Cannot really agree with the premise about the PCPs. I have worked in local politics for two decades and know the organizations of both parties quite well.
The Dems have PCPs largely in name only. Unlike local Republican parties, there is little or no funding. Many local parties in Red areas or counties get little or no funding. They have…
Cannot really agree with the premise about the PCPs. I have worked in local politics for two decades and know the organizations of both parties quite well.
The Dems have PCPs largely in name only. Unlike local Republican parties, there is little or no funding. Many local parties in Red areas or counties get little or no funding. They have to go begging to registered Dems for money. Then they are asked to do lit drops for candidates who are not all that experienced and have little potential. It is the local party equivalent of the flyover state strategy. Perhaps we should call it the drive-through at 75 mph strategy.
Howard Dean's approach was starting to work but was then was abandoned by the party. That approach involved funding local infrastructure. If we go back to that, it will involve a national party willing to allow money to flow from donors directly to local efforts, including full-time paid staff and think tanks. If the money continues to be controlled nationally, all the PCPs in the world will not help.
We had democratic PCPs in name only, so my five boys and their friends would get in the full-size van with the Democratic literature. I would drive them to neighborhoods, where they would jump out and place literature on doorknobs and mailbox posts.
The Republicans took over anyway by pretending to be Independents in Democratic communities, banning candidates from running for any party other than Independent by statute. They had real estate money behind them to steal people's homes through a " special assessment scheme." Now, we don't see Democrats on the ballot except for the top of the ballot.
Thom is right that they played the long game, and we must, too. Every journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.
A major reason why Republicans get financial and moral support at the precinct level, up through the national level, is because they play the fear card. When people feel threatened they dip into their wallet, and fall out to vote.
When Democrats come to recognize that, then the power dynamics will shift.
People aren't motivated, vote for, what has happened in the past, or what you are going to do for them, what motivates them is the fear of what is going to be done to them, and the belief of what is being done to them.
I will sum up the election of 2024,as follows: "They owned the libs" That was more important than even their pocket book.
Hitler came to power,not because he promised to create jobs,but because Germany, was a demoralized, broken, basket case with no national pride after the treaty of Versailles.
Hitler promised them that they would rise up and gain respect among nations, and regain their place in the world as a power to be reckoned with.
It is identity politics, and that is the basis of MAGA, Make AMERICA great again.
Hitler was Make Germany Great Again.
A persons identity,sense of self, is woven from many things, their gender, their sexuality, their religion, their race, even avocation, vocation, education, and sports, but ultimately with a nation, and a nation is not political boundaries as we have been taught to think.
Europe is famous for their football (soccer) riots, especially when nations are involved.
That is because the fans find their identity,or a portion of it, in a football team.
Republicans use identity to tap into that chauvinistic fear. Democrats do not. When we do try, like trying to ring the alarm bell that fascism is taking over, we are ridiculed, because the enemy is amorphous, faceless.
Whereas he Republicans create a bete noir that has a face and is personal, parental rights, books, education = children, crime = minorities, nake hegemony = feminism, gay rights, trans people.
And the face of fascism is Trump and Musk, and they hold themselves forth as a bulwark against the things people fear.
We need to take the battle to them, we need a metaphorical Jun 6,1944.
Dems should run TV ads, NOW, showing moms and dads living in poverty, in misery, because of severe cuts in Social Security. Lying sick in bed for lack of Medicare coverage.
Real information that will show people the real effect the GOP policies will have in their lives. We don’t have to lie and create false scenarios. The reality is scary enough
Running a lot of TV ads is how the DNC has been getting the message out. If money is scarce, how about first building precincts and other wise supporting action at the local level?
There's no shortage of playing the fear card on the Dems side either. The problem for the Dems is that they are reactive. The first to instil fear wins.
Please tell me more about this. I am a Democratic Committee I woman, and I’m really interested in hearing about funding at my local level. I could do my own mailings , etc!
During the first years of Dean's 50-state strategy, we had state-level business execs funding local party ops directly. I won't name names but the types of things were such as having full-time staffers in the red counties, candidate recruitment and training years before a run for office, year-long fellowships on key issues, e.g. healthcare, water, economic development, etc., and local think tanks designed to capture earned media.
Starting with Obama, money was largely centalized at the national level, and the party has become a once in four years event planner for a presidential election. All the money was and is sucked up to fund the presidential campaign and the national legacy media buys. Local parties are by and large, the cobbler's children without shoes.
Cannot really agree with the premise about the PCPs. I have worked in local politics for two decades and know the organizations of both parties quite well.
The Dems have PCPs largely in name only. Unlike local Republican parties, there is little or no funding. Many local parties in Red areas or counties get little or no funding. They have to go begging to registered Dems for money. Then they are asked to do lit drops for candidates who are not all that experienced and have little potential. It is the local party equivalent of the flyover state strategy. Perhaps we should call it the drive-through at 75 mph strategy.
Howard Dean's approach was starting to work but was then was abandoned by the party. That approach involved funding local infrastructure. If we go back to that, it will involve a national party willing to allow money to flow from donors directly to local efforts, including full-time paid staff and think tanks. If the money continues to be controlled nationally, all the PCPs in the world will not help.
We had democratic PCPs in name only, so my five boys and their friends would get in the full-size van with the Democratic literature. I would drive them to neighborhoods, where they would jump out and place literature on doorknobs and mailbox posts.
The Republicans took over anyway by pretending to be Independents in Democratic communities, banning candidates from running for any party other than Independent by statute. They had real estate money behind them to steal people's homes through a " special assessment scheme." Now, we don't see Democrats on the ballot except for the top of the ballot.
Thom is right that they played the long game, and we must, too. Every journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.
A major reason why Republicans get financial and moral support at the precinct level, up through the national level, is because they play the fear card. When people feel threatened they dip into their wallet, and fall out to vote.
When Democrats come to recognize that, then the power dynamics will shift.
People aren't motivated, vote for, what has happened in the past, or what you are going to do for them, what motivates them is the fear of what is going to be done to them, and the belief of what is being done to them.
I will sum up the election of 2024,as follows: "They owned the libs" That was more important than even their pocket book.
Hitler came to power,not because he promised to create jobs,but because Germany, was a demoralized, broken, basket case with no national pride after the treaty of Versailles.
Hitler promised them that they would rise up and gain respect among nations, and regain their place in the world as a power to be reckoned with.
It is identity politics, and that is the basis of MAGA, Make AMERICA great again.
Hitler was Make Germany Great Again.
A persons identity,sense of self, is woven from many things, their gender, their sexuality, their religion, their race, even avocation, vocation, education, and sports, but ultimately with a nation, and a nation is not political boundaries as we have been taught to think.
Europe is famous for their football (soccer) riots, especially when nations are involved.
That is because the fans find their identity,or a portion of it, in a football team.
Republicans use identity to tap into that chauvinistic fear. Democrats do not. When we do try, like trying to ring the alarm bell that fascism is taking over, we are ridiculed, because the enemy is amorphous, faceless.
Whereas he Republicans create a bete noir that has a face and is personal, parental rights, books, education = children, crime = minorities, nake hegemony = feminism, gay rights, trans people.
And the face of fascism is Trump and Musk, and they hold themselves forth as a bulwark against the things people fear.
We need to take the battle to them, we need a metaphorical Jun 6,1944.
Dems should run TV ads, NOW, showing moms and dads living in poverty, in misery, because of severe cuts in Social Security. Lying sick in bed for lack of Medicare coverage.
Great idea. Run ads, scary ads, all year long, just not at election season.
Inculcate fear and disgust in the public, mimic the Republicans.
Real information that will show people the real effect the GOP policies will have in their lives. We don’t have to lie and create false scenarios. The reality is scary enough
I never said lie. As you said, the truth is bad enough, but it is messaging and framing it right enough to scare and piss off the public.
in other words breaking through the sound barrier.
Running a lot of TV ads is how the DNC has been getting the message out. If money is scarce, how about first building precincts and other wise supporting action at the local level?
GOP creates the fear, then runs on it
There's no shortage of playing the fear card on the Dems side either. The problem for the Dems is that they are reactive. The first to instil fear wins.
About the only fear card the Dems have played is fascism and that is amorphous, too general,not personal enouogh Dr Gilbert,
The Republicans have a whole suit of fear cards, and they are personal and they throw them out like the are playing 52 pick up.
There is a big difference between the Dems and Repubs when playing the fear card.
"Politics is television with the sound turned off." attributed to Karl Rove.
And I’ve long complained that our local Dem committee gets no financial support from the top
Please tell me more about this. I am a Democratic Committee I woman, and I’m really interested in hearing about funding at my local level. I could do my own mailings , etc!
During the first years of Dean's 50-state strategy, we had state-level business execs funding local party ops directly. I won't name names but the types of things were such as having full-time staffers in the red counties, candidate recruitment and training years before a run for office, year-long fellowships on key issues, e.g. healthcare, water, economic development, etc., and local think tanks designed to capture earned media.
Starting with Obama, money was largely centalized at the national level, and the party has become a once in four years event planner for a presidential election. All the money was and is sucked up to fund the presidential campaign and the national legacy media buys. Local parties are by and large, the cobbler's children without shoes.