Narain Batra hosts the podcast America Unbound. He lives in the Upper Valley.

In a recent conversation at Dartmouth College, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) spoke with refreshing candor about the Democratic Party being in peril. The party needs a serious re-evaluation of its deplorable electoral performance despite facing an opponent perceived as deeply flawed. In a similar vein, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut has also grieved that “our political brand is fundamentally broken, the rule of law is disintegrating and a lot of people still don’t know what Trump’s actual agenda is.”

A distinguished Marine Corps Iraq War veteran (2003-2008), Congressman Moulton said that Democrats “really do need to look ourselves in the mirror right now and say what are we doing wrong that by definition we have lost touch with the majority of Americans.” Behind the scenes, there are people like him who are pushing for change. Still, lots of people, especially those in positions of power, prefer the status quo.

There’s a struggle within the Democratic Party between those who believe moving further left would energize the base and those who advocate for reaching out to disaffected Republicans and independents. The party is struggling to articulate clear, compelling alternatives to Republican policies, particularly on issues like immigration, tariffs and foreign policy. As the congressman sees it, the real heart of the matte, is the party’s identity, whether Democrats really know what they stand for. The Democratic Party’s image as the party of government was undermined by the perceived inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the federal government under the Biden administration and the problems in major cities run by Democrats.

Talking of the housing crisis, Moulton, who serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, argued that liberals bear some responsibility for the housing crisis due to restrictive zoning policies that limit housing supply. Referring to an article in the Atlantic, he said that housing policies, specifically restrictive zoning regulations implemented over the past few decades, are a major driver of the current housing shortage. Democrats “need to do some looking in the mirror when it comes to housing policy.”

He highlighted the link between housing affordability and transportation, arguing that improved transportation infrastructure, particularly public transit and high-speed rail, is essential. “Housing policy would also be a lot better if we had better transportation specifically if you could just get to where the jobs are from places that are affordable to live,” he said. Construction projects in America face significant delays and obstacles due to a complex web of factors. Environmental regulations, while well-intentioned, have contributed to lengthy approval processes and increased project timelines.

What can Democrats do? Sit back, offer constructive opposition, wait for the 2025 mid-term elections and see if voters will give them a majority in the House, enabling them to checkmate Trump’s unconstitutional power grab? Moulton argued that the Democratic Party must offer concrete plans and demonstrate a willingness to change.

“It’s not enough just to blame the other side. You’ve got to have a plan yourself. You gotta be willing to show that we are willing to change to make things better for Americans or they’re just going to continue to dismiss [us],” he said.

To win back America, Moulton admonished, the Democratic Party needs to show a willingness to change and offer concrete solutions for pressing problems; demonstrate openness to reform and change; listen more and preach less; put up smart leaders in place who understand how to communicate with people outside of liberal groups; be willing to debate contentious issues; offer clear and compelling policy alternatives; and be deliberative in opposing the administration, focusing on strategic battles.

Most of all, today, the Democratic Party needs a visionary leader, someone like John F. Kennedy, who not only vowed to do the impossible, go to the Moon, but also, metaphorically speaking, laid the blueprint as to how to do it.