Bankruptcy Bill
Social Security attack.
Gay rights.
Living wages.
Unhealthy Forests, Unclean Air
Corporate accountability/tort reform.
Social services cuts recently passed.
Voter's rights (see front page diary for recent southern chippeage).
And the forthcoming revelations that "Big Brother" is a lot bigger than anyone thought, the list goes on and on.

So me and pop were talking about some of the better things Clinton did as president, but hardly any of them involved going after republican institutions and values.  For every health care attempt, there was an abominable Media Consolidation Bill.  For every assitance he gave to single mothers, there was a Defense Of Marraige Act.  If anything, Clinton caved and/or backtracked on many of his bolder progressive promises like gays in the military, and even health care for 100% of the country when it was close to dying.  

Pop summarized it well for me: For the last couple of decades, the republicans have been on the attack against our core democratic values, but we haven't been after theirs.

Why?
Worst case scenario, we might have only had a few windows of congressional and/or presidential opportunities to do so (given the out-of-powerness the party is so adept at showing).  But even when we had the congress or even one house, more often than not, it seemed we coddled up to the GOP, limited our liberal vision of the future and just rolled with their lead.

But, as Pappy Loomis would say "On the highway of life, you can look in the rearview mirror all you want, but there ain't no reverse gear. Best to look forward to keep from hitting a ditch."  So in that spirit, I would like you to ask yourself a basic question about our possible 2008 hopefuls:  Which candidate would not only stand up and forward our own party and values, but who would also aggressively chip away at republican institutions and behaviors that have so damaged our progress in recent years?

Would it be Hillary?  Warner?   Bayh or Kerry?  How about Richardson or The Gen'ral?
Who would work with the emerging VLWC to plot the tamping down, if not beating down, of the VRWC?  If her husband is any clue, it wouldn't be Hillary.  Or would it?
What would Clark really offer in terms of growing the power and numbers within the Democratic Party?  How would Kerry embolden a new generation of democrats to keep up the good fight long after he is gone, much like Regan inspired the young GOP?

I am interested in your thoughts and opinions on this.  Please feel free to bloviate about who has shown the most gusto interms of taking on and taking out republican power.  As for me, I have seen more energy and policy proposals out of John Edwards in this area, than any other contender.

Trial Lawyer, excellent speaker, newly officlal anti-poverty spokesperson....I first started to believe that Edwards (despite some not so good senate votes) was interested in this when I saw him talk to a town hall about lobby reform in DC.  His eyes seemed to light on fire when he spoke of "shining a bright ray of sunlight on all these shady lobbyists" and "forcing them" to be more transparent and public.  Some of his recent talks about poverty fit into the category of bold initiatives that will not only embolden our values, but would chip away at the corporatist control the GOP loves to wield.

There are other examples from him, but the point is, ask yourself which primary contender will actively and aggressively seek a long-term plan to undermine and chip away at republican institutions and policies?
I am interested in your thoughts about this.