The biggest problem with the Democrats’ message machine is that they keep using stock phrases that automatically put some people off. Instead of bringing the truth directly to the voter’s attention, everyone mouths the same catch-phrase. For instance, every time someone talks about the “War on Women” not only do the deep-bench goons see red, but so will all the fence-sitters that have been indoctrinated (like Pavlov’s dog) by years of drumbeat GOP propaganda. It’s like the bite of ten million fleas.
So instead of referring to the War on Women, why not speak more directly to the truth? Here’s an example:
“This is what we are facing in this election, folks. Today, Republicans in the United States Senate voted to dismantle the Violence Against Women Act. The GOP dominated House has already passed such a bill. Every woman out in the country should think about this very carefully, and heed the alarm bell it sets off. All the protections women, through decades of hard and bitter work, have won against rape and abuse, the GOP wants to throw out the window. And if Mitt Romney is elected president, the guy who went out of his way to tell voters that “corporations are people too”, he will be the head cheerleader in this effort.”
Another thing: stop telling voters that the GOP’s attack on Medicare is going to hurt Grandma and Grandpa.
“It’s going to hurt every single person who is working in this country today, especially those in their thirties and forties who, by the time it’s their turn to retire, will find they have no access to Social Security or health coverage whatever if the Republicans have their way. The GOP is definitely trying to destroy Medicare and Social Security, but the people who will be hardest hit are those who least suspect their future is under such a dire threat, those for whom retirement is decades away. The only way to stop the GOP/Paul Ryan/Karl Rove/Koch Brothers anti-Medicare/Social Security steamroller is for all working Americans to go out on election day and defeat them, one vote at a time.”
There are other ways to enrich the Democrats’ points, and show the voters what they are really up against, but I hope these two give the DCCC and President Obama a starting point to ponder when crafting their messages.