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If the 2016 presidential election were held today, Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonFalse advertising: How the Democrats attempt to rewrite history OPINION | Democrats: Time to wish Hillary Clinton good luck and goodbye House Intelligence Republican: Claims Gowdy acted as second lawyer for Kushner 'horses---t' MORE would still lose the election.

Despite her continued effort to cast blame, Clintons loss should not have come as such a surprise. Her lack of a clear, focused agenda, distasteful attacks on Republicans, and apathy toward stagnating wages among middle class Americans all contributed to her defeat.

Clinton should recognize that her time has passed. She will soon be 73 years old and her home state of New York has two others strong prospective 2020 candidates in Senator Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandOPINION | Democrats: Time to wish Hillary Clinton good luck and goodbye Dem says ObamaCare repeal effort moves US toward single-payer Jimmy Carter predicts US will eventually have single-payer healthcare system MORE and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

For these reasons among others, Hillary Clinton should not run again.

The Democratic Party must move on from the 2016 loss and find both a new strategy and a new leader.

To be sure, the partys new narrative must move beyond resistance to President Trump and suspicion that the election was somehow stolen from Clinton.

In a poll conducted by The Washington Post earlier this month, only 37 percent of Americans said that the party currently stands for something, while 52 percent said it just stands against Trump.

Resistance has been an ineffective strategy for Democrats in special elections, and there is no indication that it will help win back seats during the 2018 midterm elections.

Instead of dwelling on the 2016 election, the Democrats need to push forward.

Rather than turning to Hillary Clinton for answers, Democrats can trust Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is both qualified and has bipartisan support, to conduct a thorough investigation into the Trump campaign and its alleged collusion with Russian officials.

Through Muellers investigation, the American people will get the answers they deserve. In the meantime, the constant speculation into these matters detracts from focusing on critical issues that hardworking Americans face daily.

The Democratic Party is finally seeing this, prompting the launch of A Better Deal, the partys new policy agenda.

A Better Deals proposed mission is to help build an America in which working people know that somebody has their back.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Schumer, and other top Democrats have rolled out this plan in an effort to present a strong and clear message to voters.

Schumer has described A Better Deal as not about moving the party left or right, nor about appealing to one coalition or another. Pelosi has followed by clarifying that the new focus is not a course correction, but its a presentation correction.

The Democrats are doing exactly what Hillary Clinton failed to do throughout her campaign. A change in message is imperative to the Democrats turning their failing strategy around.

In certain areas, such as the economy and job creation, election polls showed Clinton beating Trump with large margins. However, when she shifted her focus to unsubstantiated calls for unity and opportunity, she lost crucial support.

Unity did not bring the same sense of security as her economic plan. The shift in focus from a concrete plan to an abstract concept was lethal for the Clinton campaign.

With this Better Deal, the Democrats are being careful not to make the same mistake.

This agenda signifies a focus on policy and strategy.

As Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York put it, Republicans talk in headlines, but under this new plan, Democrats speak in fine print.

A Better Deal has the potential to be exactly what the Democrats are looking for in their effort to convince the American people that they are the party of the working class. It will also remind the country that they are a party of substance, and not simply a resistance movement.

Democratic Senator Al FrankenAl FrankenOPINION | Democrats: Time to wish Hillary Clinton good luck and goodbye Franken: Constitutional crisis if Trump uses recess appointment to replace Sessions with someone wholl fire Mueller AT&T discussing merger conditions with DOJ: report MORE says, we have to move on by proving we are the party that cares about a lot of the people who voted for Donald TrumpDonald TrumpFalse advertising: How the Democrats attempt to rewrite history OPINION | Democrats: Time to wish Hillary Clinton good luck and goodbye Judge upholds ,000 fine against Kobach for 'misleading' claims MORE.

By having some of Congress most established Democrats finally admit to the partys shortcomings in 2016, they are signaling that they are ready to move past some of last years deadweight in Democratic politics and pursue an agenda that benefits hardworking Americans.

Douglas E. Schoen (@DouglasESchoen)served as a pollster forPresident Bill Clinton. A longtime political consultant and pollster, he is also a Fox News contributor and the author of 11 books. His latest book isPutins Master Plan: To Destroy Europe, Divide NATO, and Restore Russian Power and Global Influence(Encounter, 2016).

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