-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Democrats Need A Message (Matt Taibbi)
- Thread starter entremet
- Start date
SliceSabre
Banned
They don't need one because Democrats won't vote until we have a superstar pop-up or people won't vote Democrat until the economy flatlines again.
Please not Chelsea Clinton or Elizabeth Warren.
As mentioned, the message should be: 1. Preserving healthcare, specifically movement towards healthcare for all, and 2. Addressing economic inequality among the working class.
It doesn't seem that hard, we know both issues resonate, but the fundraising calls I've gotten in the past few months have been 100% focused on "Trump is bad! Isn't Trump bad?" No shit, but that's not a platform.
It doesn't seem that hard, we know both issues resonate, but the fundraising calls I've gotten in the past few months have been 100% focused on "Trump is bad! Isn't Trump bad?" No shit, but that's not a platform.
You need excitement in the base, to pick up those who were burned and to find new first time voters. The tactic needs to make sure that the candidate and message is strong, that the party has a clear direction and that you do not alienate potential allies by peddling to the fringe extreme. No purity tests. Easier said than done though.
RPGCrazied
Member
Impeach Trump. That is all the message we need right now. He is literally ruining this country.
Focusing on economic equality should be the message, it is something that can easily be capitalized on and can get an enthusiastic movement going. Healthcare will become a bigger issue as the year goes on and with more and more people starting to care about it, it will end up getting the vote on.
I would also add focus on education reform so that we can train our future work force for the shifting economy, immigration reforms so that we can offer solace to those who live in the shadows and a emphasis on the environment, climate change and green tech. Basically the messaging was there in 2016, but it got drowned out by the salacious headlines. We need a candidate that can win the trust of the base and appear as a clear contrast to the apolitical voter.
Zelenogorsk
Banned
"If you guys keep skipping the mid-terms this country is fucking doomed."
my idea:
"Equality is Freedom"
basically they need to get people away from thinking less government/regulation = freedom and make it actually less government/regulation = anarchy as it actually is
then get people to actually WANT a big government to fund a social net with taxes, regulate industries, raise the minimum wage etc
you can tie this idea to Isaiah Berlin's two concepts of liberty, equality being the "positive liberty"
it also makes perfect sense with social rights, as equality is what social justice is all about
you have to take the conversation in america back to a point where government is a wanted concept - this will be hard, but if they stick to the messaging for many years it could work
"Equality is Freedom"
basically they need to get people away from thinking less government/regulation = freedom and make it actually less government/regulation = anarchy as it actually is
then get people to actually WANT a big government to fund a social net with taxes, regulate industries, raise the minimum wage etc
you can tie this idea to Isaiah Berlin's two concepts of liberty, equality being the "positive liberty"
it also makes perfect sense with social rights, as equality is what social justice is all about
you have to take the conversation in america back to a point where government is a wanted concept - this will be hard, but if they stick to the messaging for many years it could work
Lord Frieza
Member
Most people who lose the Presidency generally vanish from political life, unless they are in office, but they become incredibly muted on federal issues afterward. This isn't anything exclusive to Clinton, it's very common, and for good reason.
MidgarBlowedUp
Member
This.
The Dem's need to start dumping money into educating people about mid terms. Worry about the mid terms, then focus on a presidential candidate. You could literally get Deez Nuts as president and be better off than Trump.
Lie, cheat, and steal the midterms Dems. Fuck playing nice.
TestOfTide
Banned
I agree with everything accept the part about Trump voters. I think we can ignore MOST Trump voters, but democrats, particularly local and state level ones running in red or magenta areas, need to reach to:
- Trump voters who literally only voted for Trump because they bought into all the antiHillary propaganda like 60% of voters did.
- Trump voters that voted for Obama and still like him (the still liking him part is important because it shows that they didn't actually buy into all of Trump's rhetoric)
- Single Issue voters who are a lot more willing to actually consider voting for the democrat if they no longer have to consider their single issue.
Also, thinking back, I think there ARE a few areas where Dems need to greatly improve their messaging techniques, such as:
- Stop having gun regulations talked about by Dems who have never touched a gun in their entire lives. I get why Chris Murphy wants to talk about guns, but the fact is that every time he tries to be the face of gun regulations he hurts the cause. Meanwhile when someone like Jason's Kander tries to be the face of gun regulations it resonates much MUCH better with gun owners because Kander can show them that he knows a damn thing or two about guns. Also stop using the term assault weapon.
- Dems need to be willing to be more politically incorrect, but in a conservative way like Bill Maher does. Dems need to start reminding everyone that political correctness isn't just a one way road and that everyone has their sacred cows.
- I still think 2016 showed that Dems have the opportunity to snatch the "patriotic" mantle away from republicans, it just needs to not be framed too much with a message of "America is already great".
I agree with Taibbi in some of what he says.
First of all.
This is the main point to takeaway from the Clinton campaign's failures. Everything else said about her tactics, her character, her supposed lack of policy is bullshit. She would've won if she did the work. And for whatever reason, low-energy, fundraising, terrible strategy, she ignored those places she should've gone to.
I think people are overthinking this quite a bit. You need to do away with the overzealous purity tests, go back to the 50 state strategy of making an attempt to be competitive in every state and having messages/candidates tailored to those states instead of trying to fit square pegs into round holes. Not everyone is gonna want Sanders-esque progressive messages, but something that will resonate locally. That doesn't necessarily mean become GOP-lite, but a big-tent party means you have to accept you'll have blue dogs in the mix.
So go back to that, which worked well back in 06/08. And preach a simple and empowering theme that builds upon stronger together. Except instead of pointing to a website to get people to see your policy, just tell them what you're gonna do. Hit upon health care, education, the environment. Back to being a respectable nation again.
You have to try and offer people a grown-up and honest alternative to the other side. And if that still doesn't work, then that says more about the electorate than anything else. But the main thing is that no matter what, YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR ASS OFF. Campaign, campaign, campaign. Get your ass out there and GO TO THE PEOPLE.
In a sense, Dems are always fighting uphill to a large extent. Republicans can have no policy, have shit character and offer nothing to anyone, and they can still rest easy knowing that a good portion of the electorate will check that box marked R no matter what.
First of all.
This is the main point to takeaway from the Clinton campaign's failures. Everything else said about her tactics, her character, her supposed lack of policy is bullshit. She would've won if she did the work. And for whatever reason, low-energy, fundraising, terrible strategy, she ignored those places she should've gone to.
I think people are overthinking this quite a bit. You need to do away with the overzealous purity tests, go back to the 50 state strategy of making an attempt to be competitive in every state and having messages/candidates tailored to those states instead of trying to fit square pegs into round holes. Not everyone is gonna want Sanders-esque progressive messages, but something that will resonate locally. That doesn't necessarily mean become GOP-lite, but a big-tent party means you have to accept you'll have blue dogs in the mix.
So go back to that, which worked well back in 06/08. And preach a simple and empowering theme that builds upon stronger together. Except instead of pointing to a website to get people to see your policy, just tell them what you're gonna do. Hit upon health care, education, the environment. Back to being a respectable nation again.
You have to try and offer people a grown-up and honest alternative to the other side. And if that still doesn't work, then that says more about the electorate than anything else. But the main thing is that no matter what, YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR ASS OFF. Campaign, campaign, campaign. Get your ass out there and GO TO THE PEOPLE.
In a sense, Dems are always fighting uphill to a large extent. Republicans can have no policy, have shit character and offer nothing to anyone, and they can still rest easy knowing that a good portion of the electorate will check that box marked R no matter what.
gutter_trash
Banned
So basically catchy slogans and cliche phrases
Hillary was lazy even compared to the rookie-campaigner/birther, no other Dem frontrunner will be able to afford the luxury of flying home every night or skipping WI. In other words the presidency is up for grabs but I think the people are going to continue to hate the 2-party system. Everyone's ratings will only tank more especially if there's another recession/attack/disaster/etc.
Anyway message should always basically be: It's the economy, stupid. Unite the people against the fatcats, don't take any voter for granted & campaign your ass off like the country was on the line.
Anyway message should always basically be: It's the economy, stupid. Unite the people against the fatcats, don't take any voter for granted & campaign your ass off like the country was on the line.
I was specifically talking about how she couldn't bring herself to address her supporters on election night, and instead had someone else go out and tell them to go home.
With that kind of attitude, its no wonder why she lost.
OG Shaka Zulu
Member
Healthcare is a gift right now for the Dems. Republicans are messing up with Trumpcare and a line will be crossed when Nana Ruth dies due to lack of money.
Oh great this attention whore again. Gotta love all these people criticizing the Democratic party from the sidelines, just like Bernie Sanders did for 30 years, and then expect people to listen to them. Every single positive thing the government has provided for the last 50+ years has been because of Democrats, if people are too fucking stupid to realize that and vote for the folks who instead are trying to take those things away, then that's on them. Waiting for them to die out is and always has been the only solution.
Cymbal Head
Banned
I saw this a while back from the North Carolina AFL-CIO and the messaging struck me as almost perfect:
I think messaging like this is a big part of the way forward for rebuilding the party's strength among the working class without appearing to abandon the race/gender/sexuality/diversity issues that Dems have been (relatively) strong on in recent years.
The party leadership just has to decide that they actually stand for things like Fight for 15, which is the root of the problem in the first place, and more to the point of the article in the OP
I think messaging like this is a big part of the way forward for rebuilding the party's strength among the working class without appearing to abandon the race/gender/sexuality/diversity issues that Dems have been (relatively) strong on in recent years.
The party leadership just has to decide that they actually stand for things like Fight for 15, which is the root of the problem in the first place, and more to the point of the article in the OP
Dude Abides
Banned
It's Matt Taibbi. That's all he knows.
D
Deleted member 231381
Unconfirmed Member
The Greek Freak
Member
This isn't true but the only reason its even close is because the gop is a shit show not that the dnc is even decent let alone great.
Byakuya769
Member
I don't expect much from Matt, but pure LOL at using that congressional district loss as the starting point for his thesis.
BoogieWoogie
Banned
Hows about "For the love of God, vote for us or we're all doomed"?
LegendofJoe
Member
Just thinking about this work being done makes me feel good. Imagine what it would do for people if it's actually done.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Americans do not care. I used to believe they did. Now I do not
Ethical Hedonism
Banned
Make America Real Again
TestOfTide
Banned
I agree that he's wrong about the GOP not doing ANYTHING good in the last 50 years, but your counterclaim that the Dems haven't done any good is just as dumb.
Do I need to list out all the great things Democrats have done in the past 50 years?
BlazinSkatinAxel
Member
Her message was, "I'm not Trump"
Which was similar to John Kerry's "I'm not Bush".
Wanda/Wander
Member
Is Russia going away? Or have they gotten the green light to continue to subvert our democracy?
Asking for a few million friends...
Asking for a few million friends...
andythinkpad
Member
Make America Actually Great Again
RoninChaos
Member
You're misunderstanding what I'm saying. By projecting I mean the same people who had the obstructionist mentality on the right are now saying the left is doing the same shit they pulled for 8 years. In my opinion that's complete shit and if the left is being obstructionist then they aren't doing it ENOUGH. Dems didn't vote like 65 times to impeach Trump, or any other nonsense like how the GOP voted on obamacare. The left hasn't trotted out rhetoric like what was used against Obama, the left didn't shut down the government multiple times. But all I hear when I check out right wing radio or TV is how obstructionist the left is, how they're standing in the way of progress, etc. The very same accusations that were levied at the right for 8 years. If that's what they're accused of then that's what they should be. It's always felt like dems have no backbone and can't rally together, now's the time. Especially with a moron like Trump in office.
Dahellisdat
Member
I think the problem is that they've turned into the "roll over and let shit happen" party.
Seriously, I know where they stand on the issues, but it just seems like they have had no counter-attack against the onslaught of republican bullshit that's been occurring for the past decade. The strategy seems to be "look at how bad the republicans are, you don't want them in power right?". I barely even hear that sentiment rise out of the mainstream media. The voice of the party is so small and stifled by all of the ridiculous shit coming out of the republican party that it doesn't even get heard.
I mean, I still vote for them, but for fucks sake they need to grow some balls and start fighting back tooth and nail. Get ultra vocal about what they want to do and why it would be good for the american people. Shove that shit down our throats and get some real press coverage. Show the evidence about why the plan is that much better and find a platform that will get it out to the people. An anti-Fox news.
Seriously, I know where they stand on the issues, but it just seems like they have had no counter-attack against the onslaught of republican bullshit that's been occurring for the past decade. The strategy seems to be "look at how bad the republicans are, you don't want them in power right?". I barely even hear that sentiment rise out of the mainstream media. The voice of the party is so small and stifled by all of the ridiculous shit coming out of the republican party that it doesn't even get heard.
I mean, I still vote for them, but for fucks sake they need to grow some balls and start fighting back tooth and nail. Get ultra vocal about what they want to do and why it would be good for the american people. Shove that shit down our throats and get some real press coverage. Show the evidence about why the plan is that much better and find a platform that will get it out to the people. An anti-Fox news.
They also need people to vote in local and state elections to fill out heir bench. Vote in 2017 peeps.
She was the most technocratic candidate of most of our lifetimes, and could actually answer policy questions in detail during interviews and debates. And her answers were honest assessments of America's problems and future.
We aren't going to do better from a policy perspective.
The Greek Freak
Member
Read what I wrote again since you clearly didn't.
If the DNC was even marginally competent their accomplishments the last 50 years would be exponentially greater.
The only reason they look good is because they are compared to a burning dumpster filled with feces.
Because it doesn't work. Wealth inequality is a gigantic loser of a message in large part because standards of living are really high in the US.
Yeah. A lot of what I'm seeing in this topic is, "we need a better slogan."
The Democrats have no power right now. They only get power if people vote for them!
The problem is that people are complacent as fuck. The exact same thing happened in 00 and 16- 8 years of a Dem president results in an 8 year generation of Kiddiot voters who think both sides are the same and who get a rude awakening when their complacency lets the HOP get the presidency. And then when those people finally get their shit together and elect a Dem, they don't show up for midterms 2 years later.
TestOfTide
Banned
Again, this whole idea that the Democrats are only good "in comparison" is a load of BS. Yes, Dems have played too nice with the GOP the last few elections, but Democrats still got a shitload done with the time they were given.
The issue isn't simply DNC competency, there are numerous other factors such as:
- The Right Wing Echo Chamber that kept ramping up until it resulted in shit like Donald Trump
- A conservative Supreme Court making a ruling on Citizens United that opened the floodgates for special interests with lots of money to spend to basically bully people running in local and state level elections.
- Foreign Adversaries like Russia and Wikileaks abusing Social Media and SEO to easily spread literal fake news, which then gets amplified by the Right Wing Echo Chamber
Are you SERIOUSLY complaining about the fact that democrats campaign on civil rights instead of blaming everything on wealth inequality?
"Give us power you fucking kiddiots"
Emperor_Uriel
Member
Mark my words: Mark Zuckerberg will be to Democrats what Trump was to Republicans, and he'll probably be our president (the youngest ever) in 2020.