FRAMING THE 2004 CAMPAIGN
I've always felt Frank Lutz was a jerk, but this week on Hardball I think he got something right. Voters are very unhappy about corporate interests buying undue influence. The Democrats, and the Dean campaign in particular, should adopt this as the theme of the 2004 campaign. It can fit on a bumper sticker. Something likes this perhaps:
DEAN vs. BUSH
INTERESTED CITIZENS vs. CORPORATE INTERESTS
It becomes the frame in which most of the major issues can be showcased:
The Iraq war-- Halliburton/Oil Companies vs. protecting us against Bin Laden
The Energy Bill- Enron/Energy companies vs. a viable energy future
Medicaid--Pharmaceutical companies & HMO's vs. money for the elderly
Dean (A doctor funded by millions of small donors) vs. Bush/Cheney (Oil company executives funded by big money corporate interests who have received exactly what they paid for.) It highlights Dean's major strength and turns Bush's money advantage into a liability.
You don't need to attack Bush personally, just continue to hammer on theme--The Republicans have put the country up for sale and the corporate interests have stepped up with their checkbooks. Trillions of dollars of debt for our children-- purchased with a quarter billion in Bush campaign contributions. (Tom DeLay is now in some trouble in Texas for channeling this same kind of money into the Texas takeover.)
It's a simple, consistent message that can work nationally (and regionally for the right candidate). It was the essential message for the Arnold campaign. Davis had sold out California (pay-for-play) and Arnold would not take special interest money and would "be for the people". George Lakoff discusses this in a recent Alternet story:
"The Frame Around Arnold"
By George Lakoff, AlterNet
October 13, 2003
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16947
"In the DLC model, you look for a list of particular issues that a majority of people, including those on left, support. In the last congressional election it was prescription drugs, social security, and a woman's right to choose. If necessary, you "move to the right" - adopt some right-wing values in hope of getting "centrist" voters. Davis, for example, favored the death penalty, tough sentencing, and supported the prison guards' union. It's a self-defeating strategy. Conservatives have been winning elections without moving to the left.
By presenting a laundry list of issues, Davis and other democrats fail to present a moral vision - a coherent identity with a powerful cultural stereotype - that defines the very identity of the voters they are trying to reach. A list of issues is not a moral vision. Indeed, many Democrats were livid that Arnold did not run on the issues. He didn't need to. His very being activated the strict father model - the heart of the moral vision of conservative Republicans and the most common response to fear and uncertainty.
In short, Arnold's victory is right in line with other conservative Republican victories. Davis' defeat is right in line with other Democratic defeats. Unless the Democrats realize this, they will not learn the lesson of this election..."
I think Lakoff has it right. People turn off when politicians drone on about policy. We just no longer trust them. We know that Washington is filled with cynical wheeler-dealers who will say anything to get elected and who will take money from anyone to stay in power. We want someone who tells the truth and will represent our interests.
Howard Dean has demonstrated that lots of citizens will donate money and get involved if they believe that their voice will be heard and their involvement will make a difference. Americans are basically optimistic people and Dr. Dean's recent comments on the NewsHour were exactly on point.
"On Being a Doctor"
An excerpt from a segment about the Iowa race on NewsHour with Jim Lehrer:
"John Kerry: We need to offer answers, not just anger. We need to offer solutions, not just slogans.
Narrator: Dean rejects his rivals' criticism.
Howard Dean: It's not anger. It's hope. That's why they don't get it either. People in some ways really want a doctor. It's really odd. I've thought about this a lot. What you do as a doctor, people basically heal themselves most of the time. The doctor's job for the most part is to set forth a clear plan and recruit the positive part of the patient to execute that plan. And to give confidence to that person that we can succeed again. That's all I'm doing, is giving people confidence. And they're not going to have it from guys who have spent their whole lives in Washington."
This is the message to energize a broad base and win an election. It's true and it fits on a bumper sticker. It is the beginning of a revolution that will remake Washington.
