This Post is Not About Obama – It is about dumb, failed Democratic election strategies
I am not breaking my recent promise to have mercy on my liberal brothers and sisters by dragging poor Barack through the “purity” mud with my magic pony. I promise.
Rather – I am pointing out, (for my nth time as a blogger) that there are two ways to conduct a national campaign. There is the Democratic Party’s system of trying to appeal to 5% of the “swing” voters through “triangulation.” We can also call this the “50% plus 1” strategy that Bill Clinton won with. There is the “Energize the Base” strategy which a Democrat won with in 2008.
I can’t believe that I am writing this in 2011, but here it goes. The “50% plus 1” strategy is a proven loser for Democrats. It failed for Gore. It failed for Kerry. It failed for Obama during the last midterm elections. It runs away from core Democratic values by chasing after 5% of the voters who are lazy and disengaged to have strong opinions on the issues of the day. In so doing, the “50% plus 1” strategy nullifies the Democrats core strength – its registration advantage.
The “Energize the Base” strategy, on the other hand is a proven winner. It won for Obama in 2008 and Bush in 2000 and 2004. The “Energize the Base” strategy is aggressive. It swamps the opponents message, putting him/her on a defensive footing and creates the aura of authenticity around the “Energize the Base” candidate. That aura of authenticity, ironically, attracts the very swing voters that the “50% plus 1” strategy cravenly chases.
Other people have said this better than I am saying it here.
If I hate anything it is not people. It is stupidity strategy and stupid strategic choices by people who should know better than to make the same bad strategic choices we’ve been making time and again.
The “50% plus 1” strategy of chasing swing voters is like the even older loser strategy of “attracting the youth vote”. Adlai Stevenson is still waiting for the youth vote.
On this, I agree.
I’m with Delaware Dem on this. You are so right Jason330 and it brings tears to my eyes. When I think of the resources that will be wasted on the 50% + 1 strategy . . . well.
At the risk of sounding “pure” we are supposed to elect a president of ALL the people. That means campaigning to ALL the people.
It’s harder for them to lie to us now, which is why the appeal of the 50+1 works for THEM. This isn’t about what the base wants. It’s about them getting re-elected. which they dont’ get doesn’t work.
But, like Glenn Greenwald and Lawrence O’Donnell agreed with last night, the Dems forget their base after their elections. Well, the base is tired of that.
They thought 2008 was different and they bought all the hype and the BS behind the slogans. But, 2008 wasn’t different. The DOW is back, no jobs are here, wages are stagnant and now we have 3 fucking wars. Education is worse off, housing is worse off, no one was prosecuted for anything.
So, now they haven’t proven that they care for shit in the 3 years since they told us things were going to change.
Well, that’s not true. They have proven they are in the pocket (most of them) of whoever pays them. Guess what, it isn’t the poor and the people that need them the most.
So, the hope and change now becomes an easy target to mock. A lot of people bought that tripe and now, they aren’t going to eat it again.
I know I’m not voting for Him this time around just b/c the other side is worse. It’s stupid and fees the two party system.