It’s about a month and a half before the midterm elections, so where the hell is the Democratic unified strategy? What the hell is Howard Dean doing? At the very freakin’ least, the Democratic Party should by now be releasing a slate of principles and initiatives, a clear, strong, ten-point bullet list of what Democrats will do when they have control of Congress, so that voters will have something to vote for, instead of simply voting against Republicans (who have been working so ardently to deserve being voted against). It seems that like two years ago, Democrats now are again taking the strategy of staying quiet out of fear that saying anything will cost them votes. I hope to god that I’m wrong and that there’s something big coming up, because if there’s not, the Democratic Party could very effectively show how this could be their election to lose.

Here’s my 10-point bullet list, expanded with explanations:

• Set a timetable for a withdrawal from Iraq, so that the Iraqi government knows that they either firm up or else, that we won’t be there to let them fail easily. Yes, this will draw instant “cut and run” attacks from Republicans–which will make it possible for Democrats to instantly respond with vehemence, unity, and force that this is the right thing to do, instead of cowering in fear. Democrats have everything to gain by showing backbone, and this issue is perfect: most Americans approve of this kind of idea, but it is also controversial enough so that fighting for it makes you look resolute and tough, willing to take risks.

• Vow to actually capture Osama bin Laden by making the actual resources to capture him available. This is not really the Congress’ bag, I know, but it will emphasize the Republican failure in this regard. Tie this into the Iraq issue, point out how a withdrawal from Iraq will free up resources to pour back into Afghanistan (the people who actually attacked us, remember?), where the Taliban are back and bin Laden is still running free.
• Security: vow to actually respond to the 9/11 Commission’s security suggestions, and do far more to actually secure American cities. Make an issue of how Bush’s “war on terror” has been primarily to invade Iraq and scare the people with terror alerts, while virtually ignoring actual domestic security, instead focusing on meaningless and fake non-issues that don’t help much. Focus on 100% searches of incoming cargo containers, and other strong points the Republicans have been fighting against. Point out the Republican corruption of using counter-terrorism funding to fill porkbarrel roles.
• Health Care for Children. At the very least. A good, comprehensive plan so that all children are covered. Let the Republicans try to argue why we shouldn’t spend money to keep children from dying. And attach a promise to work on health care for everyone else who is uninsured as well.
• Education: find a plan to make college affordable. Point out that education is a huge, positive investment in the future, spurring economic growth and strength. Expand government grants and loans, make college tuition tax-deductible. Beneficial changes for the education system at large could be added to bolster this point.
• The Budget: cut porkbarrel spending, rein in the budget, stop deficit overspending, bring back the Robust Democratic Economy. Great issue for highlighting the massive overspending spree Republicans have been enjoying for the past several years, while also pointing out that Democrats have a far better record on the economy.
• Jobs: pass a minimum wage increase that is not tied to yet another tax cut for the rich. Pass legislation to encourage job growth, especially well-paying manufacturing jobs, right here in the U.S. Here, you could use the fact that jobs under Bush have gone sour (jobless recovery, low-paying jobs predominating), and that Bush’s economic adviser tried to classify flipping burgers at McDonald’s a “manufacturing industry” job.
• Energy & the Environment: vow to commit spending to research and develop alternate energy sources that can truly replace oil and coal. Vow to overturn Bush’s anti-environmental legacy, and to bring back clean air & water standards. Point out how laws which require energy efficiency, like those in California, have actually succeeded in their goals, while the energy problems have been caused by deregulation and greed within the energy industry; use Cheney’s energy task force and the administration’s Enron collusion and bludgeons.
• Protect Social Security: get the AARP working for the Democrats. Point out how Democrats stopped Bush and the Republicans from killing the program with unpopular “privatization” schemes. Another popular issue.
• Tax Fairness: promise to bolster middle-class tax cuts as Democrats have been suggesting since before Bush, while at the same time scaling back the excessive, wasteful, and unnecessary tax cuts for rich people and super-profitable corporations. Point out how Bush kept insisting that his tax cuts targeted the middle class while they actually screwed them over, again and again giving billions and even trillions to the affluent while short-changing the little guy. Firmly position the Democratic party as being for the middle class, while the Republicans are exclusively for the rich and elite. (Yes, use the Republican catch-word “elite” against them for a change.) The Republicans want to call out a “class war”? Fine–give it to them, and let the GOP stand for the upper class!

Note that the first three points are about security–no oversight there. Democrats have got to fight for a strong reputation on the issue. It’s the perfect time, because Republicans still monopolize security, but are now weak on it.

Of course, when it’s issued, it will have to be a more compact list, looking more like this:

• Set a timetable for a withdrawing most from Iraq: leave the supervisory forces that can do actual good, force Iraq to take responsibility for itself, and bring our soldiers out of the futile meat grinder.

• Capture Osama bin Laden and defeat the Taliban: remember the real war on terror? The one that Bush has forgotten and lost?
• Bolster American Security: follow the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, secure our cities as Republicans have failed to do, and end GOP corruption in security spending.
• Health Care for Children. And why not for all uninsured Americans while we’re at it?
• Focus on Education: Education is the best and most profitable investment of all. Make college affordable and reform education policies at all levels.
• Control the Budget: cut porkbarrel spending, stop massive Republican overspending and deficits, bring back the Robust Democratic Economy.
• Democrats Are the Party for Jobs: build better jobs, stop conservative outsourcing of high-paying employment, raise the minimum wage to a living wage.
• Establish Sanity on Energy & the Environment: Develop alternate energy resources instead of the GOP’s lip service; bring back workable & valuable environmental policy.
• Protect Social Security: stop Republicans’ efforts to kill the program and ensure the survival of retirement protection.
• Tax Fairness: bolster middle-class tax cuts, and scale back the excessive, wasteful, and unnecessary tax cuts for rich people and super-profitable corporations.

Please, go ahead, copy and paste that list, make refinements if you want to, but start emailing it and posting something like it wherever you can. I know people have done this before, but for god’s sake, it hasn’t been done enough, and if the Democratic Party won’t, we have to, to show people that Democrats do indeed stand for things. I know that the Democrats have initiative lists out there, but they need to do four things:

1. Make the list compact and eminently readable, like I did just above;

2. Publicize the crap out of it, featuring it above everything else at every level, so it’s impossible for the media to ignore (which you know they’ll try to);
3. Rinse and Repeat: don’t just publicize it once, hammer away at this, repeat the same damn list again and again and again and again, drive it home, hard; and
4. For Christ’s sake, unify, god dammit! Get every single Democrat aboard on this, make it an integral part of every Democratic Party member’s agenda. Hold events where large numbers of Democrats come together for massive photo ops the media can’t brush off, where every Democrat signs a pledge to uphold these promises. Yes, that’s right, a virtual “Contract for America”; if the Democrats are going to pull off what the Republicans did in 1994, now is the time. It might even be possible to use that directly, saying that this is the Democratic Contract for America, and point out how miserably the Republicans failed to uphold their contract.

The problem, of course, is that we’re not seeing this unity, at least not yet. But in my opinion, it’s the best and only hope the Democrats have for grabbing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and running with it, instead of meekly and fearfully hiding in a goddamned corner and hoping that if they stay quiet enough, people will simply vote against Republicans.

Howard Dean, where the hell are you?