Next Time, we need WAY fewer consultants and strategists

[liberalpragmatist]

Both the Gore and Kerry campaigns shared some key characteristics that induced weakness. They both had unmanageably large campaign staffs that were constantly bickering, arguing, sniping behind closed doors. Both campaigns had campaign staff that was all too willing to spill to the media all the juicy details of internal campaign rifts.

Both campaigns had Bob Shrum.

In 2008, let's ditch all of this. Sure, a campaign needs some top strategists, a manager, a good ad-making group, but otherwise the candidates should stick to their gut. Sometimes in a campaign, human instinct is more reliable that a million focus groups. Both Kerry and Gore would have been much better candidates and would have been President had they gone with their gut. Kerry's numbers only rose when he finally said "fuck it" (literally, at least according to Newsweek) and took on Bush hard on Iraq and national security. If he had only started doing this a few months earlier, he would have won.

[creeksneakers2]

1. I agree

People can tell when a something is canned. From the gut would be better.

[dbt]

2. For Real!

CONsultants have totally sanitized, homogenized and sucked the soul out of radio--and they're doing the same for political campaigns on the Democratic side.

A consultant is a man who knows 150 sexual positions but doesn't know any women.

A consultant is a guy with a briefcase who can't get a job where he comes from.

When you're too afraid to make your own mistakes, you hire a consultant to help you.

:evilgrin:
dbt

[Atlant]

3. Next time, *KEEP* the candidate who actually stands for something!

We kicked to the curb the candidate who had definite opinions and positions
so that we could, instead, run a candidate who, over time, stood for nothing
and couldn't communicate his positions on anything.

Next time, don't do that.

Atlant

[leyton]

4. We need salesmen to hone our message.

John Edwards had a good sales pitch: a highly effective stump speech that was honed to the Democrats he was trying to reach. Yeah, he repeated it over and over again. But of all the Democrats who ran in the primaries, I have the clearest idea of what Edwards stood for and what he valued/values. I feel like I know exactly the kind of President he'd be.

We need to replicate that, either in him or in a different nominee. They don't need to strategize - they need to market our guy and make his image clear as day.

[ulysses]

5. strategery!

The hell with all of it, all of the hairsplitters and the wonks and the gurus and the pollsters. Screw them. Let Carville and Begala get jobs in the service industry. "It's the economy, stupid" indeed.

Enough! Basta! Let's present some real ideas and solutions.

[Zorra]

6. Next time, we need to take out all the electronic voting machines before

the election. Democrats better do this soon.

Then we will win elections, not have them stolen at will by the republicans.