letter sent to the dnc

i am a lifelong independent voter. at least, when i was eligible to vote. back in 2nd grade we had a mock election at school, using real (mechanical) voting booths. i voted for mondale/ferraro, but reagan/bush won the school. my classmates all shared who they voted for (we didn't realize you didn't have to tell people) and they all got on my case for voting for some guy who wanted to cut back our supply of nuclear weapons. that's about all any of us knew about either candidate, probably.
unfortunately, i feel that's about all anyone in america knows about the candidates today. i never felt i had a firm grasp of what john kerry stood for, only what he stood against. the republicans had a field day with his military record, and subsequent protest, while somehow persuading the american people bush's record was unimpeachable. it should have been enough to say 'kerry fought, bush didn't', but no one seemed to think of that.
today, i don't know what the democrats stand for, or who they are. under bill clinton the ideology was fuzzy too, but i was ok with that. clinton had the charisma to play the center and win votes. now, with the democrats adrift, playing the blame game, i don't know who they are or what they plan to do. saying no, the republican program doesn't work is one thing (and right), but you have no plans of your own. what will the democrats do if they ever get power back? what do they mean? what is their purpose? i don't know.
i won't vote republican because of their social conservatism and their incessant corruption, but i do prefer the centrist economic policy clinton favored. not that you should bow to corporate pressure, but to stay competitive and promote economic recovery we have to open up the economy. this will mean some losses in some sectors, but it should also bring gains in others. it also means having a plan for the future, instead of merely opposing bush's plan. i don't see that in the party.
in fact, i don't see any new ideas or intellectual support in the democratic party. the republicans have spent the past twenty years building the intellectual and theoretical underpinnings for their political take over. democrats have no such infrastructure. until you do, you will not be able to stand up to the republicans. you won't be able to shut them down in debates, you won't be able to present alternative ideas. opposition is not enough. you have to give the american people a reason to vote for you, something more than 'well, at least they're not republicans'. what are you going to do?
when you tell me, when you have something to present the country, when you have ideas and plans and programs to get america back on the proper track, then i'll be happy to support you financially. until then, my money's just being wasted.