I believe there is some confusion when it comes to defining what "Fundamental Change" means in relation to party leadership, strategy and election tactics.
Simply put, Democrats MUST become more cunning when it comes to issue-oriented campaigning. The party MUST hijack current GOP "hot-button" topics and make them their own.
For instance:
Democrats are "strong on defense" - we believe in truly supporting our men and women in uniform by providing them with decent pay and benefits. We also protect the integrity of the US armed forces through the aggressive investigation of corporate military contracts. The military exists to protect the constitution and our citzenry. It does NOT exist as a feeding-trough for fat-cat Republicans.
Democrats are PRO-LIFE. We support measures which insure that ALL children in this country share equally in the possibility of a brighter future.
Next, comes the aggressive attacks on the GOP:
Republicans are NOT your friends. They support corporate welfare, they grant tax-breaks to the wealthy at the expense of the working-man, and they don't care about YOU.
Republicans are right-wing fanatics. ALL of them. They effectively paint Democrats as left-wing liberals - and we grant them that if we don't respond.

We need pictures of Carl Rove to run on national television behind graphics which say "Congratulations, America...here is your President".
We need aggressive exposure of the political power-structure that runs the GOP. They need to be investigated, and weakened whenever and wherever possible.
We need to aggressively re-connect with the ethnic minorities which have long been a powerful base...and bring them back into the party.
And I'm sorry...we MUST stop depending on young people to win elections for us. They simply don't have enough invested in the process for it to really matter. Elections are NOT won or lost through the youth vote...it's hopeless pie-in-the-sky buffoonery to think differently. More effort needs to be made to connect with white, middle-class men with families, the retired community, and the common working-class individual.

Most of all - it will take money. Buckets of it. Spent wisely by a leadership unafraid of what it will take to win an election.
This isn't a "gentleman's game" folks. Politics is trench warfare at its worst...and Democrats need to steel themselves for it.
If not...then this party is finished.