The moderate Democrat and former Virginia governor opines: "In that point [that the electorate isn't happy with either political party] is the key to the success of the Democratic Party in the future — or the Republican Party, if it figures out this lesson first. The party that buckles down and presents itself as the serious, grown-up party,
unconcerned with petty partisan battles, that cares more about
solutions, actually will, to borrow a phrase from the president, win the
future. To do that, the party
must assemble a Democratic coalition not built on personalities, though
it must have many a strong personality involved. No, instead, the
coalition must be founded upon ideas and issues. The party
must articulate a specific vision of where America needs to be in the
future. It must appeal to the moderate middle. It should be built by the
people for the people, not by any special interest group."
More commentary from Mr. Wilder: "What also is not
included in a recipe for future Democratic electoral success is to
ignore the coalition that has served it well for generations. I am not
saying that we ignore the moderate middle and instead build silos in
which we throw segments of the population that have been cleaved by
wedge issues. No. What I am saying is that the Democratic Party
should not give the impression that it can take portions of its
coalition for granted, assuming they will show up to support the party
no matter what it does. The people just might be smarter than some
politicians think. Members of the coalition might start asking the
question everyone else asks: 'What’s in it for me?'"
He ain't done just yet: "The federal
budget is headed for what many commentators are calling the fiscal
cliff. If tough decisions are not made by early next year, automatic
cuts in the social safety net and the national defense apparatus will be
imposed, and unbearable taxes will have to be raised on a populace that
cannot support them during a period of fiscal distress. Have we heard
much discussion about this and how to avert it from either campaign?
Unfortunately, no. That is a problem."
Douglas Wilder Op-Ed: Advice To My Fellow Democrats
