At the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting, an internal report says the party is in disarray. It lacks a coherent message and the ability to motivate its base, the report says. To win, it says, Democrats must figure out how to connect with Southern whites while motivating key demographic groups, particularly African-Americans.
The report is correct on a number of measures. Democrats have become a party of diverse constituencies without an overarching economic message. They are the party of the LBGT community, the choice community, the African-American community, the Hispanic community, the labor community and probably a few I’ve left out. They don’t need lose that coalition, but they need to broaden their message to attract other voters, in particular working class and suburban whites.
That said, the situation is probably not as dire as the report implies. Parties are always on the brink of collapse in the aftermath of a bad election cycle. After George W. Bush’s 2004 victory, Karl Rove predicted a “permanent Republican majority.” And remember the Republican autopsy? After 2012, the GOP seemed to be in its death throws. Now, it looks ascendant.
And before the Republicans get too cocky about their success in 2014, they should remember that it’s a lot easier to be against everything than to be for anything. They spent six years opposing everything Obama and the Democrats proposed. The GOP helped make government dysfunctional and when voters got tired of the partisan rancor, they blamed the party in the White House, as they so often do.
However, voters want government to work. With Republicans controlling both houses of Congress and the president term-limited, they will own some of whatever happens over the next two years. The GOP will need to deliver if they want to hold onto the Senate with a difficult map.
Democrats need to take a hard look at themselves. They have a lot of work to do. The political landscape has changed and they need to adapt. They need a broader economic message and they need to figure out the role of the party, both nationally and in states, in post-Citizens United world.
However, they shouldn’t despair too deeply. Voters aren’t in love with Republicans, either. If Democrats can’t fix themselves now, a Republican victory in 2016 will almost certainly do the trick.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Yes, indeed, the Dems need a clear, concise and compelling economic AND role of governance message that resonates with the middle and lower economic classes, i.e., the 95%. They need to stop doing the bidding of, and pandering to, the corporate world and start distancing themselves and their party from the 5%.
It’s hard to do when the CU decision has made money —as opposed to a positive vision and plan of what’s best for the common good— so critical to winning elections. But it still needs to be done.