A message for the middle (Rep. Diana DeGette)

In the days since Nov. 2, pundits, the public, and of course the politicians themselves have spent much time analyzing the Democratic losses. These discussions will continue long after the lawn signs are packed in storage and the new Congress starts in Washington. But the American people have shown they have a clear set of priorities as they navigate these challenging times, and many of them did not believe Democrats shared those priorities or had been working to address them.

The general dissatisfaction with government was not limited to the Democrats – a Newsweek poll conducted before the election demonstrated that only 31 percent of Americans approved of Republicans in Congress, versus 41 percent who approved of Democrats. Clearly, the central message of the 2010 midterm elections was that the country wanted to voice its displeasure with government in general – not, as many of the pundits would have us believe, with a single political party.

Nowhere was this more clear than in my home state of Colorado, which will boast a five - four Democrat to Republican split in our delegation to the 112th Congress. Driven by independents, Colorado voters elected four Republicans and three Democrats to the U.S. House, as well as a Democratic Governor and a Democratic Senator. While national factors likely played a role in the results, Colorado voters nonetheless exhibited a nuanced understanding and appreciation of the unique dynamics involved in individual races.

Across the nation, for the third straight election cycle, independent voters split overwhelmingly against the party in power; their votes indicative of a collective frustration with a political system they feel consistently caters to the edges of the political spectrum. Independents comprise more than a third of voters in the U.S. and yet these voters consistently repudiate the status quo, indicating they feel their concerns are often lost amidst the partisan clamor emanating from inside the beltway.

What has been lost in the attack ads and the one-liners is that the 111th Congress - from both sides of the aisle - achieved significant milestones on behalf of the American people. Health care reform addressed the ballooning costs of care that were beginning to cripple our economy, while simultaneously expanding access. Financial regulation ensured that Wall Street no longer has an incentive to play games with our savings and our financial futures. Numerous legislative efforts increased the affordability of a college education that has become increasingly vital to competing in the 21st century, global marketplace. While joblessness is unacceptably high, congressional actions helped stop the economy’s free fall and set the stage for recovery.

Yet in spite of the benefits that accompanied these reforms, independents - particularly those in Middle America - still felt as if we were not addressing their everyday concerns. Moving forward it is these people who need to be engaged, not just on an intellectual level, but a legislative one as well.

I believe the disconnect between the achievements of Congress and public opinion is due to the failure of Democrats over the past two years to provide a cohesive message. The most stark example may be that heading into the midterms, most Americans believed their taxes went up in 2009, when in reality, 95 percent of all Americans received a tax cut as part of the Recovery Act. Failure to deliver a clear message allowed our opponents to define health and financial reform as massive “government takeovers,” and paint our members and our leadership as out of touch with the problems facing the American people.

Moving forward, the challenge for the Democratic Party is not only to deliver a consistent message, but also to recognize and address the unique challenges and frustrations of moderate and independent voters. Handled deftly, being in the minority will afford us an opportunity to target these individuals.

I have spent much of my public service career in the minority party – both in the Colorado legislature, and for the bulk of my time in Congress. So I know from experience we can still accomplish great things in the 112th Congress that reflect our Democratic values. But doing so will require us to reach out to independent voters – a bloc inherently wary of government’s ability to create jobs, and desperately seeking a spot at the negotiating table they have been denied for multiple cycles.

While independent voters continued in this election to tell Washington they are fed up with partisan bickering, unfortunately it seems the GOP already intends to ignore that sentiment. The incoming Chair of the Government Reform Committee has already called for “hundreds of investigations” and the top Senate Republican said “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” 

With Republicans intent on playing partisan games, if Democrats can take steps to address the concerns of moderate voters while providing a cohesive message that resonates with them, Democrats will finally be able to reach these disaffected voters on a more permanent basis. Doing so will not only set up our party for gains in 2012, but will also help put the wind at the backs of our families, and our economy.