Has the Democratic Party lost its way in 2014?

Has the Democratic Party lost its way in 2014?

By Roger Caldwell

     The national results are in, and the National Democratic Party was given a royal beating by the National Republic Party. There are many excuses and reasons for this beating, but the Democrats never showed up at the polls. Only 38 percent of the registered voters in the country were inspired to participate in the Democratic process, and the only color they saw was red.

Congratulations to Reince Priebus and his team, on their execution and winning strategy, which put the Democrats to shame. The Republicans stayed on message, and they were able to condition their members and many independents that it was un-American to vote blue. Even though, the turn out for the election was terrible, the Republicans believe they have a mandate from the American people to stop President Obama.

Instead of President Obama operating as the head of the Democratic Party, he hid in the shadows, and allowed party members to run away from his record. It makes no sense to allow party members to operate independently of each other without a united front. When the team is disorganized, the voters have no idea what the message is and who to vote for.

From the very beginning of Rep. Debbie Wasserman chair ship, she never brought innovative and creative ideas to the party. As a result, the Democrats paid at the polls for her lack of leadership. For the last two years the Democrats have been lethargic and apathetic about the mid-term election, and no one appeared to be enthusiastic about the president’s message and record.

On certain levels, it appeared that the leadership in the Democratic Party was sabotaging the election, and expected to lose. The Democrats appeared to be on the defense, and never was the aggressor with their message and the president’s record. Everyone in the country knew in order for the Democrats to win, there would have to be a strong showing by the African Americans and Hispanic communities.

Instead of the Democrats spending money in the minority communities early in the race, they waited until the last six weeks to spend money with the Black and Hispanic media. This strategy essentially told the Black and Hispanic voters that they were not important enough to get engaged in early in the race. Some African American pastors told their congregations not to vote, because of the way they have been treated.

Many Black candidates around the country loss their races because the Democratic leadership refused to help fund their campaigns. There are many Black candidates at this point charging the Democratic leadership with racism. Many candidates think it is no accident that many of them received no money, but other candidates received millions of dollars.

There is a fundamental problem in the Democratic leadership, and it starts with a lack of diversity at the top. The African American Democrats are the most dedicated group in the party, and they are the last group in the party to be recognized and funded. The Black media is considered a step child in the Democratic family, and the leadership can never find any money or resources for our community.

The entire National and State Democratic leadership needs to be immediately fired, and a new diverse leadership voted in, which reflects the new demographics in the country and party. It is time for bold and decisive action from the Youth, African Americans, Hispanics, Gays, and progressive Whites.

If the Democrats plan to win in 2016, they must find their way back to enthusiasm integrity, inclusiveness, and a united message. The new chair person must be a smart visionary, who can organize a winning team, which can raise billions of dollars, and execute with a powerful strategy that resonates with the entire party.