As kos is so fond of saying, now is not the time to give up, and we need to fight as hard as we can at this phase. The goal simply isn't to win, it is to break their backs. But just how can we actually do that beyond winning a bunch of seats?
As much as we on the left would like to believe, the American people tend to vote for Democrats when the economy goes bad. And lo and behold, after things are good enough for a while, they seem to forget all the good that we Democrats did for them! The people get distracted by things like gay marriage and abortion and any of the Republican's pet wedges. Our distaste to get into the gutter with divisive identity politics during the economic "flush times" means that we are at an inherent disadvantage. But there is a way to win while still staying clean.
You want the Obama administration to bring in structural changes? Sure we need to win and to win big, but the most important mantra is this one:
Government is Good.
It's a very simple mantra that will require a lot of work but it can be achieved. Obama will come in, but we all need to realize that being a Democrat doesn't mean that more government = better government. We can't be vunerable to the same old tired arguments by the Republicans of wasteful government. No they'll still try it, but this time we'll be prepared.
Obama's tendency towards digitalization and increasing transparency will be a big help in this regard.
The most important part is that during Obama's first term (if we are so lucky) not only do we have to make the government much more efficient, he needs to have drastic government projects that people can relate to. We don't need to be afraid to be government, we need to make it evident that government CAN work for people and we need to crow about it all day long.
I realize that this might sound like another "Obama must ... " diaries, but really I feel this is mainly pertaining to long-term Democratic stability as a majority party. We are tied to the government and with good reason. We believe in government. It's about time we start being proud of it. We should let that pride show in our government and never flinch. And when those Republicans come along trying to tear it down again, we'll have concrete and measurable things to point at.
I'm not writing this diary to hopefully get on the Rec list, that's not what I'm interested in. Really all I want is for someone in the Obama administration to read this and possibly pass it on up. If you know someone more connected to Obama than you, maybe you could pass it on.
Since LBJ, we've won three Presidential elections. Clinton mainly won because of the economy. We've seen time and time again that people go back to the Republicans when the economy is good. We need to get our ideas across better and if we want to win a lot of Presidencies, then we have to get the American People believing that yes, "Government is Good"
We need structural changes in the public perception of government. The way we do that is by doing our job well.
Oh yeah, and bragging about it while we're doing it won't hurt either!
:)