Friday, December 15, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Gatordem On Talking to the Media
Gatordem has a post on how activists should talk to the media. (Note: I don't use MSM.) I have no major points to add. Except that it's harder then it sounds. Just getting bloggers to discuss my David Caton Challenge was frustrating enough. Shakes and Mustang Bobby helped greatly by linking to it. It still didn't go nowhere. I don't have the resources and blogging clout to take on Caton. It was a good lesson in how online activism works.
The truth is you are not going to win every fight. The lefty bloggers fought against the bankruptcy bill and lost. Badly. Democrats in both houses caved. But if you believe in what you are doing is right then you should continue to try and make improvements in this country. It's the right thing to do. That sounds cheesy, but many people are too apathetic to care.
That kind of disregard helps the self-serving and callous. Imagine if the Left didn't fight to regain both Houses. We would have Speaker Hastert again. Or perhaps Speaker Delay. Ponder that last sentence for a moment.
The truth is you are not going to win every fight. The lefty bloggers fought against the bankruptcy bill and lost. Badly. Democrats in both houses caved. But if you believe in what you are doing is right then you should continue to try and make improvements in this country. It's the right thing to do. That sounds cheesy, but many people are too apathetic to care.
That kind of disregard helps the self-serving and callous. Imagine if the Left didn't fight to regain both Houses. We would have Speaker Hastert again. Or perhaps Speaker Delay. Ponder that last sentence for a moment.
How to Talk to the Main Stream Media
Authors Note: This is the second in a weekly series of "How to talk to Diaries".
Last week, in "How to Talk to Fear Mongers", we discussed terminology and tactics for conversations with our friends who believe that Republicans do a better job handling terrorism than Democrats would do. We also talked about how to counter their memes.
From some comments I have received, both here and elsewhere, it appears that I didn't do a good job explaining the goal of this series, and perhaps used not the best examples to get my point across. Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I shall take them to heart as we proceed in this series.
Today we are going to do something a little bit different in this series. In talking to the Main Stream Media, our goal is a little bit different than it will be for most of the rest of this series. The goal here is to persuade the MSM to publish articles that you want to see published, or to cover stories that you want to see covered. You may ask questions that you want to see asked, or to get the MSM to use words that you have suggested to them. Does this sound like a tall order? Well, it really is not as difficult as it might seem. But, you have to know the rules of the game...
Defining the Overarching Strategy
Here our goal is slightly different than in other conversations we are going to have. We are not trying to persuade the MSM that our party has the better candidate or the better ideas. Here we are going to try to get the MSM to do that for us. They will not do it because they believe that we have the better candidate or the better ideas. They will do it if you can get them to think it is what they ought to do.
If this appears manipulative, well, that's because it is. The MSM is manipulated by others on a daily basis. On DailyKos, we see complaints literally daily about the MSM this, or the MSM that. Instead of just complaining about it, we are going to do something about it. We are going to do this because we value Community and Honesty.
As much as we like to think that the MSM is becoming less and less relevant, the fact remains that the MSM still has tremendous influence in our society. Here is but one example. In an AP story published on the web last week , Media company E.W. Scripps Co. reported
Define the Terminology
This section is also different than other parts of this series. Here we must learn to play on the other guy's turf. Once we become proficient at that, we can maneuver them onto our battlefield. First, though, we must engage them on their own playing field. I order to do this effectively, we have to understand the rules of their game.
The first lesson you must learn is to understand the pressures on the different parts of the media. A daily newspaper has a different news horizon than a weekly magazine, which is different still from a television station or a network news operation. Cable news operations have different news cycles as well.
Some of your better media companies will hold public seminars on this topic from time to time. They do not do this for purely philanthropic reasons. As they have struggled to compete in this electronic age, they are relying more and more on community input for their original news sources. There is no reason that you can not be an active member of this community input group. There is every reason that you should.
In order to keep this brief, here is a quick rundown on the different ways you can influence newspaper coverage:
· Daily newspapers, as their name implies, have a one day horizon for news events. Columnists, editorial boards and investigative reports are not so tied in to this cycle except when they come up on deadline for publication.
· If you have a press release announcing an event you want to see publicized in advance and then covered as a news event, there are some things to keep in mind:
· You must get your press release to the paper in time for the editors to consider including your announcement on a timely basis. It does you no good for your release to reach the paper after it has been "put to bed" the day before your event.
· You must find a way for your release to stand out from the many others received at the larger newspapers every day.
· You should write your press release in the form of a news story. Get familiar with the style of the newspaper where you are sending your release. Attempt to follow that style in your release. Newspapers are operating with less and less staff resources than ever before. The less work the paper has to do with your release to get it ready for print in their paper, the greater the likelihood that your release gets published.
· If you want your event to get press coverage, you must organize your event in such a way as to distinguish it from the everyday "dog bites man" story. Try to understand the newspapers theory of what news is. If you can have a celebrity participate in your event, so much the better. If you want to put a celebrity or public official on the hot seat, that works as well.
· If you wish to influence news coverage, here are some other things to keep in mind:
· Develop relationships with the reporters.
· Provide them with insights into the story that you know and they may not.
· Introduce them to people who would be of interest to them.
· Never lie to or mislead a reporter. This will destroy any credibility you have built up with them. Credibility is like a savings account. Providing useful information to reporters increases your credibility account balance. Being less than honest with a reporter is the quickest way to overdraw your credibility account.
· Provide them frames you would like to see in print.
· There are many ways to develop relationships with reporters.
· Most newspapers will publish the email address and phone number of the author of a news story or column. Send an email complimenting the good work of a reporter or columnist. If you can, try to include some piece of information relative to the subject that the piece did not mention, and the author may have been unaware of. Do not start off a relationship with a critical email or phone call.
· When you go to events, try to strike up a conversation with a reporter. They are usually pretty easy to spot. They will be the people in the back of the room with their notebooks and / or tape recorders in hand. Often they will be wearing their credentials. If you don't spot them right away, look for the gaggle of folks surrounding the news maker after the event. Chances are there will be reporters among them.
· Be mindful of the daily work cycle of the newspapers.
· Editorial Boards meet in the mornings to consider what stories they will assign to reporters that day for publication in tomorrow's paper. If you want something reported on, make sure you get the information to the newspaper at least one day before.
· Late afternoon Editorial Board meetings decide what will be in the paper the next day, and where they will be placed.
· Late afternoon and early evening is when reporters are bumping up against their deadlines. Don't call reporters for relationship building between 4 and 7 P.M. Interrupting them when they are trying to meet their deadline is not a way to endear yourself to a reporter.
For the sake of brevity, dealing with TV stations and weekly news magazines will be left to part II of How to talk to the MSM.
Mangling the Memes
MSM types are not universally stupid. In fact, there are some very bright, if skeptical people, working in the MSM. At some point in your relationship with them, they will accuse you of two very common memes. These are the "spin" and the "talking points" memes. You must be prepared to defend yourself from these accusatory memes.
To counter the "spin" meme:
· Make sure that your "spin" is fact based.
· Be ready to refute the "counter spin".
· Do not become known as a hopeless spinner. Be willing to concede the weak points in your side of a story.
To counter the "talking points" meme:
· As with the "spin" meme, make sure your talking points are reality based.
· Be ready to refute the other sides talking points on the issue.
· Try to avoid becoming known as a talking point spouter. Re-word or paraphrase the talking points. Try to paint them in a new light, instead of the same old, tired talking points on a subject.
The MSM is still an important player in the development of attitudes and policies in this country. In fact, many diaries here often are sparked by some event reported in the MSM. The MSM is manipulated all the time. They expect to be manipulated. If you can make yourself reliable and useful to them, they will end up calling or emailing you for your take on a story. Good communications people are always trying to "make the story better" for the view point or candidate.
Be careful to avoid being known solely as a "spinner" or a "talking points spouter". Your usefulness to the reporter will be greatly diminished if that becomes the perception of the reporter. They expect those things from official spokespeople. Your value to them is going to come from your "non-official" take on people and events.
Go out there and make the story better.
Last week, in "How to Talk to Fear Mongers", we discussed terminology and tactics for conversations with our friends who believe that Republicans do a better job handling terrorism than Democrats would do. We also talked about how to counter their memes.
From some comments I have received, both here and elsewhere, it appears that I didn't do a good job explaining the goal of this series, and perhaps used not the best examples to get my point across. Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I shall take them to heart as we proceed in this series.
Today we are going to do something a little bit different in this series. In talking to the Main Stream Media, our goal is a little bit different than it will be for most of the rest of this series. The goal here is to persuade the MSM to publish articles that you want to see published, or to cover stories that you want to see covered. You may ask questions that you want to see asked, or to get the MSM to use words that you have suggested to them. Does this sound like a tall order? Well, it really is not as difficult as it might seem. But, you have to know the rules of the game...
Defining the Overarching Strategy
Here our goal is slightly different than in other conversations we are going to have. We are not trying to persuade the MSM that our party has the better candidate or the better ideas. Here we are going to try to get the MSM to do that for us. They will not do it because they believe that we have the better candidate or the better ideas. They will do it if you can get them to think it is what they ought to do.
If this appears manipulative, well, that's because it is. The MSM is manipulated by others on a daily basis. On DailyKos, we see complaints literally daily about the MSM this, or the MSM that. Instead of just complaining about it, we are going to do something about it. We are going to do this because we value Community and Honesty.
As much as we like to think that the MSM is becoming less and less relevant, the fact remains that the MSM still has tremendous influence in our society. Here is but one example. In an AP story published on the web last week , Media company E.W. Scripps Co. reported
Scripps newspaper revenue is still growing at greater then the rate of inflation. Its online enterprises are expected to add $80 million in revenues next year and its television stations revenues are growing at a double digit rate. This is but one media conglomerate. With this kind of cash flow, the MSM is not going away anytime soon.it anticipates 2007 newspaper revenue growth in the low single digits, with most
of the growth coming from newspaper internet enterprises.Revenue from the
Scripps Networks unit is seen gaining between 10 percent and 13 percent for the
year. Scripps Interactive Media, which includes Shopzilla and uSwitch, is
expected to show a 2007 profit between $80 million and $85 million.Revenue at
the company's television station group is expected to decline between 3 percent
and 5 percent next year due to significantly less political advertising revenue.
Define the Terminology
This section is also different than other parts of this series. Here we must learn to play on the other guy's turf. Once we become proficient at that, we can maneuver them onto our battlefield. First, though, we must engage them on their own playing field. I order to do this effectively, we have to understand the rules of their game.
The first lesson you must learn is to understand the pressures on the different parts of the media. A daily newspaper has a different news horizon than a weekly magazine, which is different still from a television station or a network news operation. Cable news operations have different news cycles as well.
Some of your better media companies will hold public seminars on this topic from time to time. They do not do this for purely philanthropic reasons. As they have struggled to compete in this electronic age, they are relying more and more on community input for their original news sources. There is no reason that you can not be an active member of this community input group. There is every reason that you should.
In order to keep this brief, here is a quick rundown on the different ways you can influence newspaper coverage:
· Daily newspapers, as their name implies, have a one day horizon for news events. Columnists, editorial boards and investigative reports are not so tied in to this cycle except when they come up on deadline for publication.
· If you have a press release announcing an event you want to see publicized in advance and then covered as a news event, there are some things to keep in mind:
· You must get your press release to the paper in time for the editors to consider including your announcement on a timely basis. It does you no good for your release to reach the paper after it has been "put to bed" the day before your event.
· You must find a way for your release to stand out from the many others received at the larger newspapers every day.
· You should write your press release in the form of a news story. Get familiar with the style of the newspaper where you are sending your release. Attempt to follow that style in your release. Newspapers are operating with less and less staff resources than ever before. The less work the paper has to do with your release to get it ready for print in their paper, the greater the likelihood that your release gets published.
· If you want your event to get press coverage, you must organize your event in such a way as to distinguish it from the everyday "dog bites man" story. Try to understand the newspapers theory of what news is. If you can have a celebrity participate in your event, so much the better. If you want to put a celebrity or public official on the hot seat, that works as well.
· If you wish to influence news coverage, here are some other things to keep in mind:
· Develop relationships with the reporters.
· Provide them with insights into the story that you know and they may not.
· Introduce them to people who would be of interest to them.
· Never lie to or mislead a reporter. This will destroy any credibility you have built up with them. Credibility is like a savings account. Providing useful information to reporters increases your credibility account balance. Being less than honest with a reporter is the quickest way to overdraw your credibility account.
· Provide them frames you would like to see in print.
· There are many ways to develop relationships with reporters.
· Most newspapers will publish the email address and phone number of the author of a news story or column. Send an email complimenting the good work of a reporter or columnist. If you can, try to include some piece of information relative to the subject that the piece did not mention, and the author may have been unaware of. Do not start off a relationship with a critical email or phone call.
· When you go to events, try to strike up a conversation with a reporter. They are usually pretty easy to spot. They will be the people in the back of the room with their notebooks and / or tape recorders in hand. Often they will be wearing their credentials. If you don't spot them right away, look for the gaggle of folks surrounding the news maker after the event. Chances are there will be reporters among them.
· Be mindful of the daily work cycle of the newspapers.
· Editorial Boards meet in the mornings to consider what stories they will assign to reporters that day for publication in tomorrow's paper. If you want something reported on, make sure you get the information to the newspaper at least one day before.
· Late afternoon Editorial Board meetings decide what will be in the paper the next day, and where they will be placed.
· Late afternoon and early evening is when reporters are bumping up against their deadlines. Don't call reporters for relationship building between 4 and 7 P.M. Interrupting them when they are trying to meet their deadline is not a way to endear yourself to a reporter.
For the sake of brevity, dealing with TV stations and weekly news magazines will be left to part II of How to talk to the MSM.
Mangling the Memes
MSM types are not universally stupid. In fact, there are some very bright, if skeptical people, working in the MSM. At some point in your relationship with them, they will accuse you of two very common memes. These are the "spin" and the "talking points" memes. You must be prepared to defend yourself from these accusatory memes.
To counter the "spin" meme:
· Make sure that your "spin" is fact based.
· Be ready to refute the "counter spin".
· Do not become known as a hopeless spinner. Be willing to concede the weak points in your side of a story.
To counter the "talking points" meme:
· As with the "spin" meme, make sure your talking points are reality based.
· Be ready to refute the other sides talking points on the issue.
· Try to avoid becoming known as a talking point spouter. Re-word or paraphrase the talking points. Try to paint them in a new light, instead of the same old, tired talking points on a subject.
The MSM is still an important player in the development of attitudes and policies in this country. In fact, many diaries here often are sparked by some event reported in the MSM. The MSM is manipulated all the time. They expect to be manipulated. If you can make yourself reliable and useful to them, they will end up calling or emailing you for your take on a story. Good communications people are always trying to "make the story better" for the view point or candidate.
Be careful to avoid being known solely as a "spinner" or a "talking points spouter". Your usefulness to the reporter will be greatly diminished if that becomes the perception of the reporter. They expect those things from official spokespeople. Your value to them is going to come from your "non-official" take on people and events.
Go out there and make the story better.
Charlie's Inauguration Donors
After the PR fallout, Charlie Crist has released the list of donors to his inauguration committee.
That's some party that Charlie almost threw. He had a keen enough political ear to admit, "I made a mistake, and, yes, it was a doozy." That's rare in politics and I'll give him credit for that. I'm wondering why he wanted such a lavish inauguration.
The list of donors includes private prison contractor The Geo Group, which gave $50,000, while U.S. Sugar also kicked in $50,000. Boca Raton aviation company Trigeant Air gave $100,000. Powerhouse Fort Lauderdale law firm Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky Abate donated $25,000 while Tallahassee law firm Bryant Miller & Olive gave $10,000. Oviedo agriculture giant A. Duda & Sons donated $25,000.
That's some party that Charlie almost threw. He had a keen enough political ear to admit, "I made a mistake, and, yes, it was a doozy." That's rare in politics and I'll give him credit for that. I'm wondering why he wanted such a lavish inauguration.
Friday, December 8, 2006
Friday Morning Group
Friday Morning Group
There was an interesting meeting this morning in Downtown St. Petersburg. A rather eclectic group gathered at 8 ish to talk about artists and the arts in St. Petersburg. Included in this group:
Former Director of a theatre foundation
An attorney who is also a singer and actor
A gallery owner
A volunteer public art docent
A poet and promoter
An art gallery marketing director
A travel writer
An executive from the Pinells County Cultural Council
A Political and governmental relations consultant (guess who)
These were all members of a group that had met regularly for about 2 years until it sort of dwindled away. The group is fairly loosely organized, as befits the varied nature of its participants. There is no formal agenda. There is no chair person. People come and go as necessary. Nonetheless, the group has had a measurable impact on many things in St. Petersburg in the past few years.
The Manhattan Casino restoration was one of the first projects the group took on. The groups' efforts helped set the tone and feel for how the old ballroom upstairs was refurbished. If only we could get the soul food restaurant on the ground floor that we supported. Oh, well. Maybe someday in the not too distant future.
Also, the idea and practice of artists being able to live and work in the same location was spearheaded by the Friday Morning Group. A pair of very well known artists had moved to town and wanted to have their studio on the ground floor and live upstairs in an abondoned garment factory in the Old South East, Well, the city codes inspectors were really scratching their heads over that one. After much effort and consulatation, the city finally figured it out and our artist couple is now well ensconced in the old bra factory. (They hate it when I call it that.)
The Studio@620 is something that came directly out of the Friday Morning Group. The co-art directors were both charter members of the group. The group also put a lot of time in discussing the Florida Orchestra. The new, more casual look of the Orchestra's catolog is a direct result of the groups' conversation with the Orchetra. The Florida Orchestra is moving its headquarters to St.Pete due in no small measure to the efforts of the group.
A couple of years ago, a reporter from Creative Loafing sat in on one of the meetings of the group. We were discussing the Chamber of commerce brochure that proclaimed on its cover that St. Petersburg was the "City of the Arts". Well, our artists particularly thought that was just pretentious as hell and were pretty contemptible of the whole idea. Yes St. Petersburg is a good place for artists. It could be better. But to proclaim St. Pete as The City of the Arts? Hello.So we were discussing this foolishness and kicking around ideas. One of our memebers came up with this:
That comment wound up in print. I think that's a pretty good explanation of the Friday Morning Group. The beautiful City of St. Petersburg is the canvas that is our art work in progress. We continue to put more creative touches on it all the time.
It is a never ending project of love.
There was an interesting meeting this morning in Downtown St. Petersburg. A rather eclectic group gathered at 8 ish to talk about artists and the arts in St. Petersburg. Included in this group:
Former Director of a theatre foundation
An attorney who is also a singer and actor
A gallery owner
A volunteer public art docent
A poet and promoter
An art gallery marketing director
A travel writer
An executive from the Pinells County Cultural Council
A Political and governmental relations consultant (guess who)
These were all members of a group that had met regularly for about 2 years until it sort of dwindled away. The group is fairly loosely organized, as befits the varied nature of its participants. There is no formal agenda. There is no chair person. People come and go as necessary. Nonetheless, the group has had a measurable impact on many things in St. Petersburg in the past few years.
The Manhattan Casino restoration was one of the first projects the group took on. The groups' efforts helped set the tone and feel for how the old ballroom upstairs was refurbished. If only we could get the soul food restaurant on the ground floor that we supported. Oh, well. Maybe someday in the not too distant future.
Also, the idea and practice of artists being able to live and work in the same location was spearheaded by the Friday Morning Group. A pair of very well known artists had moved to town and wanted to have their studio on the ground floor and live upstairs in an abondoned garment factory in the Old South East, Well, the city codes inspectors were really scratching their heads over that one. After much effort and consulatation, the city finally figured it out and our artist couple is now well ensconced in the old bra factory. (They hate it when I call it that.)
The Studio@620 is something that came directly out of the Friday Morning Group. The co-art directors were both charter members of the group. The group also put a lot of time in discussing the Florida Orchestra. The new, more casual look of the Orchestra's catolog is a direct result of the groups' conversation with the Orchetra. The Florida Orchestra is moving its headquarters to St.Pete due in no small measure to the efforts of the group.
A couple of years ago, a reporter from Creative Loafing sat in on one of the meetings of the group. We were discussing the Chamber of commerce brochure that proclaimed on its cover that St. Petersburg was the "City of the Arts". Well, our artists particularly thought that was just pretentious as hell and were pretty contemptible of the whole idea. Yes St. Petersburg is a good place for artists. It could be better. But to proclaim St. Pete as The City of the Arts? Hello.So we were discussing this foolishness and kicking around ideas. One of our memebers came up with this:
St. Petersburg is not the City of the Arts, the city is the art.
That comment wound up in print. I think that's a pretty good explanation of the Friday Morning Group. The beautiful City of St. Petersburg is the canvas that is our art work in progress. We continue to put more creative touches on it all the time.
It is a never ending project of love.
Monday, December 4, 2006
How to Talk to Fear Mongers
Authors Note: This is planned to be the first of a series of "How To Talk To" diaries.
A lot has been written lately about Newt Gingrich. He has been making a lot of news with his speech in New Hampshire where he suggested that in order to be free, we would have to give up some of our freedom. But KO raised an interesting question the other night. He was asking whether what Newt was really doing was getting ready to recycle the fear card. The fear card didn't really work for the Gopers this cycle. That's because it was overwhelmed by the fiasco that is Iraq and the corruption of Congressional Gopers.
That doesn't mean that the fear card is dead. It isn't. Whoever the Goper nominee is, he will attempt to play the fear card yet again. If we are going to get our guy or gal into the White House in 2008, we are going to have to learn how to trump the fear card.
Defining the Overarching Strategy
In talking to fear mongers, our goal is to show that our party and our nominees are better suited and have better ideas to deal with the challenges posed by the current state of affairs vis a vis terrorism. Our strategy will be shaped by this goal and the basic value of Community. It is incumbent upon us to provide security for our Community, to protect it from those who would do us harm, and thus harm our Community.
The perception on the part of Community members that this security is being provided enhances the well being of the community. Conversely, the perception that this security is deficient detracts from the well being of the community. To restate our goal, it is our goal is for the Community to perceive that the level of security that our party can provide is an acceptable level.
The ideas we will use to develop the message used to achieve our goal must be delivered in a way that the community can relate to. The community must receive our message in a way that resonates with them on a personal level. This can best by done by research and real world examples. First, some research.
Democracy Corps conducted a poll October 29 through November 1, 2006 that fairly predicted that the Democrats were going to win control of the House of Representatives in a big way. The poll was conducted in the 50 most competitive Republican held districts. This poll confirmed the work of DKos poll analyst supreme Steve Singiser in his diary HOUSE ANALYSIS--Why Red Districts May Matter More published on September 16, 2006. The most telling quote from this superb analysis is this:
In this case, I am starting to wonder if the numbers are trying to tell us something. The blue-purple districts matter, because they are on our natural terrain, and we have some awesome candidates there.
I think it would be prudent for the DCCC and the DNC, however, to give some serious love to the "flyover states."
Ironically, if an electoral tsunami develops in this election year, it might come from regions that are nowhere near an ocean
.
Who would have believed that the Democrats would pick up three seats in Indiana?
That's what first Steve Singiser and then Democracy Corps told us through research. Some key points relative to this discussion from the Democracy Corps poll:
• Terrorism and National Security was the third highest ranked issue, coming in behind only the War in Iraq and the Economy and Jobs . Defeating the fear card still matters.
• Democrats trailed Republicans by 18 points on the question of who would do a better job on National Security.
This underscores the importance of being able to deal with the fear card. It is a very important issue, and the perception is that Republicans can do a better job at it then Democrats. The Iraq War was the number one issue this election cycle. I think we all hope and pray that it will not be the number one issue in the 2008 election cycle. However, with Iraq and Republican corruption out of the way, we must close the National Security gap on the Republicans. We must learn how to trump the fear card.
Define the Terminology
Defining the terminology in a war of wards is synonymous with choosing the battlefield. The first key tactic in trumping the fear card is refusing to play on the fear mongers’ battlefield. Their battlefield is littered with such discredited terms as “stay the course” and “cut and run”. Fear mongers are stubborn folks though, and they think the voters have short memories. Even if they abandon these terms temporarily, they will come back to them and their ideological cousins. Do not get trapped on the fear mongers’ battlefield. Our discussion on defeating the fear mongers’ is going to take place on the terms that we define.
The first term to define is the very conflict itself. We are always going to talk about the Conflict with Islamic Extremists. We should also refer to this as the Long Term Conflict with Islamic Extremists.
We are going to define the Main Battlefront in the Long Term Conflict with Islamic Extremists as the Battle of Ideas. Ultimately, this conflict will not be won on any physical battlefield, but on the metaphysical battlefield. This is going to be accomplished by working with the Moderate Elements in the Islamic World. In order to win the Conflict with Islamic Extremists, and the Battle of Ideas, our plans have to be Tough and Smart.
We have already seen the Bush Administrations’ ideas on how to fight this conflict. The voters have already, at least in their own minds, named this Tough and Stupid, and rejected that idea. The war in Iraq is a perfect example of this administrations’ pursuit of the Tough and Stupid battle plan. Cutting and Running in Afghanistan is another example of actually Not so Tough and Stupid.
The Bushies have also abandoned the Powell Doctrine. The Powell Doctrine speaks to the use of Overwhelming Force. What good is having the Finest Military in the World if we do not use our Conventional Superiority with Overwhelming Force? A perfect example of the Powell Doctrine is the 1991 Gulf War. There we took our time, built up our forces, engaged in a prolonged bombing campaign to debilitate the enemy, and proceeded to invade with Overwhelming Force and won the war in 96 hours. A perfect example of the abandonment of the Powell Doctrine in favor of the Tough and Stupid battle plan is the current Fiasco in Iraq.
In summary, the base of our terminology in describing the Long Term Conflict with Islamic Extremists is talking about the Conflict with Islamic Extremists as the Battle of Ideas. Our battle plan is to be Tough and Smart, and we will work with the Moderate Elements in the Islamic World. We are going to avoid the Failed Policy of Tough and Stupid that the Bushies have followed. We are not going to Cut and Run as the Bush Administration did in Afghanistan, leaving Osama bin Laden as Osama Been Forgotten.
Mangle the Memes
The final weapon in our inventory for Trumping the Fear Card is to Mangle the Memes. What this refers to is our Counter Attack Strategy. This Counter Attack Strategy is for us to reject every meme that the Bushies and their ideological successors lob at us.
We have already alluded to one such meme above, Cut and Run. Never let Cut and Run go unchallenged. Here are some counter attack lines to mangle this meme:
• The only cutting and running we have seen is this administrations cutting and running in Afghanistan.
• When the Bush Administration Cut and Ran in Afghanistan, they let Osama bin laden become Osama Been Forgotten.
• If the Bush Administration hadn’t Cut and Run in Afghanistan, they would not still be quoting Osama bin Laden. (This is actually a two-fer because it combines mangling Cut and Run with Bushies quoting Osama bin Laden.
Newt Gingrich was warming up the fear card with talk about Losing a City. Never let Losing a City go unchallenged. Here are some counter attack lines to mangle this meme:
• We have already lost a city under this Administration, its’ name is New Orleans.
• Condoleeza Rice talked about the Mushroom Cloud over a city to scare us into Iraq. I’m a lot more concerned about the Mushrooms they are eating.
• While the Bush administration had us Bogged Down in Iraq, the Real Mushroom Cloud Danger has been developing unhindered in Iran and North Korea.
The basic rule in mangling the meme is to never let a meme go unchallenged. The other side can only get away with this if you let them. So don’t let them.
In order to Trump the Fear Card, we determined which of our values applied to this problem. We defined our overarching strategy. We chose the battlefield by defining the terminology. And we counter attacked by mangling the memes.
Happy Hunting.
A lot has been written lately about Newt Gingrich. He has been making a lot of news with his speech in New Hampshire where he suggested that in order to be free, we would have to give up some of our freedom. But KO raised an interesting question the other night. He was asking whether what Newt was really doing was getting ready to recycle the fear card. The fear card didn't really work for the Gopers this cycle. That's because it was overwhelmed by the fiasco that is Iraq and the corruption of Congressional Gopers.
That doesn't mean that the fear card is dead. It isn't. Whoever the Goper nominee is, he will attempt to play the fear card yet again. If we are going to get our guy or gal into the White House in 2008, we are going to have to learn how to trump the fear card.
Defining the Overarching Strategy
In talking to fear mongers, our goal is to show that our party and our nominees are better suited and have better ideas to deal with the challenges posed by the current state of affairs vis a vis terrorism. Our strategy will be shaped by this goal and the basic value of Community. It is incumbent upon us to provide security for our Community, to protect it from those who would do us harm, and thus harm our Community.
The perception on the part of Community members that this security is being provided enhances the well being of the community. Conversely, the perception that this security is deficient detracts from the well being of the community. To restate our goal, it is our goal is for the Community to perceive that the level of security that our party can provide is an acceptable level.
The ideas we will use to develop the message used to achieve our goal must be delivered in a way that the community can relate to. The community must receive our message in a way that resonates with them on a personal level. This can best by done by research and real world examples. First, some research.
Democracy Corps conducted a poll October 29 through November 1, 2006 that fairly predicted that the Democrats were going to win control of the House of Representatives in a big way. The poll was conducted in the 50 most competitive Republican held districts. This poll confirmed the work of DKos poll analyst supreme Steve Singiser in his diary HOUSE ANALYSIS--Why Red Districts May Matter More published on September 16, 2006. The most telling quote from this superb analysis is this:
In this case, I am starting to wonder if the numbers are trying to tell us something. The blue-purple districts matter, because they are on our natural terrain, and we have some awesome candidates there.
I think it would be prudent for the DCCC and the DNC, however, to give some serious love to the "flyover states."
Ironically, if an electoral tsunami develops in this election year, it might come from regions that are nowhere near an ocean
.
Who would have believed that the Democrats would pick up three seats in Indiana?
That's what first Steve Singiser and then Democracy Corps told us through research. Some key points relative to this discussion from the Democracy Corps poll:
• Terrorism and National Security was the third highest ranked issue, coming in behind only the War in Iraq and the Economy and Jobs . Defeating the fear card still matters.
• Democrats trailed Republicans by 18 points on the question of who would do a better job on National Security.
This underscores the importance of being able to deal with the fear card. It is a very important issue, and the perception is that Republicans can do a better job at it then Democrats. The Iraq War was the number one issue this election cycle. I think we all hope and pray that it will not be the number one issue in the 2008 election cycle. However, with Iraq and Republican corruption out of the way, we must close the National Security gap on the Republicans. We must learn how to trump the fear card.
Define the Terminology
Defining the terminology in a war of wards is synonymous with choosing the battlefield. The first key tactic in trumping the fear card is refusing to play on the fear mongers’ battlefield. Their battlefield is littered with such discredited terms as “stay the course” and “cut and run”. Fear mongers are stubborn folks though, and they think the voters have short memories. Even if they abandon these terms temporarily, they will come back to them and their ideological cousins. Do not get trapped on the fear mongers’ battlefield. Our discussion on defeating the fear mongers’ is going to take place on the terms that we define.
The first term to define is the very conflict itself. We are always going to talk about the Conflict with Islamic Extremists. We should also refer to this as the Long Term Conflict with Islamic Extremists.
We are going to define the Main Battlefront in the Long Term Conflict with Islamic Extremists as the Battle of Ideas. Ultimately, this conflict will not be won on any physical battlefield, but on the metaphysical battlefield. This is going to be accomplished by working with the Moderate Elements in the Islamic World. In order to win the Conflict with Islamic Extremists, and the Battle of Ideas, our plans have to be Tough and Smart.
We have already seen the Bush Administrations’ ideas on how to fight this conflict. The voters have already, at least in their own minds, named this Tough and Stupid, and rejected that idea. The war in Iraq is a perfect example of this administrations’ pursuit of the Tough and Stupid battle plan. Cutting and Running in Afghanistan is another example of actually Not so Tough and Stupid.
The Bushies have also abandoned the Powell Doctrine. The Powell Doctrine speaks to the use of Overwhelming Force. What good is having the Finest Military in the World if we do not use our Conventional Superiority with Overwhelming Force? A perfect example of the Powell Doctrine is the 1991 Gulf War. There we took our time, built up our forces, engaged in a prolonged bombing campaign to debilitate the enemy, and proceeded to invade with Overwhelming Force and won the war in 96 hours. A perfect example of the abandonment of the Powell Doctrine in favor of the Tough and Stupid battle plan is the current Fiasco in Iraq.
In summary, the base of our terminology in describing the Long Term Conflict with Islamic Extremists is talking about the Conflict with Islamic Extremists as the Battle of Ideas. Our battle plan is to be Tough and Smart, and we will work with the Moderate Elements in the Islamic World. We are going to avoid the Failed Policy of Tough and Stupid that the Bushies have followed. We are not going to Cut and Run as the Bush Administration did in Afghanistan, leaving Osama bin Laden as Osama Been Forgotten.
Mangle the Memes
The final weapon in our inventory for Trumping the Fear Card is to Mangle the Memes. What this refers to is our Counter Attack Strategy. This Counter Attack Strategy is for us to reject every meme that the Bushies and their ideological successors lob at us.
We have already alluded to one such meme above, Cut and Run. Never let Cut and Run go unchallenged. Here are some counter attack lines to mangle this meme:
• The only cutting and running we have seen is this administrations cutting and running in Afghanistan.
• When the Bush Administration Cut and Ran in Afghanistan, they let Osama bin laden become Osama Been Forgotten.
• If the Bush Administration hadn’t Cut and Run in Afghanistan, they would not still be quoting Osama bin Laden. (This is actually a two-fer because it combines mangling Cut and Run with Bushies quoting Osama bin Laden.
Newt Gingrich was warming up the fear card with talk about Losing a City. Never let Losing a City go unchallenged. Here are some counter attack lines to mangle this meme:
• We have already lost a city under this Administration, its’ name is New Orleans.
• Condoleeza Rice talked about the Mushroom Cloud over a city to scare us into Iraq. I’m a lot more concerned about the Mushrooms they are eating.
• While the Bush administration had us Bogged Down in Iraq, the Real Mushroom Cloud Danger has been developing unhindered in Iran and North Korea.
The basic rule in mangling the meme is to never let a meme go unchallenged. The other side can only get away with this if you let them. So don’t let them.
In order to Trump the Fear Card, we determined which of our values applied to this problem. We defined our overarching strategy. We chose the battlefield by defining the terminology. And we counter attacked by mangling the memes.
Happy Hunting.
How to Talk to the Other Side
I plan to begin a series of “How to Talk to Diaries” tomorrow. The goal of the “How to Talk to Diary” series is to give you a foundation for talking to people who probably will agree with you, if you approach the subject in a manner that will not automatically cause them to reject your message before you have a chance to get to the meat of the matter. It is also to show that you can bring the other side around to your way of thinking without compromising your values. Another way of saying this is that you can be pragmatic and yet uncompromising.
As a starting point, we need to discuss values based decision making. This is how I try to approach every challenge or opportunity that I face. First and foremost, I cling to my values. Values are never compromised. From this starting point, decisions are made on how best to achieve the goals that stem from your values. Without getting into a long discussion about values, let me just give you what is, in my case, the root of all values:
Here is the framework we are going to use to Talk to the Other Side:
Define the Overarching Strategy
Define the Terminology
Mangle the Memes
Define the Overarching Strategy
Defining the overall strategy is the key to the entire process of Talking to the Other Side. When you talk to the other side, you should start with your goal in mind. So first, you need to define your goal. The next step is to determine which of your values apply to this goal. Only then can you determine the best overarching strategy to achieve your goal without compromising your values.
Define the Terminology
Defining the terminology is akin to choosing the battlefield. If you let the other side define the terminology, you will be fighting your battle on the other guys’ battlefield. Any tactician will tell you that he who determines the battlefield has the much better chance of winning the battle.
Mangle the Memes
The other side is not going to take all this lying down. They are going to counter attack you with their favorite memes. You are going to counter attack them by never letting a meme go unchallenged. You have already defined your terminology. You can mix up your counterattacks by using your predefined terminology in response to their memes, or you can turn their own memes back on them. Use either of these tactics, or both. You will confound your opposition and carry the day.
See you tomorrow with the first of the “How to Talk to” diaries.
As a starting point, we need to discuss values based decision making. This is how I try to approach every challenge or opportunity that I face. First and foremost, I cling to my values. Values are never compromised. From this starting point, decisions are made on how best to achieve the goals that stem from your values. Without getting into a long discussion about values, let me just give you what is, in my case, the root of all values:
Love thy neighbor as thyselfEvery other value is derived from this root value. It is why I am a Democrat, because I have made a determination that this is the party that best suits my values.
Here is the framework we are going to use to Talk to the Other Side:
Define the Overarching Strategy
Define the Terminology
Mangle the Memes
Define the Overarching Strategy
Defining the overall strategy is the key to the entire process of Talking to the Other Side. When you talk to the other side, you should start with your goal in mind. So first, you need to define your goal. The next step is to determine which of your values apply to this goal. Only then can you determine the best overarching strategy to achieve your goal without compromising your values.
Define the Terminology
Defining the terminology is akin to choosing the battlefield. If you let the other side define the terminology, you will be fighting your battle on the other guys’ battlefield. Any tactician will tell you that he who determines the battlefield has the much better chance of winning the battle.
Mangle the Memes
The other side is not going to take all this lying down. They are going to counter attack you with their favorite memes. You are going to counter attack them by never letting a meme go unchallenged. You have already defined your terminology. You can mix up your counterattacks by using your predefined terminology in response to their memes, or you can turn their own memes back on them. Use either of these tactics, or both. You will confound your opposition and carry the day.
See you tomorrow with the first of the “How to Talk to” diaries.
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