The kate and her friend Stan posted links to a Democrat suggestion box. Apparently The Powers That Be want to know how to improve their customer service. This will be the last last LAST time I talk about this, I swear. [ed.:it's full of bad grammar and things that look like factual errors, now that I doublecheck. I'm leaving it as-is. I'm a moron.]

I wrote:

1. How did you participate in this election?

I went to rallies; talked to coworkers and family members to get them to vote Democrat; I went to a convention in Orlando. And there's my bumper sticker.

2. Is this the first time you participated in election activism?

No.

3. How would you like to continue to stay involved? (Volunteering, phonebanking, fundraising, local organizing, etc.)

Any or all of the above. I'm the kind of Democrat in short supply these days- the kind you barely need to please.

4. Did you feel the actions you took were effective?

What, you mean afterwards?

5. Was it a good experience for you?

Not entirely.

6. How would you make it better?

You need to work on making your conventions and rallies less exclusive. It shouldn't be a little boys' treehouse. If you want to be the party of the people, fine, just don't say it and charge $800 a plate, or if you absolutely must do that, then please, please, please try harder to find other ways of involving those of us who aren't George Soros.

7. Please share other thoughts and comments you have about the 2004 election and what Democrats and the Democratic Party should do going forward.

Make "new blood" your motto. No more Kerry, no more toxic gaybashers like Edwards, no more Shrum, no more McAuliffe, (please!) no more Gephardt, no more Bill Clinton or Al Gore, and while you're at it, no more Howard Dean.

Half the reason the Democratic party couldn't get out the vote this year is that a million different Democratic legislators bowing to a million different local pressures have allowed unions to bleed members ever since Reagan, but mostly under and since Clinton. Stop the bleeding, and instead of assuming the unions will push for you, push for the unions first; they'll get your back later. Encouraging the rank-and-file to vote for people who will protect their interests is unions' job.

Do not- please, it makes me cry- DO NOT run people who can't explain why they voted for something and then against it and then for it again. It's not whether they had a good reason that matters, it's whether they can explain it easily (and apologizing for not being able to talk about it is not an explanation.)

Make equality patriotism. Make human rights, labor, and diversity activists your spiritual ancestors. (This has the added benefit of being true.) When you need to harken back to Traditional American Values, don't be fucking shy about pillaging the Civil Rights movement, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Texan populists, Eugene Debs and anyone who stepped up against McCarthyism (because no one accusing anyone else of Communism will be taken seriously, and if it hadn't been for Communism there would be no modern Republican party.) Ask whether Reagan would've voted to up the deficit. [ed.: yes, I know, an unfortunate sentence in more than one way. It was late.] Ask whether Nixon would've dissed the UN.

DO NOT make yourself the peace party. Sorry. Peace isn't enough. Make yourself the no-bullshit party. I suspect, but can't prove, that Dean would've played better with Republicans and Independents than Kerry did, and if Dean had been from the South or Midwest he would've won.

DO NOT let the Republicans have the evangelical Christians, not without a fight. There are plenty of people of faith out there who don't think fucking the poor for profit is much of a value.

Where's the big tent? Bring in the pro-lifers. There's plenty of room in both parties for disagreement on abortion, as Arlen Spector will tell you. Abortion rights, frankly, did not need to be defended until you fucked everything else up, so don't bother until you really really really have to. I could be wrong here, too, but I think there are far fewer one-issue pro-choice voters than there are one-issue pro-life voters.

The only successful candidates you run from here on out will be bricoleurs: cultivate small-scale, issue-by-issue alliances with whoever you can, wherever you can, especially in the South, where Republicans are enough of a dynasty that people don't even know who they're voting for, but will switch parties if their backs are properly scratched by honest people who're new to politics.

For god's sakes, stop saying "going forward."

In short, earn your votes.