Progressive Movement

2006 Mid-Term Election Analysis

Despite manipulated voting machines and other forms of voter fraud, a better financed Republican Party (although not nearly as much as before), a superb GOP ground game, infighting between the DCCC, DNC, centrists, and progressives, and extremely partisan gerrymandered districts, the Democrats still managed to squeeze off an impressive victory on 7 November, grabbing control of the House, Senate, six Governorships, and several state chambers.

Voter disgust with Republicans over corruption, Iraq, Bush, and an incompetent Congress gave the Democrats a golden opportunity to smash the Republicans like they did the Democrats in ‘94. Unfortunately, the Democrats did not fully capitalize on their once every generation chance to decimate the Republicans. While this failure was partly due to the gerrymandering, fraudulent machines, etc… mentioned in the first paragraph, the Dems failed to knockout the Republicans for three reasons.

1) They did not have a consistent message on anything.
2) They did not attack Republican strengths.
3) They still cannot frame their messages with a moral hue.

Message Consistency and Vision

There is no doubt the public is sick and tired of Republicans, and for good reason. And while that helped the Democrats, they could have gotten at least a dozen more seats in the House, possibly even the Senate seat in Tennessee. They needed something more. (more…)

Messaging, Iraq, Elections, Democrats, Morals/Morality Frame | No Comments »

It is amazing that Democrats keep falling for this. Republicans are great at making a controversy out of nothing, and they did it once again. Kerry’s statement, while a gaffe, would have been too obtuse for most people to even understand. So on that count, Kerry showed once again that he has not learned that simplicity is next to godliness in political campaigning.

Still, his response was largely correct, which is to use the controversy as a means to attack Republican policies, which was the point of his whole botched joke to begin with. The problem was the rest of the Democrats’ response.

At the slightest hint of controversy Democrats go run and hide, calling for an apology. They should have just told the media that if they wanted to know about Kerry’s comment, then go ask Kerry. The story largely became how the Dems are sacrificing their own, rather than what Kerry was thinking in the first place, and how he reacted to the controversy.

Rule number 1 in good media relations: if it does not concern you, shut up.

This whole affair ends up being exhibit A on why people think Democrats are weak, because every time the Republicans attack them over the most trivial of matters they eat their own.

We see this with voting as well. (more…)

Messaging, Iraq, Elections, Kerry | No Comments »