Beyond individual candidates, this is what it boils down to (IMO)

Ultimately, in my opinion, this election is not about which individual occupies the White House and which party controls Congress.

It isn't even really a political issue. It is more of a social issue, an economic issue and a matter of basic values.

In political terms, what it boils down to is this. I want to feel that I am being represented in government.

"I" doesn't just mean me personally. It is the generic "I" which is the vast majority of Americans who fall below the Top 20 Percent in terms of Wealth and Power. More importantly, "I" refers to a basic loyalty to all of us as individuals, rather than to large Corporation and Powerful Special Interests.

There is a political Party whose basic role is to represent the wealthy and powerful corporations, and the morons who blindly believe in the "trickle down" theory. It is called the Republican Party.

That needs to be counterbalanced by a political party that represents the rest of us.

This doesn't mean a political party that exactly reproduces every specific policy I might believe in personally. But it does mean a political party that I can feel comfortable with on a very basic level. A party that I can still trust is on my side and is watching out for my best interests, even if I disagree with something specific.

This is, in my opinion, what the Democratic Party is supposed to be. The counterbalance to the interests of the wealthy and powerful

This means a political party that will contradict and fight against policies and initiatives which defy common sense and common decency.

It means a political party that will vigorously contradict such Corporate CONservative claims as "Allowing our company to become a monopoly is necessary to preserve competition." ....We need a party that will point the basic lie of such claims as "Layoffs are good for workers" or "Forcing you to compete with desperate workers overseas will be good for you."

Rather than a specific label or ideological template, the Democratic Party should be the political home for a Big Tent that ranges from moderate to liberal to progressive. While its' members and supporters may differ on speed and degree, at the very least, it should be coherent enough to all be pulling in the same direction.

Alas, it has moved very far from that role. Instead, it has become untrustworthy as a representative of the core interests of the majority. It seems to be torn between loyalties these days. It lacks a defined set of core principles that are necessary to make it trustworthy, even with specific disagreements.

In order to really fulfill its role, the Democratic Party needs to restore its role as a representative of the majority on the core issues of wealthy and power.

It needs to be a trusted ally in all of the large battles, not an ambivalent blob that seems to be simultaneously working for and against the interests of the majority.