Monday And The Obvious

With the fall elections bearing down on us, certain key issues should be considered by every serious voter. While there are local and state issues of importance, every House and Senate candidate will be required to address the questions which concern the public the most.

According to Polling Report, (August/September entries noted twice or more) the top issues are the War in Iraq, the Economy, Terrorism, Healthcare, Immigration, Gas Prices, and Education, in that order. So let’s check the basic condition in each area:

1. The War in Iraq – Republicans fall into two broad groups here; those who support the President and state that Iraq is the central front in the War on Terrorism, and those who try to evade the issue. Red States generally support the war, while Blue States generally want a timetable to pulling out troops, except in military communities, which continue to strongly support President Bush. In general, there is fatigue but continued determination. Democrats have failed to exploit opportunities, mischaracterizing the war and its purposes. Despite their best efforts in what everyone understands to be the top issue, Democrats have not been able to gain ground here, largely because extremists have convinced Americans that the Democrats do not have a constructive plan to offer.

2. The Economy – Unemployment (a key issue in 2004) remains under 5%, the GDP continues to show strong growth, and Inflation remains under 5%. Democrats have done an effective job of soft-pedaling the numbers, while Republicans for some reason have not pointed to obvious successes.

3. Terrorism – The 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks could not help but remind Americans about who we are and why we fight. Five years of lies by the Left cannot change that .

4. Healthcare – Hey, remember when Congress had that long, decisive debate about how to protect the healthcare needs of Americans, with both Republicans and Democrats making concrete proposals? ** Sigh ** No, I don’t recall that ever happening, either.

5. Immigration – America is an open country, where anyone who wants to join us is generally welcome. That does not mean, however, that we want to give away our services and resources to people who won’t pull their weight, and who think they have no obligation to speak our language, pay their taxes, and support our way of life. Immigration is not the problem; sneaking in and stealing things from people who worked to make their success is the problem. For some reason, the Republicans are having a hard time getting serious about this issue, and Democrats have decided to back the rule-breakers and the thieves.

6. Gas Prices – Check your pump. Gas prices are falling, and falling fast. Republicans have been too modest to point this out, and Democrats have been smart enough to shut their yaps about connecting the GOP to gas prices, now that their lies no longer help them here.

7. Education - Hey, remember when Congress had that long, decisive debate about how to improve Education for our kids, with both Republicans and Democrats making concrete proposals? ** Sigh ** No, I don’t recall that ever happening, either. “No Child Left Behind” was a nice promise, but I don’t see any follow-up, do you?

With these points in mind, the results for the fall elections should be predictable.