The preceding numbers come from a new poll by Research 2000/Daily Kos. If even close to accurate - an enormous "enthusiasm gap" favoring Republicans - Democrats are poised for a bloodbath in 2010. Unless, that is, we turn these numbers around. How? Here are a few suggestions.
1. Democrats need to stop thinking - as Talking Points Memo puts it - that "they got the job done in November 2008 and have checked out on politics." Sure, it was a great thing at the time, but now a year has passed and we just saw a preview of 2010 in the Virginia elections on November 3. Unless we want that preview to become reality on a national scale 11+ months from now, it's long past time that we all got back in the ballgame and started fighting. Hard.
2. Need more motivation, read this diary. Here's a short excerpt:
...we're not going to get the chance to change the policy we need to change, if the Republican turn up in strong enough numbers and we don't. We need to match their stubbornness, not expect that they'll see the light.
If you're Gay, if you're battling for Healthcare reform, if you're trying to battle to see our intelligence and defense apparatus saved from the legacy of Bush, I guarantee you that failing to show up and failing to push people to vote against the Republicans will be a failing strategy in 2010.
3. Democrats in Congress need to start passing legislation ASAP. Get health care reform - with a strong, robust public option - done within the next few weeks, then turn to other priorities (the economy, jobs, clean energy, immigration reform, etc.) and get them done too. By the end of next summer, we need to see Democrats having accomplished everything that they promised in 2006 and 2008 - or as close to it as humanly possible.
4. Get populist. It's time for Democrats to grab some of that populist energy away from Republicans, who right now are monopolizing it with a torrent of right-wing "rage." For months now, I've been asking, "where's the equivalent on the left to the 'tea party' movement?" Until now, I haven't received an answer other than [[[blank stare/crickets chirping]]]. Well, that needs to change. There's plenty of frustration, anxiety and anger out there on "the left," all of which can be tapped into. For starters, we need to refocus the economic "stimulus" as much as possible on "Main Street" rather than "Wall Street." A few possibilities on this front include: setting up a Clean Energy Conversion Corps ("modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression only with a more specific focus: converting our power grid to clean energy to break the backs of oil and power companies that blackmail our economy"); ecosystem restoration, passing a multi-billion-dollar jobs package that "would devote billions of dollars to projects meant to put people back on payrolls in 2010 and keep them working;" provide direct aid to the states (which are hurting big time right now); divert remaining TARP money to "struggling workers and homeowners" (including Mark Warner's proposal "to use TARP funds to start a new $50 billion fund to give loans to small businesses"); etc., etc. The bottom line is that Democrats need to be seen as the party for the "little guy" as opposed to the "fat cats" on Wall Street. Sure, it's oversimplified to an extent; nonetheless, people are really hurting out there, and Democrats are supposed to be the party that cares about them. Let's see some of that caring ASAP!
5. Run candidates from the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party." Now is not the time to be running "Republican lite" types. Now is the time for the DCCC, DSCC, DNC, etc. to be recruiting Democrats who truly believe in Democratic ideals and are willing to fight for them. Also, it's time to go outside the "usual suspects" and find some "regular" people to run for office. Again, where's the Democratic version of the "tea party" movement? Come November 2010, if the right has a populist uprising and the left doesn't, who do you think is going to win the elections (provided, of course, that the "tea baggers" don't run viable third-party candidates and actually end up helping save Democrats' butts)?
Anyway, those are just a few suggestions. I'd love to hear more. Thoughts? Thanks.
