Throughout the last several elections the Democrats have learned a very harsh lesson: stand for nothing and lose.  The Opposition Party repeatedly has failed to develop a stable and consistent platform upon which candidates might stand and run.  This, in turn, has earned them a consistent beating at the polls.  Were it not for Bush and his régime now demonstrating clear and irrefutable corruption, lying, general law breaking, despotism, and a myriad of other unsightly and inexcusable transgressions, I suspect the Democrats would once again find themselves on the short end of the electorate poll come this November, but the Republicans have provided the undeniable opportunity for liberals to reclaim some control in the federal government, most specifically in Congress.  But the Democrats continue to stumble over themselves by way of random opinions and stances, a missing national platform, and no coherent, stable, consistent singular voice.

The challenge to Democrats, then, is to stand for something.  The DNC must reign in its membership, define a stance on major issues (and Bush has provided plenty either through action or inaction), and ultimately stop being the Opposition Party that simply opposes the party in control and whatever ideas that party may have.  This accomplishes nothing, and in the eyes of the American people it says Democrats do not stand for anything.  Voters are unable to put their finger on specific issues with which they might agree with progressives and liberals because no such clear decision exists within the party.

Ask 10 Democrats what they think of the gay marriage question and you will get 10 very different answers.  Do the same with terrorism, the Middle East, the economy, oil prices and energy in general, or any other hot topic which presently burns at the forefront of the American collective consciousness, and you will again see they are unable to communicate a single vision, a strong and unmitigated political platform with which any group of people might relate.  This has been their problem for three election cycles and can easily cause them additional harm this November if they are unable to organize their disparate views into one national response — on any issue.  While they challenge anything the Republicans do, they continually fail to provide solutions that are agreeable to their entire party, so the lack of identity is held against all members of the party and inflicts damage to what should be an easy image to maintain: being better than the current ruling party, and having solutions to the downward spiral of our nation and the world.

If November is to mark a turning point for Democrats and, correlatively, the nation, the party needs to organize its views, ensure all of its candidates know the platform and can speak to it, and be prepared to take a stand — for something and not just the idea du jour.  There is sufficient ammunition available from the Republican-controlled government to make any political run successful; the guiding principle, however, is to take a stand and stick to it.  Democrats have been unable to do this for many years.  You see, opposition by dishevelment is not the way to win a race, so I am once again left to wonder if they will suffer defeat this autumn based solely on the fact that Americans do not recognize in them a single unified stance.