TRUE BLUE REPORT Message Discipline 101: TrumpCare, RyanCare, GOPCare, DonTCare—what's in a name

by TrueBlueMajority for Black Star Resistance

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

Wednesday, Mar. 08, 2017 Wednesday, Mar. 08, 2017 at 8:59:16pm PST

what's_in_a_name_ski_trail.jpg — Photo illustration by Tyler Thorney, FlatheadBeacon.com

Once again the Blue Team is falling down on the job with respect to message discipline.

Because we are completely at ease with walking and chewing gum at the same time, and have no problem considering multiple ideas at once, we forget how hard that is for most people.

This is Message Discipline 101: Until we learn to think like Joe and Jane Averagevoter, we cannot communicate with them; until we can communicate with them we cannot explain what we stand for in terms they can relate to; until we can explain what we stand for in terms they can relate to, they will not vote for us.

The latest example of this is the array of terms folks are using to refer to the Obamacare replacement bil (finally) proposed by the Rcons yesterday. The Red Team has given it the bizarrely dry name “American Health Care Act” which is not their catchy memorable propagandistic form of branding at all, so I don't know what is going on there. But it does not matter what they call it, since this Congress does not speak for me, and I am not obliged to use their terms for anything.

What we call it, matters. Since they start out divided from one another and are having trouble defending it, if we present a united front we win a psychological battle from the jump.

So what do we call it, then? And why?

DonTCare: I’m going to start with my favorite. I do not have words for how much I love this one! But it is too clever by half, and as a result probably has no chance of catching on.

ftz, who joined us last November after the election, is the first to use it at Daily Kos, and never said whether s/he came up with it or saw it elsewhere.

Obviously it says Don’t Care, which is definitely the message we want to send, that the Republicons don’t care how many people will be hurt but the Obamacare repeal.

But look at it again. You have to write it as DonTCare. As in Don T. Care. Short for Donald Trump Care.

See, I told you it was too clever by half. The fact that it pushes all the right buttons in me probably means it won’t work as a mass communication device. But if I ruled the world, or had a say in Democratic Party message discipline, and could wave a magic wand and make everyone use it, I would.

GOPCare: Talking Points Memo seems to have decided to go with this one. Josh Marshall has good instincts in the sense of wanting to smear the whole GOP with this disaster of a bill. They’ve had seven years to come up with their answer and this is the best they can do? Swapping out subsidies for tax cuts? Paying a fine to the insurance company instead of the government? And certainly as a political message it is better to hang this around the neck of the entire Republicon party and not just one person.

Honestly, the only problem with GOPCare is how hard it is to say out loud. Do you say GOPP Care, which is not self-explanatory for a person listening to you but not seeing the word, or do you spell out the letters GEE OH PEE Care, which has too many syllables, doesn’t hit the ear well and doesn’t necessarily make you think of the GOP/Grand Old Party because your mind stays stuck on “Pee Care”.

Hmmm, I just noticed as I write this that Obamacare has the same number of syllables. But it is mellifluous because it has a recognizable name attached to it.

Anyway, GOPCare isn’t bad in writing, but won’t work as well in interviews.

RyanCare has a lot of fans, mostly among people who realize that the zombie-eyed granny starver has been pushing a bill like this for a very long time, since before he was Rmoney’s running mate (doesn’t that seem like a lifetime ago), and therefore deserves to have his name on it.

Plus people may feel that his political fortunes will outlast the current (part-time) occupant of the White House, and they want to make sure that he personally gets saddled with the political loss when this thing goes down in flames.

I recommend that no one waste any time worrying about Ryan’s political future. It is already hanging by a thread because he agreed to run with Rmoney, whose loss really stung the party in a tender spot. For a veep loser to come back and run in his own right is difficult because he has the Big L stamped on his forehead, and his was an election that Rs wanted very very badly.

Besides, as Speaker of the House right now he looks like a very ineffectual leader because his caucus is in a shambles. People are openly defying him and the vaunted Rcon lockstep discipline is failing. No matter what happens with the bill, Ryan will pay the appropriate political price for it. If it fails, he looks terrible, and if it passes he looks worse because a lot of people are going to be hurt and even die because of him.

Ryan is toast regardless.

So they're replacing the mandate w/ a mandate & the tax w/ a bigger tax but it's ok b/c it goes to a corporation instead of the government.
Ã¢ÂÂ Jason Kander (@JasonKander) March 7, 2017

TrumpCare. That’s what’s left. He likes to put his name on things so let’s put his name on this. He wants to compete with Obama in everything, so lets give him the humiliation of seeing TrumpCare fail horribly as compared to how much people are suddenly realizing they love their Obamacare.