Important Issues Today And For The 2016 Election Campaigns

There are a lot of issues and policy goals each political party has: many influenced by lobbyists or electoral groups. The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal, Net Neutrality, Solvency of Social Security are a few and there are many more. There are dozens. Here are a few broad areas which will likely be discussed in the 2016 election campaigns, particularly at the presidential level.

Economy

-- A Rising Tide That Doesn't Lift All Boats: Poverty and Wealth Disparity --

On several recent occasions in recent months there have been Republicans speaking about Poverty and how to be rid of it. Rep. Paul Ryan (Republican candidate for Vice President in 2012) and JEB Bush (son of former President George H. W. Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, former governor of Florida and possibly the Republican party's candidate for President in 2016) are examples. They have yet to directly addressed the economics ideas which have led to the problem of wealth disparity and the fact the profit from all new growth is going to a very few people in America. The product of American labor is not being shared by everyone. The tide is rising and many people are simply drowning and the Republicans have yet to publicly recognize that fact, much less propose policies to address it.

What is Paul Ryan's suggested new tax reform? Tax cuts for a few people -- greater wealth disparity.

What was JEB Bush's comment on the topic of poverty in today's discussion? That we need much better education for people. Well, President Obama suggested a program to give free education at the community college level to anyone who can keep their grades up, but Republicans oppose it.

If we can't find a way to better share the product of our labours, then how can we say the government is upholding the Constitutional decree that "We the People" are in charge in America and that America is supposed to be for the benefit of everyone living here?

-- Education, Unemployment, Foreign Trade and Unions --

What is the proper role of the American corporation today? How do all the stakeholders have their say and have a significant impact on their world? What is the proper role of the union today, and in particular unions of government employees?

Energy

We are living in a transitional era, post-agricultural post-slavery and with new kinds of energy and mechanization to serve us. But, our fuels: coal, oil and natural gas are available in only finite quantities. We have to prepare for a future without those. The only other major energy source we use is nuclear and that's not currently acceptable for automobile and truck and aircraft transportation (except to power batteries). It's also unacceptable for many other purposes. Ridding ourselves of the waste and preventing dangerous people from committing acts of great vilence are great challenges. We need to develop safer nuclear energy or renewables or some other new sources. We need to do that rapidly. Even if someone discounts climate change as irrelevant it is inevitable fossil fuels will disappear and we have to have alternatives.

The Republicans have been involved with the oil industry a very long time. Especially Texan oil men have supported Republicans and the Bush family in particular. It's no surprise we've had two Bush presidents and now a third is running for the office. This doesn't mean we should allow their money to buy an election rather than having a better vision for the future.

Foreign Policy

Today, JEB Bush did something quite similar to Ronald Reagan -- he didn't entirely disagree with Pres. Obama's policies, but simply expressed the view that the president didn't have a policy or strategy or any effectiveness. By dismissing the president's foreign policy in one go he opens the way to express anything he likes and to describe it as new and wonderful. Of course, that's not the truth of the matter. At this point his circle of advisers are familiar faces from previous Republican administrations.

Democrats have the public interest at heart and not just some ideological drive to "free the world". We can easily claim to be upholding the Constitution more than the Republicans who have argued we must spread Democracy and free people. That isn't in the Constitution. Defending America, an isolationist view, is what the Founders wanted. They preferred to do commerce and leave warring to the Europeans of those days. Since those days, especially since America has grown stronger (during the 20th century) we have become more evangelical and not only protected people from disaster, but we've tried to convince them to join our economic system and to do business with us and to adopt our other political Values. Pres. George W. Bush even referred to promoting Democracy as one of the ideas behind the invasion of Iraq. The public doesn't much favor that today and our government's large debt argues against it too.

This could be a significant issue in the presidential campaign, but it would likely be a difficult one for any candidate to win. Foreign Policy tends to be a slippery issue where successes and failures may be confused for decades. Still, the Democratic candidate needs to argue for our positions and stake out any new direction they want to go. It might be true that 'direction' is more important in Foreign Policy than any specifics.

Values & Civil Rights

For some years, since the death of Jerry Falwell and the decline of Pat Robertson and some other religious leaders, the Christian Right hasn't been very vocal. I suppose they still vote regularly, but most of their policy positions haven't been given much attention. I wouldn't be surprised if the Republican campaign strategists try to cobble together a coalition which pushes various policies to gain stronger support. In 2012 their candidate Mitt Romney got very strong support among men and whites and still lost. I would expect the Republicans to seek a broader coalition, though they have failed to convince their base to accept Latinos and their acceptance among any people of color or non-Christian beliefs isn't very strong.

Democrats can discuss Values because we support the Equal Rights (sometimes referred narrowly to Civil Rights) provisions of the Constitution and fight to enforce them in reality. We fight for voting rights, fair jail sentencing, fair treatment by police on the streets, fair educational opportunities and equal chance to succeed in any realm of life. Democrats' support for women, gays and other major groups in America can be a valuable electoral support. When Libertarians argue for greater Liberty the Democrats can reply that they've been fighting for that a very long time.

The Role of Government

There are some who look at the Constitution and see little purpose. There are some who see abstract phrases which can encompass many things. There is a significant belief on the Right today that there is less and less purpose in a federal government -- at least when a Democrat is president. They consider shutting down (all but essential services) government as not a big decision. They complain endlessly about an abusive IRS or an over-reaching NSA or all-powerful EPA or wasteful Education Dept. or the incredibly complex Dodd-Frank law and the opaque Federal Reserve and argue these should be eliminated. This comes mainly from the more Libertarian-leaning Republicans, but even more traditional Republicans have a history of resenting many government rules and regulations. There is also a strong business contingent which lobbies for less regulation and taxation.

Simply making the case for the federal government, and in particular the many regulatory functions and social programs, could be a significant part of the campaign. It depends in part on who the Republican candidate would be.

Any Democratic candidate for President should be prepared to argue for policies and paint a clear picture of the damage alternatives the Republicans might suggest could do and have done.