I recently received a campaign e-mail from the office of Democratic Senator Christopher van Hollen Jr. (D-MD). He asked for a donation. I asked for answers.

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Dear Senator van Hollen,

Yes, I voted for you. Maybe I’m old enough to know better and too young to stop, but every time I see one of your emails I try to find just a hint of what the Democratic Party stands for. I’ve never found it.

“We’re not Trump” isn’t a winning strategy—not for a party that has lost almost a thousand state, local and national offices since Mr. Obama was first elected. If the party pins its electoral hopes on impeachment, and Russia-Russia-Russia, the party will lose. Again.

What’s your message? What's your plan to get voters to the polls next November? There isn’t a clue in any of your emails.

Why not try this: getting corporate influence out of political campaigns, supporting a living wage for all workers, providing Medicare-for-all single-payer health care, repairing America’s crumbling infrastructure, ending crushing debt for higher education, breaking up the large financial institutions that are taking over our government, ending endless wars, and addressing the existential crisis of climate change by unsupporting fossil fuels and instead supporting renewable energy sources?

These are policies that will get voters to the polls. And you know what? These policies will also create jobs!

You’re not acting like an opposition party. It’s almost as if the Democratic Party would rather lose to a Republican than support progressive ideas. So I ask again: what’s the party’s plan? What do Democrats stand for? If I don’t hear answers soon, my plan will be to stay home next November.

Sincerely,

Ronald B. Meyer

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I never got a reply. Just another solicitation for funds. I think I’m done.