With the recent passing of the health care bill, one might ask, what is next for the Democratic Party? In January 2009, President Barack Obama entered office with a large vision that went well beyond health care reform, including improving our nation's lagging economy, regulating Wall Street and big business, protecting the environment from the effects of global warming, empowering minorities and overall creating an America that will continue its strong leadership well into the future. There is no doubt that this is a huge task, so where is the Democratic Party focusing its efforts for the upcoming November elections and the future?
In the previous two election cycles in 2006 and 2008, Democrats had a much easier time running on the fact that President George W. Bush and his policies were unpopular among a majority of Americans. However, now with Obama in the White House, the Democratic Party needs to run on its record. In the last 15 months, the Democrats have indeed achieved a lot — from passing a nearly $800 billion stimulus to removing many combat troops from Iraq to finally passing comprehensive health care reform insuring 32 million previously uninsured Americans. While the economy is still not in ideal shape, it has been improving over the last few months and looks bound to continue improving for the rest of 2010. There is no doubt that the Tea Party and many Republicans may not like Obama's vision for America, but once America gets past the screaming, they should realize that Obama is sticking to his vision of creating a better America.
With this backdrop, how does the Democratic Party look to continue its electoral successes? The new Democratic National Committee, chaired by former Governor Tim Kaine (D−Va.) and led by Tufts alum Jennifer O'Malley−Dillon (A '98), is looking heavily to re−engage first−time voters and volunteers who supported Obama throughout his long presidential campaign. There was an incredible surge in activism among our nation's youth and from traditionally non−political portions of society. While most of these people still receive tons of weekly e−mails from Organizing for America, most have been inactive since Election Day in 2008. The key to future Democratic successes will have to lie in re−engaging these first−time Obama voters and other non−traditional voters — especially minority communities that broke very heavily for Obama in the 2008 election.
On Monday, April 26, every Tufts student will have the chance to hear a lot about the Democrats' vision for the future when Jennifer O'Malley−Dillon returns to campus to receive the Tufts Democrats Alumna of the Year award. Currently, O'Malley−Dillon is the executive director of the Democratic National Committee, but she has been working in politics for the last 15 years starting off here as a Jumbo. At Tufts, she interned for Rep. Joe Kennedy (D−Mass.), which led her to a position on former Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign. She began to specialize in Midwestern politics, which led to working on two Senate campaigns in South Dakota. Eventually she ended up as John Edwards' deputy campaign manager for his unsuccessful 2008 presidential run. After the Edwards campaign folded, O'Malley−Dillon became the Battleground States Director for then−Senator Obama, helping lead him to the presidency. This position paved the way for O'Malley−Dillon to become the current executive director of the Democratic National Committee.
Instead of just accepting this award in a behind−closed−doors ceremony, O'Malley−Dillon wants to engage with her fellow Jumbos in a discussion about the future of the Democratic Party. We know that many of you were first time voters in November 2008, and your voice is essential if you want to continue to see our nation move in concordance with Obama's vision for a better America. O'Malley−Dillon will be speaking in the ASEAN Auditorium in Cabot at 7:45 p.m. on Monday, April 26, and we hope that you will join us there for a discussion with a key player in the Democratic Party of the future.
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Bronwen Raff is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He is the vice president-elect of the Tufts Democrats. Seth Rau is a sophomore majoring in International Relations. He is the president-elect of the Tufts Democrats.
