Democrats have identity crisis to solve

Democratic legislators in the minority of Congress are waiting for the 2016 election, joined by prospective Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. One question should ring in their minds:

Who are we?

It is not a question of identifying the Democratic politicians by name or face. It is about crafting a message and theme that identify the party. To be successful going forward, the Democrats need to reclaim a bit of early Obama magic. Six years in the White House has left them unable to trumpet the same post-Bush administration outsiderism that catapulted them to their 2008 and 2012 victories. The time to tweak their message is now.

In the realm of self-improvement, one of the things harder than learning from personal mistakes is learning from the success of opponents. The ramifications of the Democrats’ identity crisis became painfully clear when the 114th Congress was elected with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a new Republican majority in the Senate. The Senate Democrats found themselves on the outside looking in. The hardest pill for the Democrats to swallow is recognizing that their turnaround is as much about emulating Republican success as it is about learning from their own failure.

Democrats can get the rebranding ball rolling by smoothing over divisions within their party, like the one that erupted between the White House and Senate Democrats who publicly criticized Obama for being lukewarm to fundraise for them prior to the 2014 midterms. They can also learn from Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s failure to win the presidency in 2012, a failure largely blamed on the massive rightward shift to win the primary election amid criticism from more radical candidates. Republicans, however, followed up this defeat with success in the 2014 midterms largely because they were able to weed out radical candidates, who could be linked to other Republican candidates by voters. In Colorado, for example, the GOP ousted radical Republican candidate Ken Buck and replaced him with now-Senator Cory Gardner. The result? An upset victory of Democratic incumbent Mark Udall. In Mississippi, the GOP election machine leaked embarrassing audio of Tea Party member Chris McDaniel speaking insensitively about slavery and women. The ramifications allowed the more moderate incumbent, Thad Cochran, to coast to reelection in the general.

Democrats should pursue that same agenda in their quest to take back the Senate. For example, the 2016 spotlight will shine brightly on California, due to the retirement of longtime Senator Barbara Boxer. The 2016 election will feature the state’s first Senate race without a Democratic incumbent since 1992. Because of new California election laws allowing the top two finishers in the primary to compete in the general election regardless of party affiliation, it is likely that the general election will feature two Democrats. It is imperative that those Democrats avoid the same brand of infighting that dragged down Romney in 2012.

These lessons are transferable and perhaps more important for Democrats seeking to retain the White House in 2016. Another lesson from the Republican reemergence is the party’s attempt to distance themselves from the Tea Party. As Republicans realize that elections are still winnable without the Bible Belt-right, so too can Democrats realize that the overly progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren is largely unelectable before a moderate voters. Warren officially ruled out a run for the presidency this week, but her progressive counterparts like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders have not. Electorates in primary elections tend to be more extreme — further heightening the danger that such candidates emerge as likely contenders — and further heightening the need for the party establishment to pressure those candidates out of the race.

To put it all together, Democrats need a message that rings with moderates as well. They also need a message that isn’t overly presidential. A “Ready for Hillary” vision might get them the White House but won’t get them back the Congress. For the Republicans in 2014, it was anti-Obama, Obama, Obama. So who are the Democrats? As the economy improves, the Democrats have a credible argument to cast themselves as the party that, over Republican obstruction that included shutting down the government, guided the nation out of the Great Recession. Their policies, beginning with the stimulus package, put Americans back to work. The time for progressivism will come — but it isn’t an election year message. It will only be possible after convincing voters that Democratic politicians in the House, White House and Senate are worth trusting for another two, four or six more years.

Nathaniel Haas is a junior majoring in political science and economics. His column, “State of the Union,” runs Fridays.