Thursday, September 15, 2005
Strategy
Atrios points us to a discussion by Matt Yglesias over at Tapped, that like a lot of “mainstream” stuff I read, doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
But in the back and forth about Hillary, and the war as an issue the dems should or shouldn’t ‘run on,’ I found myself having this thought. Bear with me as I get a little less cynical and think strategically.
First off, Hackett proved that with the right candidates, Dems can win (or come damn close to it) even in the Reddest zones of the country. And seeing as how this is OH we’re talking about, who even knows that he lost....but I’ll shelve that thinking for a moment. The point is that loud, angry, tough and pro-soldier/anti-war is a solid combination, one that will likely work in 06.
Now we have Katrina in the mix, and while that’s a crisis that ‘only’ affects poor black people, it’s still the case that people aren’t so happy to see an entire American city lost like Atlantis. That anger isn’t going to go away, however muted or buried under fresh seasons of American Idol it may become. The anger won’t go away because the bill for it will arrive right around the time that the teevee has caused most Americans’ eyes to glaze over with aspic-sugary layers of HDTV happiness. And while Joe Six Pack may not know what that bill is, he will know the bill that comes in the form of reduced unemployment benefits, higher real taxation, no medical coverage, floundering schools for his kids, and every other state or federal service that is cut to feed the twin horrors of Bush’s war to enrich Halliburton and the Disaster that funded Brown & Root. There’s that $4/gal gas thing too,. Which impacts those really unimportant things like food, AC/heating costs, getting to work, etc.
Anyway, I guess what I’m getting at is that for once, the political landscape will be so heavily in our favor as to be almost impossible for Bush’s opposition to lose. Note I say “opposition” and not “democrats.” The Democratic Party has yet to show that it’s an opposition party, beyond a few lonely voices in the CBC and the excellent Dr. Dean. But there’s still time for that to change. Whatever language Yglesias is accustomed to probably isn’t going to be helpful, that is, the language of Hillary and Lieberman and other insider types who love sucking 9-time loser consultant cock. Plain language, language filled with anger, passion, heck, even old fashioned patriotism, that cuts through the nonstop lies upon which at this point even the Dittoheads are choking.
I always said the man they feared most was Dean. And I always wondered why they tried to stick the angry label on him, what’s wrong with a little anger? I’ve since realized that it’s the one thing they can’t counter effectively, the thing they’re most afraid of, the thing that even the sheeple-murkin can relate to and enjoy. The thing that cuts through their happy-shiny-feel-good cowboy schtick, and keeps a base active and motivated.
If the dems where smart, and yes, I know most of the aren’t, they’d do a couple of things nonstop from now until 06.
And most importantly, don’t shy away from the camera. Call the Timmehs and Needras of the world “liars” to their faces- let them disprove it, mock them as they try. Put on a good show! And look like you’re having fun while doing it.
The Republicans have brought back fascism. To many, it looks mean and manly and fun and sexy all at the same time. But most people are also starting to feel a personal cost to this kind of game in government. It’s time to make our stand, the moon and stars are aligned, and what I’m proposing won’t require Americans to change from their conditioning from the last six years very much. As a product, it’ll feel new and fresh. As a strategy, it will entice new supporters to come out for the Democrats and old ones to get happy, active and confident again. Wins all around.
No, I don’t think any Dem of note will read this, follow it as advice, or care that I wrote it. But I felt like saying it.
But in the back and forth about Hillary, and the war as an issue the dems should or shouldn’t ‘run on,’ I found myself having this thought. Bear with me as I get a little less cynical and think strategically.
First off, Hackett proved that with the right candidates, Dems can win (or come damn close to it) even in the Reddest zones of the country. And seeing as how this is OH we’re talking about, who even knows that he lost....but I’ll shelve that thinking for a moment. The point is that loud, angry, tough and pro-soldier/anti-war is a solid combination, one that will likely work in 06.
Now we have Katrina in the mix, and while that’s a crisis that ‘only’ affects poor black people, it’s still the case that people aren’t so happy to see an entire American city lost like Atlantis. That anger isn’t going to go away, however muted or buried under fresh seasons of American Idol it may become. The anger won’t go away because the bill for it will arrive right around the time that the teevee has caused most Americans’ eyes to glaze over with aspic-sugary layers of HDTV happiness. And while Joe Six Pack may not know what that bill is, he will know the bill that comes in the form of reduced unemployment benefits, higher real taxation, no medical coverage, floundering schools for his kids, and every other state or federal service that is cut to feed the twin horrors of Bush’s war to enrich Halliburton and the Disaster that funded Brown & Root. There’s that $4/gal gas thing too,. Which impacts those really unimportant things like food, AC/heating costs, getting to work, etc.
Anyway, I guess what I’m getting at is that for once, the political landscape will be so heavily in our favor as to be almost impossible for Bush’s opposition to lose. Note I say “opposition” and not “democrats.” The Democratic Party has yet to show that it’s an opposition party, beyond a few lonely voices in the CBC and the excellent Dr. Dean. But there’s still time for that to change. Whatever language Yglesias is accustomed to probably isn’t going to be helpful, that is, the language of Hillary and Lieberman and other insider types who love sucking 9-time loser consultant cock. Plain language, language filled with anger, passion, heck, even old fashioned patriotism, that cuts through the nonstop lies upon which at this point even the Dittoheads are choking.
I always said the man they feared most was Dean. And I always wondered why they tried to stick the angry label on him, what’s wrong with a little anger? I’ve since realized that it’s the one thing they can’t counter effectively, the thing they’re most afraid of, the thing that even the sheeple-murkin can relate to and enjoy. The thing that cuts through their happy-shiny-feel-good cowboy schtick, and keeps a base active and motivated.
If the dems where smart, and yes, I know most of the aren’t, they’d do a couple of things nonstop from now until 06.
-Get angry.
-Stay angry.
-Talk in plain, blunt terms about why they are angry.
-Use words like “lie,” and “cheat” and “steal” and “kill.” preferably in the same sentence as “rove” and “bush.” over and over and over.
-Drop the congressional ball and stand at the side of the field. Let the rethugs pass whatever they want, set up whichever crony they can find, hold all the dog-and-pony show hearings they’d like. Stay on message. “This nomination is a farce, because the nominee is a crony and a liar.” “This bill is nothing more than more money for Halliburton, which has already cheated American taxpayers out of $2.5Billion in a war based on lies.” Hold up a piece of proof while doing so.
And most importantly, don’t shy away from the camera. Call the Timmehs and Needras of the world “liars” to their faces- let them disprove it, mock them as they try. Put on a good show! And look like you’re having fun while doing it.
The Republicans have brought back fascism. To many, it looks mean and manly and fun and sexy all at the same time. But most people are also starting to feel a personal cost to this kind of game in government. It’s time to make our stand, the moon and stars are aligned, and what I’m proposing won’t require Americans to change from their conditioning from the last six years very much. As a product, it’ll feel new and fresh. As a strategy, it will entice new supporters to come out for the Democrats and old ones to get happy, active and confident again. Wins all around.
No, I don’t think any Dem of note will read this, follow it as advice, or care that I wrote it. But I felt like saying it.
