The low turnout of Democratic Party voters in 2016 was a failure that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) must acknowledge and redress. We call on Elizabeth Warren to help us push the DNC to make fundamental changes in its leadership and strategy so that we can be victorious in the 2018 elections.  The stakes are so high. With a Democratic victory in 2018, Trump's election would be seen for what it really is: a fluke that reflects one Democratic failure rather than a triumphant rise of the extreme Right. Conversely, anything less than a Democratic victory in 2018 would send  the opposite message, legitimating and consolidating Trump's presidency. We need a victory plan for 2018.

Those of us who are rank-and-file Democrats are already being barraged with more fundraising emails from the Party. But these take no responsibility for our 2016 defeat; nor do they admit the need for a profound restructuring of the DNC’s leadership and strategy. The DNC's current plan seems to be: business as usual.

What we need instead are fresh voices, new ideas, and creative energy.  We need a bold new plan for victory in 2018.

 Such a plan should embody the following principles:

• The DNC should significantly reinvent itself, bringing in more voices that are not part of the Party establishment;
• The DNC should focus much more on grassroots organizing at the local level, especially in districts and states where Democratic and Republican incumbents are most vulnerable;
• The DNC should develop more effective ways to identify and nurture future progressive leaders;
• The DNC should develop more effective ways to inform and educate Americans about the real issues and facts at stake today;
• The DNC should commit more strongly to supporting the nation’s working poor in their struggle to live with security and dignity;
• Very importantly,  the DNC should create more ways for Democrats residing in “safe” states to contribute more than just money to races in contested states. As an example: make it possible for each of us to join a “team” seeking to win just one election in any one state – for example, a team devoted to winning the first Congressional District in Ohio. Each team would work collaboratively under the leadership of a local Democrat or Democratic Committee.

Senator Warren, it is with a sense of extreme urgency that we write you this letter. 2018 is tomorrow. Please do your utmost to persuade the DNC to create a victory plan for 2018, one that emphasizes fresh leadership, new ideas, and local activism. Thank you.