My mom: get back in touch with "the people" WE HAVE MOMENTUM

[Nevernose]

My mother just gave me some of her wisdom and experience:
After the Goldwater days, the Republicans sat down and totally reinvented themselves -- that's what the Democrats have to do now. Even IF Ohio and Florida were electronically stolen, this thing was way too close for comfort. People are voting agasint their own self interests, and WHY? How can we use the momentum we've gained over the last four years to change ourselves?

Good old mom gave me her biggest reason: that Kerry is a Massachusetts liberal with all the personality of a wooden doll. She voted for him, agreed with him, just didn't think he was very likable. To me and probably most of us at DU, "likability" isn't much of a factor (DUers tend to have critical thinking skills, after all). But to a lot of people, that's all they care about.

My biggest reasons for the escalating conservative movement are several:
1. The repukes, in collusion with the media, have an amazing spin machine. In fact, it's so good that their spins couldn't happen WITHOUT the help of the media.

2. God. * is about the most UN-Christian leader we've ever had. Blessed are the peacemakers? We have GOT to take back the mantle of morality and excise religion from politics.

3. Guns. We did better this time. There wasn't AS MUCH talk of Kerry stealing all of our guns -- but the thought is still out there.

4. Republicans are good for the military and national security. It's not true -- yet people still believe it. WHY?

5. SMEAR. They've got it by the bucketful. No one does whisper/email campaigns like the Republicans -- and theirs aren't even true. Do we fight fire with fire?

So what do we have to do to reorganize, revamp, and reimage ourselves -- not losing our liberalness, just presenting it in a more appelaing manner?


I have to go to work (and I haven't slpet in two days!), so I won't be able to get right back to this post for a couple of hours.

[patrice]

1. Local - Alternative - Economics! n/t

[demnan]

2. Well at least

someone took my advice and called their mother. ;) Sounds like yours had some good suggestions too.

I'll take those to heart. I don't really blame Kerry's personality though. Actually with the way the media is he barely had a chance from the get-go.

[russian33]

3. Great points, and to accomplish that, we need change in DNC leadership

[LisaLynne]

4. Well, about #5 ...

We don't have to smear them, just get the truth out there, which plays into their control of the media and thus the spin. The people calling the shots in the Repug party, and from the looks of it, our government, are criminals and thugs. We need to get that out there. We need to show that they are not for anyone but the rich. They dropped the ball on terrorism. This is all TRUE. If we can get the message to those who blindly vote Repug, even to the fundies because the top Repug people are not really on their side, we might be able to turn this country around.