"Be a Factivist." Are you kidding me?

[Auggie]

That's the greeting I saw on the homepages of the Democratic party website this morning.

Factivist? Really???

Bill Maher, on his HBO show Real Time, has commented on the Democratic party narrative two weeks in a row. He's called it defensive and weak and I couldn't agree more.

"Be a Factivist?"

We're going to take a pounding in November unless the Democratic Party can create a message that better resonates with voters.

Video and text here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/29/1288197/-MUST-SEE-Bill-Maher-calls-on-Democrats-to-stand-up-and-DEFEND-Obamacare#

[NYC_SKP]

1. So I skipped Maher and Kos and went straight to the Dem site.

I don't see why using facts would be seen as week.

Using lies is what the other guys do.

http://www.democrats.org/ goes to: http://factivists.democrats.org/

[MADem]

3. Thank you--truth has much longer legs than lies. Truth will carry us further, too.

We're a smart party. We can walk and chew gum at the same time, too.

It's not like we'll do this...and NOTHING ELSE.

Sometimes Bill Maher likes to fire for dramatic effect!

[Shandris]

4. While staying neutral on whether its a good strategy or not...

...about 'not knowing why facts would be weak', it presupposes a world based on rationality. If that were true, there would only be one political party with one unanimous platform and one interpretation of each fact. But since we know that none of those are true, basing your whole strategy on 'playing to the facts' is dangerous. Of course, I doubt that's the whole strategy, but like I said, I was only commenting in relation to that one question.

[cui bono]

5. It's weak because there's no real message there.

They need to get a message that states what they are going to do that resonates with voters on an emotional level.

Saying they're using facts says nothing that isn't already expected of them. It says nothing about what they plan to do to help people. It's an intellectual appeal rather than an emotional one. People respond emotionally more than intellectually.

The R's do know how to message. Look at how they name their bills or change the framing. Estate tax --> Death tax, and countless others.

Also, Dems are always playing defense instead of playing offense.

They should all run on expanding SS and medicare for all to start. Oh, and ending corporate welfare. Welfare, not subsidies. Make the R's talk about why they are against all of those. That's a difficult argument to make.

Dems are weak sauce and they need to step it up. They should hire a PR firm that knows marketing. Sad to say that is what is needed since it sounds shady, but it truly is.

[Auggie]

8. Exactly!

[Auggie]

7. It's not that facts are a weak. It's how those facts are delivered ...

or put another way, the actual "words" used to communicate the benefits of voting for Democrats.

[Scuba]

9. Facts are good, especially when used to support policy positions. Do we have any of those?

[TheNutcracker]

2. Is it related to Festivus?

[cui bono]

6. Factivists can't possibly believe in Festivus.

[NYC_SKP]

10. They may be thinging about "Ivectivus", which is the opposite of Factivism...

But I digress...

[cui bono]

11. Or perhaps "invectivus". Factivists simply abhor an invectivus Festivus.