Better Leaders, Fewer "Benchmarks"

I saw an article in the Washington Post recently that really caught my attention. The author writes:

We used to have goals. Remember goals? Sending a man to the moon? Or how about ending poverty or balancing the budget?

Now we have “benchmarks.” Like “surge” or “insurgents,” it’s become part of our everyday language when we’re talking about Iraq.

Benchmarks are an important component of any plan – they help you measure progress, and they clue you into what is and is not working. But benchmarks absent any underlying plan or final goals are meaningless – nothing more than empty talking points meant to create the illusion of a plan that doesn’t really exist.

Will Democrats Enact Tough Ethics Reform, Or Prove They Don't Get It?

It’s been more than 7 months since voters took control of Congress away from corrupt Republicans, and more than 5 months since Democrats took over – and still we are waiting for real ethics reform to improve accountability in Congress. We at 21st Century Democrats ask, “are there enough reform-minded Democrats with strong leadership to convince the foot-draggers that the party will be over if they don’t enact real ethics reform?” Sadly, the answer may not be what we want to hear.

The House leadership started off on the right foot in January by enacting rules restricting meals, travel and gifts from lobbyists, but some of the strongest measures, like requiring lobbyists to publicly disclose when they bundle campaign contributions for federal candidates, were passed over due to the resistance of some Members who don’t get it.

This is why 21st Century Democrats stopped supporting just any old back-bench Democrats and decided to focus on finding real progressive Democrats who will be leaders within the party. The fundamental principle of our approach is that we need more leadership within the Democratic Party to actually make substantial changes in the direction of public policy.

Gov. Strickland Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland believes every Ohioan deserves quality health care. And Governor Strickland is willing to put his money where his mouth is.

Recently, The Columbus Dispatch ran a story noting that Strickland has declined employer-paid health insurance for himself and his wife Frances, since he was elected to Congress in 1992. Noted was his decision to switch to a health insurance plan offered Ohio state government workers and pay for the premium, at least $10,646 for him and Frances, out of his own pocket.

It is a principled stand that has cost him close to $100,000 since 1992. But Ted has done this because he believes that elected leaders would be more likely to support making sure everyone had health insurance coverage if they knew how much it actually cost by paying for it themselves.