DNC chief: We have a problem

[RandySF]

The Democratic National Committee is planning a "top-to-bottom assessment" of its campaign strategy after suffering worse-than-expected defeats in last week’s midterm elections.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), who leads the group, announced Saturday that a committee will examine the party’s performance in the 2014 and 2010 elections.

"We are going to look at where we fell short. We're going to identify our mistakes," she said in a video that was sent to party supporters.

"Our party has a problem," she added.

The committee will specifically look at messaging, get-out-the-vote efforts and digital operations. It will form in the next few weeks and present a report at the organization's winter meeting in early 2015.


http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/223434-report-dnc-to-launch-top-to-bottom-review-of-midterm-strategy

[NBachers]

1. They didn't send me enough "ALL IS LOST!!!" emails

Quit, Debbie. That's the best way to start.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

2. One BIG thing we have not done is to put the fire under the Repukes!!

We are being way to passive! Make them answer for Shutting down the Government. Make them answer for trying to repeal ACA over and over again, wasting tax money in doing so. And start pointing out how they are slowing down growth and protecting wealthy people that pay less in taxes than regular citizens!

[RBInMaine]

7. Absolutely. There as no MESSAGE. No THEME. The DNC was AWOL !

[Recursion]

13. The national party was not popular and the strategy was to run local campaigns

That's not AWOL so much as "we don't want to make the bleeding worse".

[Chemisse]

29. The party would have been far more popular if Dems were out there with a pro-Dem message.

Instead, they cowered under Republican criticism.

[stillwaiting]

36. Pro Dem and ATTACKING the Republicans. The Democratic Party seems more interested in

maintaining the "credibility" of the Republican Party than it does in gaining momentum to pass policies that support the values they supposedly hold.

The Republican Party should have very little support after how they have operated over the past few decades, and if the Democratic Party were a true opposition party instead of collaborators, the Democratic Party would have strong majorities right now. I'm embarrassed for the Democratic Party, and it's exceedingly transparent whose interests the Democratic Party apparatus are primarily supporting. They don't FIGHT for average Americans' interests, and they haven't for quite a long time.

They aren't timid.

They aren't weak.

We have to work very hard to take back our party, and it won't be easy.

With that said, we all must vote for the Democratic Party to keep Republicans out of power since they ARE worse, and harm reduction does have value.

[myrna minx]

10. The Dems have to quit living by republican set rules and working within

the flawed and dangerous republican framing. it's maddening. If we keep validating their narrative by working within their flawed economic frame, we will always lose.

[mmonk]

16. +1

[Chemisse]

30. Exactly!

[reflection]

45. this would make a good op. n/t

[SamKnause]

3. Look in the mirror Debbie.

[davidpdx]

4. Yes, we do Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz and you are one of them

If you had a conscience you'd step down from your leadership position ASAP. I won't hold my breath on that one.

[n2doc]

39. + a million n/t

[truedelphi]

5. Just what we have come to expect. Sigh.

So the DNC will be looking at messaging, get-out-the-vote efforts and digital operations.

Rather than looking at what is failing most Amerians - the trade agreements, the outsourcing of jobs, the endless wars, the Big Financial Firms Uber Alles, the corruption of the judiciary, and the fact that the big Monied Interests are the Puppet Masters, while the Political Class has no statesmen or stateswomen, just PUPPETS willing to sell their fellow Americans out, time and again, be it on issures relating to the economy, issues relating to Social Security, issues relating to war, militarizing the police, and privatizing prison, and privatizing schools, and you name it, but the DNC wants to look at messaging and technology and GOTV.

[RBInMaine]

8. Those ARE important things, but they didn't THEME the election. They were AWOL.

Messaging, tech, and GOTV ARE important, but you aren't going to inspire voters unless you THEME the election around BIG BOLD COMPELLING IDEAS and AROUND DEFINING AND ATTACKING YOUR OPPONENT. There was no OVER-ARCHING THEME (or GRAND MESSAGE). They didn't define and brand the Republicans as "DO-NOTHING OBSTRUCTIONISTS." They didn't defend and TOUT the President's ACCOMPLISHMENTS on jobs, deficit reduction, healthcare, etc. When you don't talk about your own accomplishments, you LOSE. What you don't SHOW UP to the FIGHT, you LOSE. When you don't offer COMPELLING REASONS to come out and vote, YOU LOSE.

FIRE WASSERMAN-SCHULTS RIGHT NOW !! Get someone in there from the OUTSIDE who will shake it up and get it on track.

[HereSince1628]

26. I'm pretty sure they'll find their next 'theme' in the winning ways of the R's

[Chemisse]

31. This was so obvious WAY before election day.

What kinds of morons are in charge of the Dems?

[Scuba]

49. Well, we don't stand for policies anymore, now do we?

[RBInMaine]

6. YOUR PROBLEM WAS THAT YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP !! "Stand Alone" is NO GOD DAMNED STRATEGY.

First, Wasserman-Schultz needs to GO. Next, GOTV is not a strategy, and "Stand On Your Own" is not a strategy.

The DNC never THEMED the election, there was no message, there was no defense of the President's accomplishments, there was no systematic attack launched against the "DO-NOTHING REPUBLICANS", etc. etc. etc.

THERE WAS NO EFFORT ! THE DNC SUCKED ! IT SUCKED LIKE HELL ! Get at OUTSIDER like Howard Dean or someone else in there with passion, vision, and SMARTS to get that outfit back on track again. And do it NOW.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

9. +1!

And did you notice the the one Dem, Gary Peters, the only one that campaign WITH Obama won? Why??? It gave a message and showed Unity!

[Cha]

12. Yeah, at least we had a winning example there to shine the light on, LFR~

[Cha]

14. P.S. how's Ron Barber doing in Tucson?

[Lady Freedom Returns]

17. Still way to close to call.

They have the Provisional Ballots still to go and that looks to be going to take till WED. to count.

[Cha]

19. Thanks! Our Dem in San Diego won with Provisional ballots in a race where the repub was

ahead on Tuesday night. Whew!

Congratulations Scott Peters!

[Lady Freedom Returns]

21. It is something like 500 votes so far separating the candidates!

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/11/08/barber-mcsally-election-cd2-pima-county-ballots/18730517/

[Cha]

22. Now there's a Dem who's not running from his base! that's right

Ron Barber was shot in face and the thigh.. bless his heart.

I so hope he wins!

[Lady Freedom Returns]

28. He is not going without a fight!

Just in case, he is already raising money for a recount!

We really need him to win. Martha McSally has no civil political experience. All she talks about is her service record. And she has been caught on video putting her foot in mouth about so much! The woman truly says one thing in ads, but says another when she thinks a camera is not around.

[Cha]

33. She's a republicon.. that says it all. A repub today would actually have to prove they weren't

corrupt sociopaths.

Good on Ron Barber!

[Cha]

23. And, I should say.. that I'm not in San Diego.. my sister is. But, she and the Nation needed him so

badly.. I called it "our Dem".

[Cha]

11. Damn. that would have been nice before the vital 2014. There's gotta be a winning strategy to

fight all the Koch money and the US corporate media in control of the narrative.

[woo me with science]

15. We misunderstand our politicians when we assume their goal is winning.

That was the old system, democracy.

In oligarchy, the goal is using the two parties you own in whichever way best furthers the corporate agenda of the oligarchy.

DCCC email campaign: "Accept defeat"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025736826

[malaise]

18. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

The DNC is the problem

[hobbit709]

20. +1,000,000 nt

[bemildred]

24. "We have met the enemy, and he is us." nt

[MoonRiver]

25. DNC has turned losing into an art form.

[Chemisse]

32. They couldn't have done a better job of losing if they had planned it that way.

[MoonRiver]

34. Kind of makes you wonder.

Schultz in particular is worse than worthless.

[Chemisse]

35. Before the election she was just a word spouter.

Although she's always been like that. She lists off the talking points, rapidly and without conviction, like a robot who was just turned on.

And she was careful not to associate the Dems with Obama.

[JustAnotherGen]

27. Too little too late

And she has to go.

They should look at a list of consistent small donors who have been solid Democratic Party members and invite them to sit down at the table in that meeting.

[PADemD]

40. Not just small doners, invite the people who didn't bother to vote.

[JustAnotherGen]

42. One segment of the didn't bother to vote

Well maybe two - they've decided to support Rand Paul.

He appeals to millenials.

And he's going after young black voters.

How's about Debbie go sit down with poor young black people in Detroit the way Rand is. Or maybe she can go talk to them at Howard. Maybe Harvey Weistein can get his ass off the casting couch and give tens of millions of dollars to the UNCF - the way the Koch brothers did right after inviting the head to their annual meeting. Late last year there was a fund raiser in Beverly Hills where Harvey introduced Hillary as the future candidate.

Hillary better get against voter ID laws and the drug laws. Or Harvey is going to look like a fool.

This isn't directed at you - I understand and I'm in agreement with you. I posted about the Koch contribution to the UNCF this past summer. Bravenak said it well yesterday - people don't care WHY you want to help them or reaching out to them . . .they just see that you do.

[sendero]

37. the first ROUT didn't make us learn.

... the SECOND ROUT is not going to either, get ready for the THIRD.

[Le Taz Hot]

38. They've learned nothing:

"The committee will specifically look at messaging, get-out-the-vote efforts and digital operations." Goddess forbid we get rid of the third-wayers, like her, and return back to the roots of the Democratic Party with a strong populist message. No, let's just rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. Monumental stupidity.

[Skidmore]

41. The erroneous basis for their strategy

'has been that they had an ace up their sleeve for 2016--Hillary. In their minds, she will pull the voters in. And women will just flock to her. I have always been lukewarm on Hillary. Didn't caucus for her the first time and would not again. I don't care for dynasties or for her because, while she has worked for women, I don't really see her as being willing to address populist issues. I have said that I would vote for her if she were to be the candidate but with strong reservations. I am not willing to punish more people for ideological reason and don't think that ceding more ground accomplishes anything for the truly needy among us.

As a woman., I would like to see a woman in the WH before I die. In my mind Eleanor Roosevelt is the model for the type of female president I would like to see and, in spite of her conscious styling to be like ER, Hillary lacks something that ER possessed. ER just didn't listen when she had something to gain. She also heard. This is my opinion and Hillary still has something to prove to me which she didn't the first time she ran. You don't seek to represent a base that you are willing to use dog whistles to demean. You also don't tap the likes of Mark Penn to advise your campaign.

A simple search will get you to my past DU remarks on Hillary in 2008.

[CorporatistNation]

43. Debbie IS The Problem...

She is a slave to the DLC and Third Way. Candidates with integrity, courage and know how are undermined by her actions such as endorsing Republicans. This is but one example. She also endorsed Diaz-Balart in Miami over the Democrat. after all politics is all about the money. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0707/S00219.htm In Florida there is no longer any opposition party to the Republicans. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0707/S00219.htm

[PassingFair]

46. They should just wheel a MIRROR into the room if they want to pinpoint the problems.

They want nothing to do with Democrats actually thinking or choosing.

It's all about who's "turn" it is and CONTROL.

[99Forever]

44. There is no fix in how they do campaigns.

The problem is in how they govern by capitulation to the ultra-rich, instead of FIGHTING with everything they've got for the values of the actual Democratic base, working class Americans.

[CrispyQ]

47. "Our party has a problem."

Yeah, the party is a bunch of bought out corporate shills claiming to represent the middle class. You can't serve two masters & the party has shown us who they serve & it ain't We the People.

[DFW]

48. "Our party has a problem"

Yeah, the problem being that we had the best ideas, the best performance, the best record of caring for the needs of our constituents, and we STILL lost to a party who has no ideas, a rotten performance, and no interest at all in bettering the lives of its constituents.