A Societal Sea Change

Remember how, when President Bush opened up our public lands to logging, he called it "Healthy Forests?" And remember how, when he gutted the Clean Air Act, he called it "Clear Skies?"

The plan he rolled out last week to rebuild the Gulf Coast should have been called the "New Great Society." As MSNBC's Joe Scarborough remarked during one post-speech spin session, aspects of the $300 billion plan would put Lyndon Johnson to shame. At least, that's how it appeared on TV. The reality is, of course, very different from the rhetoric.

But we progressives shouldn't merely fact check the president. We should contrast our ideas with his actions. The monumental task of rebuilding is loaded with fundamental choices about what kind of society we want to be. Let's make those choices as clear as possible in the coming months and years so that everyone has a chance to see what progressives--and what conservatives--are made of.

Here's a beginning:

 ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Progressives believe in economic fairness. We believe that government has an important role in building an expansive, enduring middle class. That's why we're saying that the people who were hit hardest by the storm need to be given preferential treatment in the reconstruction efforts. They should be given health care and fair wages for their work so that they can muscle their way out of poverty and absorb the blows they've been dealt.

Meanwhile, Halliburton has already lined up tens of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts and President Bush has suspended a measure called the Davis-Bacon Act, which ensures decent wages for jobs funded by federal dollars. Additionally, everyone from Newt Gingrich to the Wall Street Journal's editors have recommended that the ravaged region be turned into a "free enterprise zone"--the president called it an "opportunity zone" last night--by slashing corporate taxes and regulations.

ON A STRONG SAFETY NET

Progressives believe that in a democracy, we have an obligation to take care of each other. In part, that means that when people fall down, we need to lend them a hand. That's why we have renewed our call for strengthening, not weakening, the social safety net--for those affected by the hurricane and for all Americans. We have urged Congress to halt its planned budget cuts in Medicaid, housing, food stamps and education and asked congressional leaders to abandon the president's plan to privatize Social Security.

We are also recommending that Congress repeal the recently passed bankruptcy laws to allow families struggling with disasters like Katrina the ability to seek some kind of economic relief.

Meanwhile, the White House has said it will persist with the president's plans to privatize Social Security and Congress refuses to give up its agenda of cutting $35 billion in Medicaid, food stamps and other vital services this fall.

ON ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Progressives believe in maintaining a healthy environment that can sustain life indefinitely. And we believe in creating good jobs and new technologies in the process. That's why we have renewed our call to pass an Apollo Alliance-style energy plan. We have laid out ideas to cut our dependence on fossil fuels, to mitigate future hurricanes by reducing global warming, to reduce flood surges by preserving wetlands, and to retool our homes, communities and transportation systems to ease energy use. And we have urged Congress to move quickly on Sen. Byron Dorgan's planto tax some of the excess profits that energy companies have been raking in and to use the resulting revenue to invest in alternative forms of energy.

And two days ago, Barack Obama offered a sweetheart deal to America's auto manufacturers: If they agree to cut auto emissions in half in 15 years, the government will help improve their economic competitiveness by covering their retirees' health care costs.