GUYS, AGGRESSIVE DEMS/LIBS NEED CENTRALIZED LEADERSHIP

[DaveofCali]

One thing why we weren't able to pound Bush into the ground is because the DNC doesn't know how to fight.

We aggressive Democrats / Liberals need to have CENTRALIZED LEADERSHIP, so everything can be coordinated effectively. Separate from the DNC. Centralized Leadership as in guiding strategies and planning events. Because how in the hell will we be able to mobilize and do effective campaigns as compared to the RNC which is highly effective because they are highly centralized and have great leadership?

Centralized Leadership (with aggressive Democrats/Liberals) would be able to deal far more effectively with fighting the Republican Party than how the DNC has been doing.

[NewJeffCT]

1. I agree

While the commercials from the DNC & Kerry, as well as the 527s like the Media Fund, MoveOn & ACT were all good to great, the problem was that they did not hammer home a consistent message. The RW propaganda machine from day 1 consistently put out the same message about John Kerry - flip-flopping political opportunist; betrayed his country about Vietnam; tax raising liberal.

On our side, we had fact-based and sometimes devastating commercials about the Bush deficit, the poor economy, lack of healthcare in the US, the Iraq war deaths, the Iraq war lies, etc, etc. A lot of good ideas, but no focused message that we could hammer home. Bush has no values, but we didn't have a focused theme to get that message out.

Also saw that in the last 2 weeks of the campaign, RW 527s outspent our 527s by 3-1. These were groups formed over the friggin' summer and they beat out MoveOn who has been around for years?

[DaveofCali]

2. Centralized Democrat/Liberal strategy could've focused on something like:

Bush as a "stubborn radical right winger that is dangerous for America and the world" - just one possible message to pound.

Or some kind of catchphrase.

I would've put "Bush vs Nero" :D

[Mr_Spock]

4. Where are we going to get our "religious fanatics" who will eat up

this message though?? Democrats are too intellingent for excessively jingoistic messages - though maybe that's not what you meant. Only the people who live in the "green zone":
are susceptible to that sort of "idiot message". Not that I don't think that the Dems nees a more focused message - but flexibility is one of the main STRENGTHS of progressives!

[NewJeffCT]

6. We need to find chinks in their armor

I am not sure what we can do. Where we can start is getting more liberal religious leaders out there talking about how true Christian values include things like helping the poor, helping the children and the elderly and protecting God's green earth. God is supposed to love everybody and everything. We need candidates who can talk that language sincerely.

Most fundamentalists are good, decent people. It is their leadership that has led them astray by pounding the evils of abortion & gay marriage into their heads for the past 30 years and how public schools are bad. Now, they have stem cell research as well.

Logically, many of them do not make a lot of money. They should be voting Democratic because it would be in their interest, and the interest of their children and grandparents. But, they are not voting that way.

We need to chip away at chinks in the armor. What they are, I have no idea. Their leaders like Falwell, Robertson & Reed are not exactly moral people. I am an atheist, so I am not sure what will click with them. But, somebody that is smarter and/or religious than me can hopefully devise a plan. But, if we can get 5-10% more of the types that attend church on a weekly basis, we'll be on our way.

[DaveofCali]

3. Centralized Leadership could've also:

Coordinated Rich Donors and lawyers to fund a campaign to attack States using Diebold and other Evoting machines (using mass mailing and boycott techniques) to the point that they would cave in.

[blondeatlast]

5. Agreed. The DNC used the PACs like MoveOn as handmaidens and treated them

pretty badly, IMHO.