We need a new Democratic Party, that much is clear

[geek tragedy]

23. turnout affects policy a lot more than policy affects turnout

our base's turnout problem is a known and regular thing That mean both parties plan for it.

It doesn't show up so much in House races because of gerrymandering, but it certainly plays a part in the Senate. In order to stay in the Senate, Senators need to win with the Republican electorate (off years) as well as Democratic electorate (Presidential years).

Essentially it means that we're guaranteed to almost never have two good cycles in a row. Which is an almost insurmountable obstacle to legislation.

This is why Republicans want to make it difficult to vote--to prevent less motivated voters from showing up. Because our voters are almost always less motivated than theirs are.

Why did we get so much stuff passed in 2008-2010? Because we benefited from the political fallout from Bush's disaster.