Messaging Monday: Democrats are the party of 'Health, Hope and Justice'

TrueBlueMajority for Blue Majority Message Workshop

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Monday December 06, 2021 · 11:19 AM PST

2021/12/06 · 11:19

Some of you are already snickering.

“Health, Hope and Justice? Seriously? Is that the best we can do?”

Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But it is as good a place to start as any, unless and until someone comes up with something better. In this brainstorming stage of preparing for 2022, all offerings are welcome.

The point of this Messaging Monday series is that complaining about what is wrong is the easy way out. Writing a few hundred words making concrete suggestions and offering specific ideas is a better use of everyone’s time.

Therefore, building on the success of the similar slogan that worked so well for the Georgia Senate races, let’s run #HealthHopeAndJustice up the flagpole and see who salutes.

TrueBlueMajority for Blue Majority Message Workshop

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 29, 2021 · 11:19 AM PST

2021/11/29 · 11:19

DERRY , NH - DECEMBER 30: Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign Town Hall on December 30, 2019 in Derry, New Hampshire. The 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses will take place on February 3, 2020, making it the first nominating contest for the Democratic Party in choosing their presidential candidate to face Donald Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

If you are already aware of the document “Language: A Key Mechanism of Control”, then you have a head start today. You already know how important the document was for GOP messaging in the 1990s and how well it worked.

As we continue with the basic messaging concept that “your enemy will teach you how to defeat him,” this means you also understand why we must revise this document for Democratic purposes in 2022 and beyond.

We begin our update of this document today, and after our rewrite is complete we will distribute it to everyone in the Democratic party whose message discipline needs improvement.

First, some background information for folks who are not familiar with this notorious piece of political history.

TrueBlueMajority

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Monday November 22, 2021 · 12:14 PM PST

2021/11/22 · 12:14

Rep Ayanna Pressley introducing Sen Elizabeth Warren at Iowa City campaign rally, Feb 1, 2020

Message discipline means everyone talks about a common campaign, policy project, or another political goal in the same way, agreeing to use specific words and phrases that inspire support from the intended audience.

Any television interview, town hall, social media post, or public conversation must include one or more of the following: the message of the day, the top priority issue-driven message, and the defining message of the party. The best possible outcome is when the listener, after hearing the message only once, can repeat it and feel personal identification with it. That makes it likely that future repetitions of the message will reinforce a decision to donate and vote.

Good message discipline has five parts:

Craft a simple, memorable message with an emotional hook voters feel drawn to
Repeat the message at EVERY opportunity.
Avoid the opponent’s messaging and framing at all costs.
Reframe the opponent’s message to your benefit whenever possible.
Reward people who stay on message.

For decades the Democratic Party has been in great need of better message discipline.

Daily Kos has the resources to step in and provide it.

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Messaging Monday: Democrats are the party of 'Health, Hope and Justice'

Messaging Monday—'Language: a Key Mechanism of Control' updated for 2022

Messaging Monday: How to get better message discipline in the Democratic party