Democrat's Project 2025
The American Agenda — How We Win Back the People Who Stopped Believing
The American Agenda: A Democratic Answer to the Contract with America
When President Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, it triggered a wave of conservative backlash. Republicans seized that moment—and in 1994, they released the Contract with America, a bold, strategic platform that unified their messaging nationwide. It worked. Republicans didn’t just win; they swept elections across the country, flipping Congress and gaining ground from coast to coast. (Even though they lied… like a lot.)
They’ve stuck with that playbook ever since. Most recently, they launched Project 2025—a far-right blueprint for dismantling the federal government and reshaping America in Trump’s image. And now, those same organizers are already planning for Project 2029.
So here’s the burning question:
What are Democrats doing? What are we promising the people?
It’s time we answer that.
I propose Democrats launch our own version of the Contract with America—and we call it:
The American Agenda.
The American Agenda is:
To make healthcare good and affordable
To make housing affordable and attainable
To make schools safer, smarter, and more efficient
To make life more affordable—and more enjoyable
To make every person free to decide if, when, and how to grow a family
To make elections clean, safe, and unbuyable
To make college and trade school accessible and worthwhile
To make the wealthy pay more than the working
To make our air and water cleaner and safer
To make sure every fridge is stocked and every pantry is full
To make life better for everyone—not just the powerful
To make America more free
Democratic values are rooted in community and empathy—which, frankly, sounds a whole hell of a lot like patriotism to me. And it’s time we embrace that.
But we shouldn’t do it by clutching our pearls and screaming about the sanctity of democracy. Because let’s be real:
Most people struggling to put food on the table aren’t worried about democracy when they don’t even have democracy over their dinner—they cook what they can afford, not what they want.
Our message should be simple, sharp, and connected to real people.
For each point of the American Agenda, we should spotlight someone whose life has already been changed by Democratic leadership—because in every corner of this country, someone has felt the impact:
A Kentuckian with healthcare because Governor Andy Beshear protected and expanded Medicaid.
A renter in Austin who’s rent was reduced thanks to housing reforms backed council members like Zo Qadri.
A returning student in New Mexico who went back to school tuition-free through Governor Lujan Grisham’s Opportunity Scholarship.
A worker in Allentown who kept their job thanks to a state budget boosting manufacturing—championed by Pennsylvania Speaker Joanna McClinton.
We don’t need a supermajority in Congress to show the country what’s possible. We just need to lean on our strong bench of Democratic lawmakers, governors, and local leaders who are already delivering results.
If we amplify these wins—loudly, proudly, and repeatedly—across every platform and airwave, we will build trust and momentum. We send people to tell their stories. We connect policy to real lives. We win.
But here’s the catch: we have to be consistent and relentless.
Drill these messages in over and over and over again—until the word “Democrat” is synonymous with the American Agenda. Force Republicans to attack these ideas as “radical”—and respond by saying:
“You think it’s radical to make life more enjoyable?”
For far too long, Democrats have let Republicans drag us into nitpicking, detail-heavy debates over our least popular ideas. It’s time to flip the script. Let’s make it crystal clear where we stand—and show the American people exactly who the money-hungry, power-hoarding, anti-worker MAGA Republicans really are.
As usual, you have found the essence of the issue. Thanks!
Thank you for your thoughtful insight. I certainly hope the messaging you write about becomes a reality.