This might sound like something a cheesy grade school motivational speaker might say, but it's true.
Despite all the analysis that might be being offered in the mainstream media, there really is one thing that Democrats need in order to do well in this and future elections:
Confidence.
Here me out.
Like I said, you might think this sounds trite and cheesy, but try this out. Say something you know isn't true with complete and utter confidence to someone you know. I bet they'll believe you or, at the very least, be hesitant to disagree with you. This is what Republicans get and Democrats don't: you can say anything with confidence and people will believe you.
Allow me to be blunt. The American people are stupid. They don't know what good economic policy is, nor financial policy, health care policy, or national security policy. The American people want to elect people who they believe know what good policy is. And how does the public judge a politician to know what he/she is talking about? By how confidently the politician holds his/her positions.
The Democrats are like the guy who thinks he can get the girl by telling her what she wants to hear. The Republicans are like the guy who speaks to the girl confidently about what he thinks and doesn't give a shit about how that affects her opinion of him. Guess which guy is gonna get the girl?
Democrats need to have confidence in both governing and campaigning. They need to vote confidently in favor of progressive issues and not worry about what the polls say at the moment because if politicians act with confidence, public opinion will follow. And when campaigning, Democrats need to not run away from the progressive stances they've taken while voting. If they confidently stand by the legislation they voted for, people will believe they have the public's best interests at heart.
How about a couple recent historical examples? Think about the 2004 presidential election. George Bush spoke confidently about his positions on the issues and John Kerry did not. In 2008, Barack Obama spoke confidently about Democratic principals and won the presidency.
So what have we seen in the run up to 2010? A hesitancy by many Democrats to support Democratic legislation like the health care bill. Democrats running away from other Democrats. This looks to the public like a lack of confidence in Democratic principals. No wonder the public is reluctant to support Democrats in November! I can only hope that the lesson Democrats take from this going forward is that a little confidence goes a long way.