Invest in America

I've been musing on the problem of the Democratic Party message for some time. This morning's New York Times (sign in probably required) once again highlights a Democratic party adrift:

At the Capitol in Hartford the other morning, State Senator Christopher Murphy denounced the "disastrous prescription drug benefit bill" embraced by his Republican opponent, Representative Nancy L. Johnson.

Jeff Latas, a Democratic candidate in an Arizona race, is talking about the nation's dangerous reliance on oil imports from the Middle East. Ed Perlmutter, a Colorado Democrat, says he is running against "the arrogance and cronyism" displayed by Washington Republicans.

And in New Mexico, Patricia Madrid, the state attorney general, is urging the United States to set a timetable for quitting Iraq...

These scattershot messages reflect what officials in both parties say are vulnerabilities among Republicans on Capitol Hill, as well as President Bush's weakened political condition in this election year.

But they also reflect splits within the party about what it means to be a Democrat — and what a winning Democratic formula will be — after years in which conservative ideas have dominated the national policy debate and helped win elections.

And they complicate the basic strategy being pursued by Democratic leaders in Washington to capture control of Congress: to turn this election into a national referendum on the party in power, much the way Republicans did against Democrats in 1994.

Interviews with Democratic challengers in contested districts suggest that the party is far from settling on an overarching theme that will work as well in central Connecticut as it does in central Colorado.

And while Democrats have no shortage of criticism to offer, they have so far not introduced a strategy for governing along the lines of the Republican Party's Contract With America, the 1994 initiative that some Democrats hold up as their model for this year's elections.

My question: Why should this be so hard? Campaign not on "what might work" but on what you believe. Here's my proposal:

The Democrats should run on a platform called "Invest in America". The platform: "We are Americans and we care about America. Government isn't some stranger -- it's Americans, as communities, towns, cities, states and as a nation -- who've come together for common good -- to ensure security, opportunity and a future for our people. Democrats believe that Government is an investment in America.

• Invest in Security -- by finishing up in Iraq, re-building global alliances, fighting terrorism and encouraging economic opportunity worldwide. In energy independence and conservation. In securing our country from terrorist attack
  
• Invest in Our Workers -- by investing in high-tech manufacturing, research and development, training and education -- in new markets and jobs. And in helping folks who need a hand.
  
• Invest in our Health -- with national health insurance, research into new therapies -- including stem cells -- and in ensuring that everyone has access to great health care.
• Invest in Our Children -- in ensuring access to high qualtiy education, and ensuring that we're prepapred to compete in world markets.
  
• Invest in America -- in infrastructure, in parks, and in the environment.
  

Let me know what you think...