Rebuilding the Democratic Party

The post-election period has been full of advice and suggestions and ideas for fixing the Democratic Party. They have been as diverse as the members of the Party itself: move right; move left; hold the center; change our position on abortion; oppose the President vigorously; work with the President; stick to our core values; reexamine our core values. The advice is contradictory. They can’t all be right, and they can’t all be followed at the same time. To move from thought to action, the Party needs to cut through the jungle of opinion and focus on a single plan and a single direction. At this junction, I offer my insignificant sliver of advice to the fray.

My advice is not revolutionary. I have no draconian measures to propose. First, I would like to filter out some of the noise, so we can see our options more clearly. First, moving left or right is irrelevant. Adopting more conservative positions will net a few moderate voters, but not many. Conservative voters have a conservative party for which to vote, and have no reason to compromise. Liberal voters will be distressed, and they are the most likely to split off to a third party. Moving left will please a few liberals, but not many. There will always be a few who will never be satisfied until the Democrats are a radical party. Moderates will be alienated, and conservatives will solidify their hold on the Republican Party. Moving either right or left creates an equal and opposite reaction that leaves us with no net gain. The Democratic Party is a diverse party, with liberal, moderate, and conservative wings. While this could be a powerful advantage if the factions would cooperate, more typically it results in a party at war with itself. Becoming more liberal or more conservative will only exacerbate the war.

After clearing away the noise, what is left? Remaining is a naked Democratic Party, free to search its own soul and lay a new foundation. What does it mean to be a Democrat? Let’s settle that first. The Democratic Party is typically more liberal than the Republicans. There is no shame in accepting that. But there are many Democrats who are not liberals, and many liberals who are not Democrats. So what is the unifying element that draws people to this Party? It can’t simply be a disdain for the Republicans. The answer lies in our roots. During the Great Depression, the Democrats’ gritty determination lifted the country out of poverty. Rather than simply do nothing and allow the money changers to “fix” the problem in their own favor, the Democrats decided to take action. We are not lazy do-nothings. We believe that we must make our own fortune. The same gritty determination led the country through the Second World War. This is the origin of one of the key Democratic values: Responsibility. Through hard work and cooperation, each person can improve himself and his community.

Later, the Democrats took on the tough issues that many Americans preferred to ignore: Race discrimination, sex discrimination, reproductive rights, and the war in Vietnam. During this time, the Party was as divided as it is now, and we lost a lot of our Southern members to the Republicans. Here we made a decision that we will stand up for what is right, always. We have not always lived up to our principles, but we can’t get away from our most essential elements. Justice and Equality became Democratic values, and they remain so today. Are these liberal values? Yes! They are also conservative values, moderate values, rural values, urban values, Caucasian values and African-American values. These are the values that tie us together as Democrats, even when we disagree so strongly about everything else.

We have a good foundation. Now, let’s build on it. First, let’s work on unity. We have to accept that splitting to third parties is not an attractive option. Those who leave the Democratic Party will not have their needs served. As the Democrats erode, the Republicans will grow more solid, and gain more power. Many liberals still hold the fantasy that they can win elections if only they would all join together in an American Liberal Party and vote together. But the truth is there aren’t enough true liberals, especially in the areas that the Democrats are losing, to win elections. The liberals need the rest of the Democratic Party, and the Democrats need the liberals. Only with reasonable compromises can we hope to regain power.

Moderates, go out and shake the hand of a liberal. Say “thanks for being a Democrat”. Liberals, give a moderate a great big hug. If not for them, there would never be any liberals in power. After the love-fest, cooperation must begin. This does not mean compromising on issues. The faction that pushes pro-business policies will continue to do so. The faction that promotes gay rights will continue to do so. However, all factions should remember four key values: Freedom, Equality, Justice, and Responsibility.

We need to all be on the same page. We need to say the same thing at the same time. This doesn’t mean that moderates should take a liberal line, or vice versa. This also doesn’t mean that all other arguments are excluded in favor of a single party line. This is about framing. For instance, the supposed “Social Security crisis” that President Bush has created is not a “crisis”. It is a small problem that can be fixed without destroying security for our seniors. We should NOT say that it is NO problem at all. That only makes us look like we’re out of touch. To borrow a page from George Lakoff, the Bush Social Security “reform” is a “phase out of Social Security”. When we talk to the press, or when we’re discussing politics with our friends, we need to use the same terminology. Everybody has ideas, and some will be convinced that their frames are better than the Party’s frames. That’s fine, and there is not prohibition on each person using their own ideas, but sometimes it is better to have the same message than to have a perfect message. The leaders of party need to take the initiative on this. We all agree that Bush’s destruction of Social Security conflicts with our core values, so let’s also agree on the tactics we will use to defend senior citizens. A network should be constructed to discuss the issues, agree on the framing, and get the agreed-upon language out to the public. Party leaders and pundits will be responsible for holding the framework together. By the time a Democrat is interviewed on TV, there should be no need to grasp for words. Furthermore, Democratic pundits should be able to boil it all down to one sentence. If it takes more than a few seconds to get to the heart of the issue, O’Reilly will cut you off.

We are in a non-election year which gives us a great chance to regroup. It also gives us a chance to reach new people. There are a lot of Republicans out there who are “soft” on conservative issues, and could be persuaded to switch parties if they were reached with the right message. I don’t see anybody doing this. It is assumed that everyone believes that equality, environmentalism, corporate responsibility, and a fair tax structure are good things. This is not the case. These “soft” Republicans can only make their decisions based on what they hear, and right now they are only hearing from the far right. They are being told that “equality” means taking jobs away from white people and giving them to African-Americans, that environmentalists want to make meat illegal, that corporate responsibility will cost them their jobs, and that fair taxes means everyone will pay double without getting anything back. They have no choice but to believe these messages, because that is all they hear. Not only do they believe, they pass the messages on to their families and friends. These “soft” Republicans need to be reached. First, they need to know what it means to be a Democrat. They need to know our core values: Freedom, Equality, Justice, and Responsibility. They need to know how Democratic policies such as environmentalism and corporate responsibility flow from those key values. They need to know how these policies make their lives better. The Democratic message needs to be taken to the reddest of red states, without apology or qualification. This is a long-term mission. Expect to see no measurable results for the first year, and minimal results by the second year. In four years, eight years, sixteen years, the Democrats will reap the rewards of this mission. It must be done, and the sooner it starts, the better.

It is difficult to confront conservatives, because conservatives have taken on guerilla tactics. They don’t have to win a debate; they just have to muddle the issue. They can tell the most audacious lie, and they don’t worry about being believed. They will repeat the lie over and over, day after day, each operative on each television show saying the same thing, until someone believes them. If a conservative is in a losing argument, he has one goal: to imply that the liberal or moderate position may not be as solid as it seems. How do we confront these tactics? First, remember who we are talking to. When debating with a Republican on TV or radio, the audience is not the Republican. The audience is the viewer at home. We can’t get hysterical, emotional, or mean-spirited. You wouldn’t behave that way in a friend’s living room. We need to know when to persuade and when to confront. As much as possible, speak to the Republican as if you are speaking to the viewer in his living room. Lay out your case, use persuasive language, and don’t give away any points to the opposition. There comes a time—and quite frequently on conservative shows—when persuasion fails and you are faced with a view that is outright wrong and contrary to our core values. Here, no persuasion is necessary. Confront. I hold position X because IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. It may be politically expedient for me to compromise on this issue, but I must always DO THE RIGHT THING. Your view on this, Mr. Conservative, IS WRONG, and it is about time someone called you out on it. We will persuade up to a point, but when we hit that wall where there can be no compromise, the wall must be solid.

How should we deal with the President? Obviously, we should support him when he is right, and oppose him when he is wrong. Of course, this will result in our opposing him more than we support him. The President is an ideologue. He cares nothing for reality and screens everything through his prejudices. There will be very little agreement between the President and the Democratic Party. In fact, on many occasions the President has caused rifts in his own party. When those rifts occur, Democrats need to be quick to exploit them. Have your picture taken with a Republican, just to show how fair we are. Have the Republican point out his differences with the President. Point out the President’s extreme policies that will not sit well with “soft” Republicans. Persuade as much as you can. In all other matters, oppose. Oppose, oppose, oppose. Democrats, you are not in power. With each Republican victory, they solidify their hold on the system. For the next four years you will be cut out of the legislative process. They own the government. Make them earn every victory. All the while, remember the framing of each issue. Mr. Republican, your proposal is WRONG, and the reasons are A B and C. Mr. Republican, your phase out of Social Security will do irreparable harm to this nation’s senior citizens. These people have worked their hearts out, fought our wars, endured Republican recessions, and built a better America. I will not allow you to dishonor them, and I will defend them with every weapon in my arsenal.

That is my message to Democrats. Be bold in all things, including the selection of your new chairperson. Know what your values are. Know what your message is. Coordinate. Don’t get caught up in false arguments about moving left or right. Persuade, persuade, persuade, then oppose. Don’t just preach to the choir; get your message out directly to the people in the red states. Think long term and start NOW. Start fundraising NOW. Start framing the issues NOW. Start building a network to get your message out NOW. Four years will go by quicker than you might think. It is imperative that the issue of “what do we do next” be resolved as quickly as possible. Two months have already been wasted. Don’t waste one more day.

© 2005 Bryan Lower

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