Over the next week, the YearlyKos Convention will rocket onto the front pages of the established media--creating both excitement and frustration.
It will be exciting to see our quiet little community (...ehem...) in the spotlight. But it will be frustrating as for-hire media hit squads smear the event as 'dangerous,' label us all 'Democrat kooks,' and intimidate anyone made curious by the YKos buzz.
It's gonna get ugly. Think Michelle Malkin's video was heinous? Just wait until next week when every Republican who ever dreamed of taking candy from a baby--joins the chorus of 'baby killers', 'soldier haters' and...'Bush bashers.'
Yes, Virginia...there are right-wing political gangs run amock in the media, and they will use very big sticks to beat back the Progressive wave about to wash over America.
Here are a few 'Talking Tips' everyone can use as we head into the maelstrom.
1. First Principles: We Are 'Progressives'
Remember, either we name ourselves or others will do the job. We will be called kooks, angry, haters, killers, dangerous, threatening, traitors, liars, hordes, violent, extreme, socialists, communists, crazy, fringe--if it makes children cry, it will be thrown at us.
So, remember first principles:
Who are we?
We are progressives
This label has become so obvious to most of us, but most of America will be hearing it for the first time. Over the next week, if we speak to the media, write about the event, or talk to friends--begin with first principles:
We are progressives.
2. Name The Place: YearlyKos is a Convention
There will be a big effort to take the idea of a legitimate, mainstream political event and depict it as something fringe, out of the ordinary, and scary. YK06 is exciting because it is ours, but political meetings are as normal as orange soda.
Remember this and tell people:
What is YearlyKos?
YearlyKos is a Progressive political convention.
It may seem stodgy at first, but it is not. The word 'convention' is accurate and it is familiar.
3. Identify The Organizers: People Like You and Me
There will be a big effort to undercut YearlyKos by suggesting that it is being bankrolled or organized by a secret group of powerful insiders posing as outsiders. There is already an effort underway to smear Markos as a long-time political operative who is just 'more of the same.' This is so far from the truth--and we need to make sure we identify who is behind this Progressive convention:
Who organized this event?
This event is organized and run by people like you and me.
It seems so simple, so harmless, and so unimportant to say. But the idea of a political event driven by
people like you and me, is the core of the new Progressive movement in America. There have been many roads to Las Vegas, and what we all have in common is that we are ordinary citizens working for a better America.
4.Tell 'Em Why We're Here: To Listen, To Learn, To Act
Exactly what we will be doing for 4 days at Progressive political convention in Las Vegas will be radically distorted and misrepresented by the right-wing media gangs. It will be our job--both those who attend YK and those who do not--to tell the public what we will be doing.
But what are we doing...in a few words? Here is what we can say:
What are people doing at this event?
We are here to listen, to learn, to act.
It is true that we are also out there to have fun, to meet people, to put names and faces to usernames an troll-ratings. But in the logic of 'first principles,' we are doing in Las Vegas what we do each and every day here on The Daily Kos:
listen, learn, act.
5. Tell Them Why: We Believe In America
The right-wing gangs know that the best way to hurt a progressive convention is to get lots of sound clips of activists shouting anti-American slogans, which they can then repeat over and over again on radio and TV. In fact, the irony of this approach is that the right-wing already has their sound clips--because they will make them up long before YK06 even begins.
The secret is not to be intimidated or worried about our 'image,' but to see YK06 as an opportunity--an amazing opportunity--to tell ourselves and the public why we do what we do:
Why are you here?
We are here because we believe in America
More complicated elevator speeches are great if we have them--statements of political principles are always best when boiled down to one inspiring sentence. But at its most basic, our participation in YK06 is a product of our idealism in the face of despair--our belief in America despite all that has (temporarily) gone wrong over the past 5 years. We are attending YK06 because of that belief--because
we believe in America.
Talking Tips: Have Fun!
Remember, for those of us who check-in regularly on the big blog, 'first principles' may seem too obvious. But stepping into the spotlight means that people will see us for the first time--will hear what we have to say for the first time.
So keep first principles close at hand.
But the best way to stay focused is to have fun. The right-wing gangs seeking to smear YK06 may seem confident and gleeful, but they are really scared to death.