For Immediate Release:
Contact: Karin Kullman/Eric Wortman (202) 546-0007 / (800) 546-0027

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Three years ago in Philadelphia George W. Bush promised to be a different kind of Republican, but since then he has broken that promise and more, according to the special RED MEAT issue of the Democratic Leadership Council's (DLC) BLUEPRINT magazine. Bring Him On! was released today at the DLC's 2003 National Conversation in Philadelphia, where New Democrats gathered at the scene of the crime to highlight the promises Bush has broken, demonstrate how he can be beaten, and show our party and our country what we're fighting for with a new agenda for America.

Philadelphia Story: President Bush's acceptance speech three years ago has turned out to be the archetype for his presidency: a picture-perfect and exquisitely choreographed lie. Ed Kilgore, DLC policy director, and Bruce Reed, DLC president, examine the record and find that Bush has broken most of the promises he made in Philadelphia. Instead of keeping his promise to "usher in an era of responsibility," he has instead presided over an era of fiscal irresponsibility that will produce the largest deficits in history, unilateral diplomacy that threatens to isolate America just when it needs to lead the world, and the worst jobs record since Hoover. Bush promised to change the Republican Party, but he has buckled to the right wing time after time, by giving tax cuts we can't afford to the wealthy who don't need them, shifting the tax burden onto the middle class and shortchanging the working poor, and undermining national service when we need it more than ever. These lies paint a larger picture -- a perversion of the values that Americans hold dear by our president -- and as the authors explain, "We will never be as strong as we must be in the world if our most cherished values of work, opportunity, and responsibility are under siege here at home."

Girding for Battle: This BLUEPRINT also demonstrates that Democrats can win in 2004 with the right battle plan -- a plan that offers voters a 21st century program for prosperity and strength to beat the 19th century policies of the Bush administration. Al From, DLC founder and CEO, and Reed outline a 2004 battle plan to beat Bush, based on the three part strategy offered by Bill Clinton -- the last Democrat to defeat an incumbent president. The candidate must: reassure voters that he'll keep what they like about George Bush; tell them some things they don't know about George Bush and wouldn't like if they did; and tell them what he'll give them that a second Bush administration will not. As the authors explain, this formula means matching Bush's strength on national security, while making him run on his dreadful record on nearly everything else, and offering a progressive agenda to meet the challenges of economic growth and social progress that this administration has ignored.

The New Democrats Declaration: The magazine also unveils a clear statement of where we stand and what we're fighting for: a new agenda for America. The Declaration spells out what New Democrats believe -- that America's security is the central mission of our time; that our economy cannot prosper if we don't live within our means; that our job is to expand the middle-class, not the middle-class tax burden; and that the true legacy of our party is not making big promises, but giving our people the tools to meet big challenges. The Declaration also outlines an agenda for restoring our nation's strength and prosperity, and returning responsibility to our government and our political system. Among other things, it includes:

• making America safer by overhauling our domestic intelligence bureaucracies and hiring more police and firefighters;
• making our economy stronger by ending corporate welfare as we know it, cutting taxes for the middle class instead of the wealthy, and giving all Americans the chance to own a piece of the rock;
• offering a new bargain on health care with tax credits for those who take responsibility to get their families covered;
• keeping the promise of education reform by paying teachers better and asking more of them in return;
• helping parents balance work and family by expanding after-school and family leave, and holding absent parents responsible for supporting their children; and
• expanding AmeriCorps tenfold so every young American has the chance to give something back.

BLUEPRINT: Ideas for the New Century is the flagship policy journal of the Democratic Leadership Council. Media wishing to speak to any of the BLUEPRINT authors may contact the DLC's communications office at (202) 546-0007 or (800) 546-0027. For more information on BLUEPRINT or to view the latest edition, Web users may visit the BLUEPRINT Web site at www.ndol.org/blueprint.