Before the “Blue Wave” of 2018, there was the “Republican Revolution” of 1994. In the midterm election of 1994, Republicans gained 54 House seats and 8 Senate seats, which was the biggest swing against a sitting president’s party in two decades. Republican success in 1994 is largely attributed to one two-page document, authored by Newt Gingrich during the campaign, called “The Contract with America.” The Contract with America, a mere 838 words, outlined the ten commandments that a Republican majority would stand behind if elected, including a balanced budget and an anti-crime package.
The Democrats have decisively taken back the House of Representatives this November, as well as a number of Governor’s mansions and state legislatures. Yet, as more progressive and more centrist members of the party diverge, it’s clear that the Democrats did not run on a coherent message or a set of policy goals. Despite their relative success in the midterms, Democrats will need to emphasize party unity as they start to put together a legislative agenda for the next two years. Democrats must articulate a clear, concise, and cooperative message to the American public if they want to govern efficiently for the next two years, remake their image as an accessible party with legitimate policy goals, and ultimately take back the White House in 2020.
The Democrats have long been labeled as the elitist party of coastal regions, blamed for being out of touch with the needs and wants of average Americans. Indeed, in 2017, 67% of respondents to a Washington Post-ABC poll said they thought the Democratic party was “out of touch with the concerns of most people in the United States today.” In written statements, Democrats tend to focus on the complexities of an issue rather than clearly stating their policy positions and why they would benefit millions of Americans. For example, when the Republicans pushed a new set of tax cuts in 2017, that affirmatively disadvantaged the average American while offering major tax cuts to businesses and the wealthy, Democrats struggled to express why they were opposing the measure. As the Republicans packaged the tax cut as a gift to middle class America, Democrats could not clearly show how this was untrue, despite ample evidence in their favor. This inability or unwillingness to rhetorically distill policy to a more basic form that would reach the average American is a fatal flaw of the modern Democratic party.
In public statements, Democrats lack the the clear rhetoric that the Republican party demonstrated with the Contract with America. While Republicans tend to distill policy down to its most vital components in order to present it to the American public, Democrats often get caught up in the complexity of the issues, which results in a less clear presentation of the topic at hand. Gerard Alexander, a law professor at the University of Virginia, wrote, “feeling increasingly emboldened [under President Obama], liberals were more convinced than ever that conservatives were their intellectual and even moral inferiors. Discourses and theories once confined to academia were transmitted into workaday liberal political thinking…” Democrats must distance themselves both from this attitude of superiority and the usage of complicated theories in everyday discussion. The nuance of debate and the complexity of differing opinions is vitally important in politics; however, there’s a line between representing the complexity and cluttering press releases with political jargon that the average American doesn’t have time to sift through. By using simpler rhetoric when communicating with the American public, Democrats could get their message across much more clearly.
Concision is also key when communicating with the American public. In 2015, it was widely publicized that the average human attention span has dropped to 8 seconds. While this statistic has been disputed, the point stands that many Americans do not have the time or ability to sift through lengthy policy manifestos. As such, politicians must strive to be brief when explaining their positions to the public. President Trump has mastered this brevity, preferring to use Twitter in order to communicate with his constituents, where he is limited to 280 characters to express his thoughts. This strategy stands in stark contrast to President Obama’s style of lengthy speeches that often built up to a big idea. The Trumpian model of delivering soundbites to the American public is more consistent with our ever-shortening attention spans. Though impressive oratory skills still deserve a prominent place in American politics, Democrats must challenge themselves to embrace concision when explaining policy goals and initiatives.
Cooperation is the final and most important lesson that the Democrats can learn from the success of the Contract with America. Perhaps the most spectacular achievement of the Contract was that more than 300 Republican Congressional candidates signed the document. This display of party unity was significant in presenting the Republican party as a singular voting block that would work together to pass substantive reforms. As the American people are always eager for Congress to act (as of this past March, only 18% of voters approve of Congress), it would be seen as beneficial if members of Congress of the same party were likely to collaborate.
The ideological diversity within the current Democratic party marks the most significant obstacle to unifying behind a national agenda, due to the fact that different wings of the party believe in radically different policy agendas. Both Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Connor Lamb are considered rising stars within the Democratic party, but they have diverging agendas due to their differing ideology. While Ocasio-Cortez ran on a platform that included abolishing ICE, Medicare for all, and a federal jobs guarantee, Lamb’s platform emphasizes refinancing student loans, infrastructure and jobs training, and fighting the heroin crisis. The Democratic party has long been described as the “big tent” party, seeking to appeal to voters of many different ideologies. Democrats must continue this tradition, adopting positions that address the needs of all Americans–but in a way that presents a unified front. The challenge of reconciling progressive and centrist stances should be seen as an opportunity rather than a burden; Democrats of different stripes must come to an agreement on a plethora of issues, thereby ensuring a greater ability to vote together and create change in Congress.
Despite ideological diversity, nearly every Democrat in 2018 ran on a message of protecting healthcare coverage, as President Obama’s signature healthcare plan continues to be attacked by opponents. Protecting those with pre-existing conditions was an especially important facet for many. This is significant because while Democrats did run collectively on this issue, they did not run on a doctrine such as the Republicans’ Contract with America. Focusing on healthcare was a winning strategy in 2018, but they must expand upon this tradition of cohesion in order to continue winning elections and advance their agenda in Congress. In terms of ideas, Democrats should rally around those that are embraced by Democratic voters. Climate change and raising the minimum wage would be good starting points. 91% of Democrats worry a great deal about climate change and 67% believe climate change will pose a serious threat in their lifetime. Similarly, 90% of Democrats support raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, and 58% of Americans favor raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. By running on a doctrine, including a diverse range of issues, Democrats will be able to appeal to a wider variety of Americans and achieve their policy goals.
Essentially, the Democrats also must prove that they stand for something, rather than just against President Trump and his agenda. For the past two years, as a disgruntled, minority party, the Democrats have resorted to attacking the president at every turn rather than pivoting to substantial policy debate. Though Democrats champion themselves as the party rising above spectacle, they have been unable to command the news cycle using this tactic. Issuing a collective policy statement in the mold of the Contract with America would be a guiding document for Democratic policy positions, and it would prove to the public that the party has legitimate political goals other than opposing the current administration.
While the Democrats have recaptured the House, the party still has a long way to go on the road to the 2020 presidential election and regaining control of the federal government. In order to govern for the next two years and position themselves favorably in the future, the Democrats must present a simpler, more concise, and more consensus-driven message to the American public in the mold of Newt Gingrich’s successful 1994 Contract With America. Though there are obstacles to this nationally unifying party agenda, especially the diverging wings of the party, Democrats must come together to present their platform clearly and cohesively to the American people if they wish to meaningfully contribute to America’s future.
Photo: Newt Gingrich