WINNING ELECTIONS

Here’s an idea for how Dems can win elections — TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHAT WE STAND FOR!

What does the Republican Party stand for?  Easy:  Smaller Government/Lower Taxes.  What does the Democratic Party stand for?  Not so easy:  No bumper-sticker slogans.  The Republican Party has a 40 year head start on the Democratic Party in the messaging department, and it’s way past time to stop letting the Right frame the issues.

I really do believe that The American People share our values — and, that’s what is so shameful about losing the messaging wars.  Yeah, shameful. 

Geez, what’s wrong with the Democratic Party?  The President told us that “good policy IS good politics.”  Dumb.  Good policy is good policy.  Good politics is framing the issues and the players BEFORE the other side does.

We saw MSNBC’s The Ed Show one day recently when big Ed was taking a day off.  His substitute host offered up these potential bumper-sticker slogans:  “Opportunity for All/Responsibility.” 

The idea for this slogan is that the “Democratic Party stands for opportunity for all Americans to succeed, AND stands for responsibility in government” — responsibility that the Democratic Party actually has been representing:  Clinton came into office and had to clean up the Reagan/Bush disastrous budget deficits;  Clinton left W. a huge surplus.  W. irresponsibly ran up the deficits AGAIN with unpaid-for tax cuts for the rich and his unfunded wars.  Obama came in to office and has to clean up the Republican mess — AGAIN.

The Democratic Party IS the grown-up party.  We’re the pragmatists.  We don’t believe in the fairytale of “trickle-down economics.”  We believe that a healthy middle-class IS the pragmatic solution to our economic woes, and we do not believe that continuing to let the top 1% – 2% rake in all the nation’s wealth, and leave our middle-class sinking, can lead to a healthy economy.  We believe that ensuring that all Americans have an opportunity to succeed leads to a thriving economy for the entire country.  We believe that is the responsible thing to do:  Opportunity for All/Responsibility.