Check out this excellent op-ed piece in the New York Times by Jim Wallis. He describes what the Democratic Party needs to do if they want to win the White House again. Since the end of the Clinton years the Democrats have appeared to mostly on the defensive with very little real constructive rhetoric or programs. Its seemed mostly to me like their platform has been, "We're Not Those Guys-Thats Why You Should Vote For Us!" This editorial presents some real reasons that those of us in the center might possibly consider voting for a Democrat with a real message. Here's a quote:

First, somebody must lead on the issue of poverty, and right now neither party is doing so. The Democrats assume the poverty issue belongs to them, but with the exception of John Edwards in his 2004 campaign, they haven't mustered the gumption to oppose a government that habitually favors the wealthy over everyone else. Democrats need new policies to offer the 36 million Americans, including 13 million children, who live below the poverty line, as well as the 9.8 million families one recent study identified as "working hard but falling short."

In fact, the Democrats should draw a line in the sand when it comes to wartime tax cuts for the wealthy, rising deficits, and the slashing of programs for low-income families and children. They need proposals that combine to create a "living family income" for wage-earners, as well as a platform of "fair trade," as opposed to just free trade, in the global economy. Such proposals would cause a break with many of the Democrats' powerful corporate sponsors, but they would open the way for a truly progressive economic agenda. Many Americans, including religious voters who see poverty as a compelling issue of conscience, desire such a platform.