An Open Letter to the Democratic Party

As I told you yesterday, I've been working on creating a searchable database of the 5245 posts I've done since I started this blog back in 2006, and found two very topical posts I ran back in 2012.

Yesterday, I updated my November, 2012 post titled "An Open Letter to the GOP." In the interest of balance, today I offer my updated version of 2012's "Open Letter to the Democratic Party" ...

Dear Democratic Party,

My name is Bilbo. I was a staunch Republican for more than 30 years, although I changed my affiliation to “Independent” after the George W. Bush presidency, voted mostly for Democrats ever since, and officially changed my affiliation to “Democratic” in 2023. But I have to tell you that I vote Democratic primarily because I view that party as the lesser of two evils, particularly in the era of Der Furor. I cast my vote for Democrats less because I support all their policies, and more because the Republican party drove me away. If you want to keep my vote in the future, you'll have to earn it - just as the Republicans need to do to win me back*. Here's what you can do ...

- First of all, close your ranks behind Vice President Harris as your candidate now that President Biden has dropped out of the race. Mr Biden has done a masterful job helping the nation recover from the awful years of Der Furor ... he deserves our thanks for a job well done, and has made the right decision. Vice President Harris may not be an ideal candidate, but she’s more rational than Der Furor (a low bar, to be sure) and far more experienced and disciplined than either Der Furor or J.D. Vance, a wholly-unqualified cipher selected only for his slavish gulping of the MAGA Kool-Aid. Your party has a deep bench of potential Vice-Presidential candidates, although few of the brighter lights have been tested on a national stage ... a young, energetic VP candidate like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, or Governors Andy Bashear of Kentucky, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan - all of whom are far more qualified in terms of government service experience and managerial skill than J.D. Vance - may be your best bet. Having gracefully bowed out of the race, President Biden can now apply his decades of government experience to serve as an advisor and mentor to a new generation of Democratic leaders.

Moving on ...

- Will Rogers once said, "I am not a member of an organized political party. I'm a Democrat." He was right then, and he'd be right now. You don't know what you stand for, and so you can't deliver a coherent message. Today's Republicans have questionable** policies, but they're really good at simplifying issues and relentlessly driving home a few memorable bumper-sticker points (just look at their simplistic, all-caps platform for this year’s election). You need to be able to do the same.

- It's good to appeal to minorities, but don't let that lead you to excusing illegality ... illegal immigration is ... well ... illegal - don't sugar coat it with euphemisms like undocumented. What's your realistic plan for revising immigration and asylum laws and ensuring that those who want the benefits of citizenship earn them honestly? You may recall that I have actually proposed and regularly updated a comprehensive plan for immigration reform ... can you do the same?

- Raising taxes on the wealthy and big business*** is necessary, but is not a sound economic policy by itself, any more than is the Republican wet dream that lowering taxes will generate more government income. Republicans are partially right when they say we don't have a revenue problem, but a spending problem. The truth is that we have both problems, and we need to deal with them together. We need a tax system that generates the right amount of revenue and looks like somebody designed it on purpose. What's your plan for reforming the tax code to ensure that it generates sufficient revenue while remaining fair^† at all income levels? And on the spending side, what specific programs are you willing to give up or restructure to fix the present while protecting the future?

- America is evolving. This may provide more potential members to your party, but many of them join more because they are attracted to the social programs and benefits you promise than by what is expected of them as productive citizens. You need a message that reminds your followers that they have responsibilities as well as rights.

- Yes, we need to take care of those who are less fortunate, but we must be able to afford it. I believe the Republicans have grossly overstated their belief in a growing culture of dependency, but there's some truth behind the bluster. The GOP makes too much of it, and you don't make enough. There's no such thing as a free lunch: what is your plan to protect the weak while ensuring that cherished social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security remain solvent?

- Stop catering to your most irresponsible fringe elements. It's stupid for the GOP, and it's stupid for you.

- You and the Republicans both need to stop the pro-life vs pro-choice ass clownery. I believe abortion is wrong, except in the rare cases most sane people recognize (incest, rape, life of the mother) ... but it's the woman's choice, and the real choice needs to be exercised well before an unexpected pregnancy makes abortion an option. What is your plan for educating our children to help them make the choices that will avoid unwanted pregnancies?

- Forget the nanny-nanny-boo-boo, reverse-Golden-Rule approach to negotiation: I'm going to do unto you because you did unto me. The problems we face are too big for schoolyard pettiness - grit your teeth, work with the Republicans, and be ready to compromise when necessary. Republicans, the same applies to you (as I told you in yesterday's post). Both of you need to grow up and act like responsible adults more interested in solving problems than in cheap political advantage.

That'll do for a start. The election is yours to lose, and you will lose it ... even to such a manifestly incompetent and unfit clown as Der Furor ... if you don’t get solidly behind your candidate, polish your policies, and explain why they’re better than the opposition’s. You have all the ammunition you need - push back against the drumbeat of lies and distortions of the other side with provable facts and accomplishments. Acknowledge the failures and pound on the successes. Fight back against the ludicrous rewriting of history that the GOP is carrying out.

The possibility of a second Der Furor administration is terrifying. Get your act together. The nation - and the world - need you to prevail.

Sincerely,

Bilbo

What's your message to the Democratic Party^††? Leave a comment.

Have a good day. See you tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday ... more thoughts then.

Bilbo

* Although, the way things are going, there's not much chance of that.

** At best ... read the Project 2025 paper if you don’t believe me.

*** Or, as it properly ought to be styled, “making sure the rich and big business pay their fair share of the tax burden.”

† Of course, the definition of what's "fair" depends on where you sit on the economic ladder.

†† If all it involves is name-calling, forget it.