Since November 5, I must have read hundreds of diaries (it felt like hundreds) post-midterms. At first there were those bemoaning the results for Democrats. Then came the deluge of diaries analyzing what went wrong followed by those which discussed what needs to be done in preparation for 2016. These are all very worthwhile diaries and they contain some fantastic ideas. They are also necessary steps in the process of determining where we are and how to move forward.
However, there have been hardly any diaries on what we can do to get the Democratic Party to where we need it to be. Most often the responsibility for change is surrendered to party leaders, even though we have little faith in them.
But we the people have the power to effect political change too. We've explored all aspects of the problems and made recommendations but it's no use putting all that effort in then palming the solution off to someone else over whom we have little or no influence. The majority of diarists and commenters are firmly of the opinion that all the Dem acronyms – DP, DCC, DCCC, DSCC etc – are incapable of doing what needs to be done anyway so there’s no sense in leaving it to them.
We can fill in their surveys and write them emails in the thousands but the outcome will be the same. They consider themselves to be in the best position to know better than we do. What they don't see is that they are so close to the situation that their point of view is a form of tunnel vision myopia. They see the trees immediately around them but seem to have no concept of the forest.
So it is up to us to come up with solutions and prepare action plans that we the people will carry out ourselves. We have the power and the mandate to exercise it. In Lincoln's immortal words this is “government of the people, by the people, for the people”. Accept this and you also accept responsibility for contributing to crafting the government you want. It's time for we the people to take up the slack reins, to steer the Democratic Party to the populist, progressive left and anchor it there.
It's time for solutions and action plan diaries. While I acknowledge that this isn't the first of such diaries, there have been lamentably few to date. Most which would lay claim to being solution diaries are just advising the Dem acronyms rather than prescribing specific, concrete actions that we the people can take. With the latter in mind, this is the first in a series of three diaries comprising an introduction, Phase One and Phase Two. This triplex of diaries aims for a comprehensive solution which I've dubbed the People Power Project because it requires people power to activate it, not Dem acronyms.
Preliminary Steps
Before launching into the action plan, there are a couple of necessary preliminary steps.
The first is a disclaimer of sorts and it is this: first ideas are not necessarily valid or practicable but never dismiss them out of hand. Their true value lies in their being a launching pad, a means of stimulating the little grey cells of others who then produce other ideas followed by more and even better ideas until finally a workable and effective solution is reached. So if my ideas seem to you unworkable, don't stop at that but offer an improvement or a better idea. This is the process whereby solutions are reached and that must be our goal if we want to turn the Democratic Party around.
The second step is a quick summary of main ideas gleaned from those hundreds of diaries I've read. The general consensus among Kossacks appears to be:
The Democrats have lost their way
Lack of action and support at the local level. Too many positions are handed to the GOP because they have a plan for filling down-ticket positions while Democrats have none and, all too often, either no progressive candidates or no candidates at all in the running. This glaring black hole has to be addressed and quickly. Fortunately for me, there are already action plans formulated by other Kossacks to deal with this problem and Phase One of the People Power Project incorporates these.
Democratic candidates ran away from Democratic achievements. They did, in droves, because Republicans made every one of these achievements sound like the clang of a doomsday bell and Democrats bought into the GOP propaganda.
Democrats have lost touch with their base, centrists and Independents. Yep, mostly because they are trying in vain to appeal to a Republican base which loathes them and will never vote for them no matter how Republican lite they try to be. They wasted time, money and effort on what plain common sense should have informed them was a losing strategy.
Messaging Fail
Failure to communicate Democratic values and a unified policy platform. There was no co-ordinated messaging from the Democrats. Each settled on one or two issues they were comfortable with and adapted them to whatever they thought the circumstances were in their electorate, eg Mark Udall and women's issues; Mary Landrieu and that damn pipeline for crying out loud.
The Failure of all the Democratic Acronyms. Those bloody begging emails choked with doooooom! It is an understatement to say that these did not, and never will, inspire confidence. Instead the result was mass unsubscribing and passionate vows to never donate to a Dem acronym ever again!
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have the right messaging. It's progressive. It addresses the middle class and working poor. It's an agenda for the 99%. But - and it's a big but - Democratic powers that be are not likely to use it. The reasons vary but the conclusion is the same so don't look to them for a populist progressive platform anytime soon.
The People Power Project is an action plan
Both Phases One and Two of the People Power Project endeavor to go beyond analysis and recommendations to prescriptive actions to tackle these problems. Much of Phase One may be familiar but Phase Two may seem radical in that it is, as far as I've been able to determine, a completely new idea.
Neither are these small ideas. Bumper stickers may be popular but when was the last time you saw a headline like “Jo Bloggs’ catchy bumper sticker wins election!”? I'm betting “Never” is the answer to that.
If you're going to dream, dream big. If you want solutions then think big. It isn't as though you're going to be going it alone. There's a very big, progressive-thinking community here and many of its members are not only itching for change but to take action that will effect change.
The always-inspiring Senator Elizabeth Warren had this to say when talking about undertaking progressive action:
Changes like this aren't easy. But we know they are possible. We know they are possible because we have seen David beat Goliath before.
Yes we have and yes we can bring about change in concrete and substantial ways. That's what the People Power Plan is all about. So pull on your thinking caps and explore these ideas with me in upcoming diaries.
Next diary: The People Power Project Phase one: Effecting Change at the Local Level
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