MUST READ KOS: The Frameshop: LISTEN UP!!

[berni_mccoy]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/14/111845/605/648/598375

Frameshop: LISTEN UP!
by Jeffrey Feldman

Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 09:00:15 AM PDT

Time for some tough love, folks. A pep talk. A crash course in remembering who we are and what we do best.

DailyKos is my netroots home. The diary column is my 'hood. This is a great place. So...

LISTENING UP!

WE CAN WIN THIS THING!

BUT FIRST: WE NEED TO REMEMBER WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW!

The Republicans have hit fast and hard since their convention. They've played dirty. They've landed punches. They have us scrambling. But people! This does not mean we should forget everything that we have learned and discussed on this site for the past 4 years! We can do better!

Look around you. This site has become obsessed with presenting 'facts' that 'prove' Sarah Palin is not good enough to be Vice President. All that is doing is helping McCain. But worse: it goes against everything we've learned, everything we've dedicated ourselves to. We can do better!

You think McCain supporters will respond to facts? You think that's air they're breathing?

People, diarists, friends, Kossacks: THE TIME HAS COME TO GET BACK IN THE GAME--OUR GAME!

Here are five steps to get us there...

Jeffrey Feldman's diary :: ::
STEP 1: STOP WITH THE ENDLESS PALIN DIARIES
I'm talking to you, friend. That's right. You--the diarist who thinks he/she has found the fact or scandal that definitively proves why Sarah Palin will be a bad Vice President, and who thinks he/she has found the most clever and convincing way to present that utterly devastating fact. Stop, already. We have seen it. No more. There are enough 'Sarah Palin is Corrupt, Stupid, Dangerous, and Not Ready' diaries to fill a thousand blogs. We get it!

But even 10,000 more diaries like that will only help McCain--only help him.

Why? Because Palin is not on the McCain ticket because she is smart, qualified, and ready. She is on the ticket to shore up McCain's 'culture war' credentials--to put her on the 'right side' of the cultural wedge issues the Republicans use to divide the electorate and win Presidential elections.

So...the more we obsess over Palin, the more connected to John McCain the lunatic wing of the Republican Party feels.

STEP 2: TAKE A MINUTE TO REMEMBER OBAMA'S VISION
We can only win this election if the majority of voters in this country (A) know what Obama's vision for America is and (B) agree with it.

Newsflash: People do not hear Obama's vision for the country when we say that John McCain is a 'liar' or that Sarah Palin is 'stupid.'

Keep this in mind: The Republicans never just say that Barack Obama is a 'liar' or that he is 'unprepared.' They say that he is a liar about something very specific. They say that he is unprepared to do something specific. And those specific things are never, ever, ever left out of the attack--never ever.

So if you are going to say that McCain lies--tell people what he is lying about and show them how that fits into Obama's vision for America:

JOHN MCCAIN LIES BECAUSE HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS, BECAUSE HE HAS NO FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO FORCE THIS COUNTRY BACKWARDS INSTEAD OF LEAD US TOGETHER INTO THE FUTURE.

Remember, there is a reason we critique the opposition and that is: to emphasize Obama's vision. So emphasize it.

STEP 3: REMEMBER THE POWER OF REPETITION
If you remember one thing from the last four years of blogging about election debate rhetoric and what it takes to win, remember this: WHAT WE REPEAT IS WHAT THE PUBLIC REMEMBERS.

If we repeat 'Palin, Palin, Palin,' over and over again between now and November--whether we are saying good things or bad things, 'Palin' is what will be in the minds of the public.

Remember the primaries? Remember how often the words 'Hope' and 'Yes we can!' were repeated on this site? Remember how much of an impact that had on the election. Were they perfect slogan? Probably not. But my goodness, they were repeated and that repetition had an impact. A big impact.

Stop saying 'Palin' and start saying:

GET OUT THE VOTE!
SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS!
FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!
LEAD US TOGETHER INTO THE FUTURE!

This is not some experiment in creative self actualization. This is not some exercise. This is the real thing.

STEP 4: WRITE IN A WAY THAT STOPS THE FEAR HEMORRHAGING
At the core of this whole obsessive meltdown is a very basic human reaction: we are afraid that the American public will once again be confused by the Republican smear machine and elect yet another dangerous President who will drive this country deeper and deeper into a hole. We. Are. AFRAID.

That is totally understandable. We are human. We see what is happening around us.

But we are more than just average voters around here. We are leaders of a national conversation that sets a tone, drives language into the media, and pushes our elected officials.

When candidates we supported were afraid to run for office--we gave them confidence.

When voters felt alone in the destructive Bush era--we made them feel part of a community.

When each of us worried that there was no turning back after 2004--we rallied together and helped take back the Senate and the Congress.

We must find our confidence again. Forget the polls. Forget the nasty ads. Forget the lipstick and swine. Reach deep inside yourself and find the inspiration again.

DON'T JUST WRITE A DIARY. WRITE TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT EACH OF US HAS THE POWER TO DRIVE THIS COUNTRY TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE.

Believe in yourself again.

STEP 5: CARRY OPTIMISM AWAY FROMM THE BLOG AND INTO YOUR LIVES
Above all else, use the optimism we generate here to revive and restore hope in the world around you.

One of the most disheartening things I have seen in the past week is the level of fear and concern amongst people who are not connected via the netroots.

The media obsession over Palin has cast a dark cloud over a country filled with hope following the DNC in Denver. The anxiety is so thick I can feel it in my throat. More people have told me they are going to leave this country than at any time I can remember in my life.

WE MUST LEAD WITH OUR OPTIMISM, USE OUR WRITING TO HELP PEOPLE SEE THROUGH THE FEAR AND BACK TO THE HOPE AT THE HEART OF THIS ELECTION.

Do more than write diaries that reject the McCain language, that emphasize Obama's vision, that repeat our campaign themes, and that reject fear for confidence--take all those strengths and inject them into the off-line world to help revive a fearful nation.

We are more than diarists. We are conversation leaders and that conversation has become tangled in a well-planned mess of distractions unleashed on the American public from a convention center in St. Paul, MN.

So now it is our turn to reclaim it--our turn to rebuild the kind of conversation that will win this election for those who believe in a better future.

Let's get busy.

Let's work together.

Let's not waste one more minute being afraid.

Let's win this damn election.

[Joanne98]

1. He sounds like demstrategist from the Kerry campaign!

[Peregrine Took]

5. "Happy talk, keep talking happy talk". n/t

[TxBlue]

40. THis time we have much better candidate & economy in tailspin even more

[KoKo]

70. Agree....think I've heard that thing somewhere before...too many times, maybe.

:eyes:

[blondeatlast]

101. From a dancing penguin, maybe? nt

[KoKo]

103. delete...not worth the time for an idiot.

[polichick]

2. Well, they say only LIGHT can overcome DARKNESS!

[Shine]

17. YES ! We must keep on Shining!

:toast: Stay positive. Keep the faith. Hold the vision.

[Honeycombe8]

50. Leeeettttt the sun shiiiine.....leeettttt the sun shine in....the su-un shine in....

sarah who?

I'm gettin' it, i'm gettin' it.

[TxBlue]

52. Nice singing, indieana500!

[Az]

3. The GOP are pulling the strings behind the Palin charade. Its time to cut them and shine the light

And it needs to be placed squarely on Obama and it needs to show the people the hope that he carries for not just America but the world.

[elocs]

4. "STEP 1: STOP WITH THE ENDLESS PALIN DIARIES " Yes! Yes! Yes!

The endless obsession with any and everything Palin should end. It is distraction and misdirection and the Republicans love it.

And enough with the fear and hand wringing already!

[Skwmom]

86. I see you agree with the Republicans. Well, we can focus on both at the same time.

Exposing one exposes the other. Isn't it beautiful how that works?

[elocs]

98. No, I don't agree with the Republicans and neither does Jeffrey Feldman who wrote the piece for Kos.

Did you even bother to read his points before you accuse both of us of agreeing with the Republicans? I have read of many Democrats who believe that Palin is a distraction, so does that mean that all of us agree with the Republicans? Only your point of view is the only correct and valid point of view? You walk a narrow line when you accuse a fellow DUer of agreeing with the Republicans just because he does not agree with you. I would never throw such an accusation of another DUer just because they do not agree with my point. You have, however, earned a place on my ignore list. Isn't it beautiful how that works?

[blondeatlast]

100. Which is a point that you yourself pushed last week. Whatever. nt

[xiamiam]

6. he's right...universal law of attraction...we get what we focus on..negative or positive..

imo..we contributed to the mccain/palin bump...and we can change that...there are definitely issues which are more pressing than gossip..although this country cant seem to get enough of it..reminds me of the non stop coverage of anna nicole smiths death and funeral...

[TxBlue]

12. Totally! You get what you Focus on! Focus on Winning & Do it!

[bjobotts]

58. Palin is a distraction from issues,Notice Iraq, Iran, Torture,Health care

[bjobotts]

59. SS, Global Warmining, the last 8yrs of our failing Economy. the Politicization of the DoJ

[bjobotts]

60. Spying, Bush corruption,etc., HAVE NOT BEEN MENTIONED IN THE PRESS

[bjobotts]

61. Becauise it's all Palin all the time.They want us to forget the last 8yrs.

[bjobotts]

62. There is no Obama "vision" without changing how these issues have been dealt with

[bjobotts]

63. DON'T GET DISTRACTED is 1st in presenting Obama's vision

[bjobotts]

64. Palin is a nobody. McCain is every lobbyist's "pet senator on a leash"

[bjobotts]

65. We can't trust the same ones who got us into this mess to get us out

[bjobotts]

66. Especially when they want to contunue the same policies that got here.

[bjobotts]

67. Obama's vision is...ENOUGH. Look what they've done to our nation.This stops now

[WhiteTara]

7. I just sent this out to all my lists

We need to no react in knee jerk fashion...let's win this election!

[PerfectSage]

8. Let's get busy. Let's work together Let's not waste one more minute being afraid.

Let's win this damn election.

:kick:

[Shiver]

41. Damn right!

Fear is what THEY want. Fear is what THEY use. Fear is how THEY keep control.

Fuck fear. We're running on a message stronger than fear.

Stay bright, stay strong, and above all, to quote a great man, keep hope alive!

Yes. We. Can!

[gtar100]

96. Fear cuts both ways.

Senator Obama has a vision for our future that is vibrant, prosperous, and within our reach. If that is taken away from us by the lies of mccain and palin (and the stupid people who would vote for them), the people they hurt will not forget. We either learn from history or the cycles inevitably repeat themselves. The repugs may be blissfully ignorant, but they have far more to fear if mcccain is elected.

[gblady]

9. bookmarked...

for a breath of fresh air...

[NoName Left]

76. Just looking at that image has a cleansing effect.

No sneering, grimacing, snarled lips...no deer in the headlights staring straight out at me begging me to believe the absurd...no offensive aggression...no sticky sheen of nervous perspiration.

Competence, intelligence, civility. They even look like they smell good - bathed and fresh!

Something about this image softly whispers from a time when being an American citizen felt much better than it does today.

Strictly my personal, visceral reaction to this photo of Obama and Biden.

Thank you, gblady!

[chknltl]

80. Welcome to the DU NoNameLeft

There have been a lot of trolls signing on lately-they rarely last long. Something tells me that you are no troll. Welcome aboard :pals:

[NoName Left]

102. Heh. I am no troll. I would say "Trust me", but that statement

is unutterable and sticks in the throat considering who's been using it for the past 8 years.

Have been reading DU for ages, but recently decided to add my 2 cents.
When I was trying to register a nickname the ones I wanted were all taken - thus NoNameLeft...thanks for the welcome.

[TxBlue]

10. Kick

[TxBlue]

11. Recommend this Thread!!! keep at top!! Focus on Winning!!!!

[kayell]

13. K&R

:kick: This is what we need to see. This is where we need to go.

[TxBlue]

14. Thanks! That's so right! Let's all keep it postive. JUST DO IT! DU'ers!

[TxBlue]

16. Ok Are there any DU'ers that want to actually win this race?

Then recommend and kick this thread. Print it out and put on your computer.

Hello?

[LeighAnn]

82. So said Michael Dukakis

"We'll not take the low road!" said he.

[Shine]

15. My sentiments exactly. K & R!

:kick:

Keep the faith. Stay Positive. Hold the Vision. :woohoo:

We will win this!

[TxBlue]

18. Anybody here ever achieve a Goal? How did you do it?

By focusing on the Pink Elephant in the room?

No, by focusing on your goal. Now let's visualize,verbalize, dreamilize, blogilize, phonebankize, contributize Obama win into reality. It absolutely will happen.

[bridgit]

19. For me it was hard work and forward motion in spite of the obstacles thrown in my way

[TxBlue]

23. Exactly, Bridget! I remember trying to get something really important

our home. My dh, bless his heart, as a vietnam vet, suffers from PTSD. He was moaning and very negative. Didn't have faith.

I finally told him to "just be quiet". If he didn't have the faith to help, then I did but I couldn't handle his pulling me down and keep my faith up at the same time.

That's how I feel when I come here alot. I feel in my heart we're going to win election but when I visit this site there is such handwringing. Grow a spine! Many complain about the DNC or the campaign not hitting hard enough. Then all of YOU DU'ers that complain - grow a spine and lead by example!

GEEZ! Louise!

[bridgit]

24. Cheers & Peace on'ya, TxBlue!

:toast:

[Shine]

28. That's why this place needs people like you, me and others to hold the vision

keep the faith and stay positive! :toast:

Don't get sucked into FEAR!

False

Evidence

Appearing

Real

[TxBlue]

31. LOVE it! False Evidence Appearing Real = FEAR

Thank you very much for that!

[Shine]

34. I can't take credit for that one myself, but I use it a lot to help me Remember

what's True.

[NoName Left]

77. By constantly putting one foot in front of the other...

I KNOW I can do this. I KNOW we can do this. I KNOW this will succeed.

And. This I also KNOW...confidence and reinforcing the positive is contagious.

[TxBlue]

20. I wonder about Ghandi

How did he win independence for India from the whole f''' British Empire?

Did he seat at home wondering if no one agreed with him, or what if , what if, what if?

I don't think so.

Where all the DU'ers? Y'all should be making this thread light on fire! Geez, no wonder I'm spending more and more time over at dkos.

[Shine]

25. "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean;....

...if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

~Mahatma Gandhi

[TxBlue]

27. ..if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Thanks!

[Shine]

32. "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

~Mahatma Gandhi

A wise soul, indeed. :toast: Here's to creating Harmony and releasing Fear!

[TxBlue]

37. Love it! Keep those sayings coming!!!

[Cha]

21. Hell NO they don't respond to Facts!

And yeah, Stop the Fuckin' Fear Factor on DU. NOW. Let 'em sink.

[amborin]

22. this article also has excellent tips:

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-romm/can-obama-win ... >

"There is a simple fact about elections that has eluded Democrats in every presidential campaign they have lost in the last 40 years: that as a candidate, you have to focus first and foremost not on a litany of "issues" but on four stories:

the story you tell about yourself, the story your opponent is telling about himself, the story your opponent is telling about you, and the story you are telling about your opponent. Candidates who offer compelling stories in all four quadrants of this "message grid" win, and those who leave any of them to chance generally lose."

"Can Obama Win With Half a Messaging Strategy and Half a Ticket?
stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust mixx.com Posted September 11, 2008 | 02:02 PM (EST)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No strategic counterpunch and a self-emasculating VP makes Obama's job twice as hard. If his team understood messaging, he'd be doing much better against "Me-too" McCain, the make-believe maverick.

Winning presidential campaigns have four strategic messages and two messengers. Obama's glass is half empty. Let's start with "Political Strategy 101" -- well, it should be "101" but for Democrats starting with Al Gore, it apparently has been a graduate level elective that they skipped. As psychologist and Political Brain author Drew Westen explained in Huffington Post last month:


There is a simple fact about elections that has eluded Democrats in every presidential campaign they have lost in the last 40 years: that as a candidate, you have to focus first and foremost not on a litany of "issues" but on four stories: the story you tell about yourself, the story your opponent is telling about himself, the story your opponent is telling about you, and the story you are telling about your opponent. Candidates who offer compelling stories in all four quadrants of this "message grid" win, and those who leave any of them to chance generally lose.

I'd actually put it a little differently. You need a story about yourself and a story about your opponent. And you need a counterpunch to your opponent's stories about himself and about you. Ideally, the stories can be boiled down to a catchy slogan ("it's the economy, stupid") or one or two words "compassionate conservative") that make use of the memorable figures of speech from the 25-century-old art of persuasion (aka rhetoric). Same for the counterpunch ("He was for it before he was against it.").


The word "story" here is roughly equivalent to two other popular terms -- "narrative" or "frame." It is also equivalent to rhetoric's "extended metaphor," which I argue is the most important figure of speech in my not-yet-bestselling unpublished manuscript, Politics, Religion, and the English Language.

Good candidates will pound away with a strong positive extended metaphor of why you should vote for them and with an equally strong negative extended metaphor of why you should not vote for their opponents. Winning two-term candidates, like President George W. Bush with the help of Karl Rove, will have a counter-punch to their opponent's positive and negative extended metaphors. The counterpunches always use the same figure of speech -- dramatic irony, wherein someone's words unintentionally mean something quite different from (and often opposite to) what they intended.

The goal is to find a powerful dramatic irony in their opponents' words or deeds that blow up the opposition's own extended metaphor. That always makes a great story, since it is satisfying sport for people to be hoist with their own petard or for people to be uncovered as a hypocrite.

Think Michael Dukakis in an army tank, or President Bush on the aircraft carrier with the "Mission Accomplished" banner in the background, or the Swift Boat ads run against John Kerry. Dramatic irony is the key to understanding both popular culture and politics -- but that is another post."




"What Karl Rove and his disciples now running the McCain campaign figured out is that since the media doesn't really police the truth in a meaningful fashion, you can pretty much take whatever your opponent says out of context and turn that into a defining dramatic irony. Or just make stuff up entirely. The Rovian dramatic irony is almost always linked to the same extended metaphor -- the Democrat is an out of touch, intellectual elitist who is "not one of us." After seeing so many many Democratic candidates fall into this trap so easily, it is a very easy sell to the public and media, as the Rovians are proving once again. Rove's candidates, on the other hand, are always a plain spoken man (or woman) of the people.

The other point of having the four stories or frames or extended metaphors is that it makes responding to attacks very easy. If you've been rebranding McCain as the make-believe maverick then whenever he launches a phony attack, you can just point out this is more proof he is the make-believe maverick pushing the old politics, whereas you remain the one-and-only candidate of real change

Back to the four stories Obama needs.

1. He has (most of) the story about himself: "Change" or "Change we can believe in" -- although, as McCain has shown, it is not really a full frame or extended metaphor because it doesn't really connect Obama's background and values with his policies, as an ideal story would do. Thus it can be twisted into "the wrong kind of change."

2. Obama's best story is about McCain: McCain=Bush, McCain is more of the same. None of these is rhetorically memorable, though at least there are a lot of visuals and facts linking McCain and Bush. This story is, of course, mostly policy-oriented and not a character attack -- and it is certainly true that Obama is winning the policy war but losing the character war.

3. Obama, however, has no counterpunch to McCain's story (or McCain's attack on Obama). Now in part that's because McCain reversed his story from "experience" to "change/maverick." And in part it's because Obama mistakenly muzzled the 527s who would have branded McCain as the out-of-touch old-politics lobbyist-loving flip-flopper he is

It must also be said that Obama didn't have much of a response to the "experience" frame in the first place because Obama insists on calling McCain a war hero, a man of honor, blah, blah, blah. Not exactly how Rovians winners deal with the Kerry team losers. Indeed, by not forcing McCain to defend the experience frame, by buying into his McCain's frame, it was that much easier for McCain to pivot to a new message.

As I've said, Obama should be rebranding McCain as a make-believe maverick. To get in even more alliteration, I might call him "Me-too McCain" since that covers his disingenuous copying of Obama's change message and his dangerous copying of Bush's policies.

Also, Obama should have gone after McCain as an out of touch elitist -- in fact, he still can. The Obama team let Phil Gramm's "nation of whiners" and "mental recession" lines die in the ether, and seems to have dropped the blockbuster gaff of McCain forgetting how many houses he owns. Yet these fit right in with the make-believe maverick meme. I can assure you, a Rovian winning candidate would still be using those dramatic-irony gaffes regularly. Indeed, Palin continues to talk about Obama's "bitter" comment, and that is from even further back in the campaign.

4. The main reason for Obama to continue pushing the extended metaphor of McCain as an out of touch elitist, aside from the fact that it's true and powerful, is to inoculate himself against the McCain-Palin-Rove onslaught that has begun to frame him as the out of touch elitist in the campaign.

Right now, Obama is diving directly into the "too clever" and "not one of us" extended metaphor that overcame Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry. I suspect that this will be the McCain team's central frame for winning the debates even if he loses them on policy points, since that was how Bush bested Kerry strategically in the debates even though the polls seemed to indicate that, at a tactical level, Kerry won them all. But that is a long story I will come back to closer to the debates.

For now, in passing, I will just note that Sarah Palin is using almost verbatim the exact same attack that Bush used to prove Kerry is not one of us. Palin is attacking Obama's language, that he says one thing to working-class people in the heartland and another thing to his supporters in San Francisco.

I mention McCain's VP mainly to segue into Joe Biden aka "the man who wasn't there." Only lipstickgate spared us from the lead story being Biden saying, Hillary "might have been a better pick than me." The mere utterance of that self-emasculating sentiment makes it true. Needless to say, the McCain campaign immediately said:


"Barack Obama's most important decision of this election, and Biden -- the candidate he selects -- suggests, himself, that he wasn't the right man for the job, and that Hillary Clinton would have been a better choice. Biden certainly has a credible viewpoint on this."

The Biden comment suggests he is speaking from a position of great personal weakness and that he feels completely overshadowed by Palin, which could be a disaster for the VP debate. Taking nothing away from Hillary, whose credentials and experience speak for themselves -- indeed, if Obama loses it will be clear that not choosing Hillary was a mistake -- the choice of Hillary would also have allowed McCain to pivot to being the real change candidate anyway, and opened up Obama to a slew of different attacks. Though it is as certain as death and taxes that Hillary never would have said Joe Biden "might have been a better pick than me."

In any case, the Rovians always find stuff or make stuff up. If the Obama team doesn't understand political messaging, it doesn't really matter who their VP is or what how they are attacked.

Josh Marshall wondered today, "Did Biden forget to mention to Obama that he was retiring from public life in September?" Exactly. If Biden is feeling like the fifth wheel -- fourth wheel? -- he should keep it to himself, buck up, and find a damn message."

[Eyes_wide_ open]

26. He's right about Palin

She's irrelevant, she's NOT the nominee. VP picks do not decide elections. As long as SHE is the focus, we are not getting the word out about Obama's policies, his stand on the issues, his vision for our country. And even though we may being telling the truth, we look like the McCain campaign ... attacking the opponent because we don't have anything worthwhile to say about our own ... just sayin'.

[TxBlue]

29. So obvious it's playing to Rove trap to keep on driveling about Palin

It's getting really, really boring too.

The shock factor has faded. I think she was totally vetted by Rove or his clone to be OUTRAGEOUS and take our focus off of the GOAL TO WIN THE ELECTION!

[cstanleytech]

74. Bingo!! In fact considering the whole timing for her daughter being

pregnant story with mono that burst on the net I suspect they might have planted it themselves with the hopes the media, bloggers and others would take it and run with it which they did, hook, line and sinker.
Hopefully though its only a short term trend, we have another 2 months almost to repair the dmg, refocus on McCain and hammer on topic and repeatedly ask him and his supporters the hard questions like how will his administration be different than president Bush in terms of policies, that and we need to challenge them, accuse the republicans (and rightly so) of being so far out of touch and so out of ideas that they were unable to come up with their own platform and so now they are trying to steal Obamas idea of change.

[butterfly77]

30. And remember that trolls,freepers,creepers or whatever you want..

to call them are posting on these boards and keeping them going, let them die...

[TxBlue]

33. Trolls came out bigtime yesterday and seem almost to take over DU sometimes

This is a really great site and true DU'ers need to take it back and call out the trolls and drown them!

[TxBlue]

36. Trolls show how desperate they are

Remember couple things about the polls and media. They're going to play this like a horse race as long as possible to keep up ratings. I think we could see a real landslide and shock and awe! for Obama. For trolls to come out in full force like they have recently tells me they are desperate. Someone here said they traced a troll and it was coming from a Senate IP address.

McSame campaign has pr firms trolling fulltime. Remember that and fight back at grassroots level!

[butterfly77]

38. I could see the difference right after the ..

Convention and McCain's announcement..

[TxBlue]

39. Yes, that convention was sorry...Ron Paul got Much Bigger Crowds than RNC

I heard Ron Paul got 12,000 to RNC's 4,000 at convention and most of the 4,000 were over 60 yrs old and out of touch. Definitely not a slice of Americana.

[Naturyl]

46. Neat. But Ron Paul sucks no matter what. (n/t)

[TxBlue]

53. Well I'm just saying a fringe movement got more people than RNC!

[democracy1st]

35. K & R

[DallasNE]

42. The "Daughter Is The Mother" Story Did A Lot Of Damage

I strongly condenmed it then. McCain did a good job of blaming Obama for the dirty deed of DailyKos. DailyKos has done that before as well so I don't put much faith in them. Belatedly, they have some good suggestons now. Too bad they ran into the ditch about 10 days ago. Hitting McCain hard does not mean getting down in the gutter with him.

[trthnd4jstc]

43. Thanks for the post. Good Points.

I admit. I thought about leaving this country also. I think about how I work for justice and truth, and Newt Gingrich and all the other culture warriors and how there are at least 85 million of them, and maybe 25 million of us.

You do make good points. Sen. Obama has a vision for all of the people. We need to be the idea of the campaign. We truly do need a rebirthing and reawakening.

I will keep working for truth and justice. I hope that we can keep up with the battle. Our country needs renewal.

Thanks again. I will keep trying.

[Waiting For Everyman]

44. What does this writer think all the "ammo" on lies is FOR?

WTF? If we don't tell people why McC/P is an unacceptable choice, we lose. If we don't exchange info and facts on WHY they're unacceptable, just how do we do that?

Good grief! Put Obama on McC, and Biden on Palin. That's THEIR job. What we can do is find and circulate MORE AMMO. That's what we're doing, and it's working. We circulate it to the media and TRY to hold their feet to the fire on the lies being told. If we and the media don't vet this bi*ch, it won't get done. There's no time.

We're doing the right thing, and doing it well. Of course we encourage each other to work and participate... DUH! Those who can are doing it.

And if we come up with an ad idea, well guess what - it might be a good one. If the campaign can't do it, maybe a 527 person who sees it can. This is free-form idea-flow, and IT'S WORKING.

People like this writer, I don't get what their problem is. I really don't. But it's tiresome.

[Naturyl]

45. K&R... this guy is SPOT-ON.

Ignore what this guy is saying at your own risk.

[progressiveforever]

47. I appreciate this post

We need this.

[Cha]

48. Bookmarked and

Kicked!

[Spiffarino]

49. They tell lies because they have nothing else

There is only one thing Obama needs to drill into the American psyche:

If McCain will lie to get elected, what would he do as President?

[bertman]

51. Be positive. Be happy. Get busy. Work together. All excellent ideas, but being positive isn't going

to stop the Republicans from stealing the votes via their control of the voting machines and many of the key states' election apparatus. They are immune to good vibes.

[NoName Left]

78. It is not about sending good vibes to the GOP. Sheesh.

It is about making what WE do productive and successful.

Cynicism is destructive and ultimately destructive to the person hell-bent on wallowing in it.

And if you really believe the Obama campaign has overlooked the issues of rigged voting, and hasn't been laying solid groundwork to deal with it? You are exposing a vast vacuum in your own common sense...not to mention vastly underestimating theirs.

[bertman]

88. There's a HUGE difference in cynicism and being realistic. If I thought the Obama campaign was

on top of this--and I beg you to show me HOW they are--I wouldn't even mention it. If you think that sheer numbers of votes cast for Obama is going to mean anything I think you are sadly mistaken. We're registering new voters by the hundreds of thousands yet the media polls still show McAnus ahead or neck and neck with Obama. This is no accident. As long as they keep the image of the race being close they can steal it with the machines. Fact. Not cynicism or hyperbole. It's been done twice already in the last two national elections.

So far, we're getting a newsflash a day about the caging efforts by the Republicans. And those are just the ones we're hearing about.


Does anybody remember the optimism we all had after John Kerry made Bush look like a blithering idiot in the tv debates?


Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.

[progressoid]

54. Thanks for the link Berni.

[trickyguy]

55. You're right. We need to do more than just vote. And

I'll say it because I believe it: Yes We Can.

[TxBlue]

57. YEs. We. Can. and we MUST protect the Votes also, Agree with you

[firedupdem]

56. Great Post! I used to come here for motivation and I was starting

to get depressed by it. Thanks again!

[misskittysister]

68. Inspiration

Much needed post, thank you! The forces of distraction are working with a lot of other folks, there's no doubt, but we have no choice, we've got to stay focused, our country's future is at stake. I agree; debunking Palin might make us feel better, but isn't going to convince the other side; she's their rock star, their anointed one, and she can do no wrong. Whatever we say, no matter how logical and truthful, they have an answer ready. Now, if someone from the ranks of Republican royalty, say Nancy Reagan, would publicly denounce the choice, (somewhere I read that Ron Reagan had mentioned Nancy'd admired Obama) that might be helpful, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Misskittycat]

73. Congratulations on your first post! Feels good, doesn't it?

[misskittysister]

85. First Post

YES!!! Feels good to be a part of this community. Thanks!

[knixphan]

69. Especially Step 5

Especially.

[Kilroy003]

71. Visit... xx.barackobama.com (where 'xx' = your state code)

Register and join 'Neighbor to Neighbor'.

Make calls, canvass and donate what/when you can.


That is how you can make a difference. Do it now!

Only 50 days to go!

[phycomycetes]

72. K&R - YES WE WILL!

That's the spirit!

Give people something they want to identify with! Stay positive! Be confident! And SHOW confidence, spread this notion!
Spot light back on Obama! HE is the protagonist, because he represents US, the People!
WE are the People! This is OUR election!
WE! US!
Let the People feel they are part of the Obama movement!
If we talk ALL the time about "us" and "them", we give people the notion that "them" is an option!
If we use "us" instead, it will catch on, and people will identify with the "us".
There is no "them"! "Them" is NOT an option, got it?

This is about US, THE PEOPLE - THIS IS ABOUT OBAMA BEING THE LEADER WE NEED AND ELECT!!!
It's not about Obama being better than McCain - heck, there are PLENTY of people who are better than McCain - this is about Obama being THE BEST!!!
You'd better start believing this now, or no-one else will!


Spread the message!

[lisainmilo]

75. I somewhat agree

I think there should be 2 fronts. Yes, let the sunshine, take that door to door and on the phone. but, I still think that one also needs to fight the lies (swiftboating). I have seen as of yesterday, several ads doing just that. I hope the 527's fight the smears and Obama stays with the powerful truth, forceful at times and other times just on what his vision for the future of America. It is all about balance. :)
just my thoughts.

[TxBlue]

79. Yes we should fight on all fronts but keep your spirits up

ixNay on all of the negativity is the main point! All the depressing naysaying has to be quenched.

It's just counterproductive. Simply keep goals in front of us, in our minds and in writing.

Here's a great idea: Everyone print off a little sign: "Congratulations, President Obama!"

Paste it on your computer and put on your refrigerator. Feel how good that feels, knowing we helped with our contributions of time, money, ideas, etc. to help us get out of this mess. Stay in that mindset while you do all you can to help Obama get elected.

I'm in Texas tonight and there is virtual block of news from Houston/Galveston area. Supplies are getting to the Nat'l Guard and first responders. It's a major cluster****. Supplies are there but not getting deployed somehow in a obscene display of negligent incompetence.

The markets are limit down on the futures IF they open at all tomorrow. In other words, things are rapidly spiraling downward.

No more time to entertain negativity. Whether you are a follower of Christ or JHVH or not, the Bible has words of wisdom that we have a choice to choose blessings or not, based on our thoughts. As a man thinks, so is he. I do not, by any means, consider Obama a messiah but he is a good leader. I haven't read his biography but plan to get it. I imagine he made a decision at some point when he was younger to turn his life around and overcome great obstacles. He must have kept his eyes on the goal.

Let's do likewise.

[bridgit]

81. I'm rilly at a lose, I never go to Kos...

:shrug:

[liberalcanuck]

83. K & R'd! Agree Obama and Biden need to stay focused on the issues.

But we won't be swiftboated or Roved this time!

NOT THIS TIME!

[happygoluckytoyou]

84. AND GET YOUR CHILDREN TO REGISTER TO VOTE....we have an old guy and lipsticked pig to stop

[bongbong]

87. More suggestions

I agree with a bunch of the points raised here, but my summary would look like this. I suppose you can think of this as a template for discussion with swing voters.

1) Dismiss Mooseburger with one specific sentence, like "She lied over and over about her support for pork, and she is a creationist. Do you really want a creationist anywhere near the White House?" Replace creationist with "anti-choice" or "pro-gov't control over you womb" as needed.

2) Repeat that McPOW has lied over and over about his voting record, his closeness to chimp, about Obama's record (use specifics like the "sex education" ad). He is deeply involved with Washington DC insiders and has literally hundreds of special interest lobbyists working intimintely (sp) on his campaign, and they will most likely end up in his administration.

2a) If people need more evidence for the endless lies of the republicans, send them to factcheck.org (with specific links)

3) Talk about how republican deregulation has brought the world economy to the brink, and has led to taxpayer-financed bailouts of fatcats. "Do you really want to vote for a guy who will keep shoveling your hard-earned money to investment banks on Wall Street?"

4) THEN bring up the positive things about Obama. Remember to point out that he has been vetted for 19 months under intense media scrutiny. Point out that he has very specific plans about the future which will improve things, and that these specific plans are on his website. Find the link that shows how his tax cuts benefit people more than McPOWs.

END OF RANT/REPLY. :-)


Meta-observation: Many, many, many bloggers and commenters on the sane side of the fence (AKA Dems, Liberals, Progressives) have ideas for the Dem campaign. Contrast this with the republicans, whose blogs and comments basically all say the same thing: "Yay for our heroes!". Note our independent, adult thought with their childish, brainless cheerleading.

Aren't we great? :-)

[Demi_Babe]

89. Get Busy GOBAMA

[redqueen]

90. He's absolutely ritght.

Excellent diary... thanks for cross posting it here. :hi:

[BearSquirrel2]

91. I think you're wrong ...

McCain got one hell of a bounce after naming Palin VP. I doubt this is a coincidence. So, she has to be taken down as the hypocrite she is as part of the hypocrite ticket. And part of that effort of revealing the hypocrite ticket is going after McCain's flip flops as well.

[rndmprsn]

92. K&R

[JEB]

93. Get out the vote!

More threads and information about Get Out the Vote efforts, please. The more people vote, the greater Obama's margin of victory.

[azmouse]

94. bookmarked and K&R

[azmouse]

99. ...

[redqueen]

95. ...

:kick:

[ann_american2004]

97. This is excellent

Obama's message is exactly what America needs. It should be easy for us to stick to message. If people try to draw it back to Palin, this supposed 'phenomenon' can be dismissed with a phrase or word: "Absurd" "W in pants" "Tina Fey makes a better Palin than Palin" As my Hubby says though this has been a surprise VP nomination, it is actually pretty humorous. After all, now McCain is riding her apron strings like a little kid needing his mother. He would not get attention otherwise. McCain campaign's Mama. lol. She might not wear pantsuits but she is definitely wearing the pants in the Republican Party. McCain doesnt need to worry about melanoma under Palin's big shadow. lol. Simple phrases like that show the obvious: McCain isnt much without his campaign Mama. He is sort of lost like a little child, clinging to her leg. Then go back to Obama's message.

1st Obama's message
2nd Dismiss 'phenomenon' with a humorous one line emphasizing the fact that McCain isnt much without his 'little sunshine', 'moose hunter' etc.
3rd BACK to Obama's message and why he inspires you.

Here are some one liners.
McCain better remember to wear his sunscreen around his 'little sunshine'.
Wow she's really taken the spotlight away from McCain, you know that old guy who stands next to her all the time?
What is he doing up there with the Republican's star, anyway?-trying to get a better look at her ass?
McCain, who?
McCain doesnt need to worry about melanoma under Palin's big shadow.
Maybe McCain needs glasses like Palin. Glasses can make any idiot look smart. Then maybe somebody would actually listen to whatever the hell he is mumbling about.
Did you see the bruises on Palin's leg? Yeah McCain was clinging so tightly they had to pry him off.

Turn the humor back on them. Then get BACK to the message.

edit:spelling
Yippie - this is going to be FUN!!!

[quantass]

104. k&r