New ideas exactly like the old ones

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So, fresh new right-wing ideas are exactly like the old right-wing ideas, the same old ideas that nearly destroyed our country during the Bush years. And we're supposed to be dumb enough to take the Republicans back? After less than two years???

Please tell me that we Americans aren't this dumb!

There's more. The Republicans want to make Bush's tax cuts to the wealthy permanent. That will add $4 trillion to the federal deficit, just in the next decade. That's an up front cost. It comes first (assuming that we really are dumb enough to buy this "Pledge to America").

Then they promise to cut spending later. Remember, "cutting spending" has been a Republican catch phrase for decades - certainly throughout the Bush years,... when they actually increased spending like crazy. But we're supposed to believe them this time.

At the same time, they're proposing to exempt the big-ticket items in the federal budget - Social Security, Medicare, defense spending - you know, the places where we actually spend the money. So yes, they basically promise to cut spending with both hands tied behind their backs!  But we're supposed to believe that they really mean it this time.

There's more. Believe it or not, this "pledge" also promises deregulation, another long-time Republican obsession, but one they actually worked at, last time. But, er, don't we Americans remember how that turned out for us? After all, we're still in the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression (even though we've technically left the recession since Obama took over).

As far as I can tell, the only difference between this document and the stated goals of Republicans throughout the disastrous Bush years is that it emphasizes economic issues and tries to downplay the loony "culture war" social stuff. No, that does not mean that they've changed their minds about all that. It's just that this is a political document, and the economic stuff polls better right now.

Are they right? Are we Americans really this stupid? Of course, Democratic politicians are doing everything they can to help the GOP. Right now, their plan for the November elections is... to timidly hide under their beds.

Get this: they could have held a vote on cutting tax rates for annual income of $250,000 and less, and left a vote on cutting taxes to the very wealthiest of Americans until later. This would have forced the Republicans into either (1) voting to extend the Bush tax cuts except for the wealthiest Americans, or (2) voting against cutting middle class taxes. And then later, of course, they could have voted on increasing the deficit by trillions of dollars just for the benefit of the wealthiest 1% of Americans.

But no, the Democrats would have had to crawl out from under their beds for that one. And besides, it would hardly be fair to force Republicans into making a politically difficult choice, would it? I mean, we all just want to get along, don't we? Why play political hardball - or even softball, as this certainly seemed to be - when you can just lie down and play dead? After all, Republicans would probably like having a doormat on which to wipe their shoes.

Yeah, I am almost as disgusted with the Democrats as I am with the Republicans. How do people this inept at politics ever manage to get elected? But I reserve my greatest disgust for the American people who, if we can believe the polls, either plan to go along with this madness or stay home and pout on election day. Honestly, what has happened to us? What has happened to America?