THREE things if we want to WIN in 2014 ...

[napkinz]

[font size="3"](1) a MASSIVE ad campaign sharing ACA success stories[/font]


for example:

http://aattp.org/watch-this-obamacare-success-story-is-what-scares-the-hell-out-of-the-gop-video/


Find the people who are sharing their stories below and do an ad blitz!

https://www.facebook.com/acasuccessstories

https://twitter.com/ACASuccessStory

http://acasignups.net






[font size="3"](2) a MASSIVE ad campaign focussing on the thousands who will die because Republican governors have refused Medicaid expansion[/font]

















[font size="3"](3) remind Americans:[/font]

[shenmue]

1. Yes

I'm a success story, I have coverage for the first time in years.

[napkinz]

3. that's great shenmue!

[malaise]

2. K & R

Get thee to the greatest page

[Gothmog]

4. On the second point, Texas has a program called "Texas left me Out"

A group of non-profits and the Cover Me Texas Campaign are pushing a program called Texas left me out. http://texasleftmeout.org/ See also http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/blog/2014/02/texas-left-me-out-campaign-addressing-uninsured.html

The Lone Star State has a new battle cry. But don’t expect Gov. Rick Perry to shout this one from the rooftop of the Capitol.

Texas Left Me Out. That’s the name of a new campaign launched on Wednesday by the Center for Public Policy Priorities and roughly 40 other health care advocacy organizations and faith and community groups.

The bilingual campaign will address uninsured Texans left in coverage gaps. Participating organizations will help connect those affected individuals with available health care options and advocacy efforts.

Thousands of Texans living above the poverty line are successfully purchasing health plans in the new Marketplace, and are receiving assistance to help pay for that coverage. However, officials with the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities claim more than one million of Texas’ poorest adults remain uninsured because the state, under Perry’s leadership, has refused billions of federal dollars in expanded Medicaid relief.

[napkinz]

6. Gov. Rick Perry, Obamacare and The Morality of Rejecting Medicaid Expansion

by Nomad

Texas Governor Rick Perry's decision not to expand Medicaid, a provision of Obamacare that each state can accept or reject, will have serious consequences for the uninsured and the poor of that state.

Here's a moral question for you:
Suppose you found that you possessed the power to save the lives of three thousand strangers, without doing anything except changing your mind, would you do it? Would you do it even if it required you to reverse a strong personal viewpoint or a core philosophy? Could any one of your personal beliefs really be so strong that you would allow the deaths of thousands and the suffering of many more?

Those are the questions that the citizens of Texas should be asking their governor, Rick Perry.

Governor Rick Perry's decision to opt out of Obamacare's Medicaid expansion has been well-documented. Billions in federal funds are off the table. More than a million poor adults won't have access to health coverage. Texas businesses will wind up paying an estimated $400 million in tax penalties.

Useful numbers, but none really captures the human toll of Perry's decision. A better figure for that purpose is 3,035, as in the number of people who will die as a result of Texas' refusal to expand Medicaid.

read more: http://nomadicpolitics.blogspot.com/2014/02/gov-rick-perry-obamacare-and-morality.html

[winter is coming]

5. Thanks for posting this as a separate OP. It deserves the visibility. n/t

[zeemike]

7. It sounds great but it is too late.

The right has had years now to pump the country full of propaganda, and if you think an add campaign can change that perspective now you are mistaken...all it will do is remind them of all the negative things they have seen in the media.

If we are to win we have to come up with new ideas that inspire the base not try to defend the old ones...but we have been playing defense for so long now it seems normal.

[ErikJ]

9. Youth respond strongly to Minimum Wage

I told a 19 yr old (with a RWer-ish boyfriend)that the Republicans want to get rid of the Min Wage and she was horrified.

[jtuck004]

19. This. Important. n/t

[napkinz]

11. this is not playing defense ... this is going on offense

A massive ad campaign. An ad blitz. On TV, radio, the internet. Every day, for the next EIGHT months.

Bombard the airwaves with ads for the next eight months, sharing the success stories of thousands. Bombard the airwaves for the next eight months with ads calling out the Republican governors refusing Medicaid expansion and exposing the pain, suffering, and deaths those governors are inflicting on the poor people of their own states. Bombard the airwaves with ads reminding Americans, as stated in the DU graphic, that the ACA will afford them the freedom to "spend more time with their children, retire instead of working until their old age, work just one job instead of two or three, start their own businesses."

It's called GOING FOR IT! ALL OUT!

[zeemike]

23. Going on the offense after being pummeled in the first 3 quarters of the game.

Is a big chalange...and I am not sure it is a wise use of the money.
Better to look at the polls and see what people are most concerned about....and it is not the ACA...it is the economy and jobs, because without that the ACA don't mean a lot to them.

And then offer a solution to it that makes sense...that is what people will vote for.

[Blanks]

34. You're right to some extent...

The democrats need to brag up their other congressional accomplishments in 2009-2011 session. Dodd-Frank, the pro-alternative energy legislation, the stimulus program.

Compare that to a House of Representatives that has voted to repeal obamacare 50 times when they knew that no action would be taken in the senate.

It shouldn't be all about obamacare, the democrats have a better legislative record. They should talk about it to.

[zeemike]

36. I think trying to brag about past accomplishments is a loser.

Considering that the public has something like a 13% approval rating for congress...it will amount to trying to convince them that they are wrong to think the congress sucks...again a defensive strategy.

What people want to hear are new ideas and solutions, not a defense of past doings...something that they can vote for not just being told that they suck less than the GOP.

And if the GOP wants to talk about the ACA fine, offer them a solution not an excuse, like purposing a public option, where the medicare age of enrollment is done away with and it is allowed to compete with private insurance in the market...then you don't have to defend it or complain about it...and it shoots the gun out of the GOP hand.

But who am I to advise them?...I think they will continue to listen to the third way and do it like they say, and this will be another sad election for the Dems.

[Blanks]

41. Bragging about the past is exactly what democrats need to do...

Since the democrats controlled congress during the best times in the history of this country.

During those times when they were in control of congress - they were coming up with new ideas, or implementing plans that made things better for regular folk.

They need to make the case that things were going in the right direction when they were in control of congress, and things only went to shit because they weren't given enough time to encourage alternative energies and enforce banking regulations, and invest in infrastructure.

But, they aren't any more likely to listen to me.

[zeemike]

42. And those good times ended with Reagan.

And instead of bragging on the past then we capitulated to the right wing and started acting like them...and the third way was born.

Now the GOP is moving further to the right and we are chasing them to catch up.

[Blanks]

43. It takes a while for the pendulum to swing...

When republicans win, that sends a message to democrats that Americans want a more conservative government.

If you're running for office in Arkansas - you'd better have a commercial toting a rifle if you want to win. We have to recognize that we are going to have some DINOs, but the majority party chooses the leadership. It takes a long time to get the attitude of Americans toward a more liberal leaning.

If Americans aren't leaning liberal and their representatives are - then we lose control of the government again.

It has to be carefully balanced. I think we are trending in the right direction - it's taking a lot longer than I'd like to see, but we have some things going for us. I don't think we are gonna get there Reagan bashing or even Bush bashing. Pointing out the positives is the better approach.

[zeemike]

44. And how many in Arkansas don't vote?

And did you ever ask them why?
Well I have, (not in Arkansas but in other states) and the answer is almost universal...they are all the same so why bother.
And indeed they are on the issues that effect most working people...and all the ACA means to those working people is that they will have to come up with 100 bucks or more a month to buy the insurance the law mandates they buy...a GOP plan...which the Dems will be forced to be for, and the GOP will tell them it is a disaster.
So what do you think they will do?...I know sit at home and ignore them both.

[Blanks]

47. We have a democratic governor.

And for quite a while we had 2 U.S. Senators that were democrats.

The thing is people were fired up by the tea party and those people voted republican. It should be a winning strategy to compare the legislative work done in 2009-2011 versus the legislative work done in 2011-2013. Make the 'soft' tea partiers see what the tea party really stands for.

There will be an abundance of job opportunities available if we more aggressively pursue alternative energy and shift the defense spending that we had been spending on war - to domestic infrastructure spending. These are things that the democrats were doing when they were in control - the candidates need to point it out. They need to embrace these issues, brag them up, explain how Main Street benefits from a democratic controlled congress and people will get out and vote for democrats.

I agree that going on the defensive is a losing strategy, but I think the democratic candidates should be able to hold their heads high when they compare their legislative record to the republican controlled House of Representatives behavior since they've been in control.

[Cofitachequi]

8. When it comes to Obamacare, ads are useless.

I've always been a believer that folks don't form their opinions as to what is going on in the country by reading papers or watching the news or seeing reports, we make up our minds by what is going on around us as we see it with our own eyes.

When we have people all around us who have positive stories, then that will have an impact. Political ads during the political season are just static that most people tune out....

[napkinz]

13. "Political ads during the political season are just static that most people tune out...."

Tell that to the Koch Brothers who are spending millions to create a narrative.

If you let the other side create the narrative, you LOSE!

[Cofitachequi]

15. And the Koch brothers have an unending pool of wealth to draw from...

...which is why trying to fight them in their own arena is not a good idea.

If there are enough real life, in person, positive stories, then those can be supplemented, but barring that condition, if you have to weave a story from scratch, they have many more resources than are available to the Dems.

The key is simple...if Obamacare is actually, and truly working, it is a positive, if it is not, there is not enough advertising dollars in the world to overcome that negative.

[7962]

20. George Soros and a few others have plenty of cash they're willing to spend. nt

[Cofitachequi]

25. that's a little more myth than reality.

the winners in 2014 are going to be the candidates with the best ground game.

there will be plenty of ads, but this one is going to be fought in the trenches, district to district.

[sheshe2]

10. Brilliant, napkinz!

Well done.

[napkinz]

14. I can't believe a few members have responded that it's a waste of time

I don't get it. Do they just want to sit back and let the Koch Brothers create the narrative?

We have a story to tell ... THOUSANDS of stories. Success stories.

[sheshe2]

16. A few, yes I know.

Seems like many want take their toys home and pout.

Sitting out this election is out of the question. If they do, then they have only themselves to blame for an ugly outcome.

You are right, napkinz. We need to get the truth out there.

[napkinz]

30. re "We need to get the truth out there"

They have misleading ads. Some of those ads feature duped ignorant victims. Other ads feature political operatives.

We have REAL people, real stories. We have the truth on our side.

[sheshe2]

31. Exactly!

[RoverSuswade]

12. Florida Florida Florida

Also:
1) Infiltrate the fundie churches (all 90% of them) and speak up. Even if it gets you "excommunicated."
2) Best way to get the message to all those 'low information voters' is through their kids. Get the message out in the schools. Any way you can. The kids will go home and educate their parents.
3) Get democrats to the polls. Period. Local democrat headquarters - pay attention!

[sulphurdunn]

17. So, you need to ask yourself,

why do the Democrats always pull their punches with one hand and tie the other behind their backs? You know they'll never fight back hard with facts. Why is that?

[jtuck004]

18. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Unless one thinks that a whole bunch of people wake up every

morning thinking

"Gosh, I sure hope the insurance co and hospital get paid if I get sick"

or

"Damn, I sure am glad they are sending $1.3 trillion to thieving banksters this year - surely it will trickle down up me".

vs

"Fuck, I hope I make enough money this month to keep from losing my damn house. Maybe we need to change directions".

[blkmusclmachine]

21. BUT...Who will be "counting" our votes???

[Historic NY]

22. 4th Get the Hell out and vote like your life depends on it....

it just might.

[napkinz]

35. absolutely!

[demwing]

24. How about a series of ads, each staring a different iconic Republican voter

who, through personal experience, changed their view of Obamacare? Real people, not actors.

Also, a 30 second segment - Obama's face fills the frame, he's got some tough love for voters -
The President lists off a few examples of Republicans making extreme demands-ending with the Shutdown-then tells the country that he needs us to get up off of our asses and elect a congress willing to work together to build up -- not shut down -- America.

[sheshe2]

26. Kick!

[treestar]

27. K&R

The ACA will be working and in effect by election time.

[Cha]

28. Excellent Briliant work, napkinz!

[napkinz]

29. MORE ...

The Koch Brothers are funding commercials that feature distortions, lies, and bogus claims coming from ignorant victims or political operatives.

Well have REAL PEOPLE, WITH REAL STORIES. Where are our commercials?

Below is a handful of success stories. And there are thousands more! IMAGINE an ad blitz for the next eight months, TV ads that feature these real-life success stories:























































source: https://www.facebook.com/acasuccessstories

[progressoid]

32. 17,000 or 27,000?

[napkinz]

37. different estimates from different sources but the POINT is ...

THOUSANDS WILL DIE.

The exact number doesn't matter.

We are talking about people's lives.

Let the experts share their findings and try to come to one figure should they decide to do a TV ad campaign on this issue, but in the end, it's the FACT that thousands of people WILL DIE because these reprehensible Republican governors are putting politics first in refusing Medicaid expansion.

[Rex]

33. Yes, yes and YES!!!

I love your posts! So refreshing in a sea of mediocrity!

[napkinz]

48. Chris Matthews Nails Its --->

"The Democrats are in kind of a conciliatory, soft mood. They want to negotiate, they want to make deals across the aisle, they want to fix Obamacare," Matthews explained. "On the Republican side, it’s much harder. They want to get rid of Obamacare plain and simple and they don’t want to negotiate so much."

With "passion" on one side and the other side "not sure of themselves," Matthews predicted more Republicans will come out to the polls this November.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/chris-matthews-predicts-democrats-will-lose-the-senate-in-2014/


PASSION! We need to get fired up! And candidates need to fully embrace Obamacare. Stop running from it. RUN ON IT!

[n2doc]

38. Unlike Alex Sink who ran away from Obamacare….and lost n/t

[napkinz]

39. that's the choice

Are our candidates going to run FROM Obamacare or run ON Obamacare?

[Vattel]

40. good ideas

[napkinz]

45. thread started by WillyT: TIME TO EMBRACE OBAMACARE!!!

It’s Time for Democrats to Embrace Obamacare
John Cassidy - TheNewYorker
3/12/14

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024663436

Trying to pussyfoot around Obamacare was an awkward strategy, and, evidently, it didn’t work. If other Democrats are to avoid meeting Sink’s fate in November, they need something more convincing to say about the Affordable Care Act than “mend it, don’t end it,” which is now their default position. But what could that be?

Here’s a heretical idea. Rather than parsing the individual elements of the law, and trying to persuade voters on an à la carte basis, what about raising the stakes and defending the reform in its entirety as a historic effort to provide affordable health-care coverage to tens of millions of hard-working Americans who otherwise couldn’t afford it? Instead of shying away from the populist and redistributionist essence of the reform, which the White House and many Democrats in Congress have been doing since the start, it’s time to embrace it.

What would that mean? It would involve reaching out to the Democratic Party’s core voters—lower-income people, minorities, highly educated liberals—and portraying Obamacare as the fulfillment of the great human-rights project that began in the nineteen-thirties, under Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was expanded during the nineteen-sixties, under Lyndon Johnson. That message wouldn’t merely be more honest; it would be more effective in getting Democratic voters to turn out in November, which is essential if the Party isn’t to suffer a repeat of 2010.

More: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2014/03/its-time-for-democrats-to-embrace-obamacare.html

[napkinz]

46. The GOP’s Staggering Failure: A Full 64% Of Americans Love Their Obamacare! (Video)

Christine Von Trap
March 14, 2014

Despite the Republicans spending millions of tax dollars trying to repeal Obamacare no less than 50 TIMES, the healthcare law seems to be surging in terms of popularity, along with the President himself. An impressive 64% of Americans now either support the Affordable Care Act outright or making minor changes to it. 48% of Americans now support the President as well and the direction he’s taking our country in. That’s up from 42% in November. The statistics of Obamacare and Obama himself are coming from Bloomberg, which isn’t exactly the first site you’d think of when naming a “left leaning blog”. Of course, everyone is aware of the fact that there have been no shortage of lies spread throughout the supposed “liberal media” about the Affordable Care Act. They were obviously attempts to scare those who were either on the fence about it or ignorant of the facts involving the law. Despite all of these detractors and distractions, the law seems to be overcoming them all. I see this as a victory not only for Obama, but for the economy and the country as a whole. There are even some surprising Republicans standing up for it against fellow colleagues who lied about the CBO report’s findings.

The Affordable Care Act, according to the Wall Street Journal, stated the law is actually boosting both consumer spending and personal incomes. This makes sense, of course. The law was designed to save people money so they could spend it on other things. Whether the Republicans like it or not, this will have a positive impact on the economy. It just makes fiscal and economic sense.

http://aattp.org/the-gops-staggering-failure-a-full-64-of-americans-love-their-obamacare-video/

[napkinz]

49. kick

nt