Often biased, always thoughtful.

What the Democrats need to do to shrink the GOP

In June, I would have been the first to say that the GOP’s problems this year were just a temporary phenomenon. But suddenly we’ve been deluged with news that indicated serious long-term problems for the GOP. Can the Democrats stay in power for the next decade?

Honestly, I believe the GOP’s current position is due entirely to Republican mistakes, and not Democratic successes. The Democrats saw electoral success in 2006 solely because of Republican scandals and their mismanagement of the government. When it comes to playing politics, the Dems just can’t hold a candle to the Republicans. They need to learn from the Republicans’ successes and adapt them to our own party.

On the bright side, even if the Democrats aren’t in power due to their own political prowess, there is a very good chance they will control the government for at least the next four years. As the party in power, they will have many more opportunities to make their case to the American people, build up the party infrastructure, and start making themselves more competitive for the long term. Here are three things they need to do to continue their electoral success and force the GOP to remain a regional party.

1. Improve communication

The Democrats have never had a unified message, and their individual messages also rarely sound convincing. It seems that, no matter what position the Democrats and Republicans are in, the Republicans are able to win the communications battle. For instance, when the Republicans controlled Congress, they successfully branded the Democrats as obstructionists. Now that the Democrats control it, the Republicans are effectively casting them as ineffective, while they themselves filibuster everything.

A Barack Obama presidency could really help this. Obama himself is an excellent communicator, and an excellent leader who may be able to impose at least some level of message discipline on the party. Furthermore, controlling the presidency will provide the Democrats with the bully pulpit for the first time in 8 years, from where it’s a lot easier to control the conversation.

2. Play politics

The Republicans have effectively used political maneuvering against the Democrats for years. The Democrats would like to think they’re above this sort of politics, but they can’t be if they want to maintain their majorities in Congress. They need to use tactics like wedge votes and publicity stunts to their advantage. For instance, the Democrats can slowly advance the cause of GLBT rights by forcing votes on innocuous bills such as making it easier for domestic partners to have a say over their partners’ medical care. As far as tactics are concerned, Democrats should force the Republicans to stand up and engage in every single filibuster they threaten. After a few weeks of Republican filibustering, it should be pretty difficult to pretend they are not obstructing the Senate’s work.

3. Build party infrastructure

I think Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy has been excellent for the party, and Obama’s unprecedented staffing efforts will also be fantastic for building the party all over the country. However, having a strong ground campaign isn’t enough for the Democrats. They need to build up other institutions, such as think tanks, issue-advocacy organizations, and communication tools like blogs and talk radio.

One of the reasons Republicans are more effective at communications and playing politics is that they have a ton of backup from their institutions. They have organizations to provide them with a ready stream of research to support their policy ideas, as well as test out talking points until they find some that stick. The Democrats have tried to start building this infrastructure, but it’s still weak, and organizations like the Rockridge Institute didn’t last too long. Hopefully once the Democrats are the party in power in Washington, that will make sustaining these organizations easier.

One final note

Let me be clear:by saying we need to learn from the Republicans, I’m not saying we need to follow their ethically-challenged campaign style. We can learn from their excellent execution, while still maintaining the moral high ground and sticking to the issues.

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