They are not saying “you” are the problem. They might be saying the 1% is the problem, or Wall Street, or obstructionist Republicans.
And speaking of Reagan, things in 1980 were much worse then they are today. Do you think Reagan should have spent his time telling us how horrible things were? No, he told us how good things could become.
A good ad campaign would have clips of Trump saying America is horrible and Russia is great. Most Americans, and especially his base, are still patriots. Showing Trump running down our country is not going to play well with them.
Of course the people who are succeeding outside politics are the problem. Of course, it’s a big lie, because if the 1% were the problem we wouldn’t elect them to high office and Democrats wouldn’t seek their advice every time they have a problem they want solved. Obviously, Democrats actually believe the 1% are the solution. At least THEIR 1 percenters are the solution.
“See, the problem isn’t us, it’s you, because you keep on voting to stop us just when we get going.”
Or perhaps the actual problem is the government still.
I’m totally going to trust the author of Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media’s Attack on Christianity to give the objective spin on anything, never mind what Democrats should or shouldn’t say.
It’s also an inherently pessimistic figure. The country is on the wrong track about 95% of the time if you listen to that. I think the last time it was on the right track according to polling was immediately after 9/11. I’ll take the wrong track over that, thanks.
I don’t see how it’s a misstep. Sure, it doesn’t really target the people who really think the country is completely doomed, but they aren’t the target. Most people, if asked, will say they love this country. They may have hard times and be upset at the government they think got them there, but they are also extremely patriotic. The way to meet them is to say that America is great, but we can make it better. Your problems are big, but we can solve them. You don’t have to go “doom and gloom” to acknowledge problems.
Yes, the tactic Trump is winning could work. Create the fear, then set yourself up as the guy who can fix it. Trade the good feeling of optimism with relief from fear. But this is not the only tactic.
And if the Democrats want to win, they have to push a different tactic. They have to try and create the more appealing message. And hope that, when the target isn’t just registered Republicans, that optimism will actually work.
I for one found the whole thing very refreshing. Without it, the darkness might lead me to ignore the race altogether, just to keep my sanity. I think that Kaine is the first truly likeable guy in this, and hope that they will push that.
I also hold out hope that the GOP was not fighting as hard as it should have against Trump, and that the other tactic of going negative against him would work. I know I didn’t hear anything about Trump’s actual negatives, just about what he was saying at any given time. Hopefully the Democrats are smart enough not to do that.
Optimistic campaign, plus factual slams on how horrible Trump is. It might not be possible with any other candidate, since it could come across as being mean. But Trump has so much bad stuff, I think it can be done.
… but it is. Why should he spend time addressing stuff that doesn’t really exist ? When you “feel” something is wrong that isn’t wrong, the correct course of action is not to feed your delusion. *Someone *needs to tell many (most?) Americans to chill the fuck out and come out from under the couch.
Talking Points memo has collected a bunch of conservatives tweeting about how the DNC is the giving the sort of speeches that the GOP out to have used.
Here, for example, is John Podhoretz, former Ronald Reagan speech writer:
I think you need to entertain the possibility that it’s not the DNC who are out of touch here.
Or perhaps not. Or perhaps it’s part of the government. Or perhaps it’s Martians. Who knows? Is it all Neil Cavuto’s fault? We can post unsubstantiated speculation all day!
Exactly right. There’s no way anywhere near a majority of people feel like we’re on the rollercoaster of doom. To deal with the smallish number who do, you toss out a rhetorical bone, the real purpose of which is showing your own supporters you’re trying to be empathetic.
Republicans foolishly ceded patriotism and optimism to the Democrats. While Republicans were singing the old Hee Haw song “Gloom, Despair, and Agony On Me” Democrats got to celebrate the good things about America. Hillary’s line “America is great because America is good” is a sharp contrast to Trump’s “Oh my fucking God we’re fucking doomed but I alone can save us”. The Democratic convention was about loving America, the Republican convention was about loving Trump.
All ideas that intelligent informed Americans can get behind. But the votes of intelligent informed Americans were never in doubt. The election will be decided by hateful Americans, and there was nothing in the speeches to appeal to them. :rolleyes:
Yes, but there was an understanding of norms. There is a clear understanding that the Senate will provide advice and consent (with consent obviously being able to be withheld).
It would be simple enough for the Senate to vote ‘no’, and that would remove 80%+ of the complaints. Why don’t they do that? They don’t even need to hold hearings.