What works? What doesn't? What works in some cases but not others?
There's been a lot of talk about the need for reform but there has been much less talk about what kinds of political strategies actually will work. Sure, we have Lakoff, and Dean, and a few others, and those folks have given us a lot to chew on, but do we really know what we want yet?
I honestly believe that we are getting closer to a real plan. And now that Dean seems to be a shoe in (would those be his outdoorsey Vermonter LL Bean boots? His fancy black doctor shoes, or his "I like Bike Paths" Shimano clipless bike shoes?), there is no better time than now to finally hash out a master plan.
A look at our options, and some suggestions in the extended version...
OK, so here's a run down of the kinds of options we might have in what many believe to be the political battle of our lifetimes. (Those who were born before 1960 might disagree, though.) Bear in mind that the final goals are to gain more support from the general public - of all persuasions - and to ensure that we have decent, responsible politicians in power.
- Full on War Against Everyone-Who-Doesn't-Agree-With-Us
- War Against the Politicians In Power
- Halfhearted Tiff With Anyone-Within-Earshot
- Can we just quietly seethe and complain, please?
- An unswerving Campaign to Inspire the Public to join us in working for a sustainable, responsible, just, and healthy future
- Figure out what people want and then find a way to give it to them while still maintaining our morals
- Give up and move to Canada
And now for the analysis part of the show. How have these strategies worked out in the past?
A Full on War Against Everyone-Who-Doesn't-Agree-With-Us is a guaranteed route to more division, animosity, and violence. It turns good people on all sides into scheming extremists. And makes it nearly impossible to win the hearts and minds of the people we need to support us. This tactic only works if you are honesly willing to kill a majority of the people who aren't on our side. And even then, as Bush has seen in his pet project in Iraq, it still doesn't always work.
A War Against the Politicians In Power has, throughout history, shown some success. Mutiny may look appealing these days. However, for mutiny to have a chance at being successful, we'd need to have a large majority of the public backing us. And we don't have that right now, do we? No, according to polls.
How about a Halfhearted Tiff With Anyone-Within-Earshot? Isn't that pretty much what we've been doing all along? Is it working? Did we win them over, and convince them to vote for Anyone But Bush in 2004? No. Leave the halfhearted tiffs to the happily married.
Can't we just quietly seethe and complain, please? Please? Well sure you can, but that's not going to get us anywhere is it? However, turning into a grumpy old hermit may make you feel better temporarily. But once you've gotten it out of your system, come back out of your cave and make sure to wear your party pants.
Not many options left are there? So what about an unswerving Campaign to Inspire the Public to join us in working for a sustainable, responsible, just, and healthy future? Now that's the ticket! We can say to them "Look, we have shiny things over here!" Works exceedingly well for Madison Avenue and Hollywood. We can sell them the promise of a better future. Progressives are happy, healthy, kind, smart, and good looking! This strategy could be a real winner.
Following that last act, can we figure out what people want and then find a way to give it to them while still maintaining our morals? Ooooh! That looks yummy! It worked for the Republicans, though they may have compromised their morals a bit. But, looking at their morals a al Lakoff, maybe they did actually stick to them. Republicans have found a way of giving the middle of the roadies, swing voters, and libertarians some of what they are looking for (god, guns, and a "strong leader"), or at least they pretend to. McDonalds kicks ass at delivering cheap, fast, craving-satisfying food, and that's why they serve bazillions. In our case, we need to put our Liberal, intelllectual talents to the task of giving those same voters the kinds of things they are looking for (fewer abortions, a good moral base, strong leaders, etc.). This should be easier than you might think, since it's what we want as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about sliding to the right, I'm talking about giving the middle (and even the Conservatives) what they want, but within our own Progressive frames. When these people see that we all want the same things, they will jump into our camp and party like it's 1999. (This is where your party pants will come in handy.)
Still want to give up and move to Canada? Well, again, be my guest if that's the way you feel about it. But leave your party pants here. And don't forget to write (letters to the editor, political articles for magazines, books on activism, etc.). But a warning from personal experience, it's not that easy. You can just forget it if you don't have at least $10,000 in the bank, a good job history, some college education, a spotless police record, and are willing to wait a year to even have your application looked at by a human being. And there will be a test.
Anyone still with me? I've got my own shiny purple pants ready to go, but I can't party by myself!