COMMENTARY: Contract for America: Democrats must let voters know what they stand for

I have been saying recently to considerable applause at town halls — with groups as diverse as the Boulder City Democrats and Indivisible, AFGE and Battle Born Progress — that Democrats need a positive, cohesive, concise message. They need a universal message that broad segments of society, regardless of their background or where they live, can agree upon.

We must do more than just challenge President Donald Trump. We must give the American people a reason to return the keys of the House to the Democrats. I see by a March 22 letter to the Review-Journal from Donald Huey that this concept is gaining traction.

A common thread at all these town halls was the question, “What can we, as Democrats, do to stop this destruction of the federal government?”

We talked about the need for protests and rallies to make our voices heard, especially by Republican members of Congress who have complacently followed Mr. Trump. We discussed the various bills being introduced, letters being written and court cases being filed.

But Democrats also must change their overall approach. The party cannot be about only what we are against. It also must be about what we are for and what we will do if we take back the House in 2026. I suggested we take a page from an old playbook.

Back in 1994, House Republicans were in the same position House Democrats are now — relatively powerless because they were in the minority. That prompted Newt Gingrich to draw up what he called a “Contract with America.” It was an eight-point set of reforms that Republicans promised to enact if they became the majority party in the House. It worked. Republicans took back the House in the 1994 midterms.

I am proposing a “Contract for America” that reflects our Democratic core values and what we care about: Every job should pay a living wage; the tax structure should be fair; every child in the United States should have access to a quality education; every senior should be able to count on his or her full Social Security and Medicare benefits; veterans should receive the benefits they earned and deserve; every American family should have access to affordable health care; the federal government must have the resources necessary to protect our environment; and the military must have what it needs to defend our nation.

In short, we need a “Contract for America” that reflects what Americans say they want and need and spells out exactly what we will do and how we will do it. That should start now. I intend to do my part by asking my Democratic colleagues in the House to join in this effort and by holding more town halls to hear from the people we serve.

Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat, represents Nevada’s 1st Congressional District.