What the Dems are doing isn't working. The numbers and trends are going against us and it's time for stronger tactics. Scare the bejesus out of the citizenry, while winning them over with personality.
- Fighting back won't work - because you are only reacting to damage already done.
- Being "nice" and civil isn't working...too wussy and ineffective.
- Voting for change and claiming McCain = Bush has run out of steam.
- Campaigning against Bush's/McCain's Iraq strategy isn't working since violence is down there, and Americans aren't paying attention to Afghanistan
I realized the answer to this problem when I thought about how my Republican mom and sister react, since these are the kinds of people who need convincing. All these suggestions I say with regret, because I hate having to use them, but I don't want us to lose, again. We have to be smarter this time.
Background: Mom and Dad are moderate Republicans from New Jersey. Sister married a right-wing Fox-news watching Repub and every single thing they say comes right out of a Republican talking point heard on Fox. I'm literally afraid to call my sister now, as I know she'll LOVE Sarah Palin. So I got thinking, what would get their attention? Mom and sis HATED HILLARY with a passion - clearly not rational. Mom almost liked Barack then fell back...why? She would and has voted Democratic in the past.
1) It's all about personality. Mom and sis think McCain is cool because (insert favorite McCain maverick story from years ago here or POW story). Sarah's cool because she's a tough cookie no matter what they say about her and she's perky. Most low-information voters vote for the person they'd like to have a beer with. Rabble-rousing McCain or perky Sarah win in a landslide over cerebral Barack or stuffed-shirt Biden. Barack is not cool because he sounds too smart and was a Professor and doesn't talk in short soundbites they understand.
So what to do: Drink beer and shots, just like Hillary did. Biden and Obama need to get out of their suits, into bars, playing basketball and eating crappy food til it hurts. Talk in fear-mongering soundbites (see #2 below). Show a sense of humor. Make an off-color tough-ass remark that "happens" to get caught on mike (remember Reagan's "We begin bombing in 5 minutes"). This will endear them to my Sister and Mom, and they'll realize he's a tough SOB (they want that). We Dems will all cringe, but it worked for Hillary.
Mom doesn't like Bush anymore, and Dad thinks he F#*ked up on the implementation. But they are still Republicans and want to believe Bush was an anomaly. They refuse to think through issues. It is senseless to tell them McCain = Bush. Why? Because McCain is NOT Bush, so they are willing to give McCain a chance! Maybe he won't F#*k up like Bush.
How many independents/moderate Repubs who now dislike Bush say that if they knew then what they know now would they have voted for Kerry? I think not too many (Google: "would you vote for Bush again"- see what comes up - does anyone know the stats here?). They didn't like Kerry's dour personality (see #1), so they say he would have been even worse. That's why McCain = Bush doesn't work.
2) So scare the shit out of them. Mom and sis voted for Bush in 2004 because they were scared. Of al-Quaeda. Of terrorists. Of Mexican immigrants. (and of Gays for other republicans, Mom and sis never bit that one since I'm gay). Republicans exploited that fear.
But, Mom and Dad, Sis and husband are truly and justifiably scared now, of the economy. Republicans cannot exploit that fear BECAUSE IT IS IDENTIFIED WITH THEM. So let's exploit that fear and use it against them. Just like they do with national security (Country First! is the latest incarnation) as opposed to us namby-pamby effete Dems who put ourselves first. Make them into money-hoarding thieves who want to steal your home and lay you off so they can collect their severance checks.
Maybe some people here can help come up with ideas to make the economic situation more frightening and vet them - there are so many! Here are a few to start. Dems should use focus groups and pick the ones people fear the most, but using symbols Mom and sis would understand. I've picked things that can be shown to have gotten much worse in the last eight years, so voting Republican means they get even worse.
VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS AND YOU WILL LOSE YOUR JOB. Show the unemployment trend line going up and project it forward over pictures of breadlines. Here's one showing it going to 7.1% BY NEXT APRIL! IS YOUR JOB SAFE?
VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS AND YOU WILL LOSE YOUR HOME. Say that the Republicans let Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae collapse and that they hold 2/3 of their mortgages (2/3 of them will be afraid their mortgages will be taken away. No regular person knows a Fannie from a Freddie from their Uncle Bert). DO THESE COMPANIES HOLD YOUR MORTGAGE?
VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS, AND THE COMMUNIST CHINESE WILL OWN US. Show pictures of Chinese Mao-looking commies and show how much of our debt the Chinese own. Here's a chart showing the Chinese on a trend to surpass Japan to be #1 Chinese Holdings of US Debt Ask this: Who has the biggest shopping mall?
China Has World's Biggest Mall DO YOU WANT TO SELL OUT TO THE COMMIES?
VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS, AND THE ARABS WILL TAKE ALL OUR MONEY. Scare them with Arabs by showing images of all the new work in Dubai, Louise to Harry reading newspaper: Look what they are doing with our money!. Who has the worlds tallest building? Dubai is Building the World's Tallest Building Borrow from T. Boone: the world's largest transfer of wealth ever, $10 Trillion Dollars to the Arabs Cite him, he's a Republican. SHOULD WE SEND ALL OUR MONEY TO THE ARABS?
VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS, AND BANKRUPT THE COUNTRY. America is the World's Biggest Debtor Nation. And it's piling up fast. CAN WE AFFORD 4 MORE YEARS OF THIS?
I wish Obama's thoughtful message of "change" would work. It won't. McCain is stealing it, and using Palin as the proof point, and Mom and sis believe it. We need to change the subject, fast, and win the election with fear, just as the Republicans showed us how.