Tea Party Teabagging the GOP
When a group is founded solely on the hatred towards one man and the media stops reporting on the group’s idiotic rantings, it turns out that the Tea Party is actually beginning to harm the Republican Party. Not only are the positive numbers down, way down for the Tea Party, but their negative numbers are way up. And now, instead of campaigning in fear of the these loons, the Democrat Party is beginning to campaign against them. The big problem is the damage that the Tea Party has done and its residual effects over the next few years.
Tags: Republican Party, Tea Party
The Teaparty gives Dems something to run against, but they still need to have a less muddy, more affirmative brand identity. The tea party has helped them frame that identity to some degree, but the top of the ticket needs to bring home what it means to vote FOR Democrats in 2012 in a way that makes instant and visceral sense.
The tea party has: Smaller government, lower taxes! What is the four word Democratic mission statement?
Here is Axlerod on the topic:
When Todd asked whether the aide could give “the elevator pitch” for an Obama second term, Axelrod first replied, “Well, I don’t know how tall your building is.”
He continued: “The short one is: let’s restore the economic security that Americans have lost — not just recover from a recession, but rebuild the economic security that Americans have lost. Let’s make work pay again, reward responsibility, restore those values that have made this country great,” he said.
“And, you know, that is going to involve a series of things that are more than a bumper sticker — it’s going to be educating our kids, it’s going to be research and development, and innovation. There are a lot of things that go into it. But that is the goal, that is the north star that is going to drive him.”
In terms of policy, that may sound like a good enough agenda to many Democrats. But in terms of a crystallized election message — something which is Axelrod’s speciality — it lacks both precision and magnetism.
For Axelrod, in two words: Restoring Prosperity
I like it.
“Restoring Prosperity”
That is uncomfortably close to “Time for a change.”
To make “Restoring Prosperity” work as a pitch, first you have to make voters understand that you are really still running against the Bush Administration, and that during your first administration you were too busy fending off disaster to restore prosperity, but this time around you are really going to do it. That requires nuance, which never works well for Democrats.
And you have to make them forget that you continued the disastrous Bush tax cuts. Well I guess most people forgot already, except me.
How about, Larger government and higher taxes! ?
If the ACA is struck down, will it validate and re-invigorate teabaggers right before the election?
Voters will say “Hmmm… the Tea Party was right about the individual mandate – what else are they right about? “
I would think that it would motivate the non teabags, but they seem pretty tough to motivate.
Here is the rub. I agree the tea party has been over zealous at times, and I have been mad at them a few times. (especially when one of their leaders wanted to disband the methodist religion). I happen to be methodist.
But, Jason is right, smaller government, lower taxes, very clean and sucinct. Plus, that is what they honestly believe in. however, the democrats do believe in larger government and higher taxes, but they cant use that slogan, because none of them would ever get elected.
“smaller government, lower taxes, very clean and sucinct”
Obama has been talking about raising taxes on the rich since like forever, but don’t hold your breath waiting for him to actually do it.
In fact, Obama is a bigger tax cutter than Bush. Obama has extended the Bush tax cuts and added more tax cuts on top of that.
And don’t look now, but the number of Federal employees per capita has been dropping since the Bush administration.
Great point, Jason. That has been a perennial problem for the Democratic Party. How about: “(economic and social) Fairness, prosperity, progress, and peace.”
But the promise of a single payer health care system is much lower total costs even as our taxes go up.
So the slogan should be something like this: “Support regulation that saves you money: Utilities, Single payer health care, and Antitrust laws”
Viewing the current health care system as akin to antitrust abuse brings clarity as to why it is so important to regulate. The current system is just a big scam.