A few days ago, I wrote about the Republican leadership in Congress and President Trump needing to deliver on their campaign promises to fix the disaster that is the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as it is widely known.  I cautioned the GOP that the American voters sent them to Washington to do just that, by either repealing the act altogether or making some adjustments to make health insurance truly affordable.

Failure to do so,  I warned, could lead to a rallying cry from the Democrats that could capitalize on that betrayal to win back some seats in the mid-terms as well as the 2020 general election.  But after the events of this weekend, my concerns appeared to be unfounded.

The Democrats unveiled their new slogan, “A Better Deal,” but on the surface, it seems to be the same old deal they were talking about throughout Obama’s tenure.  I guess coming up with a positive message based on their brand of politics is harder than I expected it to be.

In an article on cnn.com attributed to Reps. Cheri Bustos, David Cicillne and Hakeem Jeffries, co-chairs of the House Democratic Policy & Communications Committee, the group explained the reasoning behind the new slogan.

The committee says the new agenda was created from the ground up, and included input across the ideological spectrum, and claimed the group listened to all voices, reflecting the dreams and aspirations of all the nation’s people.

The plan calls for creating millions of new jobs by investing in the nation’s infrastructure, promises to protect Social Security and Medicare, fight for a living wage for all workers, and lower the cost of prescription drugs and the cost of education.

Sorry, but this new “Better Deal” sounds a whole lot like the campaign rhetoric we have been fed by candidates on both sides of the aisle for decades, only to be mired in partisan politics after whichever party takes power in the legislative or executive branches.

Open-ended promises to invest in innovation and advanced research to make it possible for all Americans to get skill training to land a better paying job have been touted for it seems forever, and all the while the education system in America continues to fall behind many of the other countries in the world.

Criticizing the crumbling infrastructure and the lack of job-skill training six months into Trump’s presidency, after eight years of a Democrat in the White House sort of makes one wonder why we let this happen in the first place, if we had a solution just waiting in the wings.

I saw a little glimmer of hope when Sen. Chuck Schumer stepped out of the victim mode and said we couldn’t blame Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump on the Russians or James Comey, but on the fact that the Dems just didn’t get their message to the people instead.  I thought for just a bit that we were going to finally realize that the 2016 election results were not going to be overturned and the Democrats were ready to move on towards the future.

But, all I see is more of the same old-same old.  The phrase, “A Better Deal” is just a rewording of “Make America Great Again,” and unless someone puts forth specifics, it is little more than a slogan.

The country needs new ideas, not re-packaging of empty vague promises, that drift away with the election smoke.  The country needs leaders, not career politicians.  The country needs officials willing to compromise across party lines to reach the goals they all promote while seeking office.

Only then will we Make America Great Again, and maybe then, we can all truly get “A Better Deal.”