Let's remember a few basics as we wallow in post-mortems today:
- There is no center. Elections are all about the base and base enthusiasm--and even more so now. (Lakoff!)
- This lesson is even more important after the recent SCOTUS decision, that has allowed Democratic messaging to be swamped with rich right-wing money.
- If the Republicans didn't cooperate during the last congress, they won't cooperate in this one. They will double down on their winning strategy (see 2). Craft the appropriate strategies here. So...
- Talk up the deficit to defeat extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. They can't have both.
- Then... talk up a jobs bill as the way to reduce the deficit. If it goes through well and good. If it doesn't, the Republicans own the coveted title of "job-killer."
- Message better--more clearly and emotionally. The Republicans are not the party of "no" (because "no" can be a good thing); they are the party that doesn't care--the party that does nothing while you suffer. The do-nothing party. That'll work.
This may actually all help us in the long run. Let's not fall on our swords just yet.
It's probably clear from this that I'm adding my two cents worth to suggest that Lakoff explains what happened last night better than anyone.
There is no center. This is a superficial spatial metaphor that grids a complex political reality falsely. There are two competing narratives, which run through our brains--the authoritarian narrative (conservative) and the nurturing narrative (modern liberal). (The pure rationalistic liberal narrative doesn't really run anywhere; it's a tool used to support causes arrived at on other grounds. It's weak politics.) The center wanders confused between the two.
The right followed a classic election strategy, buoyed by a ton of money. They ginned up their base, and discouraged the opposition. (How many times can you hear "wipeout" until you start to believe it?) If your base is fired up you catch the drifting, confused center, at least to a degree, and the opposition base stays home. That equals sixty House seats.
So the White House needs to fire up the base with some strong nurturing policy issues, even if they go down. A massive political stand-off on a key issue can have dramatically good political results.
It's also much easier to generate unity in relation to something that you don't like, than in terms of something you do. The latter opens up a dozen different options, and then a dozen more. "What exactly should we do?" Charting a way through reality is complex. This is why governing is always so much more sapping than being in the opposition and being free to posture. Any fool can talk up an oversimplified narrative when they don't have to put it into practice.
But now the Republicans do. Their authoritarian narrative is easy to message but horrible to govern by. It offers NOTHING to those who suffer within the community. All its onus is on protecting the community, in something of a ring fence operation. They want to make the next two years about the Democrats, but America showed us decisively yesterday that they actually do want their government to do something, and what they want is an economic lift. Make the Republicans own this. (They did start the problem, after all.)
Put a jobs bill in front of them--"the jobs for America now act." Put an American-made bill in front of them--"the patriotic buying act." It's a win-win.
When they shut all this down--as they will--they are the party that does nothing--not the party of "no." It's good to say "no" to a whole bunch of stuff. It's principled and strong. "Do nothing" is just lazy. (In fact, why not try that: the lazy party.)
And put out an executive order demanding disclosure of all secret political donors on grounds of national security. (After all, how do we know that we haven't been funded by Muslims?!)
This defeat may yet be a blessing in disguise. November 2012 is going to be a great great day.