In a word, the November 2 election brought change — again. The same battle cry that won President Barack Obama a trip to the White House two years ago has propelled the Republicans to power in the House of Representatives. Political pundits have put their spin on the meaning behindthe midterm election results, but what are people really thinking about the future of America? After sweeping to congressional majorities in 2006 and electing a president in 2008 with the largest Democratic percentage of the popular vote since Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrats are now in danger of becoming an irrelevant party.

With their control of the Senate and White House, they will undoubtedly remain central to the public debate over the next two years. But the liberal cognoscenti who dominate the Democratic Party have proclaimed that Tuesday’s debacle was caused by President Barack Obama and a Congress that didn’t move far enough left. If this argument prevails, it’s Mondale-ville for Democrats for a long time.

Returns show, once again, that the voters who drive elections are self-identified moderates and independents, and largely middle class. They ran for the hills this cycle.

The stampede was fueled not only by anxieties over a troubled economy but by independents’ continued search for a political party that governs from the center. After rejecting Sen. John McCain – and the Bush legacy – as too right wing, and supporting Obama by 8 points, these restless Independents voted against Democratic gubernatorial candidates by more than 30 points in 2009. And they continued to flee from Democrats on November 2nd.

To woo them back, reclaim the center and assure electoral and governing relevance in 2012 and beyond, Democrats must make a big change: become the economic growth party. They must shift from being a party that seeks an expanded safety net to one obsessed with increasing the economic pie.

This means ditching economic populism, offering robust pro-growth policies and embracing fiscal responsibility. It also means taking on some sacred cows – like downsizing federal employee pensions.

A fundamental re-thinking of the Democratic vision is required. Start by recognizing that after passing universal health care – a tremendous triumph –Democrats now must read the memo: the 80-year quest to weave the perfect safety net is over. We’ve reached the limits of what the U.S. middle class is willing to support through entitlements.

Democrats must now invest the same passion and intellectual rigor in economic growth – the new crisis for America’s middle and working classes. For roughly 75 years, America dominated the world economy, taking robust economic expansion for granted. Those days are over. If the United States doesn’t attain growth far greater than what is projected for the next 20 years, we will never attain the middle class living standards we expect, claim the leadership role we need for a safer world, or pay for the entitlement state we’ve created. This fear that America is slipping behind is at the heart of today’s middle class anxiety. The answer is not anti-business economic populism, which won’t propel growth — and, tellingly, landed like a lead balloon on Election Day.