The pain and shock of the 2004 election loss were barely a day old, but people at the Democratic Leadership Council were already doing what they do best: analyzing the vote and offering a comeback road map. The best ideas are laid out in this issue of BLUEPRINT. To reverse their fortunes, write Al From and Bruce Reed, Democrats must expand the electoral map, challenging Republicans even in red states. They must also crack the cultural code that makes some voters close their hearts to Democrats because they don't believe Democrats respect their values. If they do those two things, Democrats can once again surprise voters with bold proposals showing they are an insurgent reform party.
To implement such a plan, Will Marshall outlines a heartland strategy that would take Democrats "behind enemy lines" and reunite them with their natural constituency, the working middle class. Marshall suggests targeting key red states that show potential for a color change -- three in the South, three in the Midwest, and three Rocky Mountain states. Democrats must address the national security trust gap by offering a credible alternative to the Bush administration's belligerent unilateralism, writes Marshall. Then they can link voters' economic concerns with their moral outlook, creating a single narrative that promotes work and protects family values.
Another key to a Democratic resurgence is badly needed political reform, writes Ed Kilgore. Election reform, ethics reform, and lobbying reform are urgent, he says. But none is more pressing than redistricting reform to break the incumbency lock that has been built into gerrymandered redistricting following the last two censuses. By one estimate, only 45 of 435 congressional districts were competitive in 2004; many incumbents had no challenger at all. This means the people's House is more out of touch with the people than ever before.
In addition to these trenchant articles, Mark Gersh presents a stark analysis of election results in three key states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. He details the voter erosion that has put Democrats in an even more difficult position than four years ago, with most trends running the wrong way. Despite this bad news, Democrats do have opportunities: Paul Weinstein shows how Democrats can reassert themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility even as Republicans run up record deficits and pork-barrel spending. By pushing for votes that expose Republicans' fiscal recklessness, writes Weinstein, Democrats can drive a wedge between GOP moderates and their right wing, and seize the progressive center.
And the newest of BLUEPRINT's contributing editors, Marshall Wittmann, aka the Bull Moose blogger, brings to the Democrats' dilemma his recollections of toiling in the Republican wilderness during their comeback years. Wittmann urges Democrats to take heart -- and take advantage of the clarifying effect of this year's loss, just as Republicans did when they began their 30-year climb to their present prominence.
Democrats have been challenged before, and come from far behind to win -- as in 1992. The advice offered here points the way toward once again retooling for another resurgence.
