There are 2 narratives that the Democratic Party absolutely must change.
Last edited Sat Jan 21, 2017, 02:41 AM - Edit history (1)
No more so-called "respectability politics." No more playing nice with the devil in hopes that the devil will finally reciprocate. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 10,000 times...enough already.
Trump, Republicans in Congress and Trump's cabinet pose a clear and present danger. If Democrats can't engage in smash-mouth politics even now, all hope is lost.
For far too long, Democrats have been utterly ineffective in combating the following 2 narratives:
1) government as a bogeyman
2) "liberal media"
As we all know, Republicans have done all they can to make government dysfunctional, and then they bash the monster of their own making to support their ideology. This is, admittedly, made easier by Democrats not doing enough to stand up to the hijacking of government by multinational corporations. Government is, at least in theory, a body of the peoples' representatives. So, in that sense, Trump talking about taking power from the government and giving it back to the people is nonsensical (but it's also going to resonate with the Republican Party base and Libertarians). It needs to be pointed out repeatedly that Trump and Republicans in aggregate are out to destroy "government of the people, by the people and for the people." It needs to be pointed out repeatedly that Trump and other Republicans have corrupted their way into government jobs (via voter suppression, dark money, corporate media, gerrymandering and foreign government intervention), all the while bashing the government that they've made dysfunctional. The hypocrisy, lies and contradictions must be pointed out repeatedly. Such as Trump claiming he'll drain the swamp while surrounding himself with Wall Street tycoons and lobbyists. We must not lose sight of the fact that Trump ran a fraudulent "University" for which he was successfully sued, and is now engaged in numerous conflicts of interest. Trump committing and bragging about sexual assault, a crime, must not be allowed to leave public consciousness. The overt bigotry of Trump and those he surrounds himself with must be kept under the spotlight. It must be pointed out that Trump is the father of the Birther movement and that tens of millions of Americans subscribe to patently false beliefs that are too absurd for words, because - as Obama said - the GOP has been "feeding its base all kinds of crazy for years."
And those things must be pointed out repeatedly every time Democrats appear in the media or at rallies. Meanwhile, Democrats should point out that a responsible media, the bulk of which is now owned and operated by just a handful of giant corporations, once existed to a much greater extent than it does now. Democrats should point out that a responsible media wouldn't promote false equivalencies, refuse to fact-check, obsess over spectacle, kowtow to corporate sponsors, or need Democrats to come on the air to point out that which the media should be reporting because it's their professional duty to do so.
Yes, I'm advocating that Democrats bash the media via the media. Republicans have been doing it for decades and it's paid dividends.
Yes, I'm advocating that Democrats call out the Republican Party for engaging in dog whistle politics and for influencing its base to subscribe to bullshit. The vast majority of those who make up that base are never going to vote Dem regardless, so trying to appeal to or go soft on Republicans is in error. Some of the more reasonable Republicans (an increasingly rare species) might become embarrassed enough to stop supporting the cra cra. Meanwhile, some of those who don't usually vote would probably appreciate a bit of brutal honesty. Democrats need to reach out to that enormous percentage of folks who never or almost never vote.
Lastly, Democrats should talk about all that constitutes "the commons" (public parks and infrastructure, a stable climate, clean air and water, etc.) and why Republicans threaten that which we all benefit from and rely upon.
