But where is your message? A challenge...

In today's opinion section of the Sunday Oregonian, Gary Andres of Dutko Worldwide (by all accounts, a lobbying company--we all know how helpful lobbyists have been in helping ordinary Americans), argues that "Democrats can't count on lock of younger voters." He goes on to cite that the president's approval has gone down, even among younger voters, and how, for a bunch of other idealogical reasons, the Democrats are in trouble come the next election (likely a veiled way of saying that if health care fails so does Obama and his party).
What he doesn't address is how the Republicans are going to recapture or raid the young voters that were so crucial to Obama's victory last year. After all, enthusiasm may fade after a pivotal election, and the public most certainly is frustrated with the lack of action by the government to solve our nation's problems, but deep down the fact is that most of us realize that when we vote for one major party or another, we are choosing the lesser of two evils. And while the waffling and some of the bad bills we've gotten on health care from the Democrats are downright discouraging, the simple truth is that if health care reform fails it is due to one reason: the Republican party's absolute refusal to participate in the process, along with their eagerness to lie about what that reform would mean and obscure the benefits of such action. You can be damned sure the Democrats will bring that up in the next election.
Yes, the Republican party has its 20-25% base that would vote for them even if they started wearing Swastika's on the right arms. But the party has gone so far to the right that in securing that base that it has alienated the rest of the American public. No matter what happens in the next two, and likely the next four years, unless the Republican party actually puts forth some kind of platform that is pragmatic and based in solving some of the problems our country faces (rather than the same old impotent ideological dribble), the Democrats have absolutely nothing to fear. Indeed, it is the Republicans who should be worried, because given their current position, the only solution left the American electorate would be to elect MORE Democrats in order to get something done on health care, not less.
Since poignant ideas are not currently the Republican's forte, I'll give them one: a simple solution for a problem that resonates with a massive swath of the voting public. Put forth a bill in the house, or senate, that makes hiring illegal immigrants a federal crime carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. If the democrats oppose the bill, it will give you potent ammunition going into the midterm elections (most Americans will back you--even most Dems), and if they join on, you can take credit for being the first party to pass effective immigration reform, and bringing bipartisanship back to Washington. It is a win-win situation, and one which would greatly benefit this nation if immigration reform were passed. This is how you win back the young voters, Republicans, the question is: do you have the heuvos to do it?