Advice from the "Common Man"

Alex Ray is a phenomenal businessman, (0.00 / 0)

but more importantly, he is a phenomenal human being--his generosity is legendary.  He has been very supportive of progressive candidates and causes. He most definitely knows what he is talking about--and I completely agree with you in your application of his advice.

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by: PoliSigh @ Wed Nov 10, 2010 at 19:39:44 PM CST

I respect your views but disagree (0.00 / 0)

with most of this.  Plus, I strongly object to being told to clap louder.  While much has been done (and needed doing), many mistakes were made, and those mistakes have been very costly to millions of Americans.

It's not messaging - it's delivering.  10% unemployment, 17% U-6 is devastating for tens of millions of Americans.  Bankers were catered to, while distressed homeowners have been abandoned.  Please explain how the EFCA fails to pass a US Senate with 60 sitting Ds...what type of Madison Ave spin sells that to 12 million union members?

No public option and the CBO games means an additional 5 million Americans without access to health insurance this year.  It bothers me that 45,000 Americans die each year because they have no access to health care.  Yes, the AFHCA will eventually improve access, but major mistakes were made that will kill thousands of Americans.  I supported passage of this when all else was lost, but find nothing about it that makes me want to jump up and down.  

I do agree that there has been a lack of leadership and that the public has gravitated to the side that is providing easy answers.  Fear is a great motivator, and people are rightfully scared.  But it is not messaging that will break this fear, it's action and results.

 

"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world." A. Einstein

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by: StraffordDem @ Wed Nov 10, 2010 at 20:40:33 PM CST

Could be both. (4.00 / 6)

 A failure to deliver on certain aspects of policy that left Americans in the middle class feeling angry and abandoned combined with a lack of a coherent message about the true accomplishments of the past two years.

A couple of local examples. While I don't envy the task of lawmakers trying to balance a budget while constrained by a lack of adequate revenue sources,it is unlikely that it escaped the notice of many working and middle class voters that the choices made were ones that impacted heavily on them and left the rich untouched. While twenty or so dollars added to a car registration fee probably means little to someone who can burn through $150 grand to win a $100 a year State Senate seat, to a family struggling to meet ever higher costs with declining wages, or meager  unemployment checks, it is a needle in the eye.

Similarly, on a  national level the fact that Wall street continued to gorge itself while Main Street went hungry was not lost on voters. Angry and easily manipulated? You betcha!

In terms of messaging, there simply was no coordinated campaign in anything other than GOTV-- it was every candidate for her/himself, often with competing and inconsistent themes. While NH basically had a great story to tell-- dealing with the republican caused financial collapse with less pain, lower unemployment, etc than almost anywhere in the country, it was basically a story left untold. Given the huge amount of noise generated by right wing corporate stealth groups, it was essential that Democratic candidates provide  a coherent message in which the parts resonated with each other.

Instead we got an incoherent cacophony.

There are of course other elements to the debacle-- the lack of support for Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter from the national party and the White House was costly and difficult to understand, given the courage each had shown in endorsing the President at a time when it left them isolated from the entire NH Democratic power structure. While I fully understand the concept of triage, sometimes you have to go down with the people who stood by you.

Ultimately, however, we are responsible for our own destiny and we need to make use of our time during the next two years to make sure that we present a true alternative that is capable of being heard and understood to the people in 2012.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 05:42:54 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Maybe it's both, although (4.00 / 1)

I don't see how we compete on the scale necessary to win the PR battle.  At least not in the media.  

If you don't have the results, it's difficult to craft the winning electoral message.  NH paid the price for the mistakes in DC - I just find it difficult to blame that on messaging.

Maybe it's brand, rather than message.  Too many Ds are feeding at the corporate campaign finance trough.  Too many Ds are shilling for insurance companies and big business.  Too many Ds are interested in compromise (by which I mean areas where the right and far right can agree) of our principles.  

This weakens our brand and makes it more difficult to have an integrated strategy with coherent messaging.


"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world." A. Einstein

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by: StraffordDem @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 06:59:36 AM CST

[ Parent ]

You may be right but what explains the depth of the damage in NH? (0.00 / 0)

There seems to be a quantum difference in the extent of the damage in NH as compared to other places and especially all of our surrounding states (although Maine took a significant hit also, I don't think it was quite on the same scale) . Given that the Republican recession was objectively less damaging here both in its impact on families and governance, it would seem like there has to be other local conditions that explain it.

One could be the extent of the corporate stealth money spent here. As far as I can tell, it exceeded the levels spent in others states by a wide margin.

A second could be the existence of the Free Staters, who provided energy, candidates and noise on a scale that should not be underestimated. (Progressives should learn a lesson from their engagement in government from the bottom up-- they in many respects have taken over the state GOP, and they didnt do it all of a sudden on election day-- they worked hard for the entire term to achieve critical mass).

But ultimately, I think we have ourselves to thank for the depth of the disaster and we need to identify and learn the lessons to be learned. Mega policies and corporatist democrats are only a part of the problem, IMHO, albeit an important piece.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 07:28:49 AM CST

[ Parent ]

All good, thoughtful points, Paul. (0.00 / 0)

The hits were everywhere.  The victories that Dems enjoyed were, with very few exceptions, close elections.  Even MA had some close calls in a state that is about as reliably blue as one gets.  This was a wave election and there seems to be no shortage of tipping points.

The NH Rs successfully built a coalition comprised of Tea Party activists, mainstream Rs, and social conservatives combined with ill-informed independents.  Time will tell, but I (want to)believe that this coalition, like ours in '08, will be difficult to manage and please, but probably not before they do a lot of damage to many people.

And there are macro problems as well.  The electorate is volatile and susceptible to fear because our political-economic system has not kept up with the pace of global economic change.  Mega policy has been implemented to protect the wealthy minority at the expense of the working class majority.  Ds have been complicit in shaping these policies and continue to protect the wealthy. The shape of two debates happening in DC right now should tell us all we need to know.  Ds are about to capitulate on extending the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthy while entertaining cuts to SS.  Is it any wonder that seniors are convinced that Ds are going to abandon them?

I believe that it's impossible to separate candidates, even local ones, from the brand of a political party.  When that brand is diluted and ineffective at providing solutions, it is impossible to sell.  You can't craft your message until you develop your brand and vision.  

 

"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world." A. Einstein

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by: StraffordDem @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 08:29:02 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Regarding extent of Corp. Stealth Money (4.00 / 1)

How many NH State Senators were targeted with direct mail from Cornerstone/NOM? I know we had a mailer here in D10. Have groups spend it state senate races like this before?

On a related note... Gretchen and I are still waiting for our gay marriages to be imposed. Do we get a choice in our partners or does the state handle that part too?

Hope > Fear




Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.

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by: Mike Hoefer @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 18:12:11 PM CST

[ Parent ]

They targeted (0.00 / 0)

state rep candidates, too.

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by: Jennifer Daler @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 20:25:17 PM CST

[ Parent ]

How's this for a message? (0.00 / 0)

If we try to counter every argument about every bill and every program we will be playing defense all the time. We need an overarching vision/strategy/narrative that we keep pounding away on, e.g.:"The wealthy in this country have been trying to turn back all the protections we -- democrats -- have fought for over the past decades to keep American workers and families  safe and healthy.  

They want to privatize Social Security and cut Medicare; they want to repeal the health care bill that protects all Americans access to health care and from insurance company interference, they want to undo worker safety; they want to undo all safety nets and let regular people fend for themselves. They don't care about anything but their own profits, etc..."

We should turn around all their arguments to be understood from the point of view of regular people: "regulation = bad" from their point of view to "regulation = worker and consumer safety from our point of view. Voters have been hearing only one side of the story!  Protecting workers and consumers is NOT ANTI-GROWTH, it's anti exploitation!  Businesses do not have an inherent right to make billions of dollars in profits as so many banks, investment companies and energy companies do. If the right privatizes all social programs, their business buddies will be in it for profits only.  You can forget quality or fairness.

We need a message along these lines that provides the conceptual umbrella for understanding everything the republicans do, without having to educate people on every issue.  It's just obvious once the story is told.  We hammer home this big message. The right will prove our case.

What most people don't see is that the right is NOT on their side, they have just figured out how to manipulate them.  Sadly, because Obama continued Bush's bail out the banks and Wall Street,etc. our argument is not as crystal clear as it should be, but we are still the better bet for all but the top 5% (guessing) in this country.

The central question: Who is going to fight for you?

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by: susaninrindge @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 07:44:13 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Vote for us! We're not Republicans. :<) (0.00 / 0)

I admire your passion, Susan, and these messages resonate with me.  The $60,000 question is how we reach the folks who either check out completely or simply follow the trends when the election cycle nears.

From my perspective, the answer starts with not betraying the people who worked hard to elect you.  The health care debate provides a small glimpse of this where the president quickly reversed himself on public options and mandates, quickly eroding support from progressives and independents and helping to create the foundation for a faux populist opposition.  Rather than fundamentally change the system, as he promised, Obama rolled up his pant legs and mired in the greasy, corrupt machinations of the political status quo.  Every conceivable deal that could be cut to protect business interests, was cut.  Momentum is the critical force in politics and we lost it when we didn't deliver what we promised.

We'll see if we're in for two more years of Republican stage setting and control of the agenda, or if the president will stand and fight for progressive principles.  And we won't have to wait long - the tax cuts and deficit reduction committee debates will provide our first clue.

"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world." A. Einstein

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by: StraffordDem @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 08:56:52 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Get it all out, my friend (0.00 / 0)

But please do bear in mind that Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

"Every conceivable deal" ... I don't think so. But don't take my word for it. Ask the Chamber of Commerce what they think.

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by: JimC @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 10:49:56 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Barack Obama (0.00 / 0)

IS the president of the United States.  Or did I miss something?

I don't have to ask the CoC what they think.  The membership is screaming loud and clear:

Cigna CEO: Don't repeal U.S. health law

The problem with the logic tree that the WH is using is that the compromises undermine the populist support for issues.  Already the WH is signaling capitulation to Rs over the Bush tax cut extensions for the wealthy because the Rs will not compromise.  The president was great on the campaign trail, lambasting the money power centers, but much to quick to concede from the Oval Office.  


"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world." A. Einstein

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by: StraffordDem @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 11:17:34 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Last month (0.00 / 0)

On this very site, we were complaining about Chamber money flowing to Republicans.

But that was last month -- now we're looking ahead.

Ah, you know what, come to think of it ... I shouldn't say that. It's hypocritical of me. Say whatever you want. Blog on ...

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by: JimC @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 11:51:59 AM CST

[ Parent ]

We're fusing multiple (4.00 / 1)

discussion points here that muddle the context.

I simply used the health care debate to highlight a process that clearly undermined populist support for an issue.  This has been a recurring problem during the past two years, namely, compromise on key principles to get Democratic support.

The failure to pass the EFCA is eerily similar.  If you can't pass a bill that simply begins to level the playing field for organized labor when you have 60 sitting Democrats in the Senate, what the hell do you stand for?  How do you message that?

I think, that many are confusing messaging with vision and brand.  Kathy and SusaninRindge mention some excellent messages, but are they deliverable?  I don't think so unless we take steps to craft a vision that creates a populist buy-in that forces elected officials to act on the message.

If you have the vision/brand, then I agree, a message and a messenger are important to communicating that vision and rallying popular support for issues.


"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world." A. Einstein

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by: StraffordDem @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 12:21:23 PM CST

[ Parent ]

How about this message (4.00 / 3)

"The federal government is too big, and there are ridiculous programs and regulations that need to be done away with - like paying for the marketing of extra cheese pizzas. The Democrats should have worked on eliminating these boondoggles, but instead we partnered with the Republicans and both parties have used too many of the taxpayers' dollars in too many ways that were just plain wrong. Both parties have done a disservice to the people of America.

No more. We are committing ourselves to making government work for the people again, starting today. Here is our list of cuts to reduce the deficit, because it is wrong to leave the next generation with trillions of dollars of debt.  But what we will not do is attack those services and programs that are promises made to the American people, like Social Security or veterans benefits, or that affect national security, like a strong military, a strong public education system, and an end to reliance on foreign oil. We will protect, and we will not apologize for defending, the individual liberties and equal rights of our citizens.

This is a new day for the Democratic Party. We are returning to our roots, to the fundamental principles of equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness laid down by the founder of our party, Thomas Jefferson."  




"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 11:31:28 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Good start (0.00 / 0)

i'd leave it at this:

We are committing ourselves to making government work for the people again, starting today.

And let all else flow from there.

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by: JimC @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 12:16:54 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Sullivan2016.com is available.... ;-) n/t (4.00 / 3)

Hope > Fear




Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.

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by: Mike Hoefer @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 14:44:58 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The genius of the united states is that it strikes a balance between diversity (0.00 / 0)

and monopoly.  Or, perhaps, "balance" isn't the right word.  The several states and the union are in a state of tension.  If the states were to become dominant, the union would fracture and if the union were to achieve dominion, we'd have a monopolistic tyranny.  Would a universal national health care funding program have represent an increase of monopolistic tendencies?  I don't know, but I do suspect that its implantation wasn't realistic, given that the several states are already in the insurance regulation business.  
That regulation at all levels (nation and states) has traditionally been focused on facilitating (making more regular and less prone to random risks and events) the target enterprise is a problem when what's needed is supervision that serves the interests of the general public, rather than the "special interest."  However, since the regulatory agencies are already in place, it seems plausible that their focus is easier to re-direct than setting up a whole new regulatory regimen would be.  

The basic task, as I see it, is how to bring private corporations, most of which are chartered and laxly supervised by states, under a regulatory regime that mandates their compliance with laws and produces socially useful behavior.  What we have now is an army of rogue corporations (artificial bodies) which follow no moral standard and have no object, other than to generate a monetary profit for someone. Theoretically, since the private corporations are authorized by public corporations, they should be subservient to the latter.  But, in practice, perhaps because the officers of the public corporations have been co-opted, control is lacking.  Or, perhaps, it is the realization that they are vulnerable to supervision or even termination by the public corporations which has motivated the effort to co-opt public power.

Private corporations see themselves in conflict with our public corporations and that's why they aim for their destruction, unless they can suborn them. Our private corporations are the enemy within.

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by: hannah @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 05:57:48 AM CST

[ Parent ]

You Need the Message First (0.00 / 0)

For StaffordDem,

Thanks for your comment but I have to disagree with your message that it isn't the message it's the delivery.  Without a message the delivery is a moot point.

In 1985 a great book came out entitled "Politics: Communication a Message."  The wisdom in that book is as valid today as it was 25 years ago.

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by: ProfessorMike @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 11:47:46 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I Like That Book (0.00 / 0)

...and it's still in circulation.  Updating it soon.  

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by: Rep. Jim Splaine @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 14:33:33 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I couldn't find this great book (4.00 / 1)

on Amazon, at least not by the title provided (and several versions).  Perhaps an ISBN would be helpful - I'm open to exploring this concept of messaging.

I would still like an answer, though, on how we convince people to vote for us when we don't fight for them. I ran across a similar conversation at TPM today, that includes this from the chief of staff for a Democratic senator:

It's hard to know what to make of David Axelrod's tax policy comments to the Huffington Post, and Dan Pfeiffer's subsequent denial, other than maybe it was a trial balloon that got shot down, or maybe Axelrod went further than he was authorized to go.

In any event, the White House and the Democratic congressional leadership made a terrible political mistake by avoiding a fight with the Republicans on this issue before the election, when it could have clearly demonstrated the hypocrisy of the GOP's constant harping about deficits, as well as their most critical concern: the "plight" of the poor rich people.

snip

There is a prevailing view among many people that both parties are dominated by the rich, and that voting doesn't really make a difference. If we want low and middle-income Americans to think we don't have the spine to fight for them, then how are we going to convince them to vote for us? If David Axelrod has an answer for that, I'd like to know what it is.

My point is that no amount of messaging will convince the working class in the US that Democratic policies are better for them (and I think they are) when we continue to back away from policies that are better for them.

"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world." A. Einstein

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by: StraffordDem @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 15:11:50 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I found it on Amazon: (0.00 / 0)

Politics: Communicating the Message is available on Amazon.com, for a slightly high price:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...

or:

http://amzn.to/d7uRp7

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Thanks for all the fish


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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 06:45:20 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Excellent Points, Professor Mike... (0.00 / 0)

...and the real value of your thesis is that it continues the dialogue that we need to self-evaluate.  

There are hundreds, even thousands of ways to campaign, and about the same number of ways to analyze a victory, or a defeat.  In a winning campaign, everything that was done might not have been successful; in a losing campaign, everything that was done might not have contributed to that loss.  It's a mix.  And what works one year might not work another.  

You're especially right about not following the polls.  Just because the polls might indicate voters are looking for "conservatives" or don't want "earmarking" doesn't mean a candidate needs to run an add emphasizing those issues.  Candidates themselves need to lead.  That's democracy.  And the results of polls can be interpreted many different ways.  

I certainly agree with your final few words:  Democrats need to win in 2012.  So much depends on that.  

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by: Rep. Jim Splaine @ Wed Nov 10, 2010 at 23:23:58 PM CST

How long ago did I start hearing (0.00 / 0)

about how we needed some media to get our message out?  It seems like that was a long time ago.  There was lots of talk about finding money to create or buy some TV and radio stations.  Al Gore was trying to get some interactive TV going, so the tube doesn't go all one way and distract us into slavery.  But apparently there was no money for something like this.  The other side doesn't lack money, that's for sure.  

We can change the message, but without a vehicle to carry it, it goes nowhere.  

Down at the grassroots, all sorts of great stuff is going on, people are looking for things like local food, energy efficient houses, all those things that can be done family by family or small group by small group.  While we need a government that works for us, we have groups of people who will work together for a goal that means something concrete to them.  In the process we community organizers, and that's who we need to praise and celebrate and help, can educate without making it overtly political in the beginning.  

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by: Lucy Edwards @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 04:37:53 AM CST

With all due respect.... (4.00 / 1)

...hand-wringing and self-analysis among the faithful choir isn't going to result in any great deal of insight.  

Following on the Common Man theme: If a business has a bad season, the worst way to correct it is for the hardy regulars to sit around throwing out ideas.  You can bet that another bad season will follow.

Instead, you contact those who no longer patronize the business, and those who have never considered it, and those who tried it once and never returned.  In other words, you make your business and marketing plan changes based NOT on the wisdom of those who stuck with you through and through, but on the advice of those customers whom you LOST.  

I once sold a fairly popular restaurant to another  "businessman," who said to me, "the customers will learn to to it MY way."  (I was horrified. It lasted 3 months after transfer).  

Customers can not be shoe-horned into your dream....you must identify your target market, discover what they want, convey the value of your product to them on THEIR terms...and deliver it.

Want to know where we went wrong?  Talk to those who didn't vote (young people), talk to independents who voted GOP, talk to Democrats who throught their hands up and walked away.

THEREIN lies the answer.

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by: Thomas Simmons @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 07:38:48 AM CST

Societies aren't restaurants (4.00 / 2)

People follow (and vote for) leaders. Leaders are effective when they project a vision of where they want to lead. That vision is not drawn from polls or surveys. It is drawn from a synthesis of one's heart and mind.

The opposition successfully nationalized this past election all over the country and spent the money they needed to get their message out. We countered with defense, all the while accepting their framing of the issues.  Their vision won: lower taxes, less government,lower deficits. Rarely did I hear even one democrat (other than Deval Patrick) counter with a democratic vision. We ceded  the vision thing and when a passionately-held vision goes up against no vision and a team on the defensive, the vision thing wins.

I think someone here, on another diary, posted an article by E.J. Dionne which echoes what I've been saying. We need to project our vision, articulate our principles and show our determination to fight for 90% of Americans!

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by: susaninrindge @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 13:53:25 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Raymond posted E.J.'s column (0.00 / 0)

it's so this morning, but anyways,
http://www.bluehampshire.com/d...

Annie 2012!

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by: JonnyBBad @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 15:48:34 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Poetic.... (0.00 / 0)

...and romantic...

...but malarky nonetheless.

You can't drag people along.  Even a Visionary must be responding to people's needs. You can have all the altruism and vision and leadership qualities in the world, but if you are not addressing people's needs, you're going no where.

And if you think you know what the people's needs are without bothering to find out...well, I hope you're happy in splendid isolation.

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by: Thomas Simmons @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 20:29:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Inspiring people is hardly dragging them along... (0.00 / 0)

Why was Obama successful at getting young people and independents.etc to come out and vote for him?  It was because of his ability to inspire people with his authentic rhetoric and exquisite ability to tune in (not poll-in) to aspirations. What makes a visionary effective is that (s)he can articulate something elevating that others cannot. I think that the biggest single reason Obama's political fortunes have faded is because he has abandoned the transformative for the transactional. He needs to do both.  People want him to lead as well as negotiate.

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by: susaninrindge @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 06:22:34 AM CST

[ Parent ]

you're not disagreeing with me.... (0.00 / 0)

...you're just refusing to recognize it for what it is.

Inspiring people to vote for you =

Marketing The Candidate/Party/Cause.

Marketing requires knowing what floats your customers boat, and communicating your product in a way that conveys value for that purchase.

You MUST approach politics from the perspective of what the Consumer WANTS, not from what you THINK they should have.

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by: Thomas Simmons @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 06:37:29 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Really don't need lecture on marketing (0.00 / 0)

Since I have been a marketing consultant for 25 years!  

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by: susaninrindge @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 06:51:33 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I posted inadvertently before I finished... (0.00 / 0)

Vision is not something that comes from polls. I don't think any entities poll people more than political candidates.  But this information is not sufficient to capture the zeitgeist or to see beyond the data. Successful leaders see beyond the data.  

BTW- I learned marketing from a true visionary in a Fortune 50 company. That's where I began to see the difference between marketing genius and marketing hacks!

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by: susaninrindge @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 07:02:00 AM CST

[ Parent ]

old saw (4.00 / 1)

You can market anything, but the delivered goods have to be as good as promised...soaring rhetoric followed by mediocre product puts people on notice that you may be blowing smoke.

Its a case of over project and under perform vs. under project and over perform. Obama could nevah live up to his hype, with a decade of hopes and dreams poured into him. He was doomed to disappoint.
"The soup is never as hot when it reaches the table as it was when it left the kitchen."

Annie 2012!

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 07:07:40 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Agree completely! (0.00 / 0)

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by: susaninrindge @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 07:22:27 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Draft Lynch for President (4.00 / 4)

Dems voted D,  R's voted R....but the Undeclareds who were sick of Bush, and with us starting in '04, again with us even bigger in the wave of '06, and with Obama in '08, moved as a block back to the R's. Given the U's are the biggest voting block in NH, political reality says we have to appeal to them next time.

I think the country need to look at successful Democrats like Gov.John Lynch if they want a model for electoral success. One of of only (4) Democratic Governors re-elected last week, he won by keeping faith with 'the strapped' on taxes and spending, while upholding the values of individual rights. No Real I.D., but Marriage Equality. I think it proves that voters want principled leadership, defined as doing what you say you're going to do. They also don't mind if you do some progressive things on Social Policy, as long as it doesn't cost them anything.

Get the message? people are scared about______(fill in the blank)
money
jobs
housing
healthcare
money
tuition
jobs
money
money
money.

Annie 2012!

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by: JonnyBBad @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 08:50:02 AM CST

We Need More Backbone not Polls (4.00 / 1)

First off the ISBN for "Politics: Communicating a Message" is ISBN: 0-930105-02-8.  Hopefully is will be updated soon.

I understand where StaffordDem is coming from and I agree that statements like that made on the Tax Cut issue are a real problem.  It seems like many Democrat leaders are afraid to be Democrats and are instead playing to the polls.

This is not leadership.

We actually accomplished a great deal over the last two years and we will continue to do so but we have to take the lead and make our case to the people we serve.

I have been told that I'm to passionate on these issues.  Let me explain.  I'm not a kid but a 63-year-old man who is worried about the country that I love.  I first became active in politics in 1969 and served three terms in the New Hampshire State Legislature in the 1970s.  I have taught government and History at the secondary, college and university level.  Most recently I spent 25 years working for the U.S. Department of State as a Career Foreign Service Officer.  Part of my job was to analyze foreign governments and elections.  I am really worried about the direction our country is heading in.

We need to take action and to take a leadership role to convince the voters that the progressive agenda is in their best interest.  If we don't do this then in 2012 we could wake up on a November morning with a Tea Party Congress celebrating the election of President Sarah Palin.

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by: ProfessorMike @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 17:14:19 PM CST

Well... (0.00 / 0)

...With so many people so sure of what went wrong that it's unnecessary to actually condescend to ASK the voters they lost 'what happened?'....it's rather amazing that such a crushing defeat was suffered in the first place....

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by: Thomas Simmons @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 15:32:25 PM CST

come to Roots camp (4.00 / 1)

lets talk

Annie 2012!

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 16:17:17 PM CST

[ Parent ]