I want to believe Obama’s slogan about change, but what change do the Democrats really offer? I don’t see any. Democrats said that they would bring the troops home if America put them in control of Congress. You know what? It didn’t happen – just like I knew it wouldn’t. (On a personal note, I don’t have an opinion on whether troops should or shouldn’t come home. I’m not going to pretend I know enough details to make a good decision on that matter). However, now the Democrats claim that with one of their own in the White House, they’ll be able to turn the economy around and end the war that they didn’t support (though they voted for it). When that doesn’t happen, they’ll say that it takes time to undo the mess created by the Republicans. Then eight years from now the two parties will more or less swap tactics and the cycle will start all over again.
When will the blame game in Washington end (on both sides)? When will we leave our egos at the door and take responsibility for the state of our economy – the state of our country? If Democratic leaders are any indication of what’s to come that won’t be happening any time soon. Read this excerpt of an interview with Nancy Pelosi that I transcribed (look it up on ABC News to listen for yourself). Cuomo's questions are in red and Pelosi's responses are in blue (one unknown in purple):
And you've been very outspoken about this. You keep saying this is the Republicans' problem. This is the president's problem.
Yes, that's right, it is.
Why do you say that though, given the facts that you have to know to be true? I mean, you've been there for two years as speaker – situation's been ongoing for two years. You signed that 1999 deregulation, ah, bill that people point to as saying this lead us down the wrong road. Why? Why don't the democrats share any responsibility?
Well, we simply don't.
{audible sigh off camera}
Ah, the democrats, be-ag, ah, believe in free markets. And ah, and that's part of our system. It's, but what the republicans have done in the nearly eight years president Bush has been off, in office have had an anything goes, ah, ah, approach. No supervision, no regulation. And, and, John McCain has said, "when you look at me you'll see the greatest deregulator that ever existed." Well, this lack of regulation, and supervision, and this anygo, anything goes mentality has taken us to where we are. And our message to these people is the party is over.
But doesn't it make the message stronger if you say, listen we were all there.
But, we were, we are not in the white house where all of this policy is made.
When President Clinton was there?
{interrupting} No, this didn't happen with president.
Greenspan was lowering rates. President Clinton himself said to me, "the democrats should remember that I told them to do some stuff with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They didn't want to, and now maybe the situation wouldn't be the way it is" – even former President Clinton.
But when president, when, when President Clinton was, um, president, for the most part, republicans were in power in the House of Representatives. Ah, so this, this -- you know we passed regulations that if, ah, Chairman Greenspan had used them, or if Chairman Bernanke had used them sooner, would have helped on the Fannie and Freddie, um, situation. But we passed the legislation.
So, when President Clinton was in power, the Republicans controlling Congress were at fault. Then when the Democrats took control of Congress, it was the Republican president’s fault? No matter who’s in power, or where they are in power, it is the Republican Party’s fault. You aren’t going to impress me or win my vote with that kind of double standard – I "simply don’t" want to vote for you. Both parties are to blame for this mess and real change won’t come as long as they are allowed to continue doing what they’ve always done. Where is the change both candidates speak of?
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