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[Kuroi Gogeta]

"It's time to rebuild"--->Appeals to the m.a.g.a. crowd, acknowledges the [incorrect] fact that things are worse than ever, but its possible to rebuild.

Or they could just use the old chestnut

"United we stand"

Keep in mind that MAGA isn't even an original Trump slogan. He copied it from Reagan.

The thing that made people vote for Trump is the same thing that made people vote for Obama, and the thing that made people vote for Macron. What the democratic party could use right now is someone who is a political outsider. Someone who hasn't been soaked in washington politics and corruption with tons of political skeletons in their closet. Obama was like teflon. The worst that political opponents could do was invent conspiracies based on his ethnicity and heritage.

The message should:
a. Appeal to the sense of fairness that many Americans feel. Trump appealed to a type of xenophobic outrage. e.g. it's unfair that Mexicans can come in illegally and make money or bring crime, while other people have to struggle and wait for years before getting citizenship.
b. Address pessimism. The media often shows the worst side of humanity. There's a perception that America is now more dangerous than its ever been and crime is running rampant. The new message will have to address the fact that the US is safer, and is continuing to improve.
c.Appeal to a sense of nationalism. There's a feeling that there are a lot of hyphenated Americans running around, and there's a feeling that the U.S. is being jerked around by the rest of the world and is a follower instead of a leader. There's a sense that people aren't proud to be American, and they identify with other aspects of who they are more(race, gender, sexuality, religion)

 

[deadlast]

We Deserve Better.

 

[Kthulhu]

"Make America great again".

I wonder what Trump's slogan will be interesting 2020.

 

[Lord Frieza]

I wonder what Trump's slogan will be interesting 2020.

We already know: Keep America Great

 

[SolarPowered]

I was just thinking about this in the shower. One of the core selling points they've always used as a party is their ability to compromise and reach across the aisle. Bipartisanship is probably dead for at least the next decade and they'll have to find something to fire up the base besides their now useless ability to compromise. No one wants to reach across the aisle and work with nutcases or traitors after all.

 

[Rentahamster]

This is another thing I've been saying for the past 1.5 years. You'll see my point eventually.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

We Deserve Better.

I like this one a lot.

 

[Lord Frieza]

"It's time to rebuild"--->Appeals to the m.a.g.a. crowd, acknowledges the [incorrect] fact that things are worse than ever, but its possible to rebuild.

Or they could just use the old chestnut

"United we stand"

Keep in mind that MAGA isn't even an original Trump slogan. He copied it from Reagan.

The thing that made people vote for Trump is the same thing that made people vote for Obama, and the thing that made people vote for Macron. What the democratic party could use right now is someone who is a political outsider. Someone who hasn't been soaked in washington politics and corruption with tons of political skeletons in their closet. Obama was like teflon. The worst that political opponents could do was invent conspiracies based on his ethnicity and heritage.

The message should:
a. Appeal to the sense of fairness that many Americans feel. Trump appealed to a type of xenophobic outrage. e.g. it's unfair that Mexicans can come in illegally and make money or bring crime, while other people have to struggle and wait for years before getting citizenship.
b. Address pessimism. The media often shows the worst side of humanity. There's a perception that America is now more dangerous than its ever been and crime is running rampant. The new message will have to address the fact that the US is safer, and is continuing to improve.
c.Appeal to a sense of nationalism. There's a feeling that there are a lot of hyphenated Americans running around, and there's a feeling that the U.S. is being jerked around by the rest of the world and is a follower instead of a leader. There's a sense that people aren't proud to be American, and they identify with other aspects of who they are more(race, gender, sexuality, religion)

Obama wasn't a political outsider, and the same reason they voted for Trump is not why they voted for Obama

 

[TestOfTide]

The article lost its credibility as soon as brought up the fact that Trump voters say they still would rather vote for Trump than Hillary. Like yeah no shit Trump voters hate Hillary. I'm more interested to know how they would vote when the opponent ISNT Hillary.

The problem is more than just democratic messaging. It's also an issue of democratic complacency and a nationalization of the southern strategy.

Dems need to make gains in the suburbs to make up for losses in the rural areas.

 

[Plinko]

I like "The republicans have been taking from you and giving all the money to the top 1%, screwing you, your children, and your grandchildren so you have to live paycheck-to-paycheck and are mired in debt while the super rich who inherited money live in luxury and have the GOP do everything in their power to keep them rich without having to do any work while you slave away at your crappy jobs with low pay, bad benefits, and high healthcare coats."

Rolls off the tongue.

 

[shnurgleton]

Provide, Protect, Progress

 

[Lord Frieza]

While I don't disagree on the importance of messaging, I think a large part of why Democrats are in the mess they are in is because they continued to try and be bipartisan despite the fact effort stopped from the other side a long time ago.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

The one thing that worries me, is that if feels like there is no opposition to Trump. I know there is. I've seen it, but there is no one I would point to and go

"That person. That is the opposition."

It feels like the leadership haven't recovered since November and are just scrambling. What they need is a leader. Maybe not someone to go onto be candidate for President, but someone to actually be the face of the opposition.

Right now there isn't and to the rest of the world it shows.

EDIT. I agree with the others on Bipartisan. It doesn't work. It didn't work before. Why do they expect it work now they are on the back foot?

If anything happens, I would love them to take the lesson that the current system doesn't work. That's why Bipartisan efforts fail. Fix it.

 

[Kuroi Gogeta]

Obama wasn't a political outsider, and the same reason they voted for Trump is not why they voted for Obama

Compared to his competition I would disagree. He was criticized for his lack of political experience and his youth. He spun that into an optimistic message about how he is bringing change to Washington.

Hope
Change
Yes we can

Those all worked to show the image of a person coming in with a fresh new take. He made his competition look stale and stuck in their ways. Donald Trump, like Obama was viewed as someone who can bring change to Washington(Drain the swamp), he painted his opponents as corrupt, crooked, career politicians which included lying as part of their job description. He ran with an optimistic message of "Make america great again". There were people who voted for him specifically because he lacked experience, and seemed like someone that couldn't be bought out by the political elite, because well--he's already rich. He doesn't need their money.

Yes Barack Obama was in politics for a number of years, but he was still perceived as someone new and different who hasn't been trying the same thing over and over again in Washington. He was viewed as someone not entrenched in politics for a long time. If he had stayed as a senator and decided to run in 2020, he'd probably lose because he'd look like "more of the same"

The one thing that worries me, is that if feels like there is no opposition to Trump. I know there is. I've seen it, but there is no one I would point to and go

"That person. That is the opposition."

It feels like the leadership haven't recovered since November and are just scrambling. What they need is a leader. Maybe not someone to go onto be candidate for President, but someone to actually be the face of the opposition.

Right now there isn't and to the rest of the world it shows.

I think that is more of an indication of how politicians are doing their jobs in the US. It just seems like they're so busy looking out for themselves that they'll either shy away from the pressure of running for president, or they just have too many skeletons in their closet and don't want to go through the trouble of being so scrutinized.

 

[Lord Frieza]

The one thing that worries me, is that if feels like there is no opposition to Trump. I know there is. I've seen it, but there is no one I would point to and go

"That person. That is the opposition."

It feels like the leadership haven't recovered since November and are just scrambling. What they need is a leader. Maybe not someone to go onto be candidate for President, but someone to actually be the face of the opposition.

Right now there isn't and to the rest of the world it shows.

Then party itself should be the opposition, not a single person

 

[hidys]

We Are America.

Though that is more of a slogan than a message. You could probably pick it apart but I would strongly argue it's better than "I'm with her" or any slogan that's tied to one candidate.

 

[Lord Frieza]

Compared to his competition I would disagree. He was criticized for his lack of political experience and his youth. He spun that into an optimistic message about how he is bringing change to Washington.

Hope
Change
Yes we can

Those all worked to show the image of a person coming in with a fresh new take. He made his competition look stale and stuck in their ways. Donald Trump, like Obama was viewed as someone who can bring change to Washington(Drain the swamp), he painted his opponents as corrupt, crooked, career politicians which included lying as part of their job description. He ran with an optimistic message of "Make america great again". There were people who voted for him specifically because he lacked experience, and seemed like someone that couldn't be bought out by the political elite, because well--he's already rich. He doesn't need their money.

Yes Barack Obama was in politics for a number of years, but he was still perceived as someone new and different who hasn't been trying the same thing over and over again in Washington. He was viewed as someone not entrenched in politics for a long time. If he had stayed as a senator and decided to run in 2020, he'd probably lose because he'd look like "more of the same"

Spin and perception isn't fact. Obama wasn't an outsider.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

Then party itself should be the opposition, not a single person

Yep, but it's always easier to point to a face than a group. People prefer it. In the UK it would be the head of the largest opposition party. In the US it doesn't really work like that, but it can.

 

[tbm24]

Seriously, what have Perez and Ellison been up to? Haven't heard a peep of them since the chair election.

Well, have you actually looked? They are not going to make national news until 2018 ramps up.

 

[Kuroi Gogeta]

Spin and perception isn't fact. Obama wasn't an outsider.

I'd argue that facts these days aren't very important, and spin is actually what can get a person into the white house, as you have clearly seen with this election. If you can paint yourself as an outsider, as someone who isn't a career politician and have people say "yeah I believe that" then you can get into the white house. Politicians are seen as ineffective and redundant, and people want individuals who aren't entrenched in daily politics.

This thread is about the importance of spin and perception. Right now democrats aren't perceived well, their message isn't clear, and their leaders are not appealing to enough people. Doesn't matter if they've made huge strides in education, crime reduction, funding for healthcare and community development, etc. It doesn't matter that Hillary got the popular vote. If they're perceived a certain way, then none of that matters. Part of what even lost this election was pessimism. Sure on paper someone like Clinton is a highly educated, skilled, and effective politician, but that doesn't matter if people don't trust politicians.

Trump capitalized on this by claiming his competition lies, is corrupt and will do nothing new. Likewise, Barack Obama used a similar message to get elected, albeit with far more optimism, he still went with the "it's been business as usual for too long, time to change things" narrative. That messaging worked with Obama, it worked with Trump, and unless I'm mistaken, Macron used the same type of rhetoric in France and it worked. On paper, none of those guys have a lot of experience compared to their competition, and in an alternate universe, political experience should be a benefit, not a hindrance for one seeking political office. But we live in a time where people are disillusioned with politics and politicians and don't trust them to do anything other than variations on the same thing.

 

[Lord Frieza]

I'd argue that facts these days aren't very important, and spin is actually what can get a person into the white house, as you have clearly seen with this election. If you can paint yourself as an outsider, as someone who isn't a career politician and have people say "yeah I believe that" then you can get into the white house. Politicians are seen as ineffective and redundant, and people want individuals who aren't entrenched in daily politics.

This thread is about the importance of spin and perception. Right now democrats aren't perceived well, their message isn't clear, and their leaders are not appealing to enough people. Doesn't matter if they've made huge strides in education, crime reduction, funding for healthcare and community development, etc. It doesn't matter that Hillary got the popular vote. If they're perceived a certain way, then none of that matters. Part of what even lost this election was pessimism. Sure on paper someone like Clinton is a highly educated, skilled, and effective politician, but that doesn't matter if people don't trust politicians.

Trump capitalized on this by claiming his competition lies, is corrupt and will do nothing new. Likewise, Barack Obama used a similar message to get elected, albeit with far more optimism, he still went with the "it's been business as usual for too long, time to change things" narrative. That messaging worked with Obama, it worked with Trump, and unless I'm mistaken, Macron used the same type of rhetoric in France and it worked. On paper, none of those guys have a lot of experience compared to their competition, and in an alternate universe, political experience should be a benefit, not a hindrance for one seeking political office. But we live in a time where people are disillusioned with politics and politicians and don't trust them to do anything other than variations on the same thing.

Then the term outsider, by your definition, is totally meaningless

 

[Barrylocke]

Well, have you actually looked? They are not going to make national news until 2018 ramps up.

Most people don't look though. I liked a lot of Hillary's policies, but one thing I learned was that "She has TONS of talk about her policy, just look here *points at website* " isn't enough for typical people. They meed the basic ideas stated for them in an accessible b form like a commercial, and apparently people felt that Hillary's commercials focused on Trump without saying what her plans were beyond some (important) social issues.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

This is always the way with the Democrats. You have to look at how politicians in each party get to where they are in politics- conservatives are more likely to be trained in cognitive science and marketing/messaging. Democrats are more about political science, public policy, law. It's understandable to want to see an opposing ideology that seems simple and can be marketed similar to 'small government' or 'tax relief', but that's not possible. What Democrats can achieve and still after all these years need to get better at is in framing the issues, or defining the conversation and the terms used in that conversation. They're on the right side of the issues and they have majority support for their solutions.

 

[Zok310]

"More transparent, as corrupt"

 

[teruterubozu]

"Democrats Need A Message"

Honestly I think Dems have become jaded with "messaging" and pandering and slogans and talking points.
We're tired of the fakery in marketing politics and Hillary certainly didn't help in that regard.

 

[LegendofJoe]

The CAP Ideas Conference came up with a message - it's basically Rebuild America 2020. A 21st century Marshall Plan with a job guarantee for everyone willing to help.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

"Lets get to work"

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

"More transparent, as corrupt"

Nonsensical. Might as well say 'just as transparent and corrupt' if you're going that insightful route, as transparency was a criticism of the Obama admin.

 

[RoninChaos]

I think, in general, people are sick of politics as a whole. And unfortunately I think the obstructionist ideology of the right has been projected onto the left now that there has been a power shift. That coupled with the fact that the media went so soft on trump before the election, which lead to the right chanting "fake news!" anytime the media goes after him, there's no real arbiter for what isn't political now because EVERYTHING is. All the while you have dems in the middle not capitalizing at all on this shit and fighting amongst themselves. The game has changed and democrats haven't caught up. Say what you want about Trump and how stupid his electorate is, the GOP has turned politics into a sport and have die hard fans. The dems don't. I'm. I'm not sure what you can do to fix that. There's definitely a need for some new Democratic leadership.

 

[royalan]

I think the Dem's message is fine. Taibbi is another person advocating that Dems should throw the baby out with the bath water over what was really a narrow loss (not a loss at all by the popular vote). The message just needs to be retooled. Democrats have the policies, but we need to stop thinking that's enough. We need to speak about the policies in a way that's less wonky, and is easy to digest by the average person. No truth is self-evident; nobody is going to just know that you mean well. Democrats need to make it plain. Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Al Franken, Corey Booker, and even Bernie Sanders are great politicians because they know how to make things plain. They speak in an uncomplicated language. Hillary Clinton, for as much as I love her, was just not good at making things plain. This is a woman who wrote a book on her policies, for crying out loud. As if people read.

But I reject outright that Democrats need to waste any time reaching out to the indoctrinated Republican. Those voters are by-and-large lost. Don't waste the time, don't waste the money, don't piss off your heavily-minority base trying to appeal to people who would proudly vote for a racist.

We don't need the Trump voter. We need the jaded potential voter who just stayed home. That is a much larger group. Figure out why they stayed home, and address that. But Trump voters? #Bye

 

[Gallbaro]

No one whose last name begins with a C!

I think the Dem's message is fine. Taibbi is another person advocating that Dems should throw the baby out with the bath water over what was really a narrow loss (not a loss at all by the popular vote). The message just needs to be retooled. Democrats have the policies, but we need to stop thinking that's enough. We need to speak about the policies in a way that's less wonky, and is easy to digest by the average person. No truth is self-evident; nobody is going to just know that you mean well. Democrats need to make it plain. Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Al Franken, Corey Booker, and even Bernie Sanders are great politicians because they know how to make things plain. They speak in an uncomplicated language. Hillary Clinton, for as much as I love her, was just not good at making things plain. This is a woman who wrote a book on her policies, for crying out loud. As if people read.

It was not really a narrow loss.

Elizabeth Warren = 67
Joe Biden = 74
Al Franken = 66
Bernie Sanders =75

I like all these people, but they are too old to be president. The current democratic establishment needs to abandon their personal goals and make room for the next generation.

Edit: Except Cuomo, fuck Cuomo.

 

[Lord Frieza]

I think, in general, people are sick of politics as a whole. And unfortunately I think the obstructionist ideology of the right has been projected onto the left now that there has been a power shift. That coupled with the fact that the media went so soft on trump before the election, which lead to the right chanting "fake news!" anytime the media goes after him, there's no real arbiter for what isn't political now because EVERYTHING is. All the while you have dems in the middle not capitalizing at all on this shit and fighting amongst themselves. The game has changed and democrats haven't caught up. Say what you want about Trump and how stupid his electorate is, the GOP has turned politics into a sport and have die hard fans. The dems don't. I'm. I'm not sure what you can do to fix that. There's definitely a need for some new Democratic leadership.

The obstructionist ideology is being deployed on the left out of necessity, not out of projecting. And the Democrats will never have the same team sport feel the GOP tapped into. How the two parties operate and are composed are entirely different

 

[ahoyhoy]

Need a well spoken dude that can give people comfort and make them feel secure.

Everything else will fall into place after that.

 

[The Greek Freak]

I thought Clinton had a great message but we saw where that went so idk.

"I stand with her" + "I'm not him" isn't much of a message.

QUOTE=royalan;238670154]

We don't need the Trump voter. We need the jaded potential voter who just stayed home. That is a much larger group. Figure out why they stayed home, and address that. But Trump voters? #Bye[/QUOTE]

Ignore the millions who voted for obama some twice that voted Trump? Mmkay hope you're ready for a more polished and competent trump from 2024-2032

Also Booker is a human pile of garbage and a great example of why the DNC is a joke as long as it's not in direct comparison to the GOP.

 

[Aerogamer]

After what will be going on with this administration, a simple "Take America Back" would work. Take it back from the elite, take it back from the dividers, take it back from the corrupt, take it back from the one's who want to exploit us. Take back the America that was stolen from you.

 

[Scarecrow]

"Kill them all." should work

 

[Lord Frieza]

People​ seem to only remember the "I'm with Her" slogan from Clinton's campaign, but her overall slogan was actually "Stronger Together​."

 

[Adam_Vania]

we need an anti-war party. Dems are the only party that could step up to this if they wanted but they won't.

Clinton was a chance to reconcile their role in the War on Terror, get real with the American people, address it head-on. the party line was to simply ignore it, pretend it didn't happen, stick your ears in your fingers and go "lalalala Trump is worse". that you still see people gleefully doing this and shutting down any dissent (tools love "But her emails" for misdirection) is proof Dems are fucked and mired the same tired tribal bullshit.

 

[YourMaster]

They are progressives, it's easy.
Conservatives will do great with a message like 'Make America great again', Progressives can do a message like 'A great future for America' or 'For a future where nobody is left behind'. Who knows, go wild and go for 'Together for a brighter future'.

 

[Lord Frieza]

we need an anti-war party. Dems are the only party that could step up to this if they wanted but they won't.

Clinton was a chance to reconcile their role in the War on Terror, get real with the American people, address it head-on. the party line was to stick your ears in your fingers and go "lalalala Trump is worse". that you still see people gleefully doing this and shutting down any dissent (tools love "But her emails" for misdirection) is proof Dems are fucked and mired the same tired tribal bullshit.

You really have no idea what you're talking about. The War on Terror wouldn't have landed at all in the election outside, "We have to defeat ISIS," which both candidates did.

 

[Epsilon-delta]

One of the result of people (including the Media) refusing to call the Gop for its bullshit because "both sides", "Washington" and "but the Democrats too".

Republicans have also been great at projecting or even right now blaming Dems for things not getting done in spite of power being overwhelmingly in Gop hands.

In an interview with Jack Taper yesterday, a Gop Senator was basically saying Dems were slowing everything down implying they were forcing them to consider a 51 votes solution, and Tapper let it pass without pointing out the difference in control.

This right here. Taper just let it slide for whatever reason.

It's infuriating.

 

[poppabk]

"Take the american dream back" could work too. With a campaign on how social mobility died and the rich have been stealing wealth from middle and lower class americans since the '70s. Tell them how evil they really are, filth that rather get a 0.1% than save a human life.

Yeah this is what I was thinking. I can see this resonating with swing voters who want 'traditional' values, and rebrands the progressive movement as part of the core American values, rather than some academic idea.

 

[Lord Frieza]

They are progressives, it's easy.
Conservatives will do great with a message like 'Make America great again', Progressives can do a message like 'A great future for America' or 'For a future where nobody is left behind'. Who knows, go wild and go for 'Together for a brighter future'.

Hillary's​ campaign slogan was Stronger Together, and almost no one remembers it.

 

[Oddish1]

I feel like there's a lot of frustration and hair pulling because there's not much dems and liberals to do until the next election except prepare for the next election and that's not very satisfying to many. There's this annoying refrain about Democrats not doing anything for the special elections when they've actually been focusing on them a lot, and this article kind of feeds into that narrative. Something like that the Democrat leadership is out of touch, and while I think that it's criticisms of the 2016 elections are more than warranted, it saying that the Montana race shows that nothing has changed seems very questionable.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

The CAP Ideas Conference came up with a message - it's basically Rebuild America 2020. A 21st century Marshall Plan with a job guarantee for everyone willing to help.

That's quite a good one. Simultaneously emphasises past greatness, the importance of building and construction, a bit of patriotic pride, a sense of contribution and community. I'd run on it. I'd drop the 2020, though. Just Rebuild America.

 

[TheLaughingStock]

"I stand with her" + "I'm not him" isn't much of a message.

Ignore the millions who voted for obama some twice that voted Trump? Mmkay hope you're ready for a more polished and competent trump from 2024-2032

Also Booker is a human pile of garbage and a great example of why the DNC is a joke as long as it's not in direct comparison to the GOP.

Booker can't be that bad because liberal outlets like Vox more or less slob all over him: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/30/15709504/elizabeth-warren-cory-booker-trump

Meanwhile the alternative message that Elisabeth Warren, Sanders, and Trump are talking about is overblown or wrong. There are a lot of Democrats that ultimately aren't interested in going bold for the sake of their own voters.

 

[diablos991]

All the Democrats need to do is put up a candidate for the people instead of a candidate hand selected and forced on the people by the establishment.

If the DNC establishment gets out of the way of the people next election then I think we'll see a landslide for the dems.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

The Dems should be championing issues. Every debate should come back to an issue. Regulating the Internet should be pushed by Dems as an attack on the 1st. It should be pushed by the whole party, not just a few.

Politics in the US has always looked simple to me, because you have a constitution. It's grey enough to make everything a matter of constitution.

It's media spinning that makes things complicated. The real issue right now is that the Republicans are still able to push this narrative as them and their supporters as the underdog.

Fight every issue and make it about the very fabric of American life. Even unpopular ones. Because every loss taken will add more support from middle America, because it will look like the republicans are trampling the Constitution.

That's the message we all need to hear. The Democratic Party. A party that fights for the rights of Americans everywhere. Never backing down and always standing up for the weakest. That's what will win them seats.

 

[SolarPowered]

That's quite a good one. Simultaneously emphasises past greatness, the importance of building and construction, a bit of patriotic pride, a sense of contribution and community. I'd run on it. I'd drop the 2020, though. Just Rebuild America.

Yep, these messages can't be a four year thing. The Republican party has made their selling points and rallying issues into generational narratives that they can trot out conveniently. Rebuilding American infrastructure, schools and our broken electoral systems will take decades and they can absolutely run on these issues.

 

[Kinitari]

I think a big part of what drove Republicans into the white House was their capitalizing on the fear of the other or the unknown - more than just a slogan, they continuously​ introduced the idea of a scary future or a bad present, and said 'wouldn't it be great if jobs were abundant again? If we had less foreigners like we used to?'

That messaging was pretty consistent in my opinion and it preyed on all those... Lets call them less than ideal thoughts and feelings of the American people.

It was a safe platform that didn't expect anyone to change. People want the world to change around them for their personal betterment, they don't want to actually change themselves.

I think this is where Democrats will get in trouble if they're not cautious. A lot of their messaging expects 'better' of the American people, and people resent that I think.