I know Democrats live by the strategy that “all elections are local.” OK, maybe in most years, but not this year. Honestly, mid-term turnout is usually abysmal, on all sides. The party that wins them does so with a fraction of registered voters providing the majority at the ballot box. The reason that the winds blow against the President’s part at that moment? Well, that’s because those tend to be the angriest, most motivate voters.
Not this year. And we need to seize the moment to truly do what other parties in other democracies do. Run nationally, on all electoral levels, and not only hold our Congressional majorities, but grow them. Not only hold our state houses, but take back more, take more governorships.
But doing this race to race, issues to issues is not going to cut it. Republicans are really good at finding national issues — because it works.
All Democrats should be running on a simple, basic, and easy to understand platform. This is not hard:
1. Guarantee a woman’s right to choose and control her own body federally and in every single state in the country.
2. Ban the sale of assault weapons and rapid fire accessories and ammunition — in every single governmental body in the country.
3. Protect democracy by guaranteeing the right to register to vote and open and equal access to voting for every American across the country.
4. Protect and guarantee the results of free and fair elections on all levels across the country
5. Protect and expand health care coverage for all.
6. Attack Republicans openly and honestly for being the proto-fascist, criminal enterprise that they are.
It’s not enough for elected Democrats to come out and talk about these things today, or for candidates to state their support for any of these in their individual campaigns. There needs to be coordinated message that blankets media, supports our candidates and turns out voters in November.
We can win, but not unless we go above and beyond our usual strategies.