New Swing States (2008 Strategy Starts Now)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/state/2004-12-14-dems-hidden-election_x.htm?POE=click -refer

In Montana, which Bush won with 59% of the vote, Democrats took control of the Senate 27-23. Before the election, Republicans had a 29-21 majority.
"To label Montana as a 'red' state based purely on the presidential race ignores what's happening at the local level," says Brad Martin, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party.

What this tells me: Let's go after Colorado, North Carolina, and Montana.  Spend money there and take them back, the people are ready for it.  We just haven't communicated with them as a Party.

Howard Dean will be the next Chair.  This is a good thing.  The New Democratic movement (let's give it a catchy name, shall we?) is coming from the bottom up.  Howard Dean discovered this firsthand by becoming the first candidate to field questions on a blog.  If he brings this to the Party and can translate local gains into national gains, we win three more states in 2008.

Martin says many hunters and other sportsmen in Montana are swing voters turned off by Republican policies they view as anti-conservation -- support for mining,logging and drilling for oil and gas.

Montana Republican Party executive director Chuck Denowh agrees that the GOP is struggling to keep the sportsmen in the fold.

"People who normally vote Republican on the gun issue are straying," he says. "Whenever we're allied with the extractive industries, timber and mining, we have a hard time defining the issue to show we also support conservation."

And this tells me to go after the sportsmen.  Engage these people on a local level, tell them that the liberals are not out to get your gun.  We're more concerned about the environment you're carrying your gun around in, and that's what we have in common.  Besides, if the Democratic minority in Congress wanted to drastically change gun laws, they would have no support whatsoever, and the public outcry would be overwhelming.  No more of these bullshit goose hunt photo ops, you're not changing one single damn vote with those images on the teevee.

And that's how it has to be done: by bypassing the Corporate Media Cartel and working from the ground up.  From blogs, to supermarkets, to local legislators, to local teevee news.  The communication rift between the left and right today is a direct result of a complacent, servile Corporate Media.  We never would have become this fractured if network and print media had just done their damn jobs from the beginning, dug up the truth, and reported it like they did in the rest of the world.  They've chosen to render themselves obsolete, so let their ratings eat it.

•  People laugh

  People laugh when you say that, but I think you're right.  Living in rural Idaho I've talked to a lot of people who vote Republican based on gun control, but they don't understand the Democratic position on that issue.  These are people who think that the Democrats are going to take away thier guns, and if we can say, "no, we're not going to take away your guns, we're going to make sure the Republicans don't take away the gun laws already in place."  The whole political outlook changes.  The same thing happens on a number of issues where people don't understand the Democratic position, and vote Republican based on a lie.  "Democrats will take away your guns, ban the bible, and raise your taxes."  Never mind that the people buying these arguments are poor rural voters who wouldn't possibly see a tax increase under a Democrat.  I told a friend recently that Montana was the next blue state, and he laughed at me.  Let's give me the last laugh in that discussion in 2008!

  by cwech on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 12:14:14 AM PDT

  •  Only 3 reasons to vote Republican

    Bigotry
    Ignorance
    Greed

    Of the three, ignorance at least is curable.  The media is a great place to start; so is the supermarket.

    by Dallasdoc on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 12:28:50 AM PDT

  •  But it's bogus

    The RKBA crowd doesn't want to keep the existing gun laws in place; they want them gone. And Democrats have in fact taken guns away, for good reason from a pro-gun-control point of view, but those reasons will not satisfy a gun rights advocate. They remember Dianne Feinstein saying on 60 Minutes:

    "If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them, Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in, I would have done it."

    We are not talking about a perception problem, we're talking about a reality problem. From a gun supporter's point of view, Dem Senate Majority = confiscate all guns. Dems need to either win without those voters or else completely back down on the federal issue, going to a position like Dean's.

    by clyde on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 02:20:44 AM PDT

    •  Feinstein

      Well, I hate to resort to ad hominem attacks, but Feinstein's an idiot. She doesn't resemble the new progressive movement at all.

      by FenderT206 on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 05:32:32 AM PDT

•  You are correct

  I think, in the South NC, VA, LA, FL, and possibly TN could be in play, and in the Southwest, AR, NM, NV, and CO are open to a Dem vote.

  by southernblues on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 12:28:05 AM PDT

•  Things to Do in Blue, Red, and Purple States

  None of these things are rocket science, but I think they bear mentioning.  Please add further suggestions and disagreements.

  1.  Build an organized organization.

  We had tremendous volunteer interest in the 2004 elections, but with everything starting from scratch about two years before the election, the systems weren't in place to run the best election.  We've got more experience and two years before the next congressional races.  Let's get organized, get our technological systems sorted out and get volunteers up to speed before the election season not during the season.  2004 was a start but we can make the system work better.

  2.  Get the Message Out.

  Try to reach people who aren't politically active and educate them on the issues.   We need to reach people who aren't reading blogs, aren't reading the Washington Post, etc...  Let's think outside the box.  This is something that needs to be done year-in year-out.

  3.  Register Voters.

  This is most useful near the time of elections, but registration is something that can take place anytime.  Someone who has voted recently is more likely to vote in the future.  And let's get the new voters from 2004 to make their way back to the polls.

  by ortcutt on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 12:58:40 AM PDT

•  number one:

  give up the gun control issue, outside big cities.

  by Joe B on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 02:16:56 AM PDT

•  Virginia should be on the list too

  From what I hear, it is purpling. Fairfax County(I think the largest county in the state) went for Kerry, the first time it has gone Dem in 40 years. It was teetering on going blue I think(polls had Kerry consistently within 4 or so through the early summer). Gov. Warner(a possible prez contender himself) said he thought the Swift Boat ads hurt, especially with military families in Norfolk, where many were upset with Bush's policies, but still undecided. Warner's campaign might be one Dems can take notes on. Although not liberal, he isnt conservative, yet he was able to take a more conservative stance on gun issues(he had "Sportsmen for Warner" signs too) and do well in the southern and western parts of the state.  

  by jj32 on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 07:28:44 AM PDT

•  Good post, good idea

  by jimpol on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 05:45:05 PM PDT