Two articles in the Washington Monthly caught my eye. One, titled Winning is Not Enough asserts that
It’s no longer acceptable for Democrats to look at politics as a way to win the next election so as to jam through a bunch of their preferred policies before the Republicans inevitably take back power. They must instead see the purpose of politics as building sustained power for Democrats, period—but, unlike the other side, they must do this in part by strengthening the democratic process, not by undermining it. If passing this or that liberal policy helps in that effort, fine, pass it. If not, don’t. The overriding aim has to be getting and holding power—not for its own sake, but to keep the flame of democratic self-government alive unless and until the Republican Party abandons its authoritarian ways or is replaced by a new, small-d democratic party.
We’ve seen the result of “jam[ming] through a bunch of [our] preferred policies before the Republicans inevitably take back power”. The GOP, in a howl of rage, blocks progress until they win Congress and the Executive, and immediately sets out to reverse everything they can, making the situation worse than before Democrats won. Look at the thoroughness with which Team Red is identifying and reversing every single accomplishment of the Obama administration. And selected acts of every other administration back to (at least) 1916. I could provide dozens of examples off the top of my head, and so can you.
The other, Winning Is Everything But Still Not Enough expands on the theme
Democrats have a pattern of losing their majorities at the first opportunity after they gain them. This happened in the 1994 midterms and again in the 2010 midterms. ... Democrats must shoot for the trifecta (control of the White House, Senate, and House) after the 2020 elections, but they cannot be content to pass a bunch of legislation and then be cast back out into the wilderness as they were they last two times they amassed that much power.
Since 1980 there has been unified Democratic control of both Congress and the Executive for only four years — each time the two years following election of a Democratic president. That’s 38 years and only four with a complete mandate to implement our agenda. We have to do better than that.