Winning elections is mostly marketing, IMHO. It's good for the country to shift left, but

[blondeatlast]

it's a hard sell in terms of marketing. We need to retain the larger percentage of the center in order to win elections (sad, but true). Soooo....

in the best interest of the good ol' US of A, without namecalling or blame and maybe, just maybe, in the spirit of moving the country forward, can the untold diverse factions of DU talk about how to win in 2010?

Can we especially avoid the use of pejoritive terms like "cheerleader" and "purist" and the other ridiculously narrow brush terms that belong only to a teeny, tiny (if any) faction here? And pininng our failures on any one particular individual?

Can we? Because if DU can do it, the Democrats can.

Call me a fool. Wait--I said no namecalling, so don't. :hi:

[Hello_Kitty]

1. We should stop thinking of every policy in terms of left and right

One of the big issues that emerged from the MA race is that people are really pissed off about the economy, and especially all the money being shoveled at the banks. They see Congress doing nothing and the Obama admin. being too cozy with Wall Street. So going after the banks right now would be a smart thing to do. There's nothing "shift to the left" about it. It's plain common sense.

[KittyWampus]

3. I'd say that the Banking and Economy Issues "Fairness" would be the buzzword.

[blondeatlast]

4. That's a very good point and I changed my SL to reflect it.

That's exactly the kind of thinking I hope we can talk about.

[KittyWampus]

2. The Democrats, as a whole, seem incompetent when it comes to marketing. Why?

because apparently they think all they have to do is explain stuff in longwinded rational arguments.

Marketing and selling your ideas involves using symbolism that speaks to a different part of our brain.

Republicans generally use symbols that hit "fear, aggression".

Democrats should learn to make fun of this habit the Republicans use and speak to our COURAGE.

[timeforpeace]

8. Tone deafness at this point.

[leftstreet]

5. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE GOING TO TAKE YOUR GUNS !!111

That's how the Repubs would handle it

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

6. Good post

:dem:

[robinlynne]

7. Winning elections is owning the machines which electronically count our votes!

[blondeatlast]

9. I know this requires some actual thought but that's why I came to DU.

Thanks for some already good thinking and for my first trip to the Greatest page!

[blondeatlast]

10. Sad little self-serving kick. nt

[blondeatlast]

11. One more sef-serving kick.

[RainDog]

12. I think you've got a great idea...

...as in the democrats need to "market" themselves to their various markets. marketing has a goal in mind- to encourage people to choose one thing v another. how do bizzes do this and RETAIN the customer after the sale? -- because, really, it's less expensive to retain a customer than to find new ones, so why wouldn't you want to retain them?

-marketing that works is one half, if you want to build a base or community or whatever.

satisfaction with what the marketing claims is the other half.

I do not understand, for instance, why alternative energy, etc. isn't marketed as a patriotic sort of job/choice for homes, choice of where to put your money for home improvements, etc. (victory gardens/energy gardens).

The same thing with hemp. It's not a touchy-feely stoner topic. It's about a major cash crop for farmers, a major source of alternatives to petroleum-based products, a source of industry in this nation for start ups, a way to deal with deforestation issues.

anyway, someone like Jim Webb needs to articulate these things to a certain crowd. He could do the same with the issue of prison reform, and I applaud him for it.

I think the dems need to look at ways Dean and Webb explain issues. They do so in such a way that no f-ing fox talking head can deny the central issue.

[treestar]

13. So many on DU say they will not vote

And said they wouldn't work, etc.