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Ghost of Meldrim Makes Appearance in NHDP Strategy

by: Dean Barker

Thu Sep 10, 2009 at 06:03:13 AM EDT
Nothing surprising here, since I've seen it used numerous times in party talking points, but for the record, it's official party strategy, as released to DiStaso from an NHDP internal memo, the "Incumbent Protection Program":
"When beginning any discussion, letter to the editor, or interview with a reporter, House members need to first frame the debate using the following terms:

'In these tough economic times, House Democrats have worked hard to create jobs and fix our economy without a broad-based tax.'"

Brunelle says that "voters care about representatives that are going to do everything they can to better our current economic conditions without implementing a broad-based tax. Thus far, the House Democratic Caucus has done just that. Also, if nothing else is printed in a newspaper other than our lead point, we win."

I look forward to a day, not realizable until, at a minimum, January 2013, when we win without taking a pledge from one of the most radical right-wing governors not only in New Hampshire, but American history.

Someday.

Adding: an interesting general question for state or national matters.  If one's party controls the executive branch, does the party's strategy reflect the executive's policy? If policy began to shift on, say, Afghanistan, among the US House in sizable numbers away from POTUS, what does the DNC do?
Dean Barker :: Ghost of Meldrim Makes Appearance in NHDP Strategy
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Ghost of Meldrim Makes Appearance in NHDP Strategy | 3 comments
Coupla comments about political competence. (4.00 / 4)
  • The advice (oddly written as a command) is good in Manchester itself.
  • But it is suicidal in many other areas of the state. If Molly Kelly wrote as directed - if we even thought she wanted to write that - she would lose a primary.
  • The advice may also be good for a statewide candidate. We have only one such office.

Now some questions:

  • This veers from campaign advise directly into policy advice. What credibility and qualifications does the NHDP have in that area?
  • Why should the rest of the state Democrats subsidize a media support organization that only thinks of Manchester and environs, not just ignoring but actively giving harmful advice to other areas?

Poll-Driven Strategy (4.00 / 3)
On this issue and this strategy, I've disagreed with some of our party leaders through the recent years.  I understand, but I disagree.  The race in 2002 was a unique one, where an underfunded candidate -- Mark Fernald -- ran against the Eleven Million Dollar man.  Nationally, politics was swaying toward the Republicans in the post-9/11 era.  The Iraq War was supported by the majority of Americans, even Democrats.  

However, because we have not wanted to seriously address tax reform and find a way to have the more wealthy among us in New Hampshire pay their share of benefiting from The New Hampshire Advantage, we've had to continue to rely on taxes and income revenue schemes that hurt the lower-incomed among us.  

Democrats shouldn't be cheerleading to make rich people richer, while the poor get poorer.  THAT is the result of our current "tax structure."  Painful cuts have been made to vital programs because we can't make ends meet in other ways.  

Democrats in future years have to play catch-up and show the courage to lead, the willingness to dialogue, and the guts to speak out on tax reform.  It is from that which so much of government does good things.  

And I believe that with the right dialogue, with the correct message and approach, the voters will reward our candidates who want to do good things in government, and want to do those good things in a fair and equable way.  

The thing with poll-driven strategies is that they eventually change, because attitudes change.  A visionary political party also should have the ability to change.  That's how we will stay #1.

Yes, the most efficient way to fund necessary community projects (0.00 / 0)
is to collect taxes and pay for them directly, instead of going to bond issues and sending a "cut" to the financiers.  Our financial leisure class has found it advantageous to take their share of the public purse in money, rather than the traditional disbursements of land rights, fishing rights, mineral rights, logging rights, etc.  In part, that's because our natural resource base has gotten quite depleted and the requirement to "restore" or put things back is rather onerous--too much trouble to make it worth while when you can just skim the money pot.

The freeloaders are going to have to start paying their way.

The transfer of the nation's wealth to the top one percent was not a happenstance.

[ Parent ]
Ghost of Meldrim Makes Appearance in NHDP Strategy | 3 comments

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