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For too long, the Democratic Party has wandered in the wilderness, losing ground, losing trust, and losing elections. When it did win elections, the candidates it put forward were more like bureaucrats than inspirational leaders – lacking an inspiring vision for the future of the country and appearing timid rather than bold and decisive.
It did not happen overnight. It was a slow unraveling that began when Democrats failed to offer a compelling alternative to the Reagan Revolution’s central claim: that government is not the solution to our problems, but the problem itself. By ceding this narrative, Democrats lost their identity as the party of working people, economic security, and social progress. They lost ground in labor rights, civil rights, voting rights, environmental protection, and America’s standing in the world.
The party became synonymous with Washington, D.C., disconnected from the very voters who had sustained it for generations. Instead of offering a bold vision of the future, Democrats often found themselves playing defense, reacting to the shifting political tides rather than shaping them. But now, there is a way forward. A new path – one that does not retreat into nostalgia, but draws inspiration from past successes to forge a compelling, hopeful vision for the future.
Reclaiming Lost Ground
The first steps in rebuilding the Democratic Party are finding the courage to finally acknowledge why it lost ground – that repackaging the vision and messaging that triggered the loss is not the way forward but a recipe for further lost ground. To accept the fact that the people who led it into the wilderness are not going to be the ones who lead it out of declining relevance. And to become a party of action rather than rhetoric.
1. The Decline of the Working-Class Coalition
For decades, the Democratic Party was the party of labor – of fair wages, strong unions, and economic security. But as the party embraced globalization without adequately addressing the economic dislocation that followed, working- and middle-class voters began to drift away. The party’s acceptance, and often support for, the so-called right to work laws is a good example. Advanced by corporate interests and backed by large campaign donations and aggressive lobbying, these laws were focused on union busting and reducing the power of organized labor. The laws succeeded as union membership fell sharply, along with the ability of workers to protect, let alone advance, their interests.
Instead of campaigning aggressively against such laws, Democrats meekly accepted them. Then the working- and middle-class workers saw Democrats begin to support the exporting of jobs to countries with lower wages. There was no rousing defense of the American worker. Globalization, particularly during the Clinton years, became the new nirvana. Workers noticed the silence and began to realize that the old Democratic party, which, in the past, would have risen in their defense, was a fading reality. Finally, in the face of declining benefits, stagnant wages, and a rising cost of living, working class voters began to drift away.
If there is to be a return to relevance, Democrats must once again be the party that fights for higher wages, better working conditions, and protections against corporate excess.
2. The Erosion of Civil and Voting Rights
Democrats led the charge for civil rights, but today, voting rights are under assault, and racial and economic disparities remain deeply entrenched. Instead of retreating into academic debates and ineffective resistance, Democrats must reclaim the moral clarity of past leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis.
There was a time when voting rights were synonymous with the Democratic party. Minorities flocked to its support because they saw it as an effective partner in advancing their desire to become fully citizens. They saw a politician from Texas push through voting and civil rights legislation that lifted them up towards full citizenship and gave them rights and opportunities that they, and their ancestors, had been denied.
Over the decades since 1980 and the birth of the Regan Revolution, minorities have seen their rights steadily eroded and their protector morph into an impotent, grousing pale remnant of the party that once promised their salvation. As the Republicans packed courts with conservative judges who systematically dismantled those advances, they saw a Democratic party that was unequal to the task of protecting those hard-won rights. And so, the coalition that was forged by FDR and advanced by JFK and Lyndon Johnson, began to dissolve. And, with it, the relevance of the Democratic Party to the future of the country.
The party must champion universal access to the ballot, fair redistricting, and protections against voter suppression with the same passion that drove the Civil Rights Movement. But, beyond that, it must demonstrate that it is capable of advancing those issues to produce actual results. Policies without results are just speeches that quickly become boring and drive voters away.
3. The Diminishing Commitment to Environmental and Economic Justice
The Democratic Party once led the fight for environmental protection, but too often, since the 1980s, policies have been framed in ways that alienate working-class voters. But it goes well beyond that. There is a new urgency. Generation Z is the first one that is coming of age facing the reality of climate change. Prior generations had the luxury of seeing it as a theory that might, or might not, come to pass. But this younger generation increasingly sees it as a mortal threat to human existence and, also, a result of the past generations’ assault on the planet – and, for them, that includes the complicity and ineffectiveness of Democrats. They hear stories about how the party used to be the protector of the planet and see the contrast that rises to hypocrisy, between the words and the actions of a party that seems to have sold out their own principles, and humanity’s future, for campaign donations.
Americans don’t want to hear about what they must sacrifice; they want to hear about opportunities – clean energy jobs, energy independence, and a thriving economy that also happens to protect the planet. Democrats must make environmental policy an engine of prosperity, not a burden on working families.
4. The Loss of International Leadership
Early in his administration, John Kennedy faced a major foreign-policy challenge. The Soviet Union had begun to install missiles in Cuba. The problem was exacerbated by the stupidity of the prior administration’s organization of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, which the new President mistakenly allowed to proceed. But, during the crises, Kennedy stood up to the Soviets and eventually prevailed. That turned out to be a bright spot in an overall dimming of American global leadership.
The Johnson administration came to an end because of their prosecution of an insane war in Vietnam. Students and workers rose in protest against young Americans senselessly dying in the jungles half way around the world. The publication of the Pentagon Papers drove a wedge between much of the coalition and the Democratic Party, and voters began to see it as just as bad as the alternative. An American president ceded the high moral ground because he didn’t want to become the first to lose a war.
America was once the beacon of democracy, a force for good in the world. But partisan division and isolationist tendencies have eroded that reputation. Democrats have played a major role in that decline and must make the case that American leadership matters – not just for the world, but for the security and prosperity of everyday Americans. A strong, engaged America is one that protects democracy abroad and ensures stability at home. Beyond that, they must develop a vision for a new world order which fits the twenty-first century and beyond.
It’s Vision and Results, Stupid!
The central reason that the Democratic party has declined in relevance is their inability to produce an alternative, inspirational vision to the dark message at the core of the Reagan Revolution. The idea that the partnership between the people and their government is the key to prosperity was lost as Democrats morphed from inspirational leaders to timid bureaucrats.
The reflex reactiveness to defending the New Deal programs made them seem hopelessly out of date and ineffective in their efforts to protect the status quo. Voters faced a new, and rapidly changing world that brought challenges that old solutions simply did not counter. As the manufacturing economy morphed into the service economy, as the digital age advanced, as international conflicts became brush wars instead of global events, as society became more violent, as wealth and income inequality raced to new heights, as courts began to transform the country from a place where the people ruled into one where money ruled, and so much more, voters came to see the Democrats as dusty, non-functioning museum pieces reflecting a past rather than a party that had an inspiring vision for the future.
A New Vision for a Democratic Future
If Democrats want to regain relevance, they must present a vision that is bold, optimistic, and fundamentally American. The Republican right has launched Project 2025 – a blueprint for rolling back decades of progress. Democrats need their own vision – one that speaks to abundance, not scarcity; hope, not fear; unity, not division.
1. A Pro-Worker Economic Agenda
Democrats must reclaim their role as the champions of the working and middle class by:
- Strengthening unions and making it easier for workers to organize.
- Raising wages and ensuring that hard work is rewarded.
- Expanding access to affordable healthcare without adding bureaucratic complexity.
- Investing in infrastructure and technology that creates well-paying jobs.
2. A Democracy That Works for Everyone
The right to vote must be sacrosanct. Democrats should lead a new voting rights movement, ensuring:
- Automatic voter registration.
- An end to gerrymandering.
- Campaign finance reform to reduce corporate influence in politics.
3. An Energy and Climate Strategy That Creates Prosperity
Democrats must make clean energy synonymous with good jobs and energy independence. This means:
- Massive investment in American-made renewable energy.
- Incentives for businesses to adopt green technology without punitive regulations.
- A transition that protects workers in fossil fuel industries by providing training and opportunities in the new energy economy.
4. Restoring America’s Global Leadership
America should once again be a trusted and reliable leader in democracy and human rights. This requires:
- Strengthening alliances and standing firm against authoritarianism.
- Smart investments in defense and diplomacy.
- Leading in technology and innovation to maintain economic superiority.
A Call for New Leadership
The Democratic Party needs leaders who can inspire, not just manage. The great Democratic presidents – FDR, JFK, LBJ – didn’t win by micromanaging policy details. They won by painting a picture of a better future that inspired Americans to follow them. Today, the party desperately needs leaders who can rekindle that excitement – leaders who can look into the eyes of working Americans and say, We see you. We hear you. We fight for you. Leaders who just don’t say, “when we fight, we win,” but actually fight and win.
The next generation of Democratic leadership must be bold, unapologetic, and deeply connected to the struggles of everyday Americans. This is not about moving left or right – it’s about moving forward.
The Time for Action is Now
The Democratic Party is at a crossroads. It can continue to retreat into coastal enclaves and policy bubbles, or it can rise to meet this moment with courage and vision. This is not just about winning elections. It’s about defining what kind of country that citizens want to live in and then charting a credible course to achieve that vision.
Democrats must be the party that champions workers. The party that defends democracy. The party that fights for a future of opportunity and justice. If they do this – if they truly listen, adapt, and lead – then Democrats will not only regain relevance; they will build a coalition that can win for a generation, bring the Reagan Revolution to the end it deserves – and reestablish the affectionate bond between Americans and their government in a partnership for a brighter and more prosperous future.
The path out of the wilderness is clear. The question is: Do they have the courage, vision, and determination to provide leadership to help the country take it? On the answer to that question rests the future of the Republic.
© Earl Smith