"Democrats divided?"

I'm getting fatigued by all the advice being given to "the Democrats," but here is what Gene Lynons writes in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette:

...a fascinating and long overdue debate has begun about how the party must change to recapture the loyalty and trust of the majority. Writing in The American Prospect, editor Michael Tomasky argues that voters see Democrats as a formless alliance of special-interest groups, from racial and ethnic minorities to proponents of gay marriage.

“At bottom,” he writes, “today’s Democrats from [Montana Sen. Max ] Baucus to [California Rep. Maxine ] Waters are united in only two beliefs, and they demand that American citizens believe in only two things: diversity and rights.”

That’s not enough. What’s missing, Tomasky thinks, is the Democrats’ historic sense of patriotism and community: the idea that we Americans are all in this together.

He fantasizes a 2008 Democratic presidential candidate announcing, “To the single-issue groups arrayed around my party, I say this. I respect the work you do and support your causes. But I won’t seek and don’t want your endorsement. My staff and I won’t be filling out any questionnaires. You know my track record; decide from it whether I’ll be a good president. But I am running to communicate to Americans that I put the common interest over particular interests.”

Granted, it’s a fantasy. But polls show that many voters think Democrats have no strong, unifying beliefs. Tomasky argues that after “seven-plus years of an administration that has done almost nothing for the common good,” Americans are more than ready for a message stressing patriotism, community and selfsacrifice. “Such arguments,” he believes, “can be constructed on behalf of almost every single thing the party purports to stand for: health care coverage for those without it, the need to protect the planet and take global warming seriously, energy independence, asset-building for African Americans and other disproportionately poor groups, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants... an industrial policy that addresses the flight of jobs, the health-care and pension crises,” etc. Critics argue that Tomasky fails to address the Democrats’ other perceived weakness, national defense. Even so, he’s made an excellent start.

Howie opinion: This approach is not how I would like it to be, but this might be what will "occur" and be successful.