Moveon.org: Ask John Kerry to "Go Big"

[mzmolly]

Dear MoveOn member,
As George Bush's poll numbers drop, John Kerry is facing an important choice — perhaps the most important choice he'll make in his campaign. He has to decide whether, as some consultants will urge, he should be cautious, or whether he should present a bold agenda for change and rally all Americans around a common vision for our future.

Throughout his life, John Kerry has made a practice of standing up for bold initiatives to provide health care, protect the environment, and guarantee truth-telling in government. Together, we need to let him know that we want him to be his best, boldest self — to go big, ask more from us, and power his campaign on the politics of hope and progress.

We're joining forces in this effort with commentator Arianna Huffington and former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi. Together, we'll let him know in an unforgettable way that we support him in running a visionary campaign. To sign on to the petition, go to:

Here's the full text of the letter we'll send on with your signature:

http://www.moveonpac.org/gobig/

I signed this, here's hoping you will too. And, keep it kicked.
Didn't see this posted, hope it's not a dupe?

[zulchzulu]

1. Let Moveon.org do it, ferchissakes

That's their role!

It's best for Kerry to be presidential and let the Bush Cartel stew in a boil and begin their circular firing squad.

The best thing Kerry can do is to stay out of the way and let them hang themselves by their own pitard.

[H2O Man]

3. It's up to each DU member

to make up their own mind on this. I think it's a great post. To be honest, I had just finished e-mailing MoveOn in support of this, and was going to post it here. If people do not want to sign it, that should be respected; if they do, that deserves equal respect. There is a significant over-lap of MoveOn supporters and DU members. Thank God for that!

[flpoljunkie]

4. Absolutely, let MoveOn do it!

You did not see it posted for a reason. It is a dumb idea!

I sent this letter to Moveon in reply to this email campaign:

You are obviously not paying attention to John Kerry's campaign. He is doing just fine and is ahead of George Bush in the latest polls by about 5%--this, after Bush has spent over $70 million on vile, negative ads. His current bio ads are inspiring and he has made numerous ads and speeches that speak to the issues you mention--health care, the environment, good paying jobs, education. Check out his website http://www.johnkerry.com for video links to all John Kerry ads and see for yourself.

I may well have to reconsider my contributions to the MoveOn pac if this is the way you are choosing to support John Kerry's candidacy.

P.S. I would not be so eager to take the advice of Arianna Huffington or Joe Trippi--whose latest campaigns were less than successful, shall we say.

[mzmolly]

9. I disagree with your analysis. It's a great idea!

Joe Trippi changed campaigns forever~!. I would remind you that every candidate in this race now has a *Meet Up* and Kerry has raised lots of money using the ideas of the so called failed Trippi venture.

Trippi worked for many campaigns, Dean was not his first.

[flpoljunkie]

20. You might want to read Josh Marshall's talkingpointsmemo on JK...

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_05_16.php#002963

<>But I've begun to think that all of this is misguided, that whether by design or accident -- and I'm not at all sure which it is -- Kerry is doing more or less exactly what he should.

<>Now, here's the point I'd like to discuss in a bit more detail: the fact that Kerry can't get a lot of attention to himself right now or that he's not seizing the opportunity to make the case against Bush. I don't think this is a bad thing at all. At least not for now. (I totally agree with JM on this.)

Let's think of this battle as a prize fight, with both men in the ring. If you're up on points and the seconds are ticking down on the final round, what do you do?

Simple: stay out of his way.

Trying to land punches when he's desperate and going down gives him the opportunity to hit back. And in such a dire moment that may be all he has. Why give him the opportunity?

more...

_______________________
I admit this is off the topic of running a "big idea" campaign. I thought it important to connect with what is really going on now, and how difficult it is for Kerry to break through all the bad news in Iraq. I do think, however, his positive bio ads are definitely working.

As for Trippi...Let's see...he managed Jerry Brown, Dick Gephardt and Howard Dean's losing presidential campaigns with the same tired slogan, "Let's Take Back America." Howard Dean's campaign did indeed capitalize on the left's supreme dissatifaction with Dubya, using the internet and Meetups, but he failed in Iowa--big time. As for Arianna Huffington, her run for the governorship in California was to put it charitably, abysmal. She cannot be taken seriously after running such a poor campaign.

[mzmolly]

7. Bull. It's Kerry's job to lay out his vision for America.

Moveon.org will not be running the country. Moveon is saying what many of us have ... PLEASE INSPIRE US MR. KERRY!

As it is now, I'm voting against George Bush, I sure would like to vote FOR John Kerry.

[zulchzulu]

16. Pay atttention!

Kerry is and has been laying out his vision for America. After the Bush Cartel and their willing shills threw $80 million at ad campaigns lying about Kerry, he is leading in many polls.

It's not going to be a Dean scream or an Arianna bitchspat that will get America's attention. John doesn't do that lightweight shit.

With the way the newsfotainment industry is these days, they ain't gonna cover a Kerry event where he is talkng about healthcare solutions or environmental endorsements or lawmaker endorsements when they can do Michael Jackson or yak about Nick Berg's head getting chopped off.

Perhaps there is a finale to some sitcom or reality game show that takes precedent to the unemployed or underemployed.

Let the Bush Cartel begin the circular firing squad and watch the Chimpy numbers continue to go down.

It's still 168 days until Election Day. And the Kerry numbers are looking very good.

[Cheswick2.0]

22. So what exactly is Kerry's campaign theme besides "I'm not Bush"

Because I haven't seen a message yet and I am waiting for one.

[zulchzulu]

33. Um...it's a little deeper than that

If you have no idea what the difference is between Bush and Kerry and see it lazily as a simplistic "I'm not Bush" perception, then I pity you.

I would suggest you do some homework. Go to the Kerry site. Figure out what your main issues are that affect you and see what Kerry offers.

Then consider the alternative.

[Cheswick2.0]

35. don't make shit up about what I said in my post

I never said there was no difference between bush and Kerry. But please feel free to tell me what Kerry's message is, because so far all I heard is "he's not bush".

PS... I have been to Kerry's site. There are nothing but pontificating emorphous statements there either. You say to dig deeper, but there is no deeper.

[Nicholas_J]

39. Kerry has had a message

That was taken by other candidates early on.

Kerry actually had a farmore concise and viable plan for health care before Dean did. It has been part of the base of his campaign since before he actuallt decided to run, and has been continually expresses since the mid 1990's. He also has had a clear and concise opnion and policy on Iraq since prior to the Authorization to use force in Iraq Resolution, which was completely based on clear internations co-operation and involvement, and laid out as early as July 2002, months before the Iraq Resolution. In all cases he ascribes to the idea of Progressive Internationalism, as descirbed in the Hyde Park Declaration , the document produces in August of 2000, by the NDOL in opposition to PNAC. Kerry was the author of the documents' Progressive Internationalism section. Sorry, I find that theonly people who do not find any message from Kerry are likely supporters of other candidates who simply were not and are not bothering to pay attention. Kerry has clear plans for dealing with Iraq, a clear exit strategy, dates starting from day 1 in his administration of when he will begin to initiate the plans from his campaign platform. He has stated that within the forst three weeks of his taking office, he will go to the U.N. to find out what is needed in order to get the U.N. seriosly invoved in Iraq. He has stated that the FIRST piece of legislation he will send to Congress is his plan for national health, requiring the repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. He has stated that if they do not pass it, he will immediately begin asking the American Public and informing them clearly of which republicans opposed his national health and tax legislation in order to assist any democrat running against a Republican congressional incumbent in order to unseat those Republicans and retake Congress. No other candidate has clearly laid out what they would do in the first 100 days of their administration as Kerry.

In fact, Kerry has a message where other candidates, particularly Dean, had slogans.

Follwing Deans early health care ideas, all you had on his website was that Deans plans were to simply to do as was done in Vermont, to allow people without health care onto Medicaid, which is an extremely limited health care program, and allow some people to go onto Medicare earlier. But he also suggested curtailing the benefits available on these programs. Once Gephardt reavealed his ideas for healthcare, and Gephardt pointed out the problems in Deans plans, Dean immediately changed his plan to a near match to Gepahrdts. Just before Kerry realeased his total plans, Dean came out early, and added elements to his plan that had been culled from Kerry's Universal Health prior legislation attempted during the mid 1990's as amendment alternatives to Clinton Care. Same thing happened with Deans ideas on Foreign Affairs, where Deans first Foreign Affair speech was almost a paragraph by paragraph copy of Kerry speech given 5 months earlier before the Council on Foreign Relations. Of course the supporterd of this one candidate never bothered to read Kerry's speeches, so when they praised Dean for his brilliant ideas on foreign affairs, would not accept that Deans speech had sections that were almost a word for word re-write of Kerry's earlier speech.

Kerry has had plans in the hopper for at least a decade, and he has been reformulating them for a new democratic adminstration. This would be lear if the supporterd of other candidates would unstop their ears of the stuff they are still clinging to from the early campaign, and listen.

[Catholic Sensation]

2. i got the e-mail and thought it was a penis enlargement solicitation

:D

[Paradise]

5. Thanks. We've signed! :) n/t

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. I signed.

n/t

[scarletwoman]

8. Hey! That was MY idea!

Just kidding -- sort of...

Last Wednesday, Elementary Penguin started a thread: Friend in Kerry Camp wants suggestions for JFK response to Torturegate!

Here is an excerpt from my post on that thread:

What I REALLY want to see is a BIG theme! Like "What is America?"

So design a campaign that actually calls on people to ponder something. Pose the question: "What kind of America do YOU want?" Get OUT of the Repug frame of "War on Terror" and "security" and such, it's all bogus anyway.

Create an entirely new frame: "Let us come together to be the BEST of ourselves. Let us live up to our highest ideals of freedom, courage, equality, and rule of law. Let us be a light in the world -- not by empty words which are betrayed by actions that have created more anger and hatred in the world -- but by living up to the true heart of what America has always striven to be, and CAN be again."

Here's what it says on MoveOn PAC:
"Go Big! Ask More From Us!"

Do great minds think alike? ;-)

sw

[mzmolly]

10. "Go Big! Ask More From Us!"

Can't see why some are so thin skinned about this. It's a great idea.

[MontecitoDem]

14. respectfully disagree

I see the DFA link and I wonder whether Dean supporters have reflected on their loss? Energizing your base is great, and a winning strategy IF you have the numbers. Dean didn't have 50% so he needed to go beyond his base. Same with Kerry!

[Lefty Pragmatist]

11. Why I didn't sign

This myth:

> You can reach out to and inspire the fifty percent of eligible voters who have given up on voting. If you do, you will win not in a toss-up but a landslide.

Newt Gingrich (of all people) nailed this kind of radical mythology. He said that for a decade he and conservatives relentlessly pushed their message, expecting a "silent majority" of conservatives in the nation to march to the polls. Yet, election after election, the tidal wave of conservatives returning to the polls failed to materialize.

It wasn't until the hard core GOP conservatives gave up on the pipe dream of a vast, disenfranchised radical population and started hammering away at swing voters that they took the House, Senate *and* presidency.

You dont get power by appealing to those who think like you. You get power by showing people who think very differently from you that you can do the job, and then that you can even be trusted to ask the nation to take some risks.

[mzmolly]

12. Why on earth to people assume that you have to alienate anyone?

Moveon is not asking Kerry to "take risks" they are suggesting that he "go big, ask more from us"...

They want him to inspire and involve voters.

[Lefty Pragmatist]

15. Wrong risk

I'm not saying MoveOn is asking Kerry to take a risk. I'm saying the country *doesn't* like radically liberal or conservative agendae because they see them (rightly) as risks (albeit sometimes risks worth taking). The way you get the electorate to be somewhat less risk-averse is to win their trust with good governance.

"Inspire us" is code for "come out with a strongly progressive vision of what America is and win with full colors flying," given who MoveOn is and what they find to be inspirational.

330 EVs, some Congressional coattails, and a safe SCOTUS would be far more inspirational.

[mzmolly]

23. Who's asking for a radical agenda?

Can you point out where moveon is doing that?

[Cheswick2.0]

36. politics 101...... have a campaign theme

what's the big risk?

[no name no slogan]

17. Newt was wrong: there NO conservative "silent majority"

and that is why, after all their efforts over the last 20 years, they didn't gain nearly as much as they thought.

As much as the media and the rightwing likes to gloat about what a "conservative" country we live in, actual research proves things to be much different.

Yes, polls may show that only 20% of people "self-identify" as Democrats, but when you question them on the issues, you find that their beliefs are more in line with what Democrats have historically stood for.

For example, more people identify with the Democrats' positions on the economy than they do with the conservatives. Most Americans think trade deals are negotiated with the best interests of big business in mind, NOT the average person. Most Americans also support single-payer healthcare-- so do HALF of Republicans!

So, then, why aren't those people voting for Democrats? Very simple. Our candidates campaign as REPUBLICANS, and govern like they are, too!!!

Clinton was the best Republican president since Eisenhower. Even Richard Nixon was more liberal on economic issues than he was! Since the Democrats co-opted the Repubs' economic platform in the late 80s, we've been in steady decline: less Democratic victories, greater voter apathy, and a severe lack of VISION. Why do you think there's been a proliferation of third parties over the last decade? Because the Democrats have stopped representing the economic needs of the bottom 90% of the population.

Given the choice between a fake Republican and a real Republican, voters will pick the real Republican every time. Let's give the voters a choice between a Republican and a REAL bold, gutsy Democrat, who is NOT AFRAID to campaign as a DEMOCRAT.

John Kerry, step up to the mike.

[CTLawGuy]

31. The Contract with America was moderate?

I don't think so. It was a set of clear positions and concrete proposals that the repub base could rally behind and that swing voters could understand and accept.

It was not... a vague set of platitudes designed to say nothing and not offend anyone, and not look too conservative.

Swing voters are swing voters because they don't really have strong ideological positions. They are practical However, they want to vote FOR somebody more than they want to vote AGAINST somebody. If it turns out they don't like either candidate, they'll probably stay home.

[MontecitoDem]

13. I'm usually big on move-on

but this seemed silly to me. Let Kerry run his campaign. We, his base, are going to vote for him (duh!). Our country is divided. We need those few swing voters to come our way. Not saying sell-out, I'm saying tailor your message to the people we need! Once he is in power, then yes tell him what we want him to do. For now... send money and support!

[scarletwoman]

18. I don't understand the objections to "a politics of hope"

How is it not productive to make an appeal to Americans' better nature?

How is it "too risky" to call on Americans to embrace the values and ideals that America (supposedly) has always stood for?

Why wouldn't this message resonate with swing voters? It's totally mainstream, imho.

If Reagan could get votes with his "Morning in America", why can't a Democrat put forth a similar message?

Alot of people in this country, the non-partisans in particular, are confused, fearful and unhappy. Why not offer them some optimism and hope in the form of a clear vision? Seems like an ideal message to me. I don't get why some here are opposed to it. :shrug:

sw

[mzmolly]

24. Bush is beating himself and people are assuming that Kerry is the reason.

He is not. Bush is a failure and a ham sandwich would be polling strong against Bush.

I can't argue with the latest polls, but Kerry could use a little spirit, a stronger message.

I am with you, I don't get the objections? :shrug:

[Cheswick2.0]

37. "we are talking about the politics of hope"

That's the theme and you are saying it is a clear message. But I am not getting it. What are we hopeful about? What is the clear message? When Kerry says he is for healthcare what does he mean? Someday the guy is going to have to commit to specifics.

[bklyncowgirl]

19. The man with the sun on his face

One of the best statements on politics that I've heard is something (of all people) Chris Matthews says about people voting for the "man with the sun on his face".

Kerry must somehow convey an optomism, a feeling that things can be better, that they will be better. He has to make that connection with ordinary people. Right now people are not happy with Bush but they are not swarming to Kerry. He needs to change that, to let the people know who he is and what he wants to do to improve their lives. Obviously, Kerry has plans and position papers. That is all well and good, however the campeign is lacking a big theme, something beyone "He's Not Bush". That of course may be coming--I certainly hope it doesn't come to late.

That's why I signed the Moveon letter and I do not see anything disloyal about doing so.

[flpoljunkie]

21. Bklyncowgirl, have you seen Kerry's latest ads? If not, please do.

They are optimistic, positive and moving. And, as you may have noticed, Kerry is now ahead by 5 points in the latest polls. The ads are working.

http://www.johnkerry.com/videos/

"Heart" and "Lifetime" are the videos mentioned above.

[bklyncowgirl]

34. I have seen them and I think they're great

Don't get me wrong. I like John Kerry and I think he's doing alot of things right.

I even think he's smart to largely let events unfold in Iraq. After all, why get in front of a perfectly good train wreck.

I also think that holding off on a VP pick is smart.

I do think though that he needs to begin expressing his vision of where he wants to lead the country in a more holistic and thematic way that tie together his policy positions in a way that most people who are not denizens of political websites or frequent viewers of Meet the Press can identify with.

By the way, I think he's going to do it.

[WilliamPitt]

25. Will MoveOn.org pay for it?

[mzmolly]

26. Pay for what?

They will pay for ads I'm certain.

All moveon is saying is that Kerry should adopt a more populist message. That's not suggesting he take a risk, that suggesting he inspire more involvement from voters.

Dean will help with that I think. It's good to see them teaming up. ;)

[WilliamPitt]

27. Pay for going Defcon 1 in May, June, July, August, September, October

and two days in November.

It should cost somewhere near half a billion dollars to do that, to satisfy the "Attack now!" desires of those of us who dearly want to see a street fight.

I'm glad we're not in charge of Kerry's campaign.

[mzmolly]

28. This petition has nothing to do with *attacking* anyone?

It's about involving the voters in a populist way and laying out a strong clear vision.

[mzmolly]

29. Here is the text of the petition.

We all want to send George Bush home to Crawford, Texas, in November. He seems convinced that the way to win is by playing on our fears. You can prove that the answer lies in appealing to the "better angels of our nature."

Let Bush own September 11th and the politics of fear. You should own September 12th -- the spirit of generosity and community that poured forth in the aftermath of the attacks -- and the politics of hope.

Offer voters a bold moral vision of what America can be. A vision that is bigger than the things that divide us. A vision that brings hope and soul back to our politics and appeals to more than voters' narrow self-interests. A vision that makes America once again a respected force for good in the world.

Don't be tempted to adopt the familiar -- and failed -- Republican-lite swing voter strategy. You can reach out to and inspire the fifty percent of eligible voters who have given up on voting. If you do, you will win not in a toss-up but a landslide.

Senator Kerry, I'm ready to vote my hopes and not my fears. So please: Go Big, Ask More!

Sincerely,

(your name)
(your address)

I don't find anything objectionable in that statement, and when Kerry does this, and I predict he will, we'll all be thrilled.

[GreenPartyVoter]

30. Dunno if my signature went through.. got a dead page :^(

[mzmolly]

32. Bummer... Try this link.

http://www.moveon.org/pac/news/gobig.html ;) :hi:

[PeaceForever]

38. The time for this is AFTER the election, not before

The goal for now should be to get Bush out of office. Let's focus on ideological purity once Kerry gets sworn in.