Ballots have arrived in the mail, our TV's and radios are currently being bombarded by political ads that say very little about the candidate they want you to vote for and a lot about the candidate they don't want you to vote for. Both parties are jockeying to win in this election and struggling to find a way to connect with voters or, at the very least, make sure the other party doesn't connect with voters. Being someone who at this point really doesn't identify with either party, after being abandoned by my lifelong party-the Republicans, and as someone who thinks both parties have an equal amount of ridiculousness, I feel myself well positioned to pass along information about how to capture most of America who now identifies themselves as far more "Purple" than they do "Red" or "Blue". So, Conservatives and Liberals, Reds and Blues, Donkeys and Elephants, Democrats and Republicans here are some simple steps that I believe would resonate with American voters and help push you over the finish line in November and would begin to replenish your rapidly dwindling membership rolls.Democrats
New Leadership- If Democrats are serious about winning they should come out right now and publically declare it is a new day in the Democratic Party. And to that end, the days of hazy hyper-partisanship of Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Shumer and others of their ilk are no longer. Promise voters that if you win the House Nancy Pelosi will not be the speaker. That Chuck Shumer will no longer the Democratic leader in the Senate. Their days have come and gone. Besides, I think most people have tired of their act, it is time for new blood in the parties leadership. The largest, untapped voting base is 18-30. This is a large group of people and they don't vote. Furthermore, this group's politics are far more liberal than that of their parents or grandparents. If this group had voted in large numbers in 2016 Hillary Clinton would have won in a landslide. If you want to capture this population's vote you can't have leaders who look and act like their grandparents. Grandparents are bewildered by computers and the internet, young people are bewildered that people don't understand computers and the internet. The leaders need to look and act more like them. Dump the old and usher in the new.
Just Say No To Trump Derangement- This is a real thing and it is tiresome and not at all endearing. Far be it for me to say good things about Trump or to defend him. However, I do think that there are times that the criticism is unfair and borderline crazy. Yes, he is insufferable. Yes, he is brash. Yes, he does seem to be somewhat challenged with facts and truth. But not everything he does is worthy of a negative and derogatory post or rant. Not every word he speaks needs to analyzed, scrutinized for some shred of negativity. Anti Trumpers often lose perspective and logic and come off sounding irrationally angry and unhinged. You can be against Trump without being illogical, overly emotional, or allowing it to consume your entire life. Look, we've had bad presidents before and we've always survived them. And I know Anti-Trumpers will say "But this time is different". Trust me, Henry Clay said the same thing about the presidency of Andrew Jackson and he was convinced "that this time was different". Don't fall into the Trump Derangement trap. For most voters, this is exhausting and will only make them roll their eyes. If you've paid attention to ANY of the polls out there, most people don't like Trump as their president, but most are not consumed by their hatred of him. If you want to win, tell voters what the Democratic Party would do for voters, what is your plan for trade? Immigration? Taxes? Infrastructure? Jobs? You cannot simply be Anti-Trump. Your platform cannot be how much you hate Trump. Be more about what you are for and not what you are against.
Impeachment- DO NOT GO HERE! This ties into the above category. I don't honestly think that most Americans are willing to go here yet. Truthfully, there is not enough evidence to support an impeachment of Trump. Impeachment is a serious thing and should be looked upon as such. Impeachment should not be a political weapon which is wielded to vanquish those with whom you disagree. Impeachment is for serious legal infractions and complete disregard for the Constitution. Has Trump crossed any of these lines? No. At least not yet. There is not any evidence that Trump has committed any offenses that would warrant an impeachment process. Do not bring this up, do not discuss this. Doing so only opens Pandora's Box and could prove to cripple American democracy in the future as impeachment would be seen as a means by which to resolve the outcome of elections with which you disagree. LEAVE THIS ALONE!
Republicans
Grow A Spine- I know many Republicans are not in favor of stem cell research but in this case, I think it could be of a great benefit to the GOP. So many Republicans have no spine. Stand up to Donald Trump every once in a while. C'mon! We all know that Donald Trump has a propensity to say and do some incredibly ridiculous things. I am often astounded at some of the things he does and says. However, worse than that is the fact that so many Republicans- a party which once took great pride in trumpeting that it was the party of values and morals- stands idly by, looking at their feet, toeing the ground with slumped shoulders and hands clasped behind their back as Trump acts more like a Bully-In-Chief than the Commander-In-Chief. Rarely is there a condemnation from a Republican elected official and when there is, others will leave that official to twist in the wind as Trump vilifies and excoriates them instead to stepping forward and remind Trump that this is the American Democracy, not a Third World Banana Republic. Americans desperately want the Republicans to stand up and demand decency, decorum, and respect from the president, yet very few Republicans seem willing or able to do this.
Drink Less TEA- I'll be the first to admit that when the TEA Party movement began, I liked their ideas; less taxes and less government. Those are core ideals that I hold and this movement resonated with me...for about 30 seconds, then the TEA Party seemed to go off the rails and lose all perspective and rationality. They are now for seemingly all for as little taxes as possible, and LOTS of government involvement to ensure ideas they don't like are prevented from taking place. Worse of all this movement has hijacked the party and now are seemingly driving the car perilously and recklessly over Red Mountain Pass (if you are not from Colorado, Google this reference and you will get the analogy). Low taxes are certainly desirable, however there are times that taxes, and their increase, are not only desirable but needed for things such as infrastructure, security and safety, education, social safety nets (once these programs are begun you cannot retreat from them) and other programs and services that people expect from their government. If you are truly the guardians of fiscal responsibility you cannot simultaneously cut taxes without cutting spending. You must be more concerned with the federal deficit than you are about starting trade wars. And you should be far more concerned about the real threats to our democracy and society from the likes of Russia and North Korea than you are about the imagined dangers of Americans who don't agree with your politics. This faction of extremists has taken control of the party that was once the party of reason and pragmatism and morphed it into the party of anti-intellect and unreasonableness. For this reason, many long-time Republicans (myself included) have left the party and many of the much sought after independent voters are repulsed. Furthermore, many of the "Reagan Democrats" who made the Republicans a formidable force in the 80's and early 90's are totally gone. If Republicans want a path to capturing votes, remember patriotic Americans once threw tea overboard in protest. It worked then and it can work again.
For Both Parties
Retreat From Your Poles And Sprint To The Center- Both parties seems to be withdrawing more and more from the center and gravitating more and more to their ideological poles. Republicans seem hellbent on becoming more and more conservative and willing to give comfort to rather unsavory groups who espouse particularly revolting politics and ideas. Meanwhile, the Democrats are increasingly being pulled farther and farther to the left and often seem content to giving comfort to factions whose beliefs are particularly radical and dangerous. This rapid and further polarization must stop. Most Americans reside in the political center. We always have. Most Americans are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. Some are Center-Right (me) and some are Center-Left (my wife). But the solid center is where most Americans reside. Furthermore, most Americans are thoroughly disgusted with the present state of American politics because of the rancorous, disrespectful and malicious partisanship evident in American politics. If one or the other party wants a truly "super-majority" in American politics, then the Center is where that can be achieved; Fiscally Conservative and Socially Moderate.
Reform Campaigns- Very simply, get big money out of all campaigns. Being willing to spend $1 Million+ to win a job that pays $174,000 on the promise that you are a good steward of money is completely stupid. Out of state donors and corporations should never have more access than local constituents. Wealthy contributors should never have more influence than regular middle-class voters. Look at English political campaign laws, we can learn a lot from the British here.
So there you have it, my roadmap to winning this election and all elections in the near future for both parties. Are these radical ideas? I don't believe so, but unfortunately, in today's political world, both parties will probably view them as extraordinarily radical. However, American was founded upon the ideals of the Enlightenment Period, so there is always hope. Or perhaps it's time to entertain the formation of a true, formidable Third Party.
