What is the backbone message of the Kerry campaign?

[Bread and Circus]

In three (non run-on) sentences or less?

[POed_Ex_Repub]

1. "Help is on the way" n/t

[Bread and Circus]

2. That's a nice slogan but not really the kind of "message"

I am talking about.

I am looking for digestable, emotional themes.

If it can be summed up easily, Kerry Wins. If not, he loses.

For instance, Bush's seems to be "War on Terra, tax cuts, and making those tax cuts permanent". 1,2,3.

[Carla in Ca]

35. What is the backbone message.....

It is that he has one!!!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. As follows:

We must restore diplomacy on the national stage in order to have international cooperation in the war on terror and restore order in Iraq.

We must wean ourselves from dependency on foreign (specifically middle eastern oil)

We must protect and strengthen the middle class by taking away incentives for corporations to go abroad in order to restore faith in our our economy.

[Bread and Circus]

4. Ok, that's a good start....I need more takers....

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. Have you gone to a meet up or rally?

Did you watch the convention? If you are depending on the news channels to get this message rather than listening to him..of course you won't get it but everything I said has been the crux of all of his speeches including his acceptance speech at the convention.

[Bread and Circus]

9. I'm not asking because I don't know....this is really a test...

and their is no "right" answer.

[yardwork]

13. That sums it up very well.

I could take a stab at it myself, but why dilute the message?

If it needs to be even shorter, use the Reader's Digest version:

1. Kerry will protect the United States from terrorism.

2. Kerry will make America stronger and more independent.

3. Kerry will protect American jobs and industry.

If your audience has a longer attention span, add some more:

4. Kerry will make sure our air and water stay safe and clean.

5. Kerry will give millions of Americans access to health care.

If it has to be one sentence, try this:

Kerry's leadership will improve our economy, our health, and our safety.

If you are talking with young teens, I found this comparison effective:

Kerry is like Aragorn in LOTR. He is kind and thoughtful to his friends, but he is also a fighter who isn't afraid of anything.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

34. Excellent

[JI7]

6. a stronger america

to have a stronger america so we can beat the terrorists we need a stronger economy. to have a stronger economy we need a more fair and just system which kerry supports with his policies such as taking most of the burden of taxes off of the working people and holding the ones at the top accountable.

[burpsalot]

7. What do you think his backbone message is, familydoc? n/t

[Bread and Circus]

10. Good question....

I am not sure exactly....and I think therein lies the
problem.

I might just be wrong.

If DU'ers can agree on 3 emotional themes, Kerry wins.

If not, he might be in trouble.

This is really a test of the Kerry campaign, if anyone should
know his talking points, it is we.

[newyawker99]

59. Hi graciepoo!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[shockingelk]

8. In three ...

John Kerry is here to serve America.

Should have stayed a cheerleader, George.

Hip-hip hooray!

[Julien Sorel]

11. We can do better is the meta message.

Better in Iraq, better on the economy, better on healthcare. I think he should be stressing better in the "war on terra" more, but we'll see.

Not sure what else you're looking for.

[Bread and Circus]

12. Actually, you posted exactly what I am looking for...

not the specifics, but the themes....

I want to see if DU'ers "get" Kerry's message. A litmus test if you will.

I am not saying you have "got it" because it is really subjective.

I will only be convinced of Kerry's campaign if DU'ers can boil this down to a few very similar themes.

If we are all over the map on this, then he has done a piss poor job in getting his "message" out.

[dietdpfan]

14. Focus less on Kerry and more on the screw up

that is our bastard-in-chief.

[Bread and Circus]

16. Interesting....But I think Kerry owes those of us that have given

money to his campaign.

I'm in for $2,000....I want him to spend it wisely.

[dietdpfan]

19. why would you donate money to a campaign in which

you aren't sure of the message?

[Bread and Circus]

20. Because of the Bastard in Chief...any more questions?

[dietdpfan]

22. Nope. that will do it...thanks for clearing that up.

Sheesh.

[yardwork]

24. The consistent message I see here is STRENGTH

Kerry is strong in all respects.

I mentioned Aragorn from LOTR in a post above. Kerry matches the archetypal image of a leader. From Beowulf to Martin Luther King, all effective beloved leaders have certain characteristics in common. They are strong in both physical and moral terms.

Kerry is a soldier who proved himself in battle, killing an enemy and saving his comrades, then spoke out against the immoral aspects of the war. He then goes on to become a Senator (a "king" representing "his people" - the citizens of Massachusetts and the United States) and now seeks to be crowned "High King."

Behind the fierce warrior is a man committed to morality and truth. He is thoughtful. He has a conscience and the courage to speak out. And we learn from his daughters that he was a good father who saved a small animal.

This stuff is so good nobody could make it up! No wonder the bush-bots seek to discredit Kerry.

[Bread and Circus]

27. You're post is so crazy but it's so spot on....

In a Jungian sort of way...

Kudos.

[yardwork]

44. LOL! Thank you

[antigone382]

33. "Stronger at home, more respected in the world"

My elaborations on your post, BillyBunter:

1. Bush mishandled the Iraq war, and did not give our troops the support they needed; We need to not only provide them with proper training and equipment, but we need to develop a true international coalition, and Kerry will be able to do that.

2. Bush's careless spending has contributed to a record deficit; Kerry will not only decrease the deficit by rolling back the tax cuts for the wealthy, but will also provide full funding for programs like NCLB.

3. There are too many people in this country without healthcare (I forget the exact number, something like 47 million). Kerry has a plan to guarantee affordable healthcare to all Americans.

Kerry certainly has other points, and since different issues resonate with different people, you're probably not going to find three consistent themes from the people on this discussion board. That doesn't meant that Kerry isn't getting his central message out there, it just means that different people place more emphasis on different things. Also, on a discussion board, people are trying to add to the conversation, and they're probably not going to post something that is nearly identical to something already posted. What would be the point?

[WI_DEM]

15. that's the problem

Kerry doesn't have a consistent message. No one really knows what he will do as president. He has no overriding theme.

[Bread and Circus]

18. Unless I am proven wrong (hopefully so), that is the point of my thread.

[AuntPatsy]

23. I for one do not understand your reasoning as you have

expressed it. If one is not sure of a candidate, sending two thousand dollars is a bit steep unless one is aware of more than just a snippet of what said candidate represents..

Do you do this often, give such donations without any real clear thought?

Your attempt to find some reliability in Kerry by asking some on this board their thoughts is not saying much for someone who can clearly look up such info on Kerry's site.

I am not trying to belittle you but your honestly not making much sense, I myself like to look up facts on someone by listening to or reading an individuals own words...

Just my opinion...

[dietdpfan]

28. Careful...he/she got a little snippy when I asked a question

similar to yours.

:eyes:

[AuntPatsy]

31. I read the response to your question, it still told nothing..

[Bread and Circus]

29. Well, $2000 was the max that I could give....

I supported Clark in the Primaries.

Ahem...

He got $2,000 from me as well. He got a $1,000 from my wife.

In case you think I am a fat cat, I am still paying off those credit cards.

P.S. I am not looking for the "answer" but rather I am looking for a range of answers.

Like I said it before, if 3 emotional themes ring through, Kerry wins....if his message is not clear (even to the most rabid among us), he has got a problem (and so do we).

[AuntPatsy]

32. I don't think that at all, this is after all a message board;-)

I just find it unbelievable that people would donate money without a more clearer picture of one's agenda without doing a bit more checking. Unless of course you are a drunk on some corner looking for a handout, I have been known to give to them, but it is much different, my only reasoning is pity, who knows one's story and who am I to judge, totaly different reasoning of giving one's own hard earned dollars away..

[incapsulated]

38. With all due respect...

What choice does any of us have here? What "checking" needs to be done at this point before donating to Kerry? Is there some other serious challenger to the most disastrous administration in recent history out there, that I'm not aware of?

I would vote for a rotten turnip over Bush, and support it with cold hard cash.

family doctor has a good point in this thread, and sadly, his fears are being confirmed. My first response to the question was a few slogans, but they are so vague that they aren't effective enough for a challenger: "We can do better" "Stronger at home... yada yada". He needs to hammer two or three issues on which he differs from Bush over and over and over. Long winded policy speeches and website referrals aren't going to work when you are trying to unseat a sitting POTUS.

[AuntPatsy]

40. Well its easy actually to check Kerry's message?

It is laid out on his web site, just because the media is not expounding on such does not mean it is not obtainable is all that I am trying to say. So I found it rather odd that one who has given so much money would not first have checked it out? And everyone has choices in life, whether it be the less of two evils or not, there is still choice that is yours and yours alone..

[incapsulated]

42. I think you are confusing two things

One is Kerry's stance on the issues, which most of us know by now.

The other is the Kerry Campaign's Main Messages, which is what family doctor is asking about.

One is a list of facts, the other is your pitch to the voters, which had better not be a long list of facts but a few finely honed and easily digested messages that defines you and your agenda for the country.

Too often, the Kerry "Message(s)" seem either too long, too vague or changes too often. I'm not saying he doesn't know what he stands for or believes, just that the campaign doesn't seem to have culled his message down to a few chosen issues with easily remembered soundbites to accompany them. This is quite necessary to reach the majority of the voters we are trying to get, who aren't going to visit Kerry's website to find out.

[yardwork]

26. Bullroar.

With all due respect, I disagree that he has no consistent message. I see one loud and clear. See my other posts in this thread.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

17. I'm not perfect but I'm not a lying fuckup Bushhole

good enough for me

[dietdpfan]

21. Works for me too

very succinct!

[sandnsea]

25. America is better than this

Better than this wrong Iraq pre-emptive was policy. Better than bullying foreign policy. Better than selling out the environment to the highest bidder. Better than 2 million jobs lost. Better than 1.2 billion A DAY deficit. Better than soaring health care costs. This election is about America's soul, who we are and the values the world believes we represent. We're better than George W. Bush.

[EST]

30. Sorry-wrong question.

The ONE, the only backbone in Kerry's campaign is Kerry, himself.

[shraby]

36. I don't know what sentences would

do it, but I know that when he said "Reporting for duty" at the convention when he started his speech said it all.
I felt relieved. It told me he was going to work for us, that we have an agenda that needs fixed and he is ready to tackle it.
Knowing what I do about the BCCI and Iran/Contra I have every reason to believe he will.

[progressivebydesign]

37. My take on it..

George Bush is the wrong man to lead this country. His failed leadership has hurt us at home and abroad. America can, and will do better under the leadership of Kerry/Edwards.

[Oddman]

39. Does Kerry have a message that will inspire the 50% of democrats that

don't vote to get out and vote?

God, I hope so!!!!!


A Pathetic Excuse for a pResident

[IndianaGreen]

41. Vietnam, TANG

I don't know that Kerry and Edwards are saying because all of the media's coverage focus has been on the criminal war in Vietnam and Bush's TANG record, or lack thereof.

To the average person out there that is not a political junkie like us, the Kerry/Edwards message is getting drowned by the noise about Vietnam and TANG. Add the other distractions such as the Scott Peterson case, and the inevitable stories about local corruption and tragedy, and the voters are getting zilch information about our candidates.

This has been a season of distractions!

[EST]

43. The basis of the problem seems to be this

Bushco is soo bad, the whole crew is soo disasterous, so incompetent, so terribly arrogant, so totally destructive and wrong, misfitted for this country and the world, out of step with every step, it actually makes Kerry look confusing. What I mean is- they have done such a botched job at every point that if you pick out the clarity of the Kerry strongpoint it looks, somehow wrong.

I know thes looks a little crazy because it is so tremendously difficult to put this concept, this picture, in words that will solidfy it and transfer it from my brain to yours with enough clarity and not too many pieces missing so we both know we are talking about the same thing.

The situation is so totally, completely fucked up that any correct solution looks wierd, out of place.
When you add that ALL the information this crew puts out is lies then the single truth that Kerry speaks looks wierd-again, out of place.
Is this making sense to anybody?

[yardwork]

45. It makes sense to me!

I think you stated it very well.

Another way to look at it is this: I can't think of one positive thing to say about shrub. Not one.

Nixon was bad, but at least he cared some about health care and other domestic issues, and while he escalated Vietnam at least he didn't start it.

Reagan was bad, but he got along with other world leaders and even made friends with Gorbachev.

Even Poppy had the sense not to invade Baghdad.

But W? In the face of such overwhelming evil and stupidity, how does one mount a coherent response that doesn't sound like a rant?

[EST]

47. Very clear.

Makes me want to explode. I don't want to talk about it, but I can't NOT talk about it. Recipe fo heart failure?

[Satchel]

46. "I'm not Bush"

I guess it is a more respected America, stronger economy and healthcare or something. Yeah, his message is confused, many folks complain about that. The problem is his main platform seems to be "At least I'm not Bush". Well, that works for me because I hate Bush, but is it enough for others? He can't rely on people's hatred of Bush, he has to make people believe in him.

[NightOwwl]

48. Excellent question.

I wish I had an answer.

Wishful thinking:

A vote for Bush is a vote against Strength and Stability.

A vote for Bush is a vote against Courage and Character.

A vote for Bush is a vote against Truth and Tolerance.

A vote for Bush is a vote against Peace and Prosperity.

A vote for Bush is a vote against Idealism and Integrity.

A vote for Bush is a vote against Freedom and Fairness.

Mix or match no more than three messages at a time (don't want the public to lose focus), and end with the zinger.

A vote for Kerry is a vote against Bush.

As an added benefit, encourage people to come up with their own slogans using different letters of the alphabet. It gets them involved and thinking about the content of the message.

[REP]

49. I See Where You're Going, and I Agree

I also agree with whoever posted "better for American jobs, American health, and American strength here and abroad" (or variations on those themes) should become more readily identified with the Kerry campaign. "He's Not George Bush" is good enough for lots of people, but to win, a Kerry-focused message - whatever it is - is needed.

Edited to add: I really, really want Kerry to win - not just because he isn't George Bush, but I do think he'd do okay.

[PittLib]

51. "He'd do okay?"

Try to hold back your enthusiasm there REP. You just might inspire me. To stick my head in the oven.

[NightOwwl]

52. I'm sure you are being sarcastic...

But just in case, various levels of "like" can co-existent peacefully in this forum. We don't all have to worship the ground he walks on.

[REP]

53. I Think Clinton Did Okay

Didn't hate Clinton; didn't adore him either (though I sure do miss him lately).

I really want Kerry to win; I'm voting for him; and I've converted 10 Nader voters. I hope that's an acceptable level of 'like.' (Not directed at you, NightOwl!)

[PittLib]

50. I will say this ...

while I pity GW for being the special interest pawn that he is... I can say many positive things about John Kerry, and not solely in terms of being a Bush hater. See, I actually like and respect John Kerry for who he is, not who he isn't: John is thoughtful, sincere and willing to examine a point from multiple perspectives before deciding on a course of action, unlike the knee-jerk wounded-pride rashness of Bush. John is willing to stand up for what he believes is right, even if it is unpopular. Sorry to bring it up, but the whole Vietnam issue. He went voluntarily, he fought nobly and when he returned, he was a voice for dead men ... so their lives weren't given in vain. He could very easily live the cushy life as a self interest hack, but he's out championing the underdog, and to me that means he is a proponent of equality. John was bright enough to marry a strong opinionated woman who is a driving force in his life and at the forefront, not merely his prop - a woman he consults, respects and treats with great reverence ... unlike GW who calls on Laura only when it's time for her to validate her husband. I could go on but I'm tired and annoyed, so I'll save it for my own thread to blast you doubters. Until then ... sleep tight.

[Disturbed]

54. Heard three full speeches.

Msg. Help for the Middle Class with tax cuts, cutting the tax breaks for the wealthy. Health Care. Limiting outsourcing and re-location of mfg. On Iraq: Giving incentives to the other US Allies to help with Iraq and bring the troops home within 1st term. More effective methods in combating Islamic Terrorists. More aid to Vets.

[hansolsen]

57. No one, let me repeat that, no one, believes the crap about bringing in

support from allies to solve the mess in Iraq. That is a balls on the fence loser plan for Iraq. If this is all Kerry can muster, it is a disappointment to me.

I say this because it is not too late for Kerry to announce some real alternative plans for Iraq. I have some. I've posted them all over this forum. why can't Kerry come up with at least one bold new idea about what the hell to do in Iraq???

He needs a message other than "punt the ball to the French".

[Francine Frensky]

55. "America can do better and Help is on the Way!"

That's what I heard at the convention. Otherwise, I haven't heard anything from the campaign, as it has been so filtered by the media that I'm not getting anything real.

[Bread and Circus]

56. This should be the first big backbone message.

OP-ED COLUMNIST
Taking On the Myth
By PAUL KRUGMAN

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/opinion/14krugman.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=

---

[hansolsen]

58. Here is what it should be: George Bush doesn't belong in the Oval Office

he belongs in Jail. I am an experienced federal prosecutor. If elected President I promise to charge George Bush with treason and see him in jail for life.