Never has there been an opportunity as this weekend for us as the netroots to communicate with the party leadership. After all, how many opportunities will we have to directly speak to DEAN, REID, AND PELOSI all at the same time!
I hope that Kos or anyone else who will have the opportunity to meet one or more of our party leaders this weekend read this:
TELL THEM WE DON'T WANT A REPEAT OF 2002 OR 2004!
Tell them NOT to listen to Shrum/Cahil/Brazile or any of the D.C. Consultants. They got it wrong in 2002 and 2004 We've had enough!
Tell them that AT MINIMUM, this election must be about the following:
-Culture of Corruption: Abramoff, DeLay, Plame, Cunningham, Frist-insider trading. (Jefferson be damned. Emphasize that this is about INSTITUTIONAL CORRUPTION. If you have to, get some 527 or astro-turf group to run an ad showing a "tally" of a dozen+ corrupt/indicted Republicans vs. ONE corrupt Democrat. Republicans have quasi-independent groups convey their message when they are incapable of doing it themselves, why not try it?
-Social Security privatization: The gift that keeps on giving. A Congressman from Louisiana just revived a potent issue. Tell, Dean, Reid, and Pelosi that they MUST make Social Security into a "reverse wedge-issue." Run ads against ANY Republican in Congress who even flirted with the idea of privatizing it. Talk about how they will privatize it in 2007 if we don't win back Congress
-Cronyism/Katrina:
Tell Pelosi and Reid especially, that they should run on failure of Katrina. Ignore the right-wingers and focus-groups who might say that any ad showing Katrina is OFFENSIVE! Katrina's disaster is a result of the GROVER NORQUIST school of economics. Talk about federal policies that led to cutting funding in the past for New Orleans. It is also the result of cronyism. Run a commercial with Bush saying "Heckuva job Brownie" and talk about Michael Brown's background as a Arabian Horse-Show Judge.
-"Go for the jugular" against the Christian Right:
DO NOT fear James Dobson. Remember how they over-reached in the Terri Schiavo incident (if any Republican accuses you of politicizing her death, just remind them that Bush rushed back from Crawford to sign the bill authorizing intervention, while he couldn't seem to be bothered to help the folks in New Orleans.) Talk about how Dobson et al. want to pry into your bedroom. You can re-frame this from a libertarian perspective, which will play well with moderate suburban Republicans and Republicans in the ROcky Mountain States like COlorado and Montana. Have a "live and let live" approach. Talk about the South Dakota aobrtion ban that GIVE NO EXCEPTIONS FOR RAPE OR INCEST! Tout EVERY SINGLE POLL where the public says it's against over-turning Roe vs. Wade (all of them do.) Do not cower when the Right-wing screams "Democrats are baby killers" but talk about how YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION IS IN THE AMERICAN MAIN-STREAM. On gay marriage, play clips of Bush saying in 2000 that it's up to the states. Play Cheney's quote saying that he's against an amendment to the consitution (I'm NOT asking you to talk about Mary Cheney. So if your consultants tell you that you shoudln't bring her up, you don't have to. You can use Vice President Cheney himself!)
-"Go for the jugular" on national security:
*Talk about the Dubai ports Deal and how our PORT SECURITY is still vulnerable.
*Don't be afraid of talking about his failures before, during, and after 9/11. Talk about how he FLIP FLOPPED on creating the 9/11 Commission, and how he refused to testify under oath about it. Talk about how he flip flopped on letting Condi testify. Kerry's consultants in 2004 didn't even RAISE this issue. Also, talk about how BUsh let Bin Laden get away at Tora Bora in December 2001, and air clips showing BUsh in early 2002 saying that Bin Laden is "not a top priority." However, also show Bush LYING during the debates with Kerry about this. "Going for the jugular" on national security will do this: it will help prevent Bush from getting a "bounce" should Bin Laden be caught (just because he gets captured, doesn't mean that BUsh should get credit, when he could have gotten him in December 2001!)
* Talk about the DHS cuts to NYC and DC for counterrorism funding. Also discuss how the 9/11 Commission gave poor grades to Bush on security.
-"Divide and conquer"
* Talk to conservative Christians about how the GOP is just pandering to them
* Run ads showing how spending has ballooned under GOP control of Congress. Show this over and over and talk about that awful Alaskan "bridge to nowhere." Also talk about HOW THEY HAVE CUT MEDICARE AND STUDENT LOANS!!!!!! Every elderly voter should hear about the assault on Medicare (ESPECIALLY MEDICARE PART D) while every young voter should know that the GOP cut student loans BY A RECORD $12 BILLION.
* Run ads showing GOP cronyism. Running an ad on Harriet Miers will piss off conservative Christians who didn't like her. Talk about how Jack Abramoff's friend called the religious right a bunch of morons in a memo.
TELL DEAN, REID, AND PELOSI ABOUT THIS AT EVERY CHANCE YOU HAVE!!!!!!!!! They must run on these issues, and BE AGGRESSIVE! They cannot be passive because the consultants tell them not to do "such and such." Do NOT let the Republicans decide what issues this election should be about. Make 2006 about the issues I listed! You will win if you say "Had enough" and HAMMER every Republican candidate with these issues.