A Plan to Recapture the Political Agenda

It's 3:30 a.m., and I can't sleep.  The plight of the progressive movement is on my mind more than ever before.  On occasion, I have contemplated a small step that progressives could take to further our ideology, but this morning all those steps (and more) are swirling around in my head.  They have coalesced into what I think is a reasonable plan for controlling the political agenda the next two years and hopefully gaining seats in Congress thereafter.  And I wanted to tell someone.  (I feel a little like Jerry Maguire.)  I'd like to know what others think about this plan.  It's a little rough, but keep in mind the time of morning.

A.  A New "Contract with America"
In 1994, Newt Gingrich led the Republicans to victory in House races by proposing his "Contract with America."  Democrats have been repeatedly criticized for not having an agenda, for merely responding to what Republicans are doing.  It's time to create our own contract by which we can govern (and eventually campaign).  The policies Democrats propose need to be those aimed squarely at improving the lives of middle-class and working-class Americans.

(CONTINUED)

Here is a potential list:

1. Healthcare: Providing healthcare for all of America's children.
   
2. Homeland Security: Securing our ports, borders, and nuclear and chemical facilities and providing first responders with the resources they need to make us safer at home.
   
3. Taxes: Fairly redistributing the tax burden.
   
4. Environment: Reinstating and strengthening regulations and forcing enforcement of regulations designed to protect our air and water.
   
5. Food: Reinstating and strengthening regulations and forcing enforcement of regulations designed to make our food safe.
   
6. Campaign Finance: Publicly financing all campaigns for federal office.

There are certainly many other ideas worthy of such a contract.  

The contract should lay out the agenda in a similarly concise (and admittedly general) manner.  Such conciseness and generality will make it easier for the media and public to get the "big picture" and make it more difficult for the opposition to criticize any one proposal before Democrats are able to propose the plan for implementing it.

The contract should be announced at a major public event with all members of the Democratic congressional caucuses in attendance.  This leads to my next point.

B.  Stay Unified
The success of the contract depends upon Democrats sticking together.  A summit of the Democratic caucuses of both congressional houses should be held to get everyone on board.  Each member should have a say in formulating the content of the contract subject to specific guidelines outlined in the next section.

C.  Nature of Proposals
As mentioned, each proposal must be tailored toward directly benefiting middle- and working-class Americans.  For instance, when proposing environmental regulations, those regulations must not include the protection of some obscure owl or rodent.  The overall theme of this plan is that Democrats our looking out for the best interest of the people.  That theme must be reflected in every proposal.

Also, each proposal must stand on its own and pay for itself.  What do I mean by stand on its own?  I can explain it best by an example.  If a proposal will cost the equivalent of 10 percent of Bush's tax cuts to those making over one million dollars per year, then repeal of only that portion of the tax cuts should be recommended.  We must resist the temptation to separately propose repealing all of the tax cuts to fund plans that have not yet been detailed.  If we do not, we will get bogged down in a battle over the benefit of the tax cuts and not the benefit of our proposals.

In addition, the benefit of having each proposal self funded should be obvious.  First, it is the fiscally responsible thing to do, and it is important that Democrats continue to make headway in capturing from Republicans the perception of fiscal responsibility.  Second, it will eliminate a basis for criticizing each proposal.  Possible suggestions for funding our proposals include not only rolling back tax cuts for the wealthy but also ending corporate welfare.

D.  Preempt Criticism
As noted above, by ensuring that each proposal is self-funded, we preempt an obvious criticism of Republicans, i.e., that the country cannot afford such a proposal.  However, we must do more.  Republicans tend to recycle the same criticisms of Democratic policies.  It should not be difficult to anticipate them and publicly respond to them before Republicans even lodge them.  The key is to make it appear as though Republicans are opposing our proposals even though they have not yet done so and to discredit any criticism if and when they lodge it.

E.  Stay On Message
Democrats should announce the details of each proposal separately, one every other month.  In other words, Democrats should given themselves two months to convince the public and Republicans to pass a particular proposal.  During those two months, Democrats must remain focused like a laser on the single task of implementing that proposal.  In every public appearance, each member of the party must promote the proposal on the agenda at that time.  For instance, if Republicans are debating privatizing Social Security in one of the congressional houses, every Democrat should give a speech on the floor of that house promoting the particular contract agenda item.  If a Democrat appearing on a news program is asked about Iraq, that Democrat must find a way of changing the subject to the contract agenda.

F.  Obstruct the Opposition
To control the agenda, we must not let Congress do anything else to upstage our proposals and we must not give Republicans a record to run on in two years.  Democrats must convey in every action they take that their agenda is crucial to the very survival of the vast majority of Americans.  Anything that is not furthering that agenda must be deemed harmful to the public.  Remember the old cliché, "If you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem."  That means Democrats must use any and all means at its disposal to stop the implementation of Republican policies.

Republicans will likely criticize Democrats for being obstructionist.  Of course, that criticism can be preempted.  We must take the position that by refusing to pass our proposals, Republicans are being obstructionist.  In addition, we can easily contrast their proposals, which benefit a select few "corporate elitists," from our proposals, which are aimed at improving the lives of "ordinary Americans."

G.  Take It to the People
I think most progressives have learned how uncharitable the mainstream media is to our ideology.  Although Democrats must use the mainstream media to promote the contract agenda, it is just as important, if not more so, to seek the people's support directly.  

Democrats should run television commercials during the two months in every Republican congressional district (if not every district) promoting the agenda item at issue at that time.  In those districts where either the House member or Senator is a Republican, the commercial should prompt the viewer to call that congressional Republican and demand he or she support the agenda item.

Also, appearances on local news programs throughout the country have been proven effective at bypassing the filter of the national news outlets and should be encouraged.

H.  Progressive Support
The success of such a plan will require considerable financial backing and manpower.  In other words, it will need the support of the progressive base, which can provide Democrats with the resources it needs to promote its agenda.  To obtain that support, party leadership must do two things.

First, it should propose an activist summit, bringing together leaders of various progressive groups including, but not limited to, Moveon.org, Democracy for America, and Dailykos.  Their input, and the input of their groups' members, should be sought on the content of the agenda as well as promotion of the agenda.  Democrats must enlist the assistance of these organizations in not just raising funds but also in getting the "message of the day" out to mainstream news outlets and the party base.

Second, Democrats must make themselves more available to the so-called "independent" media.  They must appear on programs like Democracy Now and on Air America radio and must give more interviews to publications like the Nation and Mother Jones.  There are many progressives who have rejected the mainstream news outlets, myself among them.  Meanwhile, too few Democratic Party officeholders are making their voices heard on the independent sources to which progressives like myself have turned.  Yet we are, like many of you, the "true believers," the people who can be motivated to act.  Such action will be necessary to further the contract agenda.  Democrats must reach out to them, and the independent media is a valuable tool for doing so.

Ah, now I can go to sleep.