According to DailyKos blogger cscmm in the recent diary “Dems need a new campaign slogan“, the Dems need a slogan. Something catchy, yet serious. Something that reflects the need for change, and emphasizes the failures of the current Administration and the Republican majority regime. A slogan that truthfully rejects the untenable nature of the current course our nation finds itself upon.
I have it.
“Not on MY watch.”
That’s the key.
9/11 happened on the Republican watch.
Katrina happened on the Republican watch.
The United States adopted an illegal, unconstitutional policy for spying on its own citizens on Republican watch.
The Republican leadership lied the nation and the world into war on Republican watch.
The WH adjusted and manipulated numbers to hide the fiscal damage their policies had on middle and lower income families on Republican watch.
Our returning vets saw their benefits cut and limited — during a time of war, no less — on Republican watch.
One of the biggest tax cuts for the rich occurred — again, during a time of war — on Republican watch.
Over $8 Billion (that’s “Billion,” with a “B”) was spent on domestic propaganda to try and tell the nation to stay the course on an illegal war of aggression that was initiated — and continued — on the Republican watch.
A secret energy policy dictated by one of the most notoriously corrupt corporate entities with close ties to the <s>Cheney</s> Bush Administration (Enron) occurred without oversight and highly favoring Big Oil over the current and future energy needs of the nation on Republican watch.
The rights of our citizens to be secure in their home and on their persons was severely compromised on the Republican watch.
The right of our people to privacy and the freedom of speech was drastically and illegally restricted on the Republican watch.
Over 64 Republican congressfolk are up to their eyeballs in serious investigations of graft and corruption on the Republican watch.
Billions of dollars for “contractors” in Iraq has gone missing with little or no accountability and no effort to rectify the situation on Republican watch.
Global warming is no longer a raging debate but is an accepted worldwide problem, except by this Administration and the Republican watch.
No more. The lying, cheating, stealing, prevarication, dissembly and obstruction ends in November. It’s time for us to call for a changing of the guard.
It’s time to elect a different party. A party of the people, for the people. A party that can look with disgust upon the unmitigated disasters that this Republican majority has brought upon our nation, and declare:
Not on MY watch.
UPDATE: I was unaware that this slogan is currently in use for a very important, life or death cause — the genocide in Darfur.
Over the course of more than two years, a campaign of ethnic cleansing has killed over 400,000 people in the Dadrfur region of Sudan. As many as 500 people continue to die each day. In addition, according to UN estimates, more than 200,000 refugees have been registered in neighboring Chad and more than 2 million people are internally displaced in Sudan itself.
It is unfortunate that this, too, goes on unaddressed and suppressed under the Republican’s watch.
It’s time to stand up and make a statement. For our nation, for the people in Iraq, and for the millions in Darfur — stand up and be heard. Make your candidate speak the words that will both hold a promise to the people — to all people — as well as serve as a reminder of what is expected: “Not on MY watch.”
Crossposted to ePluribus Media and DailyKos.
I still don’t understand what we are supposed to do about Darfur. How are we supposed to fix that problem? Until someone shows me a plan that has a prayer of both stopping the killing and providing an exit strategy, I cannot support sending US troops there.
Under Bush’s leadership, I do not support using US troops anywhere for any purpose other than humanitarian relief, such as happened after the tsunami and the earthquake in Pakistan.
Darfur is a deep problem in a Muslim country. It cannot be fixed with an unwilling government and the incredible level of poverty that exists there. What are we supposed to do? Occupy Darfur and just act as guards? For how long?
I deplore the killing going on there and wish we could solve the problem. But I don’t think we need more open-ended military commitments in Muslim countries right now.
If I see a good plan and much more international support and commitment, and an openness from the Sudanese government, then I might reconsider.
And that frosts me.
We are unable to be of any good to the people there with BushCo in charge — regardless of whether military insertion could have any significant role to play in calming or stabilizing things, diplomacy is one of the more important tools needed there. And a real plan to help address the poverty, infrastructure and social differences.
We can’t have that while Bush and any of the current crop of majority party enablers are in power. They’ve got to go.
How many more have to die before we can clear out the decay in our capitol and start a real effort — or at least stop impeding the efforts of others? I don’t know.
But perhaps, if we can make enough of a change here in November, we can generate enough action to help some type of international assistance break through and make a difference, instead of always appearing to be (IMO) part of the problem with anything moving forward.