"What do you want" is not an inconsequential question. In memory of the late G'Kar (both the actor and the blogger), consider when that question was asked on Babylon 5. A powerful race called "the Shadows" offers it's assistance to each member of a 4-sided conflict by asking "what do you want?" The first wants revenge, the second wants to be left alone, the third wants to know why they're asking, and the last wants power. They elect to help the group that wants power. In the end, this group gets all the power they ever wanted, but are so corrupted by it they end up wishing they'd never made the bargain.
Ultimately the answer to the question of "what do you want" says more about who you are than anything else.
Ask a conservative what Republicans want, and you get an easy answer: If you're a conservative you believe in smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, and traditional family values. What does that say about them? It says "I want control."
But what if you're a Democrat? Oh, we've got policies we're pretty adamant about – reproductive rights, an end to the Iraq War, access to affordable health care, etc. - but if you were trying to describe what it means to be a Democrat in 10 words or less, what would it be? What do we want?
Here we are, hip deep in the bulls*&t of primary season, so this seems as good a time as any to ask the question. It's the most fundamental question, and ironically it's the one that we don't really have much of an answer for. We've had the knock-down, drag-out primary war, and based on the voracity of the disagreement there's clearly quite a wide range of answers.
What do Democrats want?
It's a question of first principles. What is it that brings us together? What (if anything) binds us as a party? I have what I think is a good answer, but I don't want to bias what you might have to say. So have at it. Tomorrow I'll put up my thoughts and get your feedback.