Is it good for the country for the Democrats to take control of the Senate? That's the subject of this evening's Talking Points memo.
Many people who have read The Factor book are shocked when they come to the chapter where I select Robert Kennedy as the politician I have most admired in my lifetime.
Kennedy, of course, was a Democrat and I have been very hard on the Democrats for the past decade or so.
The Democratic Party used to stand up for the little guy. It used to fight for opportunity and fairness for working Americans. Bobby Kennedy wanted focused programs to educate the poor and was outraged by the corruption of some of the unions and by organized crime. Kennedy fought the bad guys hard and he did not mince words. I admire what he stood for.
But now we have a totally different picture. The Democratic Party today curries favor with special interest groups and refuses to embrace disciplined solutions to complicated problems.
The Clinton administration failed dismally to improve public education despite massive spending. When the brutal stats came out last month that 60 percent of poor fourth graders can't read did we see any mea culpas from the Democrats? No way. Their solution is to spend more money but forget about any competition through vouchers. Why? Because vouchers offend the teacher's unions.
And why would any American want to spend more money on education when the Department of Education has failed its last three audits and up to a billion dollars in federal funding cannot be accounted for. So who's fault is that?
Democrat Richard Riley was in charge. Why isn't he being held accountable? If I were in charge he'd be in cuffs.
Likewise the Department of Energy under the Clinton administration was an absolute disgrace. First Hazel O'Leary ran up huge bills traveling all over the world then we find out the Chinese stole some nuclear secrets because Ms. O'Leary ordered security cut by half.
Then OPEC cut production and Mr. Clinton said not a word. Then California's energy deregulation collapsed under Democratic Governor Gray Davis -- although Republican Pete Wilson was at fault as well. The primary reason, special interests prevented power plants and pipelines and the Golden State simply ran out of natural gas.
In the face of all this the Clinton administration presented Americans with the highest tax burden since World War II. And who voted against across the board tax cuts? Democrats.
Here's more. Many Democrats support partial-birth abortion, when more than 90 percent of American doctors refuse to perform the procedure.
Democrats also oppose tort reform, where the bringers of frivolous lawsuits would have to pay court costs. And Dems clamor for more and more government spending in the entitlement area while the average American is paying 40 percent of his or her salary in taxes.
Looking out for the little guy? I don't think so.
Democrats will argue that Republicans are shills for the rich and powerful. There is some validity to that. But cutting taxes and demanding educational accountability are two very powerful GOP issues that resonate among everyday Americans.
The days of the special interests are coming to an end and the sooner the Democrats realize that the sooner the party can get back to what Bobby Kennedy had in mind.
And that's the memo.
Most Ridiculous Item of the Day
Singer Christina Aguilera's granny is mad at her.
According to a magazine called Heat and published in Britain, Delcie Fidler says her granddaughter looks like a hooker in her new video.
Ms. Aguilera who is 20-years old is used to her grandmother courting the press she apparently questioned the singer's choice of boyfriends as well as her attire.
Ridiculous? Not when you're making the kind of dough Christina is making.
— You can watch Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points weeknights at 8 p.m. ET. And send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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