Political independents continue to be amazed by Democratic Party loyalists’ seemingly endless failure to take any active, effective steps to reform and reinvigorate their party following a stunning presidential election defeat.

The self-satisfied “realism” of those who’ve always known that the “lesser of two evils” is the obvious way to go received a world-class shock when their champion – who was nevertheless despised by many – was blown away by the decisive electoral victory of Donald Trump.

Despite being reminded by some of their more prestigious colleagues such as former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich that they have brought this result upon themselves by having supported, or passively allowed, the abandonment of the legitimate rights and aspirations of working-class Americans – to say nothing about their passivity in the face of revealed government spying, government murder via drone strike, government torture of prisoners, government threats to journalists – most of these party loyalists now seek to relieve themselves by blocking freeways, waving signs, issuing and signing email petitions re announced cabinet nominations and exchanging public outrage and/or sneers at the nature of those who are to govern them.

This when they are not busy explaining that a vast right-wing conspiracy, widespread misogyny, foreign digital manipulation and/or the behavior of a traitorous US government official combined to rob them of their rightful ascendance to the White House.

And – wonder of wonders – suddenly they, whose presidential candidate got more votes nationwide but who themselves never engaged in any effort to have their state join the National Popular Vote compact, are all agog to have the electoral college provisions of the Constitution overturned by congressional action or by renegade state electors. (Most of the few electors who’ve declared themselves conscience-not-state-vote-bound won’t vote for Clinton!)

One can only imagine what the 1920s author/critic H.L. Mencken, who frequently satirized the “boobwoisie,” would have to say.

It should be obvious that any serious hope for resuscitation, not to say survival, of the Democratic Party requires (1) immediate and thorough reexamination and reform of its social/economic/political policies and legislative efforts and (2) the immediate encouragement, appointment and installation in key positions of party personnel who represent this reform who have the will and authority to carry it out.

The most enlightened efforts in this direction clearly face a difficult two-four-eight-year struggle to convince Americans that Democrats once again support and value their ability to have work in this country, to earn a decent wage, to have easily-created and maintained unions, to have access to effective health care and education, to be protected from wholesale spying, bigot-based deportation and retaliation.

The necessary first steps are to make clear popular support for those Democrats whose progressive street-cred is well known: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren – and for party participants supported and promoted by them.

And the first of the mandatory first steps is to ensure the selection by elected Democrats of progressive Keith Ellison, a black Muslim, to the Chair of the Democratic National Party. Ellison is supported for this post by Sanders and Warren.

Please be aware that Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Howard Dean no longer represent the necessary progressive overhauling of the Democratic Party. Ellison and newly-discovered progressive talent are needed to point the way for a party renewal.

So what specifically can one individual do to help this ball get rolling? What possibility exists, other than endless blah-blah, that may actually encourage elected Democrats to reform their party in ways that can restore their credibility to most Americans?

Lawrence Hess, in The Nation, wrote this:

“One of the problems with the Democratic Party is that it does not even have a meaningful agenda. If you Google ‘Democratic Party agenda,’ some of the top responses are a 2007 speech by former Member of Congress Charles Rangel and the 2016 party platform, which is over 50 pages long. In an effort to be all things to all voters, the party has long been purposely vague and verbose about agenda, another cause of the debacle.

“For a long time, I have believed in being explicit about vision and agenda. When I proposed these ideas to candidate Barack Obama in 2007, he quickly replied, ‘That would just give the Republicans targets to shoot at.’

“I disagreed then, and I disagree now. Let them shoot, so long as those shots are verbal and not something more menacing. Who among us can say in a few sentences what the Democratic Party stands for? We can fix that.

“My wife and I are donors to progressive causes and candidates. Over the years we have also given to Democratic Party campaign committees in efforts—along with other progressive donors—to move the party in the progressive direction.

“Now we are through with that. We will not donate to any of the Democratic Party’s four campaign committees or any allied independent expenditure committees unless and until the party makes meaningful and substantial progressive changes regarding personnel, targeted voters, and agenda. We encourage all party donors, at whatever level, to join us.” (thenation.com, Dec. 2, 2016)

My only political financial contributions in 2016 were to Senator Bernie Sanders, so I don’t have Mr. and Mrs. Hess’ option.

But I have written, via US mail, a letter to Senator Sanders, asking that he, in word and deed, assume the leadership of the Democratic Party and that he act in any way possible to him to see that the party adopts the policies he promoted in his primary campaign.

I have written, via US mail, a letter to newly-elected 24th California congressional district US Representative Salud Carbjal, asking that he, though occupying a different legislative branch from Senator Sanders, regard Sanders as the party’s leader and that he notify the Senator of his support and willingness to help in any way to promote progressive policies. And that Carbajal take immediate opportunity to show his values by voting for Keith Ellison to head the DNC.

I have written, via US mail, a letter to Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, asking that she regard Senator Sanders as the party’s current leader, that she seek coalition with him in promoting progressive policies/legislation and that, under these circumstances, if she is considering her own candidacy for president in 2020, Senator Sanders, who would then be 78, would certainly vigorously support her.

So what about you? Where do you stand? Are you a Democrat who thinks your party’s social/economic/political policies are just fine as is? Or do you believe the Democratic Party must remedy its failure to support the legitimate hopes, needs and rights of Americans?

In either case, what are you doing about it?

William Smithers
Santa Barbara