[From the diaries -- Hunter]
We've all noticed it. Most of us have appreciated it: Democrats have finally gotten up off the bench and begun to oppose the most egregious aspects of the theocratic and oligarchic Republican agenda. Reid surprised us with his ability to organize an effective and united opposition to Republican appointments, legislation, and bullying. It's been a remarkably effective couple of months for Democratic senators. However, everything Democrats have done to date--excepting Barbara Boxer's principled actions early this year--have essentially been defensive in nature.
What we need is a good offense, and I have some ideas. Flip past the hump for more.
Part 1: Background
Georgia10's recent diary expressed a lot of the frustration I've been feeling of late with the mixed nature of the DNC's and Senate's holding actions. After all, however satisfactory it is to see our Senators blocking or protesting the most egregious Republican idiocy, blocking and protesting aren't enough. There are times that I feel completely overwhelmed by the challenge we face, and times that I'm infuriated by the continued inefficacy of so many of our representatives, but it seems to me that it is necessary to go past despair, to stop venting, to get past the angry criticism and all the flailing about, and offer some suggestions. Welshman just recently made a similar point in his lovely, lucid, flowing, digressive style, and it's one that we should all take to heart: pure passion isn't enough to get the job done: you have to tell the client what they need to know to make an informed decision, and a large part of what they need to know is how your product is going to fix their problems.
In this case our product is the Democratic Party--or liberals in general--and our client is the collective body of the American people, particularly as represented by swing voters and increasingly disillusioned Republicans.
So let's take stock. Where are we as a party? We are shut out of the executive branch; and in the minority in the judicial and legislative branches of the government. We would seem to be powerless.
Nevertheless, congressional Dems have largely shut down the Republican social security initiative. They responded vocally to the Republican bankruptcy initiative. They critiqued the appointments of Gonzalez and Rice. They are now regularly mounting sometimes subtle, sometimes courageous defenses of basic democratic positions. But--with the exception of a few individuals (Boxer, Byrd, etc) Democrats have limited their response to defensive parliamentary maneuvers.
Don't get me wrong--their defense has often been breathtakingly effective, and I applaud (almost) every step they've taken thus far. But politics is war by another means, and wars are not won on the basis of purely defensive actions. Holding the enemy off is not enough to win the day when you are besieged on all sides.
Are my metaphors too discursive? Let me clarify: the Democrats are doing better, but they still aren't getting the job done.
What we need is a good offense.
Part 2: Strategery
Clearly, Democrats need to do more. However, proactive suggestions become somewhat tricky. How is a party which is in the minority in congress, completely shut out of the executive, and being challenged in the judiciary--a party with very little support in the so-called liberal monkey-see monkey-do media--how are the democrats to mount a solid offense? Practically speaking, what can they do?
To my mind, it's relatively simple. The example exists in recent history, and it won't be a difficult example to follow if the Dems can just get their heads out of their butts: Democrats can do the same thing Newt Gingrich did in the early 90s: mount an offense outside of the standard legislative channels: take the fight to the people of the United States of America, and to the minds with which we are blessed. (Even red-staters have brains, you know. They can listen to reason and think for themselves--and see that the current Republican corruptocrats aren't capable of leading this country out of its current downward spiral.)
We just have to lay the options out clearly. Democrats have gotten out of the habit of doing that since Clinton introduced the third way, and started blurring everything. It's time to stop blurring and start talking sense. All the Democrats have to do is offer a viable and credible alternative to the tragic Republican excuse for policy.
It is time--and past time--for the DNC or other Democratic organizations--but especially the house and senate Democrats--to draft a manifesto and start to disseminate it.
Democrats should:
- Create a solid, proactive, concise, sincere, compelling, and positive plan (manifesto) for the future of America.
- Distribute the manifesto by email and by word of mouth.
- Print the manifesto as advertisements (moveon style) in national, regional, and local papers.
- Push the plan aggressively in the media.
- Take every opportunity to illustrate the ways in which the current Republican agenda fails to live up to the far superior Democratic plan.
- Force the Republicans to address the Democratic agenda by means of increasingly vocal criticism of the Republican administrative bungles. Aggressively compare Republican idiocy to the advantages of the Democratic plan.
- Start soon, and keep the plan in the public consciousness through the 2006 and 2008 elections, doing everything possible to live up to all goals as soon as possible.
- Use the plan to attract swing voters and build a congressional majority.
This is, at its core, exactly what Newt Gingrich did with the so-called Contract with America. Of course, with Republican legislators being selfish ass-hat plutocrats, half the plan was tossed out as soon as it became inconvenient, and the other half was twisted so that the promises only appeared to be met, while in reality the resultant legislation was full of Orwellian shadiness.
Can this work twice? Have Americans grown too wary and cynical as a result of years of Republican double-speak?
Kerry attempted something similar with his perpetual retreat to the refrain "I have a plan..." in the last election, and it was stiff and awkward and wholly uninteresting.
But that was just Kerry. The man, for all his good qualities and policy insight, was and remains a ponderous speaker and a marketing butterfinger.
I remain convinced that a carefully conceived manifesto can repeat Gingrich's feat, and flip the congress back to the current minority party. The current state of the union, and the shambles of the congress, make it a clear possibility.
If Democrats promise nothing that is not a core belief of the Democratic party; if Democrats promise nothing that is not necessary; if Democrats promise nothing that they do not fervently want to deliver...if, in short, Democrats only promise what we all know they already stand for...if they remain true to their political core, and to the needs of their oldest constituencies...AND IF THEY DO NOT SUFFER A FAILURE OF VISION AND OFFER TENTATIVE, MEANINGLESS FIXES...their credibility will be that much greater. It may even be enhanced.
Democrats can attain credibility by being true to the party ideals, rather than moving toward the center. They can retain credibility by delivering all promises as soon as they take control of the legislature. They can deflect any criticism prior to that point by pointing out who still holds majority, and suggesting that critics take any issues up with the Republican leadership, or, better yet, work to kick Republicans out of office, per Kos's recent suggestion.
First, the key word for this endeavor is responsibility. Under most circumstances this is not the sexiest of words--freedom, liberty, democracy, terrorism, and security have been the clear and exploitative buzzwords of the Bush spin machine--but, given the "administration" of the last four years, and the clear path of the next four, Americans are starting--and will continue--to hunger for responsible leadership. Use this word. Own it. Laugh at the Republicans if they try to coopt it. Live up to the word. Take
Responsibility.
Also honesty, integrity, independence, and conservation. Some examples:
Honesty: It's time to return honesty to the house and senate. Vote Democratic in 2006.
Integrity: We need integrity from our elected officials. That's why I'm voting Democratic. Only Democrats can guarantee the integrity of the political process and the integrity of voting machines. You can't trust Republicans with your money. You can't trust Republicans to do what's right. Republicans have no integrity.
Independence: Only Democrats have demonstrated a commitment to energy independence. Only Democrats support an independent judiciary. Democrats think for themselves and don't take orders from the White House. Government shouldn't take handouts from special interests, or let lobbyists write legislation. A Democratic congress won't take orders from anyone but you, the American people.
Part 3: The manifesto
As I said above, a clear and concise document is necessary to serve as the anchor and pivot of the Democratic effort to retake congress. The following is the best I could come up with on my own. I'm sure real world concerns and external input will alter the document considerably, but this is the core of the document I think the country needs to see, and see again, and again, and again:
Under a Republican president and congress, the United States of America has turned a record surplus into a record deficit. Americans are working harder than ever before, but jobs are harder to find, real salaries are lower, and health insurance costs are climbing through the roof. This is a direct result of the Republican refusal to regulate crucial industries. In fact, the Republican economic agenda is specifically tailored to serve the rich and powerful at the expense of ordinary Americans.
It's time to turn this country around. It's time to start standing up for real Americans. It's time to start thinking about the future. It's time to start taking care of our children. We need reform, and we need it now.
If you help Democrats win a majority in congress, we pledge to work for:
Consumer and Taxpayer Protection
Consumer credit protection
Consumer credit protection to keep American families away from the bankruptcy courts. We will regulate the credit card companies and place strict limits on the interest they can charge. We will ban deceitful lending practices.
Progressive tax reform
We will pass true tax reform (as opposed to Bush's Orwellian tax reform) that determines income tax brackets based on total income from all sources, and eliminates shelters for the very rich. We will maintain exemptions for families with children, for family farmers, and other deserving groups, but we will eliminate corporate tax shelters. Large corporations pay taxes like everyone else. It's time the rich learn to play fair. True tax reform is necessary to balance the budget.
Energy Independence
Government support of alternative energy sources
It's time to ween this country off foreign energy sources. We will provide sizeable tax credits and other subsidies for start-up companies in alternative energy--particularly wind and solar--which are in plentiful supply and can quickly replace our current reliance on dwindling fossil fuel supplies.
Government support for energy research
We will aggressively increase government funding for energy research. America needs to have state-of-the-art energy capabilities to meet our growing needs and the realities of the 21st century.
Integrity of the election process
Federal Standards.
We will pass meaningful federal standards for voting machine technology, including the addition of a legally-binding paper trail or receipt. We will create an oversight committee with teeth and will create federal laws requiring nonpartisan voting boards and administrators.
Federal funding for federal elections.
We will provide federal funding for all candidates for the House of Representatives or Senate in a plan similar to Colorado's successful experiment in publicly-funded elections. It's time to give ordinary Americans a chance to compete for elected office on even footing with the rich. With a more egalitarian House and Senate, the needs of ordinary Americans will be met more completely.
Integrity of Government
Get the special interests out of Washington
We will increase government restrictions on lobbyists and reduce the influence peddling and corruption in Washington.
Balance the budget
Bush and the Republican congress have saddled our children with impossible debt. We will write a balanced budget amendment requiring the federal government to pay as it goes. We will allow a deficit only in times of war, with war clearly defined as being openly declared by congress. To reduce the burden on working Americans, we will balance the tax code so that the rich and the most powerful corporations pay their fair share.
Openness and Accountability
We will strengthen the Freedom of Information Act and require that all government business save requisite defense and homeland-security-related measures be a matter of public record. Bush's closed-door dealings will be a thing of the past.
Outlaw misuse of government funds
We will require that all government contracts be awarded through competative bidding, and we will outlaw the current presidential practice of billing the government--and American taxpayers--for unending campaign expenses.
Corporate Reforms
Credit Reform
We will place limits on interest rates for credit and loan companies, and tie them to within a few percentage points of federal rates. We will outlaw deceptive and bait-and-switch practices.
Media Reform
Corporate bias and interest must in all cases be divulged clearly and honestly. The current political sympathies of the controlling editorial body of any paper or media outlet with national distribution must be a matter of public record.
Health Insurance
Health insurance costs have skyrocketed and it's all largely of Republican deregulation. We will work to limit the rising costs of health insurance.
End outsourcing
We will eliminate all existing financial incentives for corporations to ship jobs overseas, and will require U.S. companies to keep a majority of their jobs in the U.S. if they wish to maintain their U.S. registration.
Education
Return control of schools to local school boards
We will increase government funding, and stop government meddling, in local schools. We will decrease the frequency of tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act and increase the amount of time students spend learning useful information.
Don't punish our children
We will remove punitive fiscal measures for poorly-performing schools, and will instead require increased government oversight and teacher and administrator re-education for failing schools. You can't teach our children by closing their schools.
Increase the quality of public education
De-emphasize test-preparation and emphasize critical thinking. Pure memorization is no preparation for life in the workforce.
Environment
Restore the power of the Environmental Protection Agency
Under Bush, the EPA has been gutted of its oversight abilities. Irresponsible corporate lackeys have been installed at all levels. The Bush EPA even proposed a corporate-sponsored plan to test pesticides on American children. It's time to restore the protective role of the EPA. It's time to start cleaning up our environment again.
Support research in clean energy
It's time government took a proactive roll to further our energy independence and promote clean energy. Wind and solar can help ease the rising costs of crude oil. Government-funded research will kickstart a transition to clean energy.
Health Care
Health Reform
We will form a research group to find the best way to provide health care to all Americans. We will look seriously at a national health plan, but will never sacrifice the quality care that Americans have come to expect. Health care is a civil right, and a Democratic congress will treat it as such.
Social Security
Meaningful Social Security Reform
To ensure the continued solvency of Social Security, we will eliminate the cap on social security taxes. All Americans will pay social security tax from now on. It's time to stop making middle class and poor families carry more than their fair share of the burden.
As I said above, this is one effort from my single, solitary self. It could almost certainly be improved with further input from others.
My point in writing this is that there is something Democrats can do to increase their effective power and to regain the popular mandate from Bush: let people know, conclusively and unequivocally, how life will be better under Democratic leadership.
My sense is that while most Dems have their hearts in the right place, and while quality policy wonks abound, Democratic political strategists are in somewhat short supply.
I suggest that we give them some help. I suggest that we start putting some serious work into a short, concise, realistic series of workable proposals which, in their very wording make it clear to Americans how much better off the U.S. would be if Democrats were in charge.
What do you think? I'll be around, on and off, all evening in case any of you want to talk.