Stop Obsessing on Trump
Democrats need to stop obsessing on Trump and focus on their own problems. The American people have little interest in what the Democrats say about Trump until the Democrats clean their own house first. The housecleaning starts with replacing Nancy Pelosi. The Democrats need to sever ties with the politicians who peaked ten years ago. Next the Dems need to explain issues to the flyover state voters in terms of financial security, pride in America, and opportunities for their children.Re-establish Trust
The roadmap to stop the bleeding and begin to establish trust with those in the middle who want to pivot away from expressing frustration to expressing direction includes:
Apologize to the American people: acknowledge that the working middle class was ignored the past eight years; recognize that Obama is perceived as aloof, as talking down, as m ore interested in the civil rights of those on the fringe than the economic security of those who had worked to earn the benefits of the American dream.
Pick New Leaders
Sure, Pelosi was picked by a majority of the remaining Democrats in the House. That is the point: she is the pick of those that remain; she is not the pick of the those who could pose challenging races in districts where democrats could have a chance in the next two election cycles. The Democrats continue to apply Windex to the rear window of their bus while they ignore the bugs and blizzard hitting the windshield.
Middle Class
The Republicans control 33 state houses: a dual threat. The Republicans are building the farm team to field future candidates in a well-articulated succession planning strategy. They are also poised to control the next decade's re-districting proccess which will only further enhance their control of State legislatures and the Congress. Clearly, the Democrats need new leadership that begins the process of gaining support of the middle class and those who want to be in the middle of the road.
Keep Sanders inside the Tent
finding a way to balance the left wing galvanized by Sanders and the moderates in flyover states is tricky.
Recognize Trump and Koch are Playing the Long Game
Gloating over the Congress inability to change Obamacare was a necessary but very short-lived event. President Trump has artfully gutted Obamacare by eliminating the individual mandate. This will inevitably lead to massive increases in insurance rates, mass defections, and a chance for Trump to say "I told you so" and offer a desperate middle class an even worse proposal than was just rejected. The President is playing the long game; Pelosi is the one distracting her people from reality.
Specific legislative actions might include:
Fix Obamacare: Insurance means paying even when you dont use it
Tax Reform: No more Trickle-Down; General Electric hasnt paid corporate taxes in a decade so let's be real
Infrastructure: Find compromise between spending dollars and spending Tax Credits for private initiatives
Regulation: Highlight where deregulation impacts mainstream Americans: groundwater pollution
Difficult Topics
The abortion topic was dormant for a couple of years but has returned in a way that gives middle American pause on the morality of a woman's right to choose. The leadership needs to focus on economic issues to attract the middle class. This means figuring out how to take the wind out of the right to life sails. Telling lifers they are wrong hasnt worked. Maybe now is the time for Democrats to talk about individual responsibility; about some type of consequence for the abortion decision; showing respect for their concern for life. Religious organizations should have every opportunity to use tax deductible money to recruit members; but recruitment cannot extend to imposing their will on civil government.
