Every single Democrat running for office in November should remember these three words. This is how we will win. This is how we will take back Congress, state legislatures and other offices.
Every Democrat should plaster this question in all their commercials, debates, signs, slogans and other communication:
“Do you want to vote for a candidate that supports cronyism, corruption and crime or one that will stand up for We the People?”
This is how to drive a stake into the heart of what has been ruining the country and stealing American’s money, pride, hearts, minds and souls for the past six years.
More below:
I have been working on this type of theme for a while now, and think that this is a winner (hopefully you do too). Last week, when the USA Today story about the phone company records broke, I posted a diary that dealt with ways to slow down the horrific legislation that the Republicans are ramming through Congress as well as a diary that gave suggestions for the Democrats to show some leadership.
While these are still two diaries that I firmly believe in, they don’t cut to what needs to be done in order to effectively run a campaign “GOP-style” with bulletpoints, catchphrases and other bite size pieces that the general electorate can digest and handle at one time. We saw how well the lengthy and intellectual discussions and comments made by John Kerry worked, and how the quick slogans, etc. have worked so well for the Republicans for so many years.
And we have a real easy one here because it cuts right to the heart of what all decent people are against. Who is for corruption? Who is for cronyism? Who supports crimes? (don’t answer that….)
Everyone remembers the “guns, God and gays” meme. Well, here are the “3 C’s”. It fits nice with the “Culture of Corruption” that is already being used. And there are so many examples for each of these three – I’ll note a few below as well.
The overall message that can tie into this is basically a simple statement that should be memorized by any Democrat that wants to win. From my diary last week:
We are here to let you know that we are serious about taking back this nation. We simply will not stand for declining healthcare, for skyrocketing gas and oil prices, for declining educational standards, for lies, cronyism and corruption that are killing our children, our brave soldiers and bankrupting our country. This must stop, and since the Republicans in Congress and this Administration do not care about the American public and are not acting as leaders, it is our duty as Democrats to do so ourselves.
Simple. Clear. Powerful.
Examples work wonders too. Everyone remembers (rightfully or not) Willie Horton. Or for those that have been around longer than I have, the nuclear bomb/girl picking flowers commercial. Or the most disgusting one of Osama morphing into Max Cleland. And there are many others as well.
So give it right back to them.
Where do we even begin (since many of these can be filed under corruption, crimes or cronyism)?
We have the granddaddy of them all in Republican felon Jack Abramoff and his links to scores of Republican Senators, Representatives, staffers and wealthy Republican donors. We have Tom Delay and his “pay to play” schemes that resulted in favorable legislation for those who ponied up. We have Coingate in Ohio. Or Duke Cunningham, Dr. Cat Killer’s insider trading, or the paying of “journalists” to push the Bush agenda?
But why stop there? We also have “heckuva job” Brownie which will play well to the “Katrina crowd”. And don’t forget Harriet “Bush is the greatest ever” Miers’ nomination to the Supreme Court. Too bad she never got her “upperdown vote”….Or, as I reported last week, Frist and Hastert crony lobbyists who wrote secret legislation to exempt Big Pharma from gross negligence claims. Hell, the list goes on for cronyism on the Democratic Party’s website.
Not enough yet? The vampire is still breathing? What about using these to drive the stake right through the heart?
Let’s also not forget the lies about WMD. That Plame was tracking Iran and nukes when her covert identity and all of her contacts were leaked in a concerted effort to score political points. The illegal use of white phosphorus in Iraq. Or illegal and unconstitutional NSA wiretapping of, well, just about everyone on some level.
And then really go for the jugular with some heart-wrenching real life stories
Like the one about people needing to pawn their possessions to buy gas. Or the one about someone dying as a result of the Medicare D(ebacle). For good matter, we can’t let this picture fall out of the public conscience:
While Bush let New Orleans drown, he ate cake with Senator McCain. The past and future leaders of the Republican agenda of corruption, cronyism and crime. Just criminal to do to those people in the Gulf Coast.
Corruption. Cronyism. Crimes. Learn it, live it, love it.
It’s a winner. Now let’s get to work.
