Promises, Promises

So the Democratic Convention is over and we can drop the presumtive from Mr. Kerry's title.  I didn't really watch the speech.  I was talking with Mrs. X on the phone for nearly half of it and then I was changing out laundry and other stuff.  What I did gather was that Mr. Kerry served in the military during Vietnam and people should view him as a capable leader who is perfectly capable of doing what Mr. Bush is already doing, only better.  Except that he's still a little vague on the specifics.  As for other points, MSNBC put out a little list of high points promised during Mr. Kerry's speech:

* Cut the deficit in half over four years by ending corporate tax cuts.
* Offer targeted tax breaks for the middle class; roll back tax cuts to people earning over $200,000 a year.
* Close tax loopholes to companies moving jobs abroad and give breaks to firms keeping good-paying jobs at home.
* Pledge not to privatize Social Security or to cut benefits.
* Invest in new technology and alternative fuels to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
* Pledge never lead the United States into a preemptive war.
* Immediately implement the recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission and reform intelligence gathering.
* Rebuild alliances with other nations.
* Ensure the United States would lead the global effort against nuclear proliferation.
* Add 40,000 active-duty troops; double the number of U.S. Special Forces.
* End the military’s heavy reliance on National Guard and military reservists.
* Offer incentives that would save families $1,000 a year on health insurance costs; allow Americans to buy prescription drugs from countries like Canada.

The points which grab my attention the most are the pledge to add 40,000 active-duty troops and end the heavy reliance on National Guard and reserves.  Right now, upwards of 1/3 of the forces in the field are National Guard and reserve.  That's about 50,000 troops.  If Mr. Kerry recalls them and then replaces them with regulars and adds 40,000 more, you're looking at nearly 100,000 extra troops entered into the service.  I'm sure recruiters would be the first to tell Mr. Kerry that he's probably not going to make those numbers based on volunteers.  So, is Mr. Kerry supporting a new draft to meet goals?  If he is, I would like to hear that directly.

I also think that Mr. Kerry might have a small problem selling his message to corporations.  Corporate tax cuts go away to pay down the debt (a laudable goal that I would like to see achieved) and corporations loose the tax loopholes that allow them move certain operations overseas.  Yet we're supposed to keep jobs here by offering them incentives.  I don't necessarily see that corporations are going to go along with that.  But, one could argue that he doesn't need the cooperation of corporations to get elected and then all bets are off.

Really, all this is much hype over little.  As we are both aware, most of the stuff that Mr. Kerry and Mr. Bush are promising can't be done anyway unless they have Congress backing them up.  Given how closely divided Congress is, they aren't going to do anything that might jeopardize their position, so nothing will really change from the status quo.  Mr. Bush will present a similar list of things he wants to do and won't be able to get done in about a month.  We'll have to see what kind of party they throw in New York relative to the one in Boston.  The only thing I can guarantee is that we won't get random shots of Ben Afflack sitting next to Mrs. Clinton during the speeches.