Washblog || Better Leaders, Fewer "Benchmarks"

Better Leaders, Fewer "Benchmarks"

By Mark Lotwis
Thu Jun 21, 2007 at 04:46:01 AM PST
Section: Diary Topic: Democrats

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.

The Boston Globe also recognizes the empty rhetoric of Bush's benchmarks:

The most obvious deficiency of the benchmarks is that Congress provided no penalties for failing to meet them. Bush opposed such penalties; the absence of any explains why he felt free to praise the bill as reflecting "a consensus that the Iraqi government needs to show real progress in return for American's continued support and sacrifice."
Even if Congress had persuaded Bush to agree to punishments for unmet benchmarks, however, the belief in benchmarks as instant therapy for Iraq would still be obtuse.

Real progress comes from bold leaders who have identified not just near-term benchmarks, but a robust plan for achieving visionary, progressive change. 21st Century Democrats has supported real leaders in the past - leaders like Ted Strickland, Keith Ellison, and Sherrod Brown. We're proud of the men and women that we helped in 2006, and we're looking forward to helping more progressive leaders in the 2008 elections.

At 21st Century Democrats, we believe that there are too many people in government who are more concerned with meaningless benchmarks than real progressive change. We're looking for more visionary progressive leaders, so if you know a great progressive candidate that could use our help, tell them to fill out our candidate questionnaire. If you believe we need proposals instead of benchmarks, sign up for our email newsletter and stay in touch with us as we move forward towards real progressive change.

< Affordable housing to be destroyed and replaced with-- | Up Off Your Asses! - Support Your Local Grocery Clerk! >

Better Leaders, Fewer "Benchmarks" | 0 comments ( topical)

RE-ELECT
ALEC FISKEN
Seattle Port Commission

www.rentonfacts.com
RENTON FACTS

FISKEN'S PORT WATCH
Environmental Issues

REAL CHANGE
HOMELESS EMPOWERMENT PROJECT

PIRATE TELEVISION
Challenging the Corporate Media Blockade

Watch Live or Archived Shows:
Seattle SCAN
South End PSA

PNW TOPIC HOTLIST

Blog Directory

WELCOME AND FAQ
ABOUT

Login

Make a new account

Recommended Diaries

MTV goes politics with 'Choose or Lose'. WA finalist Teresa submission features Lt. Watada and more
Teresa, representing what I think are strengths in our young generation, was among three finalists for MTV 'Choose or
By Lietta Ruger (0 comments)
Anti-Gay Activist Running for Renton City Council
Help prevent a fundamentalist, anti-gay activist from buying her way into local politics.
By Renton Citizen (7 comments)
What the Kenmore City Council Doesn't Want You to Know
There was a forum for candidates running for Kenmore City Council last Wednesday. If you are a Kenmore resident and you
By technogramma (28 comments)
Douglas County is the only county in Washington State that does not have a weed board.
The county commissioners and other "Private Property Rights "activists have been fighting the state and county residents for years on this
By Dixie (5 comments)
Political Graphics 101: 34th LD lit deconstructed
As part of my highly opinionated, ruthlessly honest series on political graphics, I zero in on campaign lit from the 34th.
By dinazina (6 comments)
Gulliver's Travels
Jeb Bush came to town today and stopped by to speak with the Microsoft Political Action Committee. Most memorable metaphor on
By BryceM (8 comments)