Amendment XXVIII (proposed):
Money is not speech.
Amendment XXIX (proposed): Corporations are not people.
Leading up to the 2006 midterms, Democrats should pledge to enact these two constitutional amendments. This would do many things.
First, they are simple, straight forward and hard to argue with. Basically, they are just statements of obvious fact. But they would have profound progressive reverberations through our legal and political fabric.
Second and third on the flip...
Second, since the President has no Constitutional role whatsoever to play in the amendment process, this would be a perfect pledge for Democrats in a mid-term election year with a lame duck president. (i.e. it wouldn't overshadow a Dem presidential candidate.)
Third, since state legislatures are involved in ratifying any amendments, this pledge would help Dems win in the state legislatures as well as the US Congress. This would dovetail nicely with Howard Dean's efforts to build the party in all 50 states at all levels of government, and help us in future redistricting battles and in building our "bench" for the national level.
People have been talking for a while about the Dems coming up with their own "Contract with America" in this election. I believe this is better.