washington, dc

The Democratic Strategist

Political Strategy for a Permanent Democratic Majority

elections

Democrats: President Obama’s recent speeches provide a coherent Democratic message for the fall. They are clear, serviceable and ready to be put to use.

by James Vega
In the aftermath of the elections of 2000, 2002 and 2004 Dems widely bewailed the superior “message discipline” of the Republicans. The GOP was credited with successfully guiding its members to focus on a small number of clear slogans and themes while Democrats tied themselves in knots.
In consequence, one key theme of a recent strategy meeting about the coming elections between Senate Democrats and senior staff and the Obama White House was that “there will be intense emphasis on keeping all candidates, offices and parties coordinated on the same message”.
Read the entire memo.


A message strategy for combating the “enthusiasm gap” – Theme: This election is not about Washington. It’s about resisting a conservative attack on “people like you”.

by James Vega
In recent weeks the DNC, OFA and other Democratic campaign organizations have refined their message strategy to define the coming election as a stark choice between two vastly different alternative futures rather than a referendum on Obama’s first year and a half in office and to suggest that a wide range of distasteful policies will be pursued if the Republicans win control of the House of Representatives.
This is fine as far as it goes but it does not bring into focus the distinct and uniquely aggressive threat that the militarized and hyper-ideological “take back our country” campaign poses to Democrats across the country.
Read the entire memo.