Governing in the Public Interest

ILLUSTRATED: The Public Interest, our brand for the next generation.
This blog first mentioned last November that the Democrats need a new brand identity. It should be the Public Interest/Public Trust/Common Good/Commonwealth etc. The banner should be "patriotism". For the last quarter centuty, the GOP has run on smaller government, lower taxes and regulation, under the banner of "liberty and freedom".
I hope that Bill Clinton's speech yesterday, in which he repeated "Common Good" dozens of times, will telegraph the new theme for our party.
Policies like rebuilding our education system, health care system, our army, our international reputation, our fiscal system can all fall under this thematic banner.

The Vision Thing

ILLUSTRATED: Why I'm a Democrat
Last night I was at an event and got tripped up on the “Bumper Sticker Branding” question.
For my own edification:
Democratic Party is “governing in the public interest”. Our judicial appointees “interpret the constitution as if we are in 2006, not 1789”. “America is strongest leading with world together, not going it alone.”
Two campaign slogans could be “Pulling America back Together” or “Uniting America”. They could be metaphors for rebuilding the Army, putting our fiscal house back in order, rebuilding our education and social services, and redeeming our international reputation.

Countering GOP spin on Congressional Hearings

ILLUSTRAED: It is Congress' job to hold the Executive Branch accountable for cleanly running the government.
I saw Sean Hannity lobbing soft balls to Dick Morris last night about the dangers of the upcoming hearings that will happen in a Democratic Congress. The spin is that we will be blamed for not letting the executives do their jobs, so we can be blamed if something goes wrong. You’ll hear words like witch hunts and fishing expeditions. It’s all nonsense.
Here’s how to respond: Congressional oversight helps run the government cleanly. Democratic Senator Harry Truman led the investigations into war profiteering during World War II, during a Democratic administration. General George Marshall told Truman that his committee was worth two army divisions. The Democrats rewarded Truman by putting him on the national ticket. Could you imagine the GOP doing that? Also use statistics like the GOP help 100 hours of hearing on Clinton’s Christmas card list, but only 12 hours on Abu Grahib.
When you hear witch hunt, say "IT’S ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY!" Congress is the board of trutees for the government, and government is a public trust for the public interest.

3 steps to political messaging

ILLUSTRATED: (1) Values > (2) Elevator Pitch > (3) Policy details.
This is what rural Democrats know about how to communicate....
Step 1: Know the core values, up to four or five of them. Jumping ahead to Step 3, is the facts, statistics, and policy details. But the key, the part that takes cultural, intellectual, and political aplomb is Step 2. That's where you translate the policy into poetry that vibes with the voters' values.

On the wall of your campaign office, list the three steps as columns and fill them in "Values, Elevator Pitch, and Policy Details". A big hint for a statewide or national race: Column 1 and Column 3 are identical in liberal urban areas and conservative rural areas.
Step 2 is the short speech where you adjust to the sensitivities of your audience. Get them to trust that the Democrats will handle the issues according to their values.