Winning A Red State by By Sen. Ken Salazar

[wyldwolf]

How could a Democrat win statewide office in a red state like Colorado? That's the question I've been asked often since I beat Pete Coors by 5 percentage points in 2004. The answer lies in choosing the right issues, telling your own story and being authentic, and convincing the voters that you understand their real, everyday concerns.

Security first. The number one issue on people's minds is security. As a Democrat who had spent six years working with 14,000 law enforcement officers and who had argued numerous criminal law cases, I knew that security was central to the election. And as the person who had dealt with major crimes such as the Columbine school shootings, security was an especially important issue to me.

The second defining theme for me was my work in the rural parts of Colorado... The third key issue was faith. I'm a Catholic, but I didn't talk about my faith in a way that people found offensive. I presented it simply as a very important part of who I am.

The right vision. We can take our cues on this from the generation of World War II. When I speak in Colorado, I tell people that I think about my father who served in the war and about my uncle who lost his life on the soils of Europe. It's in that generation that I find my own vision. They believed in very strong defense and homeland security. They wanted us to have a more secure America than the one they lived in during World War I and World War II. They wanted to make sure that we were creating a safer, more secure world for those who were coming behind them. Their vision ought to be the vision of the Democratic Party.

Democrats also need to stand for the proposition of opportunity. Those fighters in World War II were fighting for the opportunity of all Americans. My parents never had the opportunities that I've had in life. They never had the opportunity to go to college. We grew up in a place that didn't have electricity and didn't have a telephone, and we studied around a kerosene lamp in a place that was far removed from any city. And yet my parents knew that somehow opportunity was the keystone to being an American. They pushed us all to get a quality education. And the result is that all eight of their children became first-generation college graduates.

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=253987&kaid=106&subid=122

[paulk]

1. Salazar won in Colorado

because he's politically closer to where CO is than Pete Coors was.

it's that simple.

[iconocrastic]

2. So real Democrats can't win in a red state?

Willing to discuss offline

[e-mail]

[wyldwolf]

3. you're saying Salazar isn't a real Democrat?

[paulk]

4. what's a real Democrat?

I completely don't understand your point.

and no, I'm not giving you my e-mail address...

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. Salazar proved that it can be done

[Hawkeye-X]

24. Because DLC shoved Salazar in front of my choice - Mike Miles

He would have beaten Coors left and right.

But noo... I had to pick the DLC in the general election and I hated it. I wanted Mike Miles.

Hawkeye-X

[wyldwolf]

25. how did they do that?

[DaveinMD]

28. Miles was in the race for two years

and raised 200,000. He was not going to win, so the party found a stronger candidate. Good for them. It worked.

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. CO Democrats preferred Salazar by greater than a 2-1 margin

I guess CO Democratic voters really liked the DLC candidate.

[Hawkeye-X]

23. I had no choice.

The Dem Party here in Colorado shoved Ken Salazar when I wanted Mike Miles. He could have beaten Coors too, but nooo..... the establishment shoving Salazar in front of Miles when Nightmare retired.

Hawkeye-X

[Freddie Stubbs]

30. Winning a primary equals being 'shoved?'

It would appear that 2/3 of CO Democrats wanted to shove Salazar to victory.

[GreenArrow]

5. "How could a Democrat win office in a red state like Colorado?"

Think Pink.

[otohara]

17. or Purple - This is Nonesense

why am I not suprised by Salazar writing this hooey?

CO turned red in the senate because Ben Nightmare Campbell filped it red. We've had a red gov, but for many years before that Roy Romer was our dem gov.

I seriously can't stomach Salazar - he interjects himself into all things controversial and toots his "red" qualities ad nauseam. I'm a moderate, I'm a centrist, I'm a democrat on occassion.

[Davis_X_Machina]

6. That's Ken 'Nighthorse' Salazar. n/t

[DaveinMD]

7. unreal

here's a guy who dedicates his life to public service and he gets attacked for not being a good Democrat. Its pure crap.

[GreenArrow]

8. "public service" ain't got nothin' to do with it

.

[OzarkDem]

11. Of course it does

if you've been a good public servant and have worked to improve things for your state, its very important. No one is saying all public servants are good, but the majority are.

I'd love to see us return to the era during the Clinton administration when public service became respectable and a career worthy of pursuing. We need to attract more talented people to the field again, instead of corporate sock puppets whose only goal is to learn how to game the system and drain as many tax dollars as possible from it.

[liberalitch]

15. You're disparaging sock puppets everywhere!

[otohara]

18. He's a Good DLC Democrat

they love him, so does the Gang of 14.

I won't be voting for him again.

[paulk]

21. who will you vote for?

It's either gonna be him or a Republican...

[otohara]

22. Hopefully

someone will challenge him, or I won't vote for in Senate race - I'm that angry with Salazar and have never not voted.

He doesn't need my vote, he will win without my vote.

Alot of liberals are pretty disappointed, he really doesn't deserve our support.

[Hawkeye-X]

26. I would have loved to see a personal challenge in 4 years

from a real progressive Democrat, and show the world that Colorado, too, can produce a real winner.

Salazar was a dissapointment, I agree. Gang of 14? Fuck that.

Hawkeye-X

[skipos]

33. You couldn't be more wrong about "liberals are pretty disappointed"

At least, if you are talking about liberals vs. conservatives.

SURVEY USA POLL NUMBERS FOR SALAZAR
REPUBLICANS 41/54
INDEPENDENTS 46/47
DEMOCRATS 72/23

[DaveinMD]

27. yeah

because you'd rather have Senator Coors. That's just great. Gotta love ideological purity.

[OzarkDem]

9. Skimpy on issues, a risky strategy

The only long term solution for Dem victory is to re-educate voters about the real issues and problems our country is facing. The GOP and news media has been selling candidates like soap for so long that most voters have lost touch with the real issues that impact their lives and their futures.

Dumbing down campaigns and the electorate makes voters ignorant about real solutions and potential problems we face. We need vigorous debate, not about a candidate's religion, but about economic policy, health care, education, energy independence, the environment, the future of Social Security and Medicare.

Running campaigns that are void of any real discussion of issues, and simply repeat the same marketing strategies used by the GOP only has short term benefit. But I still say its a candidate's job to educate voters about issues.

Its hard work and expensive at first, but a well informed and educated electorate will pay off for Dems in years to come.

[Radical Activist]

10. Nice that he mentioned rural voters.

I think one of the biggest mistake the party has made over the past decade is to ignore rural voters in favor of focusing excessively on the suburbs and soccer moms. Its a strategy developed by people on the east and west coast who live in urban areas and don't understand politics in the South and Midwest.

[OzarkDem]

12. Well, not exactly

They haven't paid any attention to the women's vote (soccer moms included).

The focus has been more on the angry white male.

[Radical Activist]

13. I can't count the number of times

I've heard party figures talk about soccer Mom's. While you can find a few pro-life Democrats it looks like "Thou shalt be pro-choice" is the most uniformly enforced issue stance for major Democratic candidates. The Republicans certainly focus on the angry white male but I can't see where you're coming from.

[OzarkDem]

14. Talking isn't action, Dems have lost women voters in droves

Precisely because all they did talk about was abortion righs and nothing else.

Its not as big of a sell when they majority of your women's caucus is going through menopause, can't afford health care and isn't sure how they'll be able to afford their kids college or retirement.

Perhaps you can enlighten me - what was the issue they spent so much time selling to soccer moms?

[Radical Activist]

19. Well, I went over to the DNC website

On the front page under the "communities" section the first category is "Women." When I click on the "people" bar at the top I see a section for women...I didn't notice an "angry white male" button.

If you want to argue that the Democratic Party is not following through on its message to Women voters, that's another issue and I doubt we would disagree. However, my comment was related to message. While I frequently hear messages directed at women I rarely hear anything about farm policy or rural issues at the national level. Health care, education and retirement security are frequently discussed by the party leaders.

[OzarkDem]

20. You're right

farm policy and rural issues should be discussed by party leaders, as was the tradition from the days of Roosevelt. It doesn't make sense that they've stopped talking about those things.

DNC is trying to do more to address women's issues, but we're still a long way from success. Their message is still geared towards white union guys.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

31. Stick to basics

We really need to show voters that issues like banning gay marriages & banning flag burning are not bread & butter issues. The problem is talk radio. They get people riled up about what they feel is important, then they go out & vote republican. I have said it before if you want to look at reform on campaign funding then look at talk radio because for the most part it is an arm of the republican party. Red states need to free themselves of the shackles. People need to start realizing that they are not any better of with their republican Guru's. We need to start a campaign against talk radio in red states. Show the lies they spew out day after day. Mediamatters.org is an excellent site but it does not reach the red stater's. Candidates must not only stand for elections to win. They must stand to change people's perception of the what is right & wrong. This may result in losses in the first few campaigns, but ultimately will result in an informed public that will vote for the important issues for a better life for all.

[win_in_06]

32. If he wins re-election he will become a VP "short-lister"

Perhaps he already is one.