(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . How to revitalize the Democratic Party [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-12-13 Ever since November 5, I’ve been asking myself — what can Democrats do to win elections? I believe the answer is hidden in this generalization that you might have heard before: Voters like Democratic policies … they dislike Democratic politicians. If we dig a little deeper we see the following policies being favored by a wide majority of voters (see links here, here, and here): Clean Rivers . Prohibit waste dumping into waterways. . Prohibit waste dumping into waterways. Planting Trees . Whether for CO2 reduction or environmental beautification, everyone wants to plant lots of trees. . Whether for CO2 reduction or environmental beautification, everyone wants to plant lots of trees. Infrastructure . Who doesn’t like new bridges, well-paved highways, and lead-free drinking water? . Who doesn’t like new bridges, well-paved highways, and lead-free drinking water? Abortion . Roe v Wade formula for allowing all abortions up to “viability”. . Roe v Wade formula for allowing all abortions up to “viability”. Contraception . Zero restrictions on contraception in every state. . Zero restrictions on contraception in every state. Vaccinations : Requiring childhood vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella . : . Gun Control . Mental and criminal background checks; 5-day waiting period to buy a handgun. . Mental and criminal background checks; 5-day waiting period to buy a handgun. Policing and Crime . Support for the mission of policing neighborhoods, while restricting egregious abuse by individual police officers; Expunging marijuana-related convictions for non-violent offenders. . Support for the mission of policing neighborhoods, while restricting egregious abuse by individual police officers; Fair elections . If Trump tries to make good on his promise “In four years, you won’t have to vote any more”, Democrats should welcome all voters who disagree with that notion. . If Trump tries to make good on his promise “In four years, you won’t have to vote any more”, Democrats should welcome all voters who disagree with that notion. No Gerrymandering . Ban lobbyists from redistricting process and require public input into the process. . Ban lobbyists from redistricting process and require public input into the process. Candidate Rules . Setting a maximum age for politicians to run for office. . Setting a maximum age for politicians to run for office. Judiciary . Term limits for federal judges. . Term limits for federal judges. Education . Invest more into trade schools and college alternatives. . Invest more into trade schools and college alternatives. Social Media . Requiring social media companies to identify bots to users as computer-generated accounts. . Minimum Wage . Requiring a higher national minimum ($9 is too low, but $20 may be too high). Requiring a higher national minimum ($9 is too low, but $20 may be too high). Corporations . Closing tax loopholes; Splitting up monopolies and enforcing anti-trust laws. . Closing tax loopholes; Splitting up monopolies and enforcing anti-trust laws. Health Insurance . Eliminating premiums (without calling it Medicare-for-All). No one has been talking about Medicare-for-All since 2020, but 67% of voters (including 46% of Republican voters) wanted it back then. . Eliminating premiums (without calling it Medicare-for-All). No one has been talking about Medicare-for-All since 2020, but 67% of voters (including 46% of Republican voters) wanted it back then. Taxing Billionaires . The working class may have a love/hate relationship with certain billionaires, but they uniformly agree that they should be taxed heavily. So what is it about Democratic politicians that working class voters hate? Well, let’s flip the question — what did FDR do to attract working class voters that most of today’s Democrats are failing to do? Is it because too many Dem politicians are “elites”? This is more about perception than fact. FDR was an elite, and he was loved. Bernie Sanders and AOC are clearly not elites (in terms of wealth and income), but they did graduate from urban universities (U. of Chicago for Sanders, Boston U. for Ocasio-Cortez). And flipping it another way, why did Josh Hawley get enough working-class votes to beat Lucas Kunz by 13.5 percentage points when he graduated from Stanford and Yale Law? Because he figured out how to become a “populist” who can talk to working class people. (Obviously we need good talkers who are not liars, like Hawley is.) And here’s another striking data point. Remember when AOC “primaried” Joe Crowley? Crowley, largely with the support of Nancy Pelosi, thought of himself as Democratic royalty — a likely Speaker (or minority leader) candidate a few years down the road. I think the concept of “elitism” is a big deal, and it’s the main reason why far too many Democratic politicians are ill-suited from winning over working class voters — regardless of their policies and how those policies help working class Americans. What I believe we need is a high-level “New Dem Leadership” committee of wise leaders and passionate voters who screens every single Dem candidate for 2026 House and Senate races to see if they have the “Crowley Factor” — and if so, they would be empowered to find a new candidate who can win the primary and clobber the Republican candidate in the General Election. Yes, that means incumbents are fair game for being replaced — regardless of their fund-raising prowess. Hell, they can and should continue to raise money for their young Dem replacements! The New Dem Leadership committee should make “primarying” (or forced-retiring) Nancy Pelosi as one of its first goals. Yes, she has been a remarkable force for the party in years past and I salute her for that — but her time is up and she should voluntarily leave Washington and stay out of politics for the rest of her life. Remember, it’s all about what’s good for the country — not the party. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/13/2291820/-How-to-revitalize-the-Democratic-Party?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/