It is true that if the 2002 mid-term elections were held again tomorrow the result would likely be the same. But it is also true that Democrats have made two immensely important realizations since November: they have a big problem; and the problem is that they don't have a clear message. As Adam Clymer recently noted in his broad analysis of the party in The New York Times, "If there is one thing all kinds of Democrats agree on, it is that they need a better message."

It isn't as bad as it sounds. An important point seems to have gotten lost, especially in the context of petty squabbling among the party wings. A message problem doesn't mean you don't stand for anything. It means you don't know how to say what you stand for. The difference is huge. In terms of a comeback, it is the difference between months and years. There are, in fact, big, fundamental, unshakable ideals in which all Democrats, from John Breaux to Al Sharpton -- and no Republicans -- believe. It's just that they are unprocessed and conceptually unconnected to policy ideas.

A closer look at four of these universal Democratic values reveals the power waiting to be unleashed by effective messaging. They are mainstream American values, as old as the republic. If Democrats can argue on these terms they will win a lot more arguments.