Can Democrats sell themselves this year?
Well, here it is another election season, and I've had my ear to the rail for a while; listening-- hoping-- praying-- that the Democrats would begin to realize why they simply can not gain ground in Middle America.
Could it be, after all these years of Republican (Read: Bush) bashing and whining about global warming, that it could really be right under their nose?
Sound bites.
That's right. It's politics, not Earth Science class, my friends. I told a friend of mine that politics is war without blood, where the casualties are still very real. It's all about rhetoric and what you say.
In the end, it's sales. So the question is... what are we selling? We democrats and liberals have a lot of great ideas as to how to run the country, but we are pathetic when it comes to actually trying to SELL those ideas.
And sell them we must.
What have we been doing so far? In 1988, we simply called George Bush a wimp. And to counter this great wimp (who still invokes that great "Read my lips-no new taxes" line) with a monkey governor in a tank while wearing a helmet that was clearly too large for him.
In 1992, our great victory was largely due to a Texan who split the vote. Bush's "Read my lips" line was drowned out by the Iraq war (part 1) and the fact that taxes did, in fact, increase. Our victory was a governor from Arkansas who was as great of a speaker as Reagan ever was. Sold, kind of.
1994 brought about the great Republican Contract on America... er... Contract With America, and resulted in one of the greatest marketing strategies in recent American history. Not bad for a newt and a guy named Dole. We may not be able to remember what the details were, but we can sure remember the phrase, "Contract with America." Sold.
1996 had our hero run against that silly Texan again and also against Bob Dole. Dole's message was the weakest of the last 20 years, which is why he didn't really have a chance. Dole's message was: "I'm not Clinton." Clinton's message? "How do you define 'is'?" Sold. With buyer's remorse.
2000 was our great chance. We had yet another silly Texan come along, but we had a Vice President. Then he was a black preacher. Then a Union worker. Then a teacher. Then an environmentalist. Then he was... a fence post... who kissed his wife. Ew. But what was his message? "I disagree with my opponent, but he's a heck of a guy. But hey, so am I." He won by popular vote, but lost where it matters: The electoral collage. Even now, I don't know what that message was. The Texan's message was simple: "I'm a leader." Sold.
Fast forward to 2004.
The Democrat's message? Heck, even now I don't understand what Kerry was trying to get across. But he sure did look a lot like Herman Munster. The one thing we had left from Kerry that we could comprehend was "I'm not Bush." The Texan's message was clear. There is a war going, so who cares about the economy or gay rights? "Stay the course," he said. It was a message that anyone could comprehend. Sold.
Now here we are in 2006 with a classic opportunity. We have a Republican party that is licking some of its biggest and deepest wounds in years. We're gloating and pointing with glee over the moral failure of the great party of morality... and what do we have to offer?
What's our message? "We're not Republicans?" That's not enough, my friends. We must... simply MUST... rally around a single message, a message not of a mere alternative, but of a SUPERIOR alternative. Many of us will vote party line no matter what, but there are enough of us out there that want something or someone to believe in, so that we can not squander this clear opportunity.
Sell me, Democrats. Make me proud.
Posts
2 comments:
David, you hit the nail on the head. While Republicans not only have an organized message, but they have a machine in place to deliver that message and destroy anyone who stands in their way.
Here in Ohio, we have one of the most corrupt state governments in our history. The Democrats in Ohio have an excellent chance of taking back the state, but they are falling short in the area the Republicans excel in: Advertising.
The Democratic party has usually taken the high road when it comes to political ads. We need to take a page from the Republican's play book. We need to put on a two front assault. We need to expose the lies and corruption of the Republican party while offering a CLEAR plan.
Liberals do not support terrorism. We do not want to outsource American jobs. We want healthcare for all. But what's our message so far? We're not Bush. We need a clear plan for the war on terrorism. Iraq is and always has been a smoke screen. Terrorism was born in Afghanistan. We need to focus our attention there, making certain the Taliban does not return to power.
We need to take away tax breaks that companies get for outsourcing OUR jobs. Taking it a step beyond, we need to find a way to encourage those jobs to be returned to the US.
And healthcare. This seems to be the forgotten issue this election cycle. Why is that?
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We are seeing that now. The Republican party is nothing more than a kid loose in a candy store. They have gotten everything they have wanted, and WE are paying the price. It is indeed time for a change.
ROTLMBO Kerry aka Herman Munster.
I don't vote the party, and I don't watch political commercials. I look into the person, instead. I look at how they have stood on issues in their careers. I see who they support, and what organizations support them. I review records of their votes, to see if they even bother to turn up to vote at all (if they are already in public office.) I also research their character as best I can, by seeing what their family is like.
I will be honest, I voted for Reagan and Bush. I voted for Bush and butthead. But I did not vote for Dubyah. I didn't vote for Clinton. I didn't vote for Kerry. It had nothing to do with the party system, or the claims made by their party. It had to do with their character.
Blah blah blah environment, blah blah blah health care, blah blah blah I'll tell you what you want to hear... that is how I view promises made by parties. It is about selling... and let the buyer beware, because what is promised is not always what is given.
We can't tackle the issues with free health care until we tackle the issues with substandard social services. We can't better the environment until we encourage not only big businesses, but each person, to become a custodian of the earth. We can't get gay marriage to pass until we understand that there is a separation of church and state, and that churches have the right to say 'our doctrine doesn't allow this', while at the same time those same churches say 'but we accept that the law does allow it.'
What we need is a leader who does not put their personal wants and interest first. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. We can't please all the people all the time, but we should strive to see that all people have the equal right to obtain their own happiness, but not at the expense of another person's rights. The American political system will only work if one of two things happens:
1. All citizens take a poli-science course, so they can't be fooled by the stupidity slung by each political party concerning foreign and domestic affairs.
2. American's accept the fact that they are squandering things... resources, land, and their own freedom.
3. Promises are sound bites meant to grab your attention and get you on the bandwagon. Promises are seldom kept. Promises are little treats you hand to your dog to motivate him to perform tricks for you. Don't vote for a party or person just because they have a Scooby snack dangling in front of your nose.
We don't need a strong Democrat to set this nation right. We don't need a strong Republican to do so. We don't need a strong Independent. We need a strong leader... a strong man who is grounded by his own experiences and will not easily fall back on lies and deceit. We need a leader who is not afraid to tell it like it is, yet does not allow his personal opinion get in the way of the best interests of this country.
So, research the person and then vote... don't just vote the party line.
Post a Comment