I had an impromptu lunch today with a member of Party Leadership...

[brooklynite]

...beyond the usual "support our candidates" pitch, we had an in-depth discussion on how to craft and communicate a Democratic message. I think there's a recognition that the old ways aren't working, and it's not a simple as just having a twitter account to match Trump's. If you have a creative idea on how to reach out to both Democratic activists and voters AND approachable Trump voters (yes, the Party will still be targeting these; I've spoken to a range of candidates at all levels, and they all believe we can't leave these people behind) let me know, and I can pass them on.

[sharedvalues]

1. First goal is to tell them Fox News lies

Too many voters have no idea Fox promulgates lies and disinformation.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Have to engage the Trumpers.

After all they are going to get clobbered the hardest.

[ProudLib72]

3. There ought to be a volunteer representative

in every neighborhood serving as, at least, a liaison between every few thousand people and the main party officials for the district. Break representation down further. Build an infrastructure that can handle bi-weekly meetings. Bring people together and brainstorm. This is the grassroots approach the tea party used.

[hollowdweller]

17. I love your idea

In my area Bernie was the first national politician to come here and actually talk about the people and issues in the state. Dem politicians need a more personalized approach to politics.

[zipplewrath]

27. Similar idea

There's an app called "next door" or something for neighbors to communicate about EXTREMELY local issues. It's about the street light that's out, or the lost pet, or when there's a rash of break-ins, that kind of thing. It would seem that the Democratic party would want a local voice in each neighborhood acting as a useful bridge between their elected representatives, and their constituents. Of course, it wouldn't hurt if they had better access to their democratic representatives. And around election time of course they could highlight these peoples positions on local issues. It would probably take specialized training to be one of these "ambassadors" or something. Don't really wanna be overtly partisan. Mostly want to be the "go to person" when there are issues, and to be extremely current on things like when road repairs will be done, why the speed limit on that one street is so high/low, and why the crossing guard near the school isn't also on that OTHER busy intersection.

I don't think it translates really well into national issues, but there are borderline issues like interstates and major infrastructure where national issues ARE local issues.

Alternately, the DNC could set up this kind of software on its own, a bit like this place, only make it highly regional, right down to the precinct level so that it becomes a place for communication of local information, with a democratic bent.

[JudyM]

38. Love your last idea, zipplewrath!

[C_U_L8R]

4. Please encourage Dems to focus on RESULTS.

We're kings of bland positioning... stronger together?? What's that and how does it make MY life better? How does that put dinner on the table and put the kids though school. Trump may be lying through his teeth but he makes promises. He'll make you richer. He'll make you safer. Democrats need to focus on how we'll make people's lives better... really, meaningfully, better. Start with Maslow's needs and work up from there. Even better, ASK people what they want. Build a relationship - with R's & D's & I's. And ditch the all-inclusive kumbaya that doesn't do anything specific for anyone, specifically. Just my 2 cents. Thanks so much for asking and taking an interest!

[crazylikafox]

23. +++++

[Me.]

5. I'd Like To See Them Front & Center

Very visible, standing with us. Further no more voting for the 45 agenda. Let the Cons do their own dirty work without the collusion of Dems and frankly, I don't care if you live in a red state...fight for us. I know the 'they won't get elected argument' but I say if they get elected and vote to further his agenda what's the difference.

[Maru Kitteh]

21. The difference is do you want someone who votes against us 15% of the time or 98%?

That's the difference, and it's real.

Purging Dems out of red states would be a stupid, smite our nose to spite our face strategy. Fewer Dems is a dumb goal if we ever want to dig out of this hell hole.

[Me.]

22. Like I Said

I know the argument, the old stand-by, heard it a million times, yet when has a Manchin ever saved a vote for the dems? And now the suspicion is he's voting with the WH for his daughter's sake. How does that help us? What we need is the 50 state strategy which might turn around some of the red states blue. And yes, it won't be easy but H. DEan was well on his way to making a success of it.

[Maru Kitteh]

24. That's fine. 50 states, hell yes. Get the infrastructure in place FIRST

and then get the Manchin's of the party out. Taking our minority party and making it smaller with even less representation would be super stupid.

[Me.]

26. We Can Agree On The 50 State

As for stupid, I must be as I'm having a lot of trouble seeing how the likes of Heitkamp and Manchin betraying us with their votes time after time is a real plus.

[LeftInTX]

6. Have them read George Lakoff's books

And this guide:

http://publicleadershipinstitute.org/messaging-guide/

George Lakoff is also about messaging. He has a blog.

Basically we have the right ideas. It is the messaging. We need to sound more "middle America"...change the language a bit. We need to borrow some "conservative terms"...like why do they own the phrase "pro-life"? Why are they "patriots"? Tonight I was at a protest and we all had American flags. LOL-they probably thought we were Tea Partiers because we were in front of an upscale steak restaurant in suburbia.

America likes Democratic values, they just don't know it.

[elleng]

16. Yes, Professor Lakoff has VERY valuable lessons re: messaging.

[zentrum]

19. George has even...

...done presentations to Democratic leaders about language and word choice and nothing changes. Whereas the Repugs listen to and revere their Frank Luntz.

Therefore the Repugs are able to seize the terms of any debate, frame it, define it and the Dems are left in the weaker position of only reacting and defending to the Repugs definition. It's too late by then.

When will the Dems learn the language of offense? And more than this--when will they dare to be on the offensive? So that we get to name and define what a particular issue is about and what effect it will have.

For instance, Lakoff wants Dems to stop using the Repug term "regulations" and start calling them "protections".

[JudyM]

39. Jumping onto your post to keep like ideas together, we need pithy slogans. "If it doesn't fit, you

must acquit." for example... people are more likely to believe things that have internal rhyme. The SCIENCE of persuasive messaging is something we need more than just about anything else, IMO. Imagine Gore or Kerry with a pocketful of slogans they'd hammer over and over until people start believing it... instead of the intelligence and rationale being front and center in our messaging, it has to be first and foremost bite sized, pithy points.

Lakoff is great, I'm a fan too.

Neuroscience is the path we need.

[bettyellen]

7. I really think we need to raise taxes on the wealthiest and expand healthcare a lot

[democrank]

8. We have to reach out in a genuine way.

50-state strategy

Spend more time in red states

Hold town halls and LISTEN

Pay more attention to rural America

Treat small donors like they're big donors

Seriously address voter suppression and increase voter turnout efforts

Grassroots are way ahead of politicians and already know what the important issues are and how to mobilize around those issues. I honestly believe these issues are far more important than party affiliation is to those in this powerful resistance. We have to connect with them.

[Maraya1969]

9. Show how the Christian right doesn't follow who they say is their savior

Maybe start showcasing real Christians who are, by default, going to be liberal.

Joe Kennedy showed how to do it. I posted a thread about it and a lot of people agreed with it.

Their hypocrisy must be shown in a way that doesn't seem mean.

We are the moral majority. We need to hit that home. If they scream about a woman's right to chose and call it murder bring up how they don't seem to mind when babies needlessly die from disease and hunger because of the greed of the severely wealthy. How many children were killed by guns in the last decade? That should be put in the pro-life folder. How many are dead because of war? Being pro-life is really for a life time, not just time in an incubator.

I am pro-life. I care about our children, that they be safe and healthy and I care about adults and the elderly too.

[Docreed2003]

10. Keep it simple...

Too often, Dems have allowed their message to be drowned out by the right who have made simple messaging a fine art. Find the message, hone it down into simple repeatable terms, then hammer that message on every news channel and Sunday morning news show we can. I realize most of us are intellectuals and thrive on depth and details and I have no problem with , in fact I want, a detail oriented message from the party, but, at its core, the message needs to be short and simple and easily repeated.

Thanks broolynite for sharing your insights and connections, and thank you for allowing us to contribute.

[elleng]

11. You and they should look at this,

Last edited Tue Mar 14, 2017, 12:30 AM - Edit history (1)

Senator Sanders in West Virginia today, with Chris Hayes.

https://article.wn.com/view/2017/03/13/McDowell_as_a_Microcosm_Bernie_Sanders_Goes_All_In_with_Chri/

FULL VIDEO, in McDowell County, West Virginia:

[Maraya1969]

12. There also has to be an arm of the DNC devoted to stop the spread of right wing propaganda

Before this last election the number of fake news sites was astounding. We need an entire organization devoted to stopping the spread of lies.

I brought this up before about us having to put up a bunch of sites if they do it and people took me wrong and thought I meant to put up lies also. No, if they do this again we may need to have a bunch of sites just repeat the truth and refute their lies so we show up when people do a Google search. Otherwise we will have a situation like before, when, for example someone posted something about FEMA camps on my FB page and I looked it up and found 3 pages of websites saying the same thing and thought it must be true.

So I posted it on here and got my ass beat!

I learned my lesson but think of all the other people who actually were trying to find out if something was true and all they saw on Google were pages of right wing propaganda.

It reminds me of the saying, "A lie can go all the way around the world before the truth can put it's shoes on"

[kentuck]

13. Tell 'em you are a Bernie Democrat...

They seem to think that is a different kind of Democrat?

[Maraya1969]

14. We need to make real news as ubiquitous as Fox. And radio needs progressives!

Fox is all over the fucking place and I think it is because they don't always care about money, they are in it as a political organization.

And when I get in my car and hit "talk radio" stations and only get Sean Hannity and some other place that is right wing I want to spit. Sure there is NPR but damn, can't some of the wealthy Democrats subsidize left winged radio just like the right subsidized theirs?

[CK_John]

15. Was there any discussion of UBI?? If not would you bring it up.

[Ruy Lopez]

18. The issue is the message, not the medium: more mainstream, less side issues

It's not the medium (Trump's tweets) that got him the election, it's that he was the one speaking the loudest about the problem of a key swing electorate, the Rust Belt blue collars suffering from globalization and automation (that, and Comey's help).

Never mind that his 'solutions' were demagogic gibberish, at least he was addressing the right issues. Meanwhile, the Democratic platform did not have the same focus on a key swing issue, being spread over a multiplicity of sometimes esoteric side issues.

Do Democrats spend their air time wisely when they use it to discuss issues such as transgender bathrooms, campus safe spaces or grievances over contested arrests?

[PaulaFarrell]

20. And therein lies the problem

People in the upper echelons getting together to 'craft a message'. No one votes for a 'message'.

How about looking at the country, seeing what needs fixing, coming up with some policies to do that and shouting them from the rooftops?

[Tom Rinaldo]

25. At its core I think the answer is deceptively simple

Too many once upon a time or should be Democratic voters don't believe, when push comes to shove, that Democratic politicians consistently will put the interests of average Americans, and those who truly are vulnerable, over the wants of the well connected, wealthy, and powerful. Deep rooted cynicism has set in among many, including many who now do not even bother to vote. So I don't think the root problem is using the right messaging platforms, or even having the right message. It's about convincing voters that the Democrats who seek their votes can consistently walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Don't misunderstand my point here. A good number of elected Democratic office holders are true champions of the people, probably many more than people realize. But somehow, too often, we have allowed the public not to realize that. So many things have contributed to this, ranging from the politics/business "revolving door", to the insulation of social peer groups, to the Citizens United ruling and its effects on fund raising.

My intent here isn't to assume that Democrats on this count are all guilty as accused, but whatever contributes to that perception must be frontally assaulted. Then, and only then, will more voters actually listen to what we have to say and not just tune it out. Republican worked hard for a few generations to link the terms "liberal" and "elite" in the public mind. And most people don't think that "the elites" have their interests foremost in mind.

The ways to address this problem can be as individual as the people seeking the trust and support of the voters. Democrats have to establish their personal authenticity to voters in support of the core values of the Democratic Party. For one person that might mean walking picket lines, for another that might mean having a spouse that is deeply involved in a public school PTA, for another it might mean opening up about personal traumas they have faced in their own lives that inform the political decisions they make.

Essentially we are in a "Which side are you on?" moment in America. The fact that the Democratic Party public identity is so poorly defined now that a greedy billionaire was able to successfully pose (to many) as a better advocate for struggling families than Democrats are, is deeply worrisome to me.

[zipplewrath]

28. Trust, once lost, is hard to regain

The party has lost trust with certain segments of the population (probably not as many as some would think). That's gonna be hard to regain. It will take several election cycles to re-establish this trust. It took several to lose it. But the GOP is about to go down a really bad road here and we could see a significant number of people looking elsewhere for their solutions.

[LonePirate]

29. Shouldn't we focus on ending disenfranchisement, registering voters and obtaining voter IDs instead?

Combatting gerrymandering is also a priority. Messaging is a walk in the park when we're the opposition and common sense party.

[deminks]

30. How about doing something they really need in their communities

like setting up traveling drug treatment centers or retraining worker education centers and job fairs, or child care or something else we learned from the town halls. I remember the health care fairs that we had before to provide healthcare for those in need - sounds like we need to go back to those. Those benefit everyone. Do something that actually helps people. Be visible.

Just some thoughts.

[TheDebbieDee]

31. Point Blank - the Dems and Progressives

Need their own national news and talk outlets. They need their own version of Fox News, except our version would repeat FACTS to counter the BS coming from the right!

[elleng]

32. Another suggestion, which is receiving rave reviews:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/3/12/1642754/-Rep-Jamie-Raskin-D-MD-slams-the-GOP-s-blatant-hypocrisy-and-every-American-needs-to-hear-this

[elleng]

33. 'FRAMING:'

'People on welfare are "gaming the system" but Mr. Trump just "took advantage of all available loopho

John Fugelsang‏
So people on welfare are "gaming the system" but Mr. Trump just "took advantage of all available loopholes."'

Study George Lakoff, and USE his approaches.

[Occulus]

34. "Everyone has bills to pay" is a good place to start.

Start by brainstorming: come up with issues common to all Americans, irrespective of political party and even whether they vote or not.

[KittyWampus]

35. Invest in data mining/social media ala Cambridge Analytics. It's using highly targeted messaging

rather than extremely expensive, scatter shot tv advertising.

We are doomed if the Democratic party doesn't reciprocate using data mining information to target people on specific issues.

Democrats MUST learn how to keep secure communications and guard against cyber incursions.

And as others said, where the HELL IS THE DEMOCRATIC VERSION OF LUNTZ?

It's the 21st century and Democrats seem to run campaigns based in the mid 20th century.

[Blue_true]

36. One problem that I see is Democratic candidates

use language and fancy words that fly over people's head. Also, our candidates are interested in giving their spiels and don't ask followup questions when a voter makes a statement or ask a question, the followup question must reflect what the voter was focused on, with the candidate supplying a clear answer.

Trump set himself up as the Everyman. He campaigned in small cities and towns and eat at KFC and greasy spoons. He is a complete fake, but he made people feel that he understood their problems. Our candidates must be willing to go into places where they are not welcome to have a two way conversation with voters, they need to visit regularly to every corner of the state or district that they seek to represent. Republicans made a big deal of Obama meeting Joe the Plumber during the 2008 race and Joe the Plumber coming out as a republican, but the act of Obama reaching out won him the votes of more working class men than JtP being a jackass cost. I remember a blue collar politicians talking about him and his dad watching a JFK visit, he said his working class dad was grubby in dirty work clothes, but he felt JFK was his man and JFK seemed to make sure that he made eye contact with such people. In my family when I grew up, my parents had a picture of Jesus Christ and one of JFK prominently displayed, eventhough both were dead.

[hollowdweller]

37. One proposal to help rural voters

Many people in rural areas don't have much money but they have land.

Why not pay rural dwellers who have acres of woodland a certain per acre subsidy that reimburse them for the carbon their trees/land take in.

This would help these people and maybe change their opinion on global warming.

[JudyM]

40. In addition to the "how" of message packaging (my post above re:pithy slogans) we need populist

content. There's a reason Sanders' popularity grew wherever he went - it's an easily relatable, compassionate vision of governance. It's anti-corruption, too, which is how 45 got many of his votes. And millennials love it. Follow Bernie's lead.

[ismnotwasm]

41. Reach out to women and men of color

And stop taking them for granted. Work intensely with these populations, arrange to be invited into their communities, their churches and schools and DO NOT use them as photo ops.

The only reason to "reach out" to certain Trump voters is because they are already politically engaged--at least to the point they vote. Yeah it's probably true some of them would have voted for anyone BUT Hillary--(and that needs some analysis--but the analysis needs to go much further than the asinine "she was a poor/weak candidate crap) But there are more or less untapped smaller populations (Native Americans, 2nd generation immigrants, politically unengaged working class) that in many cases decided third party was the way to go. Why was this? Find out why youth voted for Trump. Start alliances in High schools--there are some terrified and or confused kids right now. Tap into the "resistance" organizations. They aren't all Dems, but I'll bet they'll vote Democrat. Have a presence at every protest possible. Arrange to survey places that have historically low voting turn out--find out why. Get activists to help people to register to vote, to register as Democrats. I know Democrats are already doing a lot of this--so I don't think this is creative, but boots on the ground is what's needed. Small Community meetings--the ACLU had a well organized resistance type training. The ACLU is not Democrats.

[elleng]

42. Knock Every Door

https://www.facebook.com/knockeverydoor/?hc_location=ufi