By Andrew Birnbaum
And now a nice word about Teabaggers. They may have joined the protests out of misdirected anger toward President Obama, but when confronted with Republican missteps, some (not all) expressed openness to learning more about both parties' failings. In other words, they wanted to address the true causes of broken government, but were only getting sufficiently bite-sized information from conservatives, causing them to wholly fault progressives.
This is frustrating because Republicans are largely responsible for numerous national problems. Of course, Democrats are not innocent. But the Teabaggers are already angry with them. The Democrats need to do a better job of explaining why electing Republicans would worsen the problems.
Regarding the relationship between conservative policies and the lack of quality jobs, I previously wrote: "How many chances do they get to drive us off a cliff and still criticize anyone who tries to hit the brakes?"
The Democrats should use similar metaphors to express in simple terms the continuing effects of the "Elephant Plague." Although Democrats must own the last eighteen months, it is appropriate to remind people of what happened previously, when Republicans had control.
Regarding jobs, a Democratic spokesperson might explain:
There's a very funny movie called BEDAZZLED. It's the story of a guy in love with a co-worker, but he just can't get her attention. So he makes a deal with the Devil, played by Elizabeth Hurley, and she gives him a bunch of wishes. With each wish, he tries to create a situation where the woman will fall for him. But each time, something goes wrong, the guy doesn't get the girl, and the Devil claims the wish just wasn't specific enough. Now I ask the American people, when you told the Republicans to create more jobs, did you realize you had to specify that the jobs should be in this country?
The "Bedazzled" metaphor is particularly useful because it presents a framework for understanding a simple truth: each time the Republicans take action they claim will help the average American, they end up benefitting wealthy people (American or otherwise) at our expense.
Regarding Taxes, Democrats might say:
When you asked Republicans to lower taxes, did you realize you had to specify you meant your own taxes?
(Potential follow-up: Republicans lowered taxes substantially for the rich, but only a small amount for the average American. President Obama saw there was room to lower your taxes more, and he did it. The way Democrats see it, workers and families need tax cuts more than big banks and oil companies).
Regarding health insurance, Democrats might say:
When you told Republicans you wanted better health insurance, did you realize you had to specify you meant your own insurance?
(Potential follow-up: The people in Washington have always had terrific insurance. Still do. Republicans and Democrats alike, we are all taken care of. It is the people on Main Street who don't receive sufficient care, even if they work full-time, even if they work two or more jobs. So this year the Democrats took action to improve the situation for the people on Main Street. Every Republican voted against improving your health care. What do they care? They have insurance).
Obviously, Democrats must anticipate the usual Republican comebacks. Republicans will likely appeal to Teabagger's lust for small government by claiming it is not the government's responsibility to create jobs or determine who fills them. But this is a no-brainer. How many people in this country are unemployed, underemployed, or doing worse than they were before President Bush took office? We can make the obvious connection between job outsourcing and American unemployment. This also plays into the issue of cutting taxes for the rich, since the Republicans already did this and we ended up with massive unemployment. And if people decry potential death panels, remind them such panels already exist, only they are run by private insurers and disproportionately impact the people on Main Street.
Remember one simple rule: every time Republicans claim something is a weakness for Democrats, Democrats must turn around and unabashedly claim it as a strength. ("That's right. We saw a problem and we acted to fix it. After eight years of inaction, we moved forward, and we will continue to do so. I won't apologize for using government to better Americans' lives.") Maddening as the answer may be, ask yourself a simple question: Did George Bush, Sarah Palin and Arnold Schwarzenegger get where they are through good judgment, or through confidence and certainty?
Significantly, the most important part of each campaign is the one line slogan (ie. When you told Republicans you wanted…, did you realize you had to specify you meant…?). Some of us may desire further explanation, but by that time most people have lost interest and/or THE HILLS is on. There is no substitute for a single effective sentence.
Admittedly, there is one Republican claim that could prove especially tricky. Democrats enabled some of the Republicans' worst policies, and are open to hypocrisy charges if they try to wholly blame Republicans. The best advice I can give Democrats on this issue is to start fighting for the people, and for the people only. Do it before the next election, and explain in one catchy sentence what you are doing. One clever line that people can enjoy over a cup of tea.
Andrew Birnbaum @ shenluk.blogspot.com
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