INTRODUCTION
The Democratic Party is in need of a major “come-to-Jesus” moment, the kind of soul-searching that brings clarity of purpose and depth of meaning one would find on their deathbed. Here, there’s no room for denial; there’s no room for blame; there’s no room for excuses. There’s only room for a good hard look at the dire state in which they find themselves and who they are at the core—what they care about, what they stand for, and what they are made of.
While Democrats can take a momentary sigh of relief now that they’ve deposed of Donald Trump and have eked out temporary control of the House and Senate, they’re not home free. Their electoral “success” in 2020 was anything but, actually losing a net of 10 seats in the House of Representatives and gaining the White House not because of Democratic Party strength, virtue, or electoral power, but because Trump finally imploded with his miserable management of the pandemic.
In fact, there’s a host of fundamental problems that have diminished the Democratic Party’s power and appeal over the last several decades, which made the election of Donald Trump even possible and continue to this day. These problems need to be uncovered and resolved in order to fortify the Democratic Party and create a sound foundation for solidly winning elections and saving our democracy. Those problems and their solutions are presented here in a five-point plan for victory.
The writing was on the wall in big, bold letters years and years before the Trump smack down of the Democratic Party; but alas, party leaders ignored signs of trouble. For instance, during Obama’s two terms as president, the Democratic Party lost 900 state legislature seats, 13 governorships, 69 House seats and 13 Senate seats.
While it’s not unusual for the party that controls the White House to lose power in the states, it is significant that the number of state legislatures controlled by Democrats dropped to 31%, the lowest percentage for the party since the turn of the 20th century. And the 15 Governor’s offices that were held by Democrats during this time, was the party’s lowest number since 1920. Something was going very wrong.
Yet, in the face of these ominous facts, Democratic Party operatives continued whistling along with the same faulty operating system consisting of out-of-touch politicos whose perspectives were as fresh as moldy bread. Then the unthinkable happened: Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election to the least qualified and most questionable candidate ever, Donald J. Trump. Suddenly, Democrats woke up to a reality with a bitter bite, a reality that has put our nation in an epic crisis—a crisis of identity, of values, of governance, and perhaps more.
There have been many times in recent history that Democrats have been found scratching their heads from the loser’s circle, wondering what happened. Through those losses, valuable lessons have been written about, pontificated on and embraced by the party—conceptually. Yet strangely, strategists have consistently failed to turn these insights into action, seeming to prefer being dumbfounded by every loss that “could-a, should-a, would-a” been won.
Like the clients I saw in my counseling practice suffering through a divorce, until they: 1) admitted what happened and why; 2) took responsibility for their part in it; and 3) made the necessary changes that reflection brings, they would more than likely find
The question becomes…what will the party do?
Will Democrats go on, business as usual with their heads in the sand, wrestling deep in the dirt where their only determination is to fight Republicans and resist Trumpism?
Or, will Democrats take advantage of this wake up call and get the kind of useful perspective, definition of mission, and refinement of strategy they need to rise above the dysfunction in Washington and their own party to actually make a difference in the lives of Americans?
If they can do this, they will win the support of the American people who are fed up with “politics as usual.” It’s that simple. But getting there is not quite as simple. It will take empathic attunement, creative genius, party unity, and moral brawn. Specifically, this means:
1) Getting back in touch with the needs of all Americans, especially those in the middle of the country.
2) Engaging Americans in the fight for American values and against the rampant betrayal of our democracy.
3) Bridging the divides strategically created by the Republican Party’s culture war narratives.
4) Unifying the progressive and center-left wings of the party into a cohesive, strong, unbeatable force.
5) Electing and appointing party leaders who have the character and moral conviction to “do the right thing” by governing in alignment with American values, especially the moral wherewithal to put the common good over the financial influence of Beltway power brokers and the moneyed class.
The purpose of this paper is to yank heads out of the sand, to understand the unthinkable result of Trump’s 2016 victory in ways yet unseen, and to put this knowledge to use by moving beyond the usual tropes, rhetoric, and errors in thinking/behaving that have caused the Democratic Party to lose their populist appeal and political power over the decades.
Here you will find a not-so-gentle reminder of what must be done—now—by summarizing key lessons learned from past campaigns (Section I), and using this knowledge to develop a path forward (Section II).
As we analyze the winning strategies used by the right, we’ll see how Republicans have cleverly manipulated not just reality, but the electorate itself. Yet, I’ll show how the same winning strategies can be used ethically and applied with integrity by simply speaking the truth in smart and creative ways. There’s no need to dupe anyone when “right” in the form of American values rooted in moral principles is on your side. The key is to communicate these values, principles, and mission in a way that moves voters to care, have hope, and to fight for what’s right.
In the throes of the political upheaval we find ourselves in today, rallying voters shouldn’t be difficult. Once citizens fully understand the ways in which the Republican Party has been trampling on American values while exploiting the majority of citizens in the process, this ought to be as easy as igniting dry chaparral in the California wilderness. There’s nothing like a burning sense of injustice to spark the kind of outrage that fuels political and cultural change. That story, in great and sordid detail, is told here.
This narrative also provides a framework to keep the Democratic Party on message and on point in face of the erratic and outrageous behavior that continues to come from proponents of Trump and his Republican lackeys. Along with their reckless disregard of norms, laws and ethics, one thing is absolutely certain: Republicans will continue their culture war provocations to create divisiveness and rally their base—that’s all they’ve got. And the Democrats’ tendency to chase down every disgraceful action, and then indignantly claim foul (all they’ve got), will do nothing to strengthen the party or move our country forward.
However, with the narrative and strategy proposed here, the more Trump does Trump and Republicans attempt to divide, the stronger the Democratic Party can become. He and the Republican Party will be gifting Democrats with a showcase for their mission, with example after example that can be used to reinforce their message and drive it home.
Only by shifting attention away from the Trump circus and back to the Democratic Party mission, can headway be made in rallying voters around an uplifting, productive and worthy cause—one that is defined by the Democratic Party not by the circus ringmaster, Donald J. Trump and the eager wannabes in the wings.
If the Democratic Party adopts the mission described in these pages with moral conviction, tells the real story about Republican tactics and ideology, and heeds the following five-point strategy, they could be a potent force for getting our country back on track. There’s no stopping a party that truly embodies the values that make America, America. I hope this appeal finds traction. The future of our democracy depends on it.
