I visit D-Kos several times a day. Because there are so many amazingly insightful diarists I've remained a lurker for the most part. But I feel compelled to post what I feel is an important message to Democrats: WE WILL GET OUR ASSES HANDED TO US THIS FALL UNLESS WE CONNECT WITH VOTERS RIGHT NOW. Once again, Rove is defining who we are. We cannot let that happen again.
Georgia10 is correct in that we need a great elevator speech. But that is marketing, and better marketing is what we need.
There's a classic self-promo for a Florida ad agency that shows two nearly identical side by side photos of a young male hitch-hiker holding a sign. In one shot the sign reads, FT. LAUDERDALE. In the other, the sign reads, TO MOM'S FOR THE HOLIDAYS. That's marketing. It's not just the message, it's how you make the message relevant on an emotional level.
Democrats need to understand the marketing principles Rove uses in order to understand how to win.
Rove is not a genius, his background is direct marketing (junk mail to most of us), which is about sending out a simple, compelling message and repeating it over and over. Classic problem/solution stuff. In this case, exaggerate the problem so that your solution is more attractive.
Strategy Drives the Message, Not Vice Versa
Rove's strategy is simple: Exploit 9-11 to play on Americans' fears and make Iraq the lynchpin to defeating terrorists.
The message is, " Anyone who opposes the war in Iraq is weak on terrorism."
For us, it sounds like there are at least a couple of strategies out there right now. There's the Choice strategy, e.g. GOP = Culture of Corruption and then there's the Referendum on Bush strategy. We will lose with a Referendum strategy, I would stake my life on that. It's a losing strategy because as we saw in '04, no matter how bad Bush's poll numbers, no matter how much people doubt him and his policies and the people who support him, unless they have a MORE COMPELLING choice, we won't get to the Promised Land.
Don't Get Caught Up Rove's Meme, Neutralize the Meme
It makes no sense at all for us to get suckered into Rove's talking points. It only perpetuates the Rove meme. The guy tells us his strategy and smugly assumes that we won't know how to/be able to counter. We should take a page from Rove's playbook and go right after the Republicans' perceived strength, National Security. Take that away from them and they have nothing to fall back on.
By the way, enough of this HOMELAND SECURITY b.s. That's a term coined by Republicans in order to play to people's emotions, like the Fatherland or Mother Russia. It's not like we're exiles living someplace other than America. It's National Security. Call it Homeland Security and you're playing by their rules.
The Democrat Strategy
Go after the Republicans' perceived strength on security and offer a compelling, clear alternative. Do not acknowledge the Dems Don't Have a Plan for Iraq meme. Instead, put the Republicans on the defensive.
Tactic 1: Neutralize Iraq by focusing on Al Queda, not "terrorists". It's a group, not a tactic that attacked us on 9-11. Reveal the Republicans as clueless and manipulative.
Talking points:
- Republicans believe in training Al Queda, but not in training American workers.
Only 10% of fighters in Iraq are Al Queda. But as long as we're there, we're a giving them on the job training.
- Republicans don't know how to win wars.
Goal accomplished in Iraq. The war is over, we defeated their army and ousted their leader, there's a new government in place. Now we're occupiers. It's time to turn our attention to other places.
- Republicans think Al Queda confine themselves to the middle east.
We're allowing Al Queda to gain a foothold elsewhere in the world. Republicans don't see the immediate threats to national security.
- Republicans hope Bin Laden just goes away.
Where is Bin Laden, at large after 4 and a half years.
Tactic 2: Broaden the issue of National Security to include areas where Republicans are vulnerable.
Talking points:
- Republicans don't understand how the world works, that's dangerous.
Failed nations are breeding grounds Al Queda or their supporters. Desperate people resort to desperate measures. We're more secure when we can lift up the world's poor and oppressed.
- Republicans think our only source of energy is oil.
The lack of a real Energy policy has left us vulnerable to Middle East dictators.
- The Republicans think America should be fenced in.
We need more border guards,, and better equipment, not the Compound of the United States
- The Republicans hope Al Queda doesn't think of using our ports to attack us.
We need real port security
- The Republicans think we're safer without the support of other countries.
We need a better world standing so that we have more international support and assistance. We're currently ostracizing our UN partners
- The Republicans would rather enrich their cronies than make us safe.
No-bid contracts do not make us safer
- The Republicans think that we only need to be secure against "terrorists," not nature.
We need to be better prepared for natural disasters. The Katrina response should have emboldened Al Queda
- The Republicans think it's okay to spend money that we don't have and to have China control our fate by carrying our debt.
The national debt of nearly $9 trillion dollars means we can't afford to fund all aspects of national security
- The Republicans think it's okay to exploit and discard our men and women in uniform.
Our military is depleted, recruitment is down, vets' benefits are an abomination
Our Plan for National Security
1. Cut on the job training for Al Queda by withdrawing from Iraq, starting immediately. Use Murtha's plan to redeploy.
2. Make the capture of Bin Laden a priority
3. Enlist international cooperation to identify and assist vulnerable nations before they become hot spots and threats to US and world security
4. Finish the job in Afghanistan
5. Start a Manhattan project for Energy independence to be achieved by 2016
6. Legislate a pay as you go national spending policy
7. Restore FEMA to the cabinet level, restore the level of excellence displayed during the Clinton administration
8. Set the highest standards for security of our ports and nuclear facilities ad fund to meet those standards. Provide congressional oversight to ensure strict compliance.
The Elevator Speech
The problem with elevator speeches is that people attempt to cram them full of specifics, which is counter to the concept. It should be kept broad, relevant, and should speak to a position beneficial to the listener/reader.
For example:
The Democratic party protects the rights of the individual and enables each American to live the dream of peace, prosperity and the pursuit of happiness.
That's it. It covers everything from social programs to security and is focused on the individual and limited intrusion into their lives.
Granted, this is just strategy for national security meant to disarm the Republicans, not a broad platform. Look, this isn't that hard. And I know there have to be people in the party leadership who could do this much better than I could. But it has to happen now and EVERYONE needs to get on board if we're going to take back our government this fall.