The GOP likes the federal government when it fits their purpose

ILLUSTRATED: The abortion ruling shows the hypocrisy on state's rights.

When talking to a more sophisticated crowd, mention that on "States Rights", the conservative movement has shown its own hypocricy regarding Federal law. Don't fall for a GOP presidential or Senate candidate who says "abortion should be left to the states, overturn Roe v Wade". We now know their real agenda is to use the branches of the federal government to nationally ban abortion. Just like Dred Scott v Sanford was a sweeping national law. (Ironically, pro-lifers cite Dred Scott all of the time).

Remember, Democrats support pragmatic government and access to justice at all levels of government.

War, Abortion, Guns

ILLUSTRATED: In the three days prior to this posting, several major events will force issues upon both political parties.

Civil War in Iraq- The name of the game in Iraq is Sunni political buy-in, not a drop in the body count. The Maliki cabinet lost Sadr supporters and the Sunni on Shia violence escalates. The political disintegration of the government means that Iraq is nowhere near a functioning polity. Add to that, or should I say subtract from that, half of the educated and professional class which has fled, and it seems Iraq is near lost. In terms of domestic politics, the unspeakable car bombings, of a few hours ago, will resonate even more as people realize that Iraq endures several Virginia Tech-style tragedies every week.

Guns and Virginia Tech- Folks, on this one, don't focus on banning guns, focus on better health and communities, hey "healthy communities" sounds catchy. It's one thing to ban automatic rifles and guns, but these were semi-automatic pistols used. One tactic to use debating a dogmatic gun supporter is suggest that your opponent opposes bombs, bazookas, and homemade chemical weapons. Thus even they support restrictions on arms. You support hunters and personal defense weapons, so you are arguing over a narrow range of weapons.

Right to Choose- In 2008, there will be a slew of state ballot measures further restricting a woman's right to choose. Today's Supreme Court ruling is the first step in killing Roe, not outright, but by one thousand cuts. In general, the pro-life forces want to focus on people values and their gut reaction to the procedure which, anyone must admit, is intrinsically horrible. Pro-choice forces must focus on the American people's libertarian instincts and frame the debate in terms of law and policy. Be vivid and concrete. One political consultant I admire always brings a coat hanger and handcuffs when he talks about this issue.

A crafty new book on crafting a speech

ILLUSTRATED: How to spell SUCCES (sic) for political speech writers.
Made to Stick is a new book about business communication. It serves as a primer on how to draft a political stump speech. Use this as a Checklist for stump speeches or literature:

1. Simplicity- boil down your platform to the bare essentials, encapsulate it. A lay person needs to grasp the essence/concept in ten seconds or about two short sentences. Illustrations help.
2. Unexpectedness- make the message compelling and attention grabbing.
3. Concreteness – use vivid, tangible words. Pictures are great.
4. Credibility – establish your own trustworthiness. Selectively use data if you must.
5. Emotions – it should strike people in their gut and heart. Make people care about your issue.
6. Stories- make your point the moral of a short story, a parable.

Our kind of judges and their kind of judges

ILLUSTRATED: A Democratic president will appoint judges who believe evidence of global warming.
Folks, the recent Supreme Court decision on the EPA's authority to regulate CO2 emissions is a gift from heaven for us. The four conservatives (Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito) sided against evidence of global warming as well as the authority for the federal executive branch to regulate it. The GOP has made judges an issue since Nixon in '68.
Now it is time to argue back, there are numerous archived posts on how to talk about jurisprudence in a soundbite. Such as this one, this one, this long one, this one, and that one.
My favorite line is : "We support judges who interpret the Constitution as if we're living in 2007, not 1789".