Salon -- Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment

If the Democratic Party today wants to move out of the wilderness it needs to learn from the Republicans of the 1970s. It needs to take most of that "soft money" and stop spending it on worthless campaign ads and instead start building the framework for an intellectual revitalization of their side of the aisle.

What did the Republicans do in the 1970s? They went back to their roots and created institutions for the long-term. They spent money on think-tanks and local organizations and decided to build a new party from the ground up that appealed to conservatives.

The Democrats just lost the Senate because they had no ideas and no program. (Even when Al Gore offered a spirited attack on Bush's economic policy he failed to put forth any ideas of his own.) Of course the party faithful didn't rally -- there was nothing to rally behind. Voters need to be inspired by a vision, and until the Democrats find one they will continue to get kicked in the teeth.

I see after the first long post I am back to being the Reader's Digest and Links for the Progressives.