear that from these gloom-and-doomers.
• “Exports are the life-blood of this economy”: Nope, you won’t hear that from this group. They don’t believe in trade. Without trade, our economic growth would tank. Exports make America strong, from Caterpillar trucks to Boeing jets, movies and agriculture products. But Democrats won’t let any trade agreements go through the Congress.
• “I have a plan to save Social Security”: They all know what they don’t want to do. But they have no plan to prolong the life of the Social Security system. Richardson helpfully said that he wouldn’t touch the Social Security trust fund, but guess what? There is no Social Security trust fund. It’s an accounting gimmick. And what does that mean once the trust fund goes broke, which will happen in a couple of decades? No more Social Security checks.
• “The government is too big and spends too much”: This gang thinks that government is too small and spends too little. You won’t hear much about government efficiency or government reform in the next 12 months from the Democratic candidates.
This debate was interesting because of the questions, not the answers. These candidates are moving hard to the left, which is typical in a primary, but it is surprising how hard to the left they are moving. From bashing corporate America to pushing a peacenik platform, there is not much room for moderation in the new Democratic Party.