Week In Review

December 9, 2005
100 DAYS LATER: REPUBLICAN CONGRESS'S INACTION ON KATRINA UNACCEPTABLE

This week we mark the one hundredth day since the Gulf States were devastated by the largest natural disaster to ever hit this country, and yet many of the victims and areas affected by Hurricane Katrina are still struggling to recover. Victims and local officials testified before Congress this week and shed light on how the slow and reluctant response from the Republican Congress is hindering recovery efforts.

Even though many residents still lack essential needs such as health care and housing, Senate Republicans still rejected a recent amendment by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) to guarantee all low-income survivors to have temporary health coverage. Nearly 200,000 Gulf Coast residents remain without permanent housing going into the winter holiday season, and news reports reveal that FEMA has been slow to move evacuees into readily available housing. Even Mississippi's Republican Governor Haley Barbour cited the lack of action from the Republican Congress during his testimony before a House committee today. Barbour revealed that he has not received needed federal assistance for rebuilding schools, homes, roads, and infrastructure. [Bloomberg News, 12/7/05; New York Times, 10/19/05] In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the American people responded with tremendous acts of heroism, bravery, and generosity. Americans deserve a government as good as its people, a government that will match the efforts of local residents on the ground who continue to work hard to rebuild their neighborhoods.

One hundred days after this tragedy the federal government, FEMA and Republicans in Congress continue to drag their feet while our fellow Americans are still suffering. The victims of Katrina are not faceless masses, they are hard working Americans and we must honor them by responding quickly with needed federal funding to help them return home and begin to rebuild their new lives.
RAISING YOUR DEMOCRATIC VOICE: IRAQ AND THE ECONOMY

Democrats should be prepared to talk about two issues that are dominating the headlines. First, President Bush delivered two speeches on Iraq this week. Facing growing public doubts about his approach to the War, he again failed to tell Americans his strategy for success, opting for sound bites and slogans.

For three years, staying the course in Iraq has made America less safe. It's time for the President to give us a new course. Americans have paid an enormous price as a result of the President's mistakes in Iraq (over 2,100 soldiers killed, $2 billion a week, a growing insurgency, overstretched military), and we cannot continue to pay it. 2006 must be a year for the Iraqis to take over control of their own country. The President needs to inform Iraqis that U.S. Forces will not be in Iraq forever, and they must begin to get their political and military house in order so they can defeat the insurgency.

Democrats firmly believe that the United States can and must win the war but the President's open-ended, ill-defined policy will not get us there. Democrats should be proud that they have forced this debate into the public arena. While we may have different ideas on tactics and timetable, Democrats agree that we can not have a permanent commitment to a failed strategy. Every American knows it's time to change course. Democrats will continue to fight for a plan that's as good as our troops, with clear benchmarks for success.
IT'S STILL THE ECONOMY STUPID

Facing declining poll numbers, President Bush painted a rosy but inaccurate picture of the nation's economy in a speech on this week. President Bush has a slogan for everything, instead of offering solutions that help average families. His slogans don't match reality for average Americans. Americans are facing skyrocketing energy costs, increasing health care costs and record deficits.

Slogans don't reduce the deficit. Slogans don't pay rising health care bills. Slogans don't keep jobs in America. Slogans don't lower the price of home heating costs. Slogans don't make paychecks grow.

Bush Administration's "foundation for growth" is cracking:

* Record deficits of $3.5 trillion over next 10 years
* Health care costs increased 60 % in last five years
* Major companies cut jobs and salaries - GM, Delphi, Merck
* Average families using heating oil or natural gas will pay nearly three times the amount paid in 2001.
* Real family incomes dropped four years in a row.

We simply cannot trust Republicans in Washington to put the economy back to work for the American people. America can do better than President Bush's reckless fiscal policy. We need real economic leadership that reduces the deficit and puts the concerns of America's working families first.
HEALTH CARE: IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR KEY WOMEN VOTERS

A new national survey released this week gives Democrats a blueprint for success in 2006 -- talk about health care with Independent women voters.

Healthcare is a powerful issue for all women voters but Independent women, a critical group of swing voters, specifically are looking for leadership and progress on health care affordability and access for all Americans. And when a woman candidate or a spokeswoman talks about health care as an important issue for Democrats, Independent women voters are even more likely to connect. You can help to motivate and mobilize these voters - and prevent them from staying home in the mid-term 2006 elections - by having the health care conversation in your community and local media.

Lake Research Partners conducted the poll for Emily's List and Americans for Health Care, a project of the Service Employee International Union (SEIU). You can view the key findings and download survey results to discuss at your next Democratic or organizing meeting at http://www.americansforhealthcare.org/.
DEMOCRATS TAKING THE LEAD

WOMEN TAKE THE LEAD IN DNC CAUCUS ELECTIONS

Democratic National Committee members elected caucus leadership at their recent meeting in Phoenix, Arizona and women have been chosen to lead three of the five DNC caucuses.

Mame Reiley, National Committeewoman from Virginia, was reelected to lead the women's caucus. Consisting of one-half of the full DNC membership, the women's caucus focuses on a variety of issues and programs designed to enhance our messaging and outreach to women voters.

Virgie Rollins of Michigan was elected to lead the Black caucus. Virgie has also served the Party as a past president of the Federation of Democratic Women (NFDW) and represents the NFDW on the DNC.

Belkis (Bel) Leong-Hong of Maryland was elected to lead the Asian Pacific Islander American caucus. Bel was reappointed by Governor Howard Dean to serve as an At-large member of the DNC.

DEMOCRATS TO SUPPORT GULF REGION WITH MEETING REVENUE

Following a successful meeting last week in Phoenix, Arizona, the DNC has announced plans to hold its 2006 DNC Spring Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana from April 20-22, 2006. The decision to hold the next DNC meeting in New Orleans is part of the Democratic Party's commitment to rebuilding the Gulf Coast and rebuilding the American community. DNC members from around the country will gather at the Sheraton New Orleans hotel, overlooking the Mississippi river, for the first of their biannual meetings of 2006.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK

[I will] "use all the power that I have on radio and television to bring horror into the world of people" who "diminish and denigrate the [Christmas] holiday...There is no reason on this earth that all of us cannot celebrate a public holiday devoted to generosity, peace, and love together...And anyone who tries to stop us from doing it is gonna face me."

December 2, 2005, Bill O'Reilly on Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, discussing his desire to use his forces to protect Christmas.

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