A path forward for Democrats in the Trump era

After the stunning loss in November everyone seems to be scrambling for solutions on how to get the Democrats out of the wilderness, forcing millions of Americans to return to their roots. The Democratic Party needs to do the same.

I grew up in a small New Mexican town in a modest home, where I was taught to respect others, ourselves, and the land. When my parents divorced, my mom took on the responsibilities of raising our family. She worked hard, instilling in us a work ethic that if we gave 110 percent there was nothing we couldn’t achieve. Those values are what compelled me to join the Democratic Party when I was 18; communicating those values to the American people is what begins the come-back.

{mosads}The Democratic Party has always invested in our communities to build long lasting and meaningful relationships. Democrats were building a network. With all the talk about analytics, algorithms, and how we reach people, the Democrats have lost track of old school organizing. Once potential voters are identified, Democrats need to ensure organizers go into communities to build relationships with voters. 

Instead of focusing too much on candidate’s brands, social media memes and assuming that the new voters share the party’s values the Democrats need to focus on ensuring that voters are brought into the fold and made long term democratic voters. Democrats need to remind voters of the values that underpin a strong economy and that Democrats’ awareness comes from an authentic experiences with the same issues.  

There is a reason the phrase “it’s the Economy Stupid” coined by James Carville during the 1992 Bill Clinton campaign still resonates today. No matter who you are, pocket book issues affect your daily lives and in return affect the outcome of elections. 

Why did a billionaire, who pays his employees poorly, avoids taxes, and talks about women like he is still in the 1950’s win the election? Because his messaging spoke to the fears of the American worker. Even though President Obama has presided over 78 months of consistent job growth, the messaging that resonated was that workers’ lives were going to improve under a Trump Administration.

Democrats need to simplify the message and consistently repeat that their policies and values persistently help the American people achieve their dreams. We are now in a world that we have not dealt with before where the President-elect tweets insults and he and his people fabricate or exaggerate stories on a daily basis.

Staying consistent, on message and not following them into every rabbit hole will be key to opening the lines of communications with the American people once again.

Since November, I have done a lot of self reflection and retrospection and now is time for the Democratic Party to do the same. 

With Democrats losing their greatest megaphone, the White House, the Democratic Party needs to focus on getting back to its roots by connecting on a personal level with the American people, having a clear and concise message and asking themselves where do we go from here. 

This will be imperative when we choose who will lead the party and if we are ready for a new generation to take the reins.  

Raul Alvillar is a former Political Director for DNC. Follow him on Twitter

The views of contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.