Democrats’ Core Message: We’ll Get Back To You On That

The Democratic Party is out of power to an extent not seen since the Roaring Twenties, and one major reason why is the party’s lack of a “core message” for voters. A new Associated Press story details how even Democratic leaders like House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley have no clue what that message should be going forward:

“House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley hesitated when asked about his party’s core message to voters. ‘That message is being worked on,’ the New York congressman said in an interview this past week. ‘We’re doing everything we can to simplify it, but at the same time provide the meat behind it as well. So that’s coming together now.'”

Embarrassingly, Crowley had to tell the Associated Press that it’ll be several more months before votes hear a coherent message from the Democratic Party:

“Meanwhile, Crowley said voters may have to wait a few more months before they hear national Democrats’ new message. ‘We’re all working on that,’ Crowley said. ‘We’re hoping to have this up and running and out by this fall.'”

The Democratic Party’s message vacuum has caused many to gravitate to Senator Bernie Sanders because while his message to voters is very extreme, at least he has one.

One figure in the Democratic Party who has jumped aboard Bernie’s movement is California billionaire Tom Steyer. Steyer has bought into Bernie’s single-payer push, yet even Steyer admits that the Democratic Party has not developed on a “positive message” to win back voters it lost last year:

“But Democrats, Steyer said, have yet to develop a compelling and positive message to channel the energy Sanders generated on the campaign and help the party win back working class voters in the Rust Belt who flipped for Trump — let alone turn their own base out at the polls on Election Day.”

As the Democratic Party’s four special election losses showed this year, a lack of a forward-looking, positive message can have a significant impact on the party’s electoral prospects. The longer the Democratic Party’s lack of a message is clear to voters, the weaker their midterm chances become.