Voters are not misguided or confused or too angry and upset to think clearly. And if Democrats persist in telling themselves that this is the message of 2010, their long-term viability will suffer no matter what happens in 2012.
Instead, the electorate has shown that it will listen to a party that presents a vision for growth, greatness and fairness. An agenda that is limited to fairness is doomed to failure.
Americans value personal liberty -- political, economic and religious. From these spring our commitment to fairness and tolerance. But what really drives Americans is a faith in progress and making life better for their children. This is more than a dream or a myth; it is the essential story of what has set us apart and attracted people from all over the world to endure tremendous hardship to come here.
As strong supporters of President Obama, we appreciate that he may have heroically and skillfully saved the country from a Depression. Certainly, the Democratic leadership is justified in feeling that voters have short memories in that regard. And Democrats have communicated through their focus on health care and financial reform that they want to improve the nation by making it a fairer place. This is admirable.
But where is the vision for future growth and prosperity? So far there has been none.
Into this vacuum, the Republican message of low taxes and less regulation begins to once again look attractive. At least it speaks to the anxiety that voters feel as to whether we will continue to be a great nation. Voters know intuitively -- even if politicians do not -- that our ability to create a just society is dependent on the material wealth our economy can generate. And they know that long-term, material growth cannot come from a government jobs program or the extension of unemployment benefits or a one-time tax credit (even if they are each worthwhile in their own right).
There is, however, a compelling story for Democrats to tell about growth and the greatness of our nation. How we grew our country through not just private investment but public as well: in education, the railroads, the national highway network, and in government-driven advances in aerospace and computers.
A commitment to growth and greatness requires policies that promote both private and public investment. And it's here that Democrats possess a potential advantage over Republicans. The Republicans' ideological commitment to lower taxes at all costs -- without reducing government spending -- has placed our nation in great peril with a combination of huge deficits and a crumbling infrastructure. The Chinese manage to invest 9 percent of GNP on infrastructure, whereas the U.S. invests a slim 2.5 percent.
The electorate knows the difference between policies that promote public investment -- rebuilding bridges, highways, ports and water systems, modernizing the electricity grid, expanding educational access -- versus policies that are simply transfers via tax payments to favored constituencies.
Improvements in education cannot mean only increased payments to teachers. Physical improvements and sound educational policies cannot take a back seat to increases in public-sector salaries and pensions. Our corporate tax rate is among the highest in the world. Tax reductions should promote competitiveness and corporate investment.
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Democrats must fight for these policies so that they don't become a party only of people dependent on the government. That's not healthy for the party, and it's not healthy for the country.It's not too late for Democrats to embrace an agenda of growth and greatness. Many individual Democratic office-holders understand this agenda -- especially at the state and local levels. Coupled with deficit reduction, it might even attract some Republican votes. That would be a real change in the status quo.
It is time for Democrats to present a pro-growth story that speaks to the hopes and aspirations of the country. Currently, voters perceive the Democratic message as pain in the name of building a fairer society. That is not going to sell and it is not going to build a great nation for the 21st century.
Attorneys Jay Eisenhofer and Richard Schiffrin are both active Democrats. Eisenhofer is a member of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Majority Trust, and Schiffrin was Hillary Rodham Clinton's Pennsylvania finance chairman.