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A Winning Democratic National Campaign Message for 2022: Protect Our Democracy [1]
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Date: 2022-07-30
Just about everyone who follows politics would agree that having a strong campaign message is important. But surprisingly, it seems rare to see a coherent campaign message at the national level. In my lifetime, here are the only clear and succinct national political messages that I can think of:
Reagan, 1984: Morning in America
Congressional Republicans, led by Gingrich, 1992: The Contract with America. This was actually a “Contract” with specific legislative commitments, but it also made for an effective national campaign message.
Obama, 2008: Hope and Change.
Trump, 2016: Make America Great Again.
The point of these messages is that it gives the candidates a perfect jumping-off point to talk about the points they want to make to sell their campaign. It is a powerful communications tool. Obama could make point after point on the campaign trail that sat easily under the banner of Hope and Change. Trump could complain about all the things he loved to complain about, and to his supporters, it all sounded like “Make America Great Again”.
The point is: Having a clear, simple and compelling campaign message is important.
What is a winning message for Democrats in 2022?
I’m going to offer some thoughts. The goal here is to identify the key points and unifying message that candidates from Hawaii to Maine, and everywhere in between, can look at and say, “Yes. Awesome! I will be more than happy to run on those points.”
I’ll begin by defining some key points that define the Democrats’ stance this election cycle, which will then point toward a defining message.
Democrats respect elections. Democrats will fight for the right to choose our leader by a democratic election, and to not have the election overturned by a tyrant making some phone calls to their political cronies. And Democrats understand that failure to respect elections will plunge the country into dictatorship.
Democrats want our citizens to vote, and they will protect your right to vote. Democrats want people to participate in democracy. We believe that the more people who legally vote and participate in our democracy, the stronger our democracy will be.
Democrats believe in laws grounded in common sense, not religious extremism. Democrats have a strong sense of moral values—values that do not come solely from what someone’s pastor says based on something that may or may not be stated in someone’s religious text. When extremist or politicized judges begin to erode citizens’ rights, Democrats recognize that that is not the intention of the Constitution or the promise of America, and they will stand up against such abuses of judicial power.
And while we’re protecting our democracy, Democrats know that we need to protect our children, from any random crazy person who feels like buying a military-style assault rifle and shooting up a school. And no, saying the teachers can stash their own gun in the supply closet isn’t going to cut it, folks.
And finally,
Democrats believe in honesty and telling the truth. They know that a democracy is only as strong as its citizens, and Democrats seek to empower the citizens of this country by telling them the truth. They know that lies will never help a country move forward, but are only the tools of a would-be dictator seeking to cling to power. Democrats know that Americans have nothing to fear from seeing the country, or the world, as it really is, and protecting democracy means telling voters the truth.
After considering all of these points, here is my suggestion for the Democrats’ national campaign message for 2022:
Protect our democracy.
Protect our democracy. This is a simple, clear message that will resonate strongly in 2022. This message can go on billboards, campaign literature, and of course, websites and digital media. It can be repeated enthusiastically by candidates running anywhere in the country. Perhaps most compellingly, this message can be the first sentence Democrats across the country lead with on the debate stage—and then proceed to brutally define their opponent. “I believe Joe Biden is the democratically elected President. My opponent does not.” “I stood against Donald Trump when he attempted to overthrow the 2020 election and make himself a dictator. My opponent tried to help him become that dictator.” “I believe this Supreme Court, which does not represent the majority of Americans nor even close to it, is taking away Americans’ constitutional rights. My opponent wants the Court to keep on doing it.”
“I will protect our democracy. My opponent will undermine elections until we are under a dictator, at which point my opponent will turn to that dictator and beg to be thrown the scraps of their power.”
That is the message.
It can synch into any core message of the Democratic platform—but especially the points that resonate with the deep, primal emotions so many Americans are feeling in the wake of the Trump Presidency—that the Republican party has become extreme to the point of near-Fascism, dishonest, cult-like, violent, and ready to plunge the country into a pseudo-religious dictatorship. The country wants to be saved from this. Democrats simply need to step up and say, in a way that cuts through the media noise, that they will do this: they will be the protectors of democracy.
Just as Joe Biden said in his 2020 nomination acceptance speech that he would lead us in this fight for the soul of our country—precisely the words he needed to say in that moment—Democrats as a party need to say that message, with that same clarity and commitment, right now. They will protect our democracy.
Protect our democracy.
That is the winning message, for all Democrats nationally, in 2022. It needs to go on every yard sign, every piece of lit, every website, every digital marketing piece, and be the first and last sentence out of every candidate’s mouth in all their debates.
Now:
If you all on DailyKos agree, then let’s all help get this message out there.
Does it apply well to your local candidate? Write a diary about it.
Do you want to add your own thoughts? Put them in a comment here, or write it up in a separate post.
Let’s use grassroots enthusiasm to help the Party adopt a strong, bold, decisive and unified message this cycle.
Go Democrats! Protect our democracy!
(Slogan of historic national Democratic Congressional landslide, 2022)
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