Building a Better Democrat

by Joe Katzman at May 21, 2003 5:40 AM

Armed Liberal has been weighing in on this subject for a while, and lately others have joined the discussion regarding foreign policy and other issues (see also Daiblog). Democratic Party supporters are searching for a coherent message that will get them real traction with U.S. voters. Things aren't approaching panic levels just yet, but "concerned" is a fair description of the general mindset.

TIME Magazine's center-liberal columnist Joe Klein is also contributing to this important debate, via some advice for the American Democratic party:

"And so, yes, the Democrats do have a chance in 2004. A chance, but they will have to become something different from the Democrats we have come to know and ridicule. They face challenges on three different fronts: patriotism, optimism and confidence."
Hmm, sounds vaguely familiar. There's also some very sound advice over at Blaster's Blog - advice that, as Matthew Yglesias points out, the Democrats are very unlikely to take.

How long does it take to teach a politican anything? Generally, about 3 elections. Let's see, 2000, 2002.... Nope. Still, the very existence of this discussion is a good sign for all sides, and for everyone with an interest in U.S. policy.

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