Letter to the Editor / DO BOTH

By Roger C. Kostmayer

While the Republican Party is busy shutting down state primaries to protect their President from other Republican primary candidates (like former governors Bill Weld and Mark Sanford, and former Representative Joe Walsh), the Democrats are realizing they need a big win across the board in 2020 if they hope to have a functioning Constitutional democracy that allows elected officials to do their job and solve serious problems.  A big win requires a party to win the House, White house & the Senate, and carry the lion’s share of local elections.

At the moment, the Democrats are split over which strategy is more likely to achieve their bold election objectives and enable them to get things done the American people most need and want.  Some insist on the Rust Belt strategy that targets Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and the more conservative/moderate constituencies that voted for Trump; others advocate for “Y.E.S. plus minorities” (targeting the young, educated, suburban & minorities) similar to the more progressive Obama model.

In a sense, the Rust Belt focus is about (learning from) the past, and the YES strategy is about the future.  Properly executed, either strategy should be successful, but if you want a Big Win, it requires Democrats to figure out big tent ways to employ BOTH strategies – simultaneously and effectively.  This is difficult, but possible, only if the central thrust is to go to the people and both listen and educate.

One big tent, all hands on deck, tactic could be a team-versus-Trump approach where the Obamas, all the Democratic candidates, and other leaders become surrogates for their ticket and personally go to the states and demographics where they are most effective.

Hopefully, what ever strategy emerges, the result will increase participation and accurately reflect the will of all the people.

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