Bob Herbert writes a great (if not particularly unique) column about Democratic priorities. The whole thing's worth reading, but the best sentence is this:

Democrats need to tell the country the truth about taxes, about the benefits of investing in the nation's physical infrastructure, about the essential need to bolster public education from kindergarten through college, and about the shared sacrifices that will be necessary if anything approaching energy independence is to be achieved.

Amen, you starry-eyed Sam-Seaborn-sounding scrivener. Amen.