The message failed because there barely was a message. So we need to define one, then refine it. We need to write it down so we don’t forget it and we need to disseminate it widely. Then rinse and repeat and repeat and repeat. People do not know what the Democratic Party stands for. We can’t count on knee jerk demographics alone.
LOOKING FOR LIFE BEYOND CABLE NEWS AND FINDING THAT RESISTANCE IS FUTILE
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
- Louis BrandeisTension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
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Whatever Works 
Is there any way that we could replace Harry Reid with someone with more charisma and less polarization? He’s part of the problem for the Democrats, but doesn’t seem to feel any of the responsibility.
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Dear MaryLee
I do not know what Reid looks like to the rest of the US, but here in Nevada, he is the ONLY politician supporting renewable energy. I was terrified that a coal-burning religiously-intolerant monster like Angle was going to take his seat. I agree that someone with more charm might be nice for the media to take pictures of, but I’d rather have someone willing to fight for our future than look pretty.
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Let us stipulate that both things are true – Reid is a good Sen for Nevada and a good Democrat overall, but a bad public leader and a bad spokesman. He doesn’t articulate well outside of his caucus. At least he doens’t to me and I watch this stuff pretty closely.
It’s like Reid is the opposite of now ‘former’ FL Rep Alan Grayson – abrasive, who knows if he was good for his district, but man oh man could he get liberal juices flowing!
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The message is clear, but impossible to convey to a society with a profound fear of math and science. Vote your pocketbook. Denizens of trailer parks who vote like people who live in mansions are fools. Fairytales about gay-marrying-illegal-immigrant-terrorist-abortionists serve their purpose well. They distract the ignorant and intellectually lazy from the only real issue: economics.
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“gay-marrying-illegal-immigrant-terrorist-abortionists ” – you left out ‘commie fascists’!
I just go back and forth between thinking my countrymen are all dumb as boxes of rocks and thinking that we aren’t exactly as portrayed, that the sensible people just don’t make a lot of noise. Just remember, those who lost still got almost 50% of the vote. Okay, 40%.
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Message Moe?
I tuned out the Messenger-In-Chief today. The day after an ass kickin’ like last night and the President couldn’t hold me through an hour press conference. In three or four recent books, on this administration, I’ve stumbled through, a constant crops up. The President dislikes confrontation. Why in the hell would you want to be President if one is opposed to the fight.
Sure, all is fair in love and war and hyper-partisanship… but I don’t think the President has let to understand that this is not just about him.
It’s about you and me and millions of others who believed in and championed a movement that appeared to want to govern with reason not superstition, and have an economy for all the people, not the crony capitalism of boom and bust.
On my Facebook Wall this morning I posted. “I’m one who respects the voice of the people, even if it is but an echo. But I do admit to swillin’ a bourbon slurpee for breakfast.”
The President is, at most six months away, from being one term.
Regards,
Doug
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Doug – you are one funny guy! Love the ‘bourbon slurpee’.
I am hearing how Obama is too wonky and not political enough. And I think it’s true. He needs to show more passion.
I dearly hope that this election has lifted the stars from his eyes. He’ll have to work with the congress, and he should, but he needs to be less accommodating.
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shortbuswonderkid,
” I was terrified that a coal-burning religiously-intolerant monster like Angle was going to take his seat. ”
Wow, sounds like the Democratic Senator-elect from West Virginia.
Ms. Holland,
” It’s like Reid is the opposite of now ‘former’ FL Rep Alan Grayson – abrasive, who knows if he was good for his district, but man oh man could he get liberal juices flowing! ”
Grayson is not a former anything until January. He is the ugliest man in Congress, with the ugliest personality.
desertscope,
” Denizens of trailer parks who vote like people who live in mansions are fools. Fairytales about gay-marrying-illegal-immigrant-terrorist-abortionists serve their purpose well. ”
So 4 years of Democratic control of Congress and 2 years of President Obama made the average American voter more stupid than when they voted for Hope and Change ?
Doug,
” The President is, at most six months away, from being one term. ”
You are getting smarter every day. Of course we Conservatives could have told you 3 years ago that your hero would fail. He had a corrupt media propping him up, and huge majorities in both Houses of Congress and still couldn’t succeed.
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You’re right, Moe. The message got screwed up. President Obama needs to understand that accomplishments need to be communicated, that the base of your party needs to be excited, and that you can’t always be a professor. People need soundbites, obvious demonstrations of strength and leadership. Just quietly passing momentous policies doesn’t do it. Tell us about it!
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Sadly, people DO need soundbites. People know what the GOP stands for: lower taxes, smaller government etc – you can say it in a sentence.
The Dems? It’s all Tevya “on the one hand, but then on the other hand” . . .
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Ms. Holland,
You still believe that your Democrats problem is that they failed in the message war with my Republicans. That did not happen until Democrats policies began to fail. Obama thought he could spend his way out of joblessness. He thought he could blame Wall Street for everything that was wrong in the economy. He thought he could divide and conquer, by dividing Americans along racial lines and class lines. In fairness, it worked for a long time.
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I beleive we had/have plenty of problems, but for the Dems messaging was up near the top. There was no way to avoid the mess we’re trying to climb out of, but the admin failed at convincing people of hte necessity of a lot that had to be done. Bush faced the same problem with TARP in ’08. There was wailing around the land. But it had to be done.
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Ms. Holland,
Some of the bank bailouts that Bush and Obama did, I believe had to be done. Both sides made political hay out of that, which was not fair. It was what was done after the banks were stabilized that I object to. Tarp was one thing, Stimulus and ObamaCare was just taking advantage of a good crisis.
Stimulus was mostly pork barrel deficit spending to pay back Democrat supporters. ObamaCare was a Progressive Holy Grail, that was badly written and passed by the most sleazy kind of wheeling and dealing in modern history. As much as what they did, it was the way Democrats passed their agenda that turned Americans from them.
Democrats made much of Republican scandals in 06. Obama made much of being a different kind of politician, who was above dirty politics. It was their own elevated moral expectations that really set them up for a great fall. In the end they were just the same old Democrats.
I hope my guys are not the same old Republicans. At least with so many rookies coming in it will be a few years until they become Washingtonized.
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