The Swamp logo

Ways to Fix the Democratic Party

It may seem long gone already, shrouded under the immersive bubble that is the Trump Administration, yet there are still plenty of ways to fix the Democratic Party; one must only be liberal.

By Donald GrayPublished 6 years ago 9 min read
Like

There's no hiding from it anymore: the DNC needs some R&R—or, something that can not only be of benefit, but of overall holistic change to the entirety of the party. While it's obvious that these adaptations and "bug fixes" won't happen overnight, it must not go unnoticed that the party does need mending and that a more insightful examination into the practices, leadership, and thought processes involved on a deeper level of the Democratic National Committee must all be brought further into the limelight.

Well beyond this, of course, there are a variety of specific concepts the democrats must employ in order to regain not only public opinion, but popular opinion as well. For this even to take root, though, the DNC must pave their way in both political and diplomatic concentrations in order to reaffirm their hold on governmental issues, as well as in more fluid and increased bipartisanship, which is holistically nonexistent at the moment. We might be called or considered America, the silent, yet we must be loud and firm in this era of radical change and proliferated misguidedness, or these following ways to fix the Democratic Party will only prove to do the opposite...

Avoiding Self-Made Traps

The DNC, since coming off a loss in the 2016 Presidential Election, has continuously shot the blame back at supporters, or the entire party itself. This is aptly witnessed by supporters of Bernie Sanders, who still seemingly attack the "Democratic Party establishment," for their supposed loss due to biased party functionaries, which has no merit whatsoever.

President Barack Obama has, himself, been to blame for stating such things like his possible winning in a third term if the Constitution had let him run. Hillary Clinton is also another person of interest, as her seething on FBI mistreatment and Russian hackers has done nothing other than showcase her rage at losing the election. All of these self-actualized "traps" must come to an end and is one of the easiest ways to fix the Democratic Party.

2018-2019 Governorships

Like any good political consensus, one must wrangle up the right people and the right ideologies to better formulate and postulate the position of the party as a whole. Like it or not, this is one of many ways to fix the Democratic Party; keeping a stringent eye on faithful followers, in addition, newcomers amid the next year or two will help to rebuild the organization from the ground up, while also inviting a fresher image of the party itself.

As the way to combat destructive Party destabilization, activists and organizational donors must all get behind revolutionary re-building practices to ensure the DNC's resurgence in party politics. Whether there actually is international interference in American elections or not, the DNC needs to refill executive offices with professional and likeminded individuals who are willing to go above and beyond for the party. The only way to do this is by getting behind these next few Governorships and their elections, as some of the best-minded people for DNC execs can be found among the top rung of political activity in the country.

Reformed Political Intelligence

This is where we really dig into such questions like is Russia our friend and how can we directly uplift certain American principles while remaining holistically liberal all the same? It's one of the more eccentric ways to fix the Democratic Party, by not just attacking our own insights, but challenging our beliefs for far better results (and ultimately, better turnouts).

Contemporary methods in micro-targeting voters usually deal in "big data" concepts, which in my opinion should be avoided but not completely ignored. While they do offer valuable insight into the overall landscape of voter ideology, big data is often clouded by national incentives and tend not to reveal what communities actually think about politics. Democrats need to abide more closely to what's called "policy feedbacks," which are better insights into network ties, voting percentages, and so on.

Organizing Locally

This is where we directly attack Trump's administration while finding ways to fix the Democratic Party: organizing local small-group legislative thinkers. Think back to the likes of the 2009-2011 Tea Party methodology, wherein we witnessed up to 900 people meet on a regular basis for tightened reformation talks and the allocation of various resources for the Obama administration, which the Tea Party had indirectly influenced.

Local organizational influence like this, or that of the more recent "Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda," will greatly aid in not only pushing back against the President's radical concessions, but will also lead to more enriched examinations into practical party observations and the passing of certain legislative concerns. This is one of the easiest ways the DNC can position their ideals on climate change and health care for a more interesting dichotomy of influence.

Bolstering—Not Battering—Party Orgs

As I mentioned in the intro, bipartisanship nowadays is something of an imaginary force somewhat still talked about, yet almost envisioned as a fantasy. It's like the Jedi in the new trilogy of Star Wars films, a powerful theological entity of the Force long forgotten to time and misuse. As such, one of the most important ways to fix the Democratic Party is bolstering bipartisan legislation and politics as a whole.

Look, I get it, the Trump administration is not something that's easily dealt with, nor are the various other legislatures and party organizations that make up American policy, but this is a time of shifting US political terrain. To keep bipartisan policy as an avid player in the following years, better concessions with the likes of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), which will go hand in hand with aiding the GOP, while seeing to more liberal goals are accomplished in legislative circles, will all boost the DNC's overall social and political standing.

New "Heavy Lifting" Groups

Due to years of Republican depletion, public and private labor unions have so far dissipated dramatically, which is why the DNC must look to more forward-moving options in fundraising and overall campaigning. While there's nothing bad with Obama's Organizing for America, it mainly worked as a reelection provision, more so than an organization for change, which is a concept that must come to an end.

The utilization of a more year-round operation in terms of the Democratic Party is a necessity and must happen right away in order for this to work. Among ways to fix the Democratic Party, millions of dollars is not as much of a necessity as face-to-face organizational styles are for rebuilding its image. Additionally, a reinforced form of poll-testing is needed across the board, deliverable through social media, TV, and radio advertisements in order to get the DNC message on a more broad-set plain.

More Open Primaries

Unlike Republican incentives, Democrats should look to forwarding this belief in inviting a simpler and easier voting process, which as of right now is an immense issue that has seemingly little backing behind it. As such, among initial ways to fix the Democratic Party would be more open primaries to radically boost the number and versatility of Democratic Primary voters.

There should also be an examination and proliferation of the California-style system that utilizes a concept of an all-inclusive candidate primary and boosts the top two on the list. By allowing this form of open primary, the DNC will have the chance to encourage more outward support while also targeting moderates, who have a higher chance of winning congressional and other primaries under this California-style approach.

Elimination of Superdelegates

Superdelegates, which consist of over 700 in number, now can both control the nomination process and ignore the will of voters thanks to the DNC. Obviously, reverting this concept is probably one of the best bets we have in securing a more positive outlook among supporters and overall adapting the Party as we know it.

Among ways to fix the Democratic Party, in addition to eliminating superdelegates, is the riddance of caucuses, which tend to lead to lower turnouts anyway and, in itself, make for undemocratic advantages for DNC voting (which is directly caused by the unhanding of extreme powers by those superdelegates to party insiders). Ensuring the direction of our Party is greatly administered by more fundamental processes in politics is probably one of the more strategized methods in uplifting this belittled organization.

Eliminating Sectional Favoritism

Using a lottery instead of simply pouring resources into two primary small states (as we currently still do), is among ways to fix the Democratic Party; such sectional favoritism, like that of purely partisan considerations, is not going to aid us in the least bit.

This largely has to do with both advertisement concerns and beneficial geographical locales, as one can see from the several nominees and near-nominees mostly to come out of Massachusetts. Even so, small states with unique constituencies and the basic gatekeepers of the nominations should be avoided for the simple fact that it isn't how politics were meant to be used, nor media in the same sense.

Transparency Principles

This goes back to a firmer grip on bipartisanship and consenting with policymakers in every avenue possible, for transparency is key among ways to fix the Democratic Party. This isn't just in policymaking, though, because that would simply entail more bipartisan ideals, when in fact the DNC should more or less remain neutral in the context of nominations.

These transparency principals would go hand in hand with the gearing up of state legislatures, since the DNC would have to cut back on joint fundraising agreements, which sometimes give special rights to candidates. Plus, there would have to be an elimination of small-audience debate times and no communications directors made from campaign inputs. In all accords, rebuilding the Democratic Party would have to take a great deal of transparency in order to reshape the overall principles of the organization from the ground up.

Financial Reform

Ah, the kicker of all kickers. Money and finance are probably the most dependable and necessary forms of commodified engagement in America, which then pits them among the best ways to fix the Democratic Party. Reforming DNC finances won't be easy, and repairing any semblance of our Party's economic system may take a great deal of time and effort, but if the DNC wants to actually look befit for the presidency again, it's a must for increased voting numbers and overall support.

This would also disenfranchise the Trump administration (if it hasn't been already due to the Game of Thrones-like run of firings, most recent among them Speaker of the House, Rex Tillerson), but that's not the primary goal here. What the DNC should shoot for is the avoidance of clientelism, limited if the Party acquiesces 2 percent of all money raised by candidates across the country. By doing it this way, which will obviously take a lot of debate, the DNC will go back to being an actual organization rather than just a shell of a thing for donors to pour money into.

politics
Like

About the Creator

Donald Gray

Politics may be a disgusting battlefield, but it is a necessary vice in our country, and a particular fancy of mine, like productivity and success. These are important facets in the modern world, and must be expounded upon.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.