The Key To Winning In '08? Authenticity

[ruggerson]

That's it. It doesn't matter one whit to the centrists (the swing voters who decide elections) whether the candidate is center right or center left. As long as the candidate is within a certain mainstream parameter, they are acceptable to this group.

What is not acceptable is someone who is seen, or can be effectively caricaturized as, a phony.

This group, and the country as a whole, thirsts for candidates who have gut beliefs and are not afraid of expressing them.

The country thirsts for authenticity. If we want our agenda implemented, we find the most authentic, straight shooting candidate to push a center-left candidacy and we win.

It ain't rocket science.

[ulysses]

1. not so sure about that.

We like being told happy lies.

[Armstead]

4. What you mean "We" Kimosabe?

[ulysses]

6. Americans

Generally speaking, of course. :)

[Armstead]

7. About half of 'em

I consider myself (and thee) in the "us" half, which would include intelligent moderates along with more diehard liberals and progressives. I don't think those moderates want happy lies. They just have become cynical because they don;t see anyone addressing their real concerns.

The other half includes the CONNEDservatives and the moderates who don't really give a poop.

[MuseRider]

2. I agree.

I think people are fed up with not knowing what is the truth. I know I certainly am. :hi:

[pstans]

3. The most straight shooting Democrat is Feingold

There is quote that Bu$h says that I think fits with Feingold as well. Bu$h says, "You might not agree with me, but at least you know where I stand." The same thing could be said about Feingold, but I agree with him on most of the issues. A fellow DU'r came up with this term to describe Sen. Feingold...

The Feingold Standard
Feingold is doing what he does best: clearly articulating his position on a tough issue and not apologizing for it.

Feingold isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even if he is the only one. Overtime he is right on most of the issues. Check out this blog post that shows this... http://iowafeingold.blogspot.com/2006/03/ahead-of-curve.html

Come check out www.russforpresident.com to learn more about Sen. Feingold.

[Armstead]

5. A number of House progressive Dems are the same way...

Kucinich, DeFazio, Schiakowsky, Barbara Lee, John Conyers....etc.

...as are a few scattered Senators like Ted Kennedy.

Those folks should be the template for Democrats.

[pstans]

10. I agree

However, many people will say people like Kucinich, Ted Kennedy, Conyers are not electable in a Presidential election. Feingold has not be pigeon holed yet.

[Armstead]

11. There may be indivcidual factors...

It takes a certain -- very specific -- kind of charisma to run for president. And their appeal has to outweigh their baggage.

But that is not a reflection on the basic point that these and otehr progressives have potentially winning positions and message and authenticity.

If you could somehow come up with a mix of George Clonney and Dennis Kucinich, that candidate could win handily. Kucinich is great -- and he's charismatic when he's preaching to the choir. But he isn't "presidentiual" in his appearance or behavoir enough to win the middle over. I thought he was way to shrill in the 04 primaries....But his positions are exactly right on.

If specific individuals don't have that very specific "it" quality to successfully run for president, that doesn't mean the baby should be thrown out with the bathwater.

[pstans]

21. Feingold has "it"

Feingold doesn't come off as a far left candidate. He speaks strongly and with entusiasm. He is personable and has a midwestern way about him. Feingold has "it" and is Presidential material.

www.russforpresident.com

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. I like Russ a lot too, but also consider this quote from Mario Cuomo

"Wes Clark is a man of whom you can ask a question, and he will look you directly in the eye, and give you the most truthful and complete answer you can imagine. You will know the absolute truth of the statement as well as the thought process behind the answer. You will have no doubt as to the intellect of the speaker and meaning of the answer to this question....So you can see, as a politician, he has a lot to learn."
Mario Cuomo
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wesley_Clark

Since 2004 Clark HAS leaned a little as a politician, but fortunately just a little in this regard.

[sam sarrha]

8. nothing will matter if the votes are stolen by the republican machines

[sam sarrha]

9. we needed vote count reform 6 yrs ago.. and NOTHING YET..!!!!

[BeFree]

29. Hey sam

take a look around... no one else on this thread even approaches the stolen vote issue. Are they afraid of talking about it, or what?

[phillysuse]

12. Authenticity for 2008 - Clark

Authentic war hero, authentic NATO Chief Commander, no flip flopping, told it like it would be when he testified to the HASC in 2002 about Bush/s coming elective war on Iraq.

All the Senator wannabees like Kerry, Edwards, Hillary, Biden. Bayh ......none of them have his raw genuine American Son authenticity.

Brian Schweitzer does and so does Warner but neither has the kind of foreign policy or diplomatic or military background or experience in international relations that the next President who inherits Bush's messes will need.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. That's an excellent criterion, authenticity. And you might be right that

it is *the* number one criterion.

Ripping from the front pages of the past few weeks, a guy like John Murtha fits the bill. (No that's not an endorsement of him for president.)

Trinagulators need not apply. Neither do those with great rhetoric but no prinples. A well written, artfully delivered stump speech won't do it, no matter how sincere.

It is the totality of the person. A certain, almost undefinable 'it' that will do it. And a genuine passion for what one beleives. And of course, beliefs that are unshakable - not unchangeable, unshakeable.

And lastly, a willingness to carry the fight as needed. One who will not allow *anyone* to besmirch them with cheap shot campaign dirty tricks.

[ruggerson]

17. I agree with every point

and you're right, they have to be able to fight back. Hard. Quite often a very strong sense of self goes hand in hand with the ability to understand organically how to effectively battle back when slime is thrown. In other words, they also have to be natural tacticians and fighters who know how to make the enemy look foolish. Hate to say it, but Reagan was great at it. So was Harry Truman.

[karynnj]

19. I agree, Husb2sparky

Clever, though in that everyone will read it and see that their favorite uniguely fits the bill. I can see Kerry and Gore the most - though the last may have been to eliminate both. On the contrary, having been through it once, they both have much more ability to fire back.

[PassingFair]

15. You couldn't find a more authentic person than Howard Dean.

The corporations of the world will NOT allow
an authentic human to wrest control of the
most powerful country on the planet.

After what happened in 04, I believe Arthur Jensen.


Can we get the ignorant masses off their asses?
That will be the only way to win.

[longship]

16. The secret is to act like *Winners*, not losers.

Unfortunately, for many whiney Dems. They only know how to lose.

:cry: "We can't rock the boat...." wah-wah-wah. :cry:

:cry: "We have to get along with the Republicans..." wah-wah-wah :cry:

:cry: "We have to be *centrist*..." wah-wah-wah :cry:

:cry: "The liberals are spoiling everything for us..." wah-wah-wah :cry:

Meanwhile, all their crying and whining has got us nothing but one loss after another.

[NYCGirl]

18. I do believe you've hit the nail smack on the head.

:applause:

[applegrove]

20. Adults. People who seek out expertese. People who fight with might,

emapthy, intellect and discernment.

People who speak the truth. Who punch through all the *shit.

[blm]

22. I think alot of people let the MEDIA decide who's authentic and who's not.

Very few examine a person's entire record and note the consistencies in their positions, or their inconsistencies once decided that person is your choice or not.

So, if a Prez Nixon starts a campaign against someone he is afraid of for their depth of intelligence and charisma, he launches a campaign against him by planting stories in major papers that call him a "phony" for his efforts.

Then, when Reagan and then Bush administrations are being scrutinized by this same person years later, they renew the claims of "phony - just trying to take down presidents to get his name in the paper" or that "he's a conspiracy theory nut" as part of their actual plan to keep the truth about their culpability in serious crimes from getting greater attention.

Then after 2000, the charismatic, sincere Kerry became "aloof" and "political poll watcher" when just in 1996, he was considered one of DC's most honest politicians.

Sorry - - but the truth is that ANYONE will get spun. The Gore I see today is the exact same Gore I always saw in 1999 and 2000, but now the media is saying he's changed and look how many believe them.

[Cosmocat]

23. Nothing to lose ...

at this point ... The deck is SO stacked against democrats at this point, that all that is left is to go out swinging, and speak from the heart ...

[bs1]

24. Agree 100%. Authenticity/sincerity, tact, and a sense of humor...

http://www.pollyticks.com

[deaniac21]

25. No, it's electricity. We MUST make sure it is not used in the

election.

[Jed Dilligan]

26. It depends somewhat on the challenger

I'm not sure anyone ever perceived Clinton as totally authentic, however, Bush I and Dole were so inauthentic that he didn't need to be. Bush II's fakey down-home-iness seems to play well enough that both Gore and Kerry could be smeared as Washington insiders controlled by politics and not core beliefs. But I'm not sure they're going to run another honky cracker-barrel wannabe.

[Tsiyu]

27. Reagan ushered in the "Actor as Politician" movement

Now nobody wants a thinking, working, reading man to make their laws. They want a good-looking, charismatic personality into whom they can pour out all of their mis-placed faith.

Actors are only playing a part, a scripted role.

Lawmakers should be researching, writing and voting on laws. It would be an ideal citizen who studies the candidate's education level rather than assessing his or her choice of costume.


On edit: read this as '06 so was speaking of congress.

Your Op is right on :thumbsup:

[pizzed]

28. WE can stop Hillary IF WE START BEFORE nomination!!

WE have little to say about WHO we get to vote for ...the Dem Party Bosses do all the negotiating about that behind the scenes. They are NOT 'altruistic, all-for-the-common-good-of-their-people', either - they are fiercely ambitious and their top priority is their personal career advancement. They are the people who bite and scratch their way into position. All WE get is the candidate that they ultimately decide is most profitable from their perspective. The Party Machinery is probably the worst enemy-of-the-people. It's how they control the candidates, and hold the status quo, never allowing any "Outsiders" to penetrate government. I was naively hoping that Howard Dean might open up the can of worms there... but apparently he's only there as a 'figurehead' - more like a place to keep him 'contained' - as in: gagged & bound; out of their hair; emasculated....

Right now, I'd say Hillary is the one who most likely is sleeping in their tent. If they give us Hillary (or Lieberman personally, I think he's doubtful) we might as well vote for one of Godfather Cheney's Pnaczie-Mafia Thugs. Hillary is the worst of the worst as far as Dems go. But the Party Bosses aren't looking at that. THEY are looking at the Money she brings to the Party.

HERE'S WHAT WE ALL SHOULD DO TO PRE-EMPT HER NOMINATION

BUY A HANDFUL OF PREPAID POSTCARDS and write:

"WE WON'T VOTE FOR HILLARY!!!"

be sure to sign them: 'the family of _______" (use your normal signature) Registered Democrat,
______ County, State of _______" (add precinct number if you know it) then mail them to:

Democratic National Committee
430 S. Capitol St. SE
Washington, DC 20003

...and for those who don't mind making a 3 minute phone call:
Main Phone Number: 202-863-8000 (...even if you are a tightwad: 10-10-321 is still a very cheap way to call)

You can email, BUT REMEMBER THAT ONLY SOME JUNIOR STAFFER WILL EVER SEE AN EMAIL (and that's a 'maybe'!)but all snail mail and phone calls are logged. http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contact

By the number of times we hear her name mentioned lately, the media is beginning to tell us we 'want' her already. I suppose the Roverian psyops will eventually kick in and make us think the Repubs are 'afraid' of her. Golly-gee, that will convince and reassure us, eh?

How sad for America that Voters are such gullible sheep, too lazy to think for themselves or to read beyond the headlines.

[Dr Fate]

30. Yes- someone who can use blunt, everyday language too.

For instance when the opponent lies- the authentic candidate says "That was a lie- and here is why it was I lie. Now let me tell you the truth..."

Or "What he did was criminal- let me tell you why it was a crime..."

You are right- it aint rocket-science, but too many still think it is.

[McCamy Taylor]

31. The best liar is always elected leader of any group. That is proven

in psychological studies of group dynamics EXCEPT when the group is made up exclusively of adult women. Then, other leadership qualities come into play. They have tested this by having individuals tell lies, rate them on how effective they are at lying, then put them into groups and have the groups elect leaders and see who gets chosen. The best liars get chosen leaders--except in the groups made up of all adult women.

So yes, the appearance of authenticity is a very important factor in winning at least the male vote in a presidential election.

[politicasista]

32. The key to 08 is having a unified message and repeating it

until it sticks. This is how and why the repukes win. Did people think Blinky was authentic? Yes, cause the media kept repeating how smart and likeable he was and how he can keep you safe from terraists.

Why did people think Gore was a bore or Kerry was aloof? Cause very few dems and left leaning pundits did not backed them up when they were under attack.

Without a clear, strong, unified message, and people talking the candidate up, not down how are you going to convince people to vote democratic?

The media is NOT the fair and balanced media of 1992. We all know that if they smeared the last two nominees, they will smear whoever the candidate is, it doesn't matter if they are a "straight talker" or "blunt" or not.

As far as the MSM is GOP controlled/owned, the media WILL decide who is real or not.



Just MHO.

[WildEyedLiberal]

35. Excellent post.

What she said.

[politicasista]

37. Thank you n/t

[HB1]

33. You make a good point.

Authenticity would certainly be refreshing.

[Auntie Bush]

34. And that person would be Wes Clark...hands down!

He's an authentic hero!

[Texas_Kat]

36. Play "Guess the Candidate"

So if Karl Rove is watching today, Karl, I want you to hear this loud and clear - I'm going to provide tax cuts to ease the burden for 34 million American families and lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty by raising the taxes on one-tenth of one percent of families in America, those who make more than a million dollars a year.

You don't have to read my lips, I'm saying it.

And if that makes me an "old style? "Democrat, then, I accept that label with pride and dare you to come after me for it. Because what I am talking about today is in the best tradition of Wilson and Roosevelt; of JFK, LBJ, and Bill Clinton - and it is in the best interest of the United States of America!

[Larry in KC]

38. God bless the man bold enough to say that.

God bless WES CLARK!