The biggest "problem" that I think are perceived with the Democrats is that they don't "stand" for anything. I think that the Democrats desperately need a "Contract with America", although a lot of it will take some salesmanship and we need to make sure we put this into Democratic frames instead of Republican frames. In this diary, I'm describing
what I think needs to be done, and am leaving the question of
how to sell it to other people. This list is not all inclusive, just some items I think we need.
In my opinion, the primary problem facing America in the early 21st century is the oil problem. It suffuses all we do, so my thought is to create a plan that includes energy policy as a centerpiece, both as a national security and an economic security issue.
This plan is my own plan. Most of these items are stuff that the government is going to have to move on initially. Hopefully, the government can work out some public/private partnership deals and try to offload some of this onto the private sector once the plan gets moving. This plan is hardly exhaustive: it's more a list of ideas than a fix-all solution.
The main points of the plan:
Do everything possible to reduce our dependence on oil as a resource as soon as possible. Raise CAFE standards for cars, tax gasoline at a high rate, etc. Pour money into developing cars and long-haul transport that can run off of batteries or sharply reduced gasoline. Penalize and dis-incentivize low-mileage SUVs through government programs and encourage people to buy new, efficient cars.
Investigate methods of cheap industrial production of high energy density fuels, such as regular motor gasoline, kerosene, natural gases and propane, etc. All these fuels consist of chains of hydrogen and carbon, really nothing else. There must be some way to make the stuff from water and CO2, for example using algae-derived biodiesel processes. Also, there are already experimental industrial processes to convert organic waste products into oil, including medical waste, food processing byproducts, and plastic. We may be able to make enough of these fuels synthetically through these kind of processes to handle our jet fuel, fertilizer, and plastic needs. To run millions of cars from this would be impossible, however.
Reinvigorate large-scale mass-transport systems, including urban light rail and electrical freight trains. Try to set this up such that taking rail is preferable to flying (for long-haul) or driving (for short urban transportation).
Start an unprecedented crash program to move as much of our society as possible to alternative electrical power generation, specifically wind, solar, tidal/geothermal, and nuclear if renewables are insufficient at present. Spend a great deal of government money on increasing the yield and decreasing the cost of solar panels, and put programs in place to encourage their use in new construction. Projects such as the "Cape Wind" project should be pushed ahead as quickly as is feasible. Every watt of power we get from sources such as these is one less that we need.
Do everything possible to pay off the national debt now. Stop deficit spending and raise taxes if necessary. Cut government spending for frivolous or unnecessary things. Start the process of forcing all government programs to be fiscally transparent, especially the military or military-related programs.
Do everything possible to move key industrial production back into the United States and try to get the trade deficit back to parity or a surplus. An industrial production base is a matter of national security for the United States. I do not have a good method for accomplishing this immediately, but there must be a way to do it at least in part. We cannot rely on other countries for our essential goods and services, particularly when transportation is going to get a whole lot more expensive.
Stop subsidizing suburban sprawl in any way. Start redoing building codes in such a way as to encourage mixed-use areas of cities and towns as they do in Europe: places where small businesses and residences can be in the same buildings or immediate areas. Encourage local industry and local self-sufficiency for basic life essentials, such as food and health care. This effort will have a lot of benefits including improved social relationships among people and sharply decreased usage of transport fuel.
Do everything possible to reinstate accountability among government officials for their behavior. Reverse the disastrous tendency toward secrecy in government and remind the government who it works for: us. Require the government to be extremely open about everything it does, and reverse the decline of civil liberties and rights. Hold Democratic elected officials to the same standards to which we hold Republican officials in this regard.
Work with world organizations to help third world countries keep their population growth under control (particularly India and China). The current 6 billion people on this planet are far too many and may eventually result in severe catastrophe if there is a fossil fuel shortage. I do not advocate using coercive methods to achieve these goals (e.g. the rumors of China's behavior), but I do advocate a tremendous education and outreach program involving birth control and sex education. Additionally, provide food aid and economic development aid to these countries and help them liberalize their governmental structures.
As a corollary to the last one, do everything possible to prevent illegal immigration into the U.S. Either utterly enforce the immigration laws or fix them to match reality. This business in which we have federal laws against types of immigration, yet give illegal immigrants drivers licenses in some states, has got to go. Figure out appropriate immigration policy and enforce it to the letter. Remember also that Peak Oil is going to make population a prime concern.
I'm putting this out more as "food for thought" than a definitive statement. I like to think adopting some of this plan is probably the best hope we have for the future. Our way of life currently is not economically sustainable, and the faster we learn this and make the necessary adjustments, the happier we will be in the long run. If we can sell a Democratic plan for the future including some or most of these items, the country and the Democratic party will be far better off.