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I sent this strategy memo out this AM to Democratic Leaders. I continue to think that the Dems need to be more effective in controlling the narrative. Brown did it in Massachusetts, and the GOP and their shills do it nationally. The Dems need a counterstrategy.
Democratic Strategy Memo
January 20, 2010
To All Democratic Leaders:
This is a memo about strategy. I am a life-long Democrat and a clinical social worker. I feel it is time you had a coordinated strategy to deal with the very effective Republican scream machine that is derailing the Democratic agenda.
You must create a strong narrative and stick with it. The Republicans must be branded negatively, repeatedly, with the same narrative that pretty much covers whatever they say. You must not spend so much time on the defensive responding to every bogus attack. That just gives the attack more power. Instead, you and all your spokespeople should respond with something like this, repeating the bolded words so they become synonymous with Republican:
The Republicans have been purposefully sowing discontent, spreading lies, and stimulating fear and anger, in order to derail Obama’s agenda. They are manipulating the American public, playing on people’s feelings of victimization in order to thwart effective government. They have no interest in solving the problems of the American people. Their only interest is to spread lies and discontent, thereby stimulating fear, anger, and feelings of victimization. This is their only strategy.
Every time Republicans say anything about anything, it should be branded with the words “sowing discontent’, “purposefully spreading lies”, and “stimulating anger, victimization, and fear”. They want Americans to feel victimized, powerless, and angry. You could quote Reagan: There they go again.
The narrative about Obama and the Democrats must also be clear and repeated often, and it must be about good and pure motives, not so much about policy. The Republicans are good at character smears and manufacturing malicious motives, so the countermeasures must be about things that may seem obvious but are still necessary.
President Obama has worked tirelessly to get the economy back on track and thriving again after the irresponsible and short sighted policies of the past got us into big trouble.
President Obama and the Democrats want everyone to have good, effective, affordable health care that will not cause overwhelming financial burden and ruin to families. This has always been the only goal. Republicans have attempted to thwart this every step of the way: by the abusive use of the filibuster, by spreading lies, discontent, anger, and feelings of victimization.
President Obama is working hard to bolster America’s image abroad, to fight terrorism with targeted, focused attacks, and to protect national security by shoring up our defenses at home. The Republicans are shamelessly sowing fear and spreading lies to thwart even the government’s efforts toward national security. Their endless stream of vindictive attacks borders on treason and harms the national interest.
In short, Obama and the Democrats are trying to solve the nation’s many problems, while the Republicans are trying to derail effective government by sowing discontent, anger, and fear and spreading lies. They have no solutions and only a strategy for political power. They are shamelessly manipulating the American people, and they are harming the national interest in doing so.
I really hope you can use some of this. It fits every attack they have made since President Obama was elected. As a therapist, I can tell you that the strategy is very similar to what happens in an abusive relationship: constant attacks that keep the abused ineffective and on the defensive. The solution is to put the GOP on the defensive for lying, for seriously harming the national interest, and for selfishly and shamelessly manipulating the public. This theme should be repeated often and in every situation and used by all the candidates for the coming election. It is not helpful and in fact harmful to focus on each attack. That just feeds the narrative of the attack. Instead, label the attacks preposterous lies, yet again, to derail Democrats and harm the national interest, and that fail to address the people’s needs, and/or weaken national security.
Now I know many on DU like to complain about Obama, complain about health care reform, etc. Know that you are playing into the GOP's hands. They want to sow discontent. They want us to argue amongst ourselves. They want Americans feeling angry and victimized. These things render us ineffective, and that is their strategy.
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