Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) in a recent conversation at Dartmouth’s Rockefeller Center for Public Policy with Russell Muirhead, a government professor at Dartmouth, spoke with refreshing candor that the Democratic Party is in peril. It needs a serious re-evaluation of its deplorable electoral performance despite facing an opponent perceived as deeply flawed.

A distinguished Marine Corps Iraq War veteran, Moulton said 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, there’s resistance because lots of people, especially those in positions of power prefer the status quo and do not wish to implement any transformative changes.

In a similar vein, US Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut has said 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.”

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 immigration, tariffs and foreign policy. As Moulton sees it, the real heart of the matter, is the party’s identity, whether Democrats really know what they stand for. The Democrats’ 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 in place for the past several decades, are a major driver of the current housing shortage. Democrats need to re-evaluate their role in creating these problems, and “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. The permitting process, including reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, can introduce pauses for impact evaluation, though studies show these are not always the primary cause of delays.

So, what can Democrats do? Sit back, offer constructive opposition, wait for the 2026 mid-term elections, and see if the voters give them a majority in the House enabling them to check Trump’s unconstitutional power grab?

Moulton argued that the 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).”

Just returning from the Munich Security Conference, Moulton bemoaned, “Our allies sat down with us after that abominable speech (Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s outrageous remark about Ukraine’s membership in NATO and reclaiming the pre-war borders with Russia) and were really shaken because they questioned whether we would be with them to prevent another war in Europe.” He serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

To win back America, Moulton admonished, Democrats need to listen more and preach less, put up smart leaders 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 deliberate in opposing the administration, focusing on strategic battles.

Most of all, today, the Democratic Party needs a visionary leader, someone like JFK 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.

Narain Batra hosts the podcast America Unbound. He lives in Hartford.