Democrats are against Trump — but what are they for?: Goodwin

Watching the long slog of the second night of the Democrats’ convention, a famous Winston Churchill line came to mind: “Take this pudding away — it has no theme!”

Old and young, progressive and super progressive, left and far left, black, white, Asian, Latino, Native American — they all had something to say. But if there was a theme running through the night, I couldn’t find it.

Oh, yes, Donald Trump bad, got that. Really, really bad. OK, got that, too.

Then what? What do Democrats stand for and, more to the point, what are they promising voters if they gain the White House? I honestly don’t know.

I do know that, once again, they failed to address the violence erupting across the country, as if it isn’t happening. Or maybe they are afraid to criticize it because it will somehow come off as pro-police, which would infuriate the Black Lives Matter movement the party is embracing.

For whatever reason, Dems are ceding a huge issue to Trump, one that resonates across income, race and geographic boundaries. Public safety is a civil right and it matters to everyone.

That’s just one of many areas where it sometimes feels as if the Dems are keeping their plans secret and will spring them on us after the election. More likely, they haven’t yet made up their minds and the agenda, to put it kindly, is still a work in progress as they sort out their ideological differences.

It’s a polite civil war, but it’s war nonetheless over the soul of the party. Just as it was four years ago, the Bernie Sanders wing is ascendant but has been defeated once again.

Speaking of which, has anybody seen Hillary Clinton? Have you heard her name mentioned?