The Democratic Party Needs A New Vision

The Democratic Party is in trouble at a national level. It’s identity has been shaped and fitted not by itself but by Republicans into seven letters, LIBERAL. To top it off, the word itself has been defined by the right to mean anti-family, anti-faith, and anti-personal responsibility. Average, middle America struggles to find anything in common with those who are left of the moderate policies of Bill Clinton. If democrats have any hope of relating themselves to average America, the party needs to change.

Now, many of you will point out that Bush won by only 3% of the vote. But, many of those who voted for Kerry (myself included) were more anti Bush than pro Kerry. The fact is, that Democrats have lost seats in both houses of Congress and in most state governor positions and legislatures. The point is, what used to fuel the party no longer works.

The Democratic party must look to those individuals within the party that are successful, i.e. Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman. The Hillary model just won’t work. But, the party must go further, I believe it must morph its beliefs to include the following mantras:

Party of Fair & Simplified Taxes- Bush wants to do this, but he can’t push it, he owes too much to special interests. Democrats should seize on this open door and proclaim, pound, rally, and preach endlessly on the necessity of a fair tax code that benefits all. This is an easy reach because it is protecting those who don’t have the financial benefits of the wealthy. The key is to truly propose specific, concrete examples that can be taken in steps.

Party of Energy Independence- Freedom from Middle Eastern oil is truly a national defense issue. It also is the next great economic boom. Massive funding will be needed, however, budget pressures require out-of-box thinking in order to fund what needs to be a Manhatten project effort. The party should propose an “Energy Freedom Bond”. By giving citizens a direct investment the buy-in factor and motivation for long term support will be automatic. The focus would be on: bio-diesel, already being used in small amounts in the great plains. Bio-diesel would breath new life into Mmerican farming.
Two, fuel cell research expanded to every university willing to take part. Currently, the gov’t funds one billion per year, this should go up twenty to thirty fold. Most scientist believe at current rate of research we are forty years away from mass produced fuel cell energy. This can be cut by two-thirds if we are willing to invest.
Wind, Solar, Wave, Steam; all of these are already being tapped, but at nowhere near their potential. Photo-voltaic shingles are already being sold. This is a cheap and quick solution to building new powerplants. Many states already require that a certain percentage of energy provided by utilities come from renewable sources. A miniscule tax could be one way of paying back the Energy Freedom Bonds.

Party of Streamlined Government- The Republicans pass exceptions to laws that only create more confusion and more regulation. The Democrats must take a page from VP Gore’s streamlined purchasing review. Create a comprehensive list and plan of regulation streamlining. This must include federal versus state regulations that conflict with one another. By streamlining gov’t with specific proposals they are handing back government to the people.

Party of all Faiths: Democratic Party has become (somewhat unfairly) the anti religious party. To change this the party must embrace faith in all its forms. celebrate all religiously significant days. Encourage the goodness of all religions and bring them together for conferences. Recognize that faith built this country rather than trying to separate it.

Party of Family- Many themes come uder this title, children’s health, family leave act, etc.. One area that needs to be persued is recreating and expnading the role of family viewing time on TV. This can be done without regulation. Voluntary agreements can be made that would rid the airwaves of Viagra style commercials, ads for TV shows that use a sex joke punchlines, just to name two. Hollywood and the networks are generally more favorable to the party so why not use that support for boosting quality family time.

Overall, the Democratic Party needs to redefine itself from its current identity to one of true progressiveness. For the twenty-first century that means making government work for everyone rather than increasing its power and limiting freedom.