If the Democratic Party wants a simple message to take to the people, one that even fits nicely on a bumper sticker, it should be this: "Tell Congress: Get Back To Work!" It can be expanded (for non-bumper-sticker messages) to say: If you want America to get back to work, tell Congress to Get Back To Work.
It is a message that can easily fit on protest signs, and even be chanted outside GOP Town Hall Meetings, offices, and fundraisers: "Get Back To Work!" It can be expanded upon by politicians and pundits: "To serve the people the claim to represent, Congress needs to Get Back To Work!" Candidates running against GOP incumbants can say that "if s/he won't Get Back To Work for you, then I will.
We need to keep hammering on the fact that we have one party that wants government to work, and put the country back to work, and another that does not believe in American workers, or the need for our government to work. The GOP has made clear that they have no interest in improving the economy or the lives of the vast majority of the people, and no interest in doing the work they were elected to do.
When Republicans rail about the dysfunction of "Washington", they should be told to Get Back To Work! They need to be shamed (if they have shame) for their anti-American words, for this is a "Government of the People, By the People, and For the People", so when they malign the government, they are attacking the people of the United States of America. We should make clear that it is their unwillingness to do their jobs that is causing dysfunction, along with the weakening of our nation.
Tell them: Get Back To Work!