The Secret to Democractic Success

Democrats across the nation got their asses kicked in the 2010 election.  Republicans took over governorships and solidified control of legislatures in state after state.  Though the "tea party" movement of microwaved social conservatives didn't get a seat in Congress, they took several seats in various legislatures.

Some claim that the Democratic losses were due to the "tea party" movements ideology of cutting taxes and cutting entitlement spending.  Others claim the losses were due to the passage of controversial laws such as the Affordable Health Care Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act.  Still others claim that as our nation is "right of center", the Democrats tried to take us too far to the left.

I believe all of the reasons given are wrong.  Fiscally and socially conservative Democrats (Blue Dogs) lost 31 of their 54 caucus members.  Moderate Harry Mitchell was defeated in his reelection bid in Arizona's 5th Congressional district.  Even Jon Hulburd, who ran to the right of Ben Quayle here in Arizona's 3rd Congressional district was trounced.  The reason they all lost?  They weren't being Democrats.  They weren't being liberal enough.

You read that correctly.  I believe we Democrats got our asses handed to us because Democrats forgot what it is to be a modern Democrat and to be liberals.  Led by President Obama, Democrats gave us tax payer funded welfare for insurance companies.  They gave us Wall Street reform that was bereft of any real reforms and allowed the "too big to fail" companies "too big to fail".  They even failed to rescind the Bush tax cuts that have cost us over $3 trillion since inception.

If the Democrats had passed real health care insurance reform that included the ability to purchase into Medicare at any age, we wouldn't have lost the House.  If the Democrats had passed real Wall Street reform that separated investment and commercial banks once again, they wouldn't have lost so many seats in the Senate.  If the Democrats had passed real mortgage banking reform that actually helped homeowners, they wouldn't be wondering why they lost.

America is ready and needs strong liberal leadership and ideas.  We could never afford the ideology of the fiscal conservatives and we can ill afford them now.  The Democrats need to push for Medicare at any age.  They need to push for real Wall Street reform.  They need to push for real mortgage reform.  They need to push for a national high speed passenger rail network.  They need to be the liberals that the nation needs.  That is how the Democrats will win in 2012.