How to help consolidate Democratic power in the long term.

I realize this is way premature, given the current political landscape, but I'm going to mention this here in the hopes that somebody somewhere with the ability to move on these suggestions might read this. At any rate, it's a discussion we as Democrats should have, under the topic of "strategic thinking."

When Republicans gain control of levers of power, they act to consolidate that power, even if it means frustrating the will of the plurality, if not the majority, of the voting public. After the 2010 midterms gave them control over so many state houses, they quickly moved to redistrict Congressional districts to give them an inherent, unfair advantage. When they control both the White House and Senate, they move to pack the courts with right wing ideologues, who in turn hand them judicial victories such as Citizens United and Bush v. Gore. Within its first year in office, the Trump administration settled a bogus lawsuit brought by various right wing groups against the IRS--paying out millions in taxpayer dollars and thus giving those groups a windfall in funding. "Faith based initiatives" generally serve the same function--funneling tax dollars to the religious right, just as charter schools and private prisons funnel tax dollars to predominantly conservative groups.

Somehow Democrats never seem to take this sort of strategic action when they have the power. For two years the Democratic Party had majorities in both houses of Congress and had control of the White House. It seemed to me there was little effort then to engage in this sort of strategic political action. I don't blame President Obama or the Congressional leadership--they were busy extricating us from a disastrous war and saving the entire economy from melting down due to Republican incompetence. We'll probably face a similar if not worse situation post Trump America. All the more reason to give this issue some thought right now.

If we ever do have control of both Senate and House, and the White House, I propose that our leaders move immediately to:

1. Grant statehood to both Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. I understand that in the past there hasn't been a consensus on the island in favor of statehood. But recent events demonstrate the danger of having NO representation in the national government, no Senators, no Congressional delegation, no votes in the Electoral College. The District of Columbia has a larger population than Wyoming, and yet has only a token, non-voting "observer" in Congress. Granting both areas statehood would mean four more Democratic Senators, and several more Democratic Congress people. It would also give Democrats an edge in the Electoral College. Speaking of which....

2. We need to abolish the Electoral College. Seriously. Twice in our lifetimes it has handed the presidency over to the obviously inferior candidate, the losing candidate in the popular vote. It may take years, but a Constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College should definitely be a big part of our national agenda.

3. Paper trails for all ballots in all elections everywhere in the country. There must be a way to be able to check voting tallies, especially in close elections where tampering is suspected.

4. Look for ways to restart ACORN and other community action groups that work to enfranchise previously disenfranchised people.

5. Work on other ways to open up the electoral process. Expanded voting hours, easier registration, perhaps making national elections a national holiday so working people have more opportunities to vote.

6....I could go on....

Unlike Republican efforts--which aim at keeping power by disenfranchising large segments of the public--all these efforts would be supportive of small d democratic values, as well as the Democratic agenda. It's moral, reasonable, ethical.... and it helps Democrats because, at the end of the day, we have the support of the plurality if not the majority of the American people.

Just had to get that off my chest.

Best wishes to all, and what a wonderful Wednesday morning this has been!