Where to now?
I'm seeing more and more talk about which direction the Democratic Party should go after this election. This could be dangerous, as a unified front will be needed to stem this apparent Republican tide.
Some -- chief among them those from Bill Clinton's inner circle -- believe a move to incorporate more "faith and values" issues is necessary. Progressives know that our beliefs are not exclusive of religion and morals, but it's hard sometimes to explain those finer points. Some believe that in order to recapture some of the ground lost in middle America, we need to tout those moral issues more, while even taking centrist positions on such things as gun control and abortion.
Those things don't sit well with some in the party. In order to be a clear alternative, they believe we must stay the course by touting tolerance on issues like gay marriage. Eventually, they figure, people will see the light.
I'm glad I'm not the one in charge of deciding which way the party should go. To not move more toward the center might risk losing more ground and further trivializing the whole progressive movement; you can only push your agenda when you have a seat at the table. However, too much of a move to the center could make the party indistinguishable from the Republicans, giving voters no clear alternative or running them back to fringe parties (Nader), which can be just as damaging.
The thing is, the Republican Party is not all about evangelicals; those in charge of the party are just using that constituency to grab power. They've formed a coalition of the cunning and unwitting, and they coexist, even when their goals run counter to each other. Even those on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum in the Democratic Party have goals that are closely linked.
The Democrats need to get it figured out, because I really believe in-fighting could develop in the GOP for the 2008 election, and the Dems will need to be in a united position to take advantage of it.
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