My Suggestion for The Biden Strategy to Win GE

[Pototan]

Last edited Sat Sep 9, 2023, 10:39 PM - Edit history (1)

First, we need to agree that the country's voters are mostly polarized. Biden's approval rating is in the mid to high 30's, and so is Trump's, according to the admittedly flawed CNN poll. About 30% hold an unfavorable view of both candidates.

Let's, for the sake of argument, agree that these numbers are relatively accurate. I contend that it is reasonable to assume that anyone who holds an unfavorable view of both Biden and Trump, can easily be convinced that Trump is not only an "unfavorable" option, but a very dangerous one. George Stephanopoulos suggested that what Biden has to do to win this election is attack. He said this 7 times in a recent interview. I agree. This strategy worked well in 1964, as Johnson deployed it against Goldwater and in 1972, when Nixon used this strategy against McGovern. Neither of those challengers were even close to as scary as Trump.

If the Biden organization can't put together a campaign that makes American voters fear a Trump second term more than a Biden second term, they should be sued for political malpractice. I am a firm believer that it shouldn't be that hard to get that 30% to break three to four to one in Biden's favor, just as it did in 2020 and in the mid-terms in 2022. Outcome; Democratic sweep and Biden landslide.

[lapucelle]

1. Joe Biden made the preservation of democracy our midterm message,

and he was roundly criticized by the pundit class for not focusing on crime and inflation. Turns out Joe was right.

I trust that Biden (and his surrogates) will make the democracy argument a centerpiece of the presidential campaign.

[LiberaBlueDem]

2. Fear all republicans

Without a Dem Congress nothing good can happen.

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. My suggestion for Biden:

Register and motivate as many 18-29 year olds as you can; when they vote, they vote for Dems more than 2 to 1 over Republicans.

Let Biden tout his record and stay above the fray; let surrogates and super PACs do the attacking.

[usonian]

4. Just my two cents

Because that's two cents more than I make working for the party.

Focus on young people. Very much so.

Issues? I keep trying to boil them down.

1. Culture wars are a cover-up for doing nothing or doing harm to young people, women, minorities and countless others.

2. There is no conservative party. They have gone radical, breaking laws for the lulz.

3. Every GOP speech and action directly benefits Putin. Period. End of sentence. Tommy?

4. Government protects rights. It does not control your life, including your religion or sex life.

5. Every Accusation is a Confession. Whatever they bitch about, they've done and they deny by blaming others for the same.

6. Fair share. No more welfare for the rich.

I'd have written less if I had more time.
Attributed to Mark Twain.

[Tree Lady]

13. I agree and they need the best

online team in every site from tiktok to instagram.

Hire someone young with passion and have them make some viral tiktoks.

[edisdead]

5. well that's certainly one take.

[brooklynite]

6. Do you have a different one?

[edisdead]

7. I mean I do

I mean I do that doesn’t make statements about suing the party.

Look ok if the country elects Donald Trump as president it is NOT going to be the fault of the party. If that is the fate of this country there is no amount of messaging or convincing that can take place to thwart it. I am sorry but at some point we (as a nation) get what we deserve. When the choice os a club sandwich or a shit sandwich and you choose the latter because you didn’t want the onions on the club…. Well, what can we do to help you?

[Pototan]

8. Suing for "political malpractice" is hyperbole.

Jesus, I shouldn't have to explain that.

[edisdead]

21. you don't have to explain it

It is the sentiment that you are displaying in a democratic forum.

[betsuni]

11. I agree.

The belief that the nice Trump voters wouldn't vote against their own economic interests if it was just explained to them. It MUST be the Democratic Party's fault.

Bad messaging, bad candidates, bad campaigns, not enough of this and too much of that (first it was Biden not talking enough about his accomplishments and now it's that he's talking too much about it and resting on his laurels), whining that Biden said "transitional" and broke promises, ignoring the nice white rural people and being mean to them, being too nice and not fighting, they should be more like Republicans and play dirty and go negative, they're too much like Republicans and don't stop them from doing bad things because they don't want to, assuming if you don't know about something it means it's not happening. The list goes on and on.

If the country elects Trump or another Republican it can't be helped. Democrats are doing and will do as much as they can to prevent it. There's no perfect candidate or perfect message that will stop it. There are no easy answers.

[Pototan]

16. It's not the Biden voters or the Trump voters that need convincing

it's the 10% in the middle. Just like 2020 and 2022.

That 10%, who dislike both candidates and all politicians, in general, can be convinced that Trump is an existential threat to America. Because he is.

This 10% (and probably many more) blame the President for high gasoline prices. What morons. These voters can be easily manipulated by America's enemies (who happen to be Trump's friends), Saudi Arabia and Russia, by reducing the oil on the world market, thus increasing the price at the pump and inflation, in general.

[betsuni]

17. But if they can't see the difference between the two parties, nothing can be done.

Republicans have convinced them that government is the problem, doesn't work, makes sure it doesn't work, then run against government (which always means Democrats). They won't listen to Democrats.

[Pototan]

18. that 10% was convinced, overwhelmingly, to vote for Biden in 2020

and Democrats in 2022.

We have to make the contrast very distinct.

[edisdead]

22. SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM????

He convinced them in 2020 but now there is a problem?

[Hortensis]

28. Agree. People's brains process input differently and arrive at

different conclusions that seem entirely valid to them.

I read yesterday a belief that Democrats COULD take necessary action right now to stop climate disaster but won't. All the reminding in the world (not explaining -- they know) that right now 222 votes beats 212, won't change underlying convictions that give rise to statements like that. Not at all sure, either, how or if input that an "other" half of the nation that opposes climate action exists is processed.

Why brains work as they do I don't know, but one thing I'm sure of: HUMANITY OWES ITS CONTINUED EXISTENCE TO THOSE WHO CAN KEEP AT LEAST ONE FOOT ON TERRA FIRMA.

[MichMan]

9. What if Trump isn't running?

[Pototan]

10. Then a different strategy needs to be employed

DeSantis would be an issue and temperament campaign, emphasizing a woman's right to choose and truth in history.

Each candidate would need a different approach. But, for now, I'm going with the conventional wisdom: Biden vs. Trump.

Rule of Law: Biden respects it, Trump abuses it.

Democracy: Biden supports it. Trump undermines it.

The American voter has to choose which kind of country they want to live in for the next 4 years

[Tree Lady]

14. I think a bunch of ads with Mikey

and Minnie begging us to vote for Joe would help if it was him.

Everybody loves them even a lot of republicans, he was stupid to take that on.

[LudwigPastorius]

12. Naw...the appeal to fear is a Republican thing.

Can you imagine FDR, John Kennedy, or Barack Obama campaigning on possible "American carnage"?

[Pototan]

15. Lyndon Johnson did...

...and Hilary Clinton should have deployed the fear factor more aggressively.

And it's not "American Carnage", it's what could happen if Trump wins.

Just like Goldwater and the daisy commercial in 1964.

Say what you want, but it will work, and it has the added advantage of being the truth.

[betsuni]

19. Hillary was criticized for having too many negative ads against Trump, the Democratic Party's only

message being "We're not as bad as Trump, vote for me!" and that Democrats didn't stand for anything and had no economic message except that they weren't Trump. I remember it well, that was very very very popular with trolls here.

"After the November election, critics ... argued that she had concentrated too much on criticizing Trump. As a Washington Post story put it, 'One error was to stick with a long-standing, one-dimensional campaign strategy: attacking Donald Trump."

Damned if you do, for Democrats, and damned if you don't.

[Pototan]

20. Not me

I didn't think she was tough enough.

And I noticed you skipped over the LBJ '64 example.

Maybe you can give me an example of a Democratic candidate losing a general election for being "too tough".

You certainly don't think Carter, Mondale, Dukakis or Gore were "too negative"?

That FDR could beat Wendall Wilkie, who agreed with him on fighting fascism, without using a fearful campaign is of no consequence. Let the 1940 election be the antisemite Charles Lindburgh and his American Firsters as FDR's opponent, with Hitler winning WWII on the line and see how that would have worked out. I suggest you watch a 6-part series, "The Plot Against America" in which a Lindburgh-FDR election ended up with Lindburgh winning the 1940 election. A very interesting series.

Sometimes, in political history, there really is something to be afraid of. And Trump is one of those times.

[edisdead]

23. And there is the problem

Stop equating YOU with everyone else.

[Pototan]

24. Oh, I don't equate me with everybody else...

...Biden can take me for granted. I need no convincing.

I'm suggesting ways of convincing the persuadable 10%. I'm not in that group. Are you? If, as I suspect, you are in the same group of voters as I am, I'd like to hear your suggestions on how to win over the persuadable voters. And please don't just talk about "turnout". If voters can't turn out on their own, they obviously need to be persuaded to turn out. Fear is a great "persuadable". Fear of not controlling your own body. Fear of losing your Democracy. All legitimate and truthful "persuadables" to a second Trump term.

I'd rather win an election than win an argument. Especially with so much at stake.

[edisdead]

25. We have outpaced expectations

We have outpaced expectations in every election since 2016, yet you question what they are doing?

Armchair quarterbacking. Here’s the actual truth. Democrats are actually doing pretty damned well.

[Mr.Bill]

26. We need to go after every age bracket.

Trump will be bad for people of all ages, and Biden will be good for all ages. We must shout out the fact that Trump has been a bad person his entire life, not just a bad president for four years. People my age know this, younger people not so much. Remember there will be people voting that were ten years old when Trump was elected in 2016. These young people especially need to know how bad this person is.

[Pototan]

31. Agreed

My point in the OP

[WarGamer]

29. it's all about turnout.

Battle lines are drawn.

The winner is the one who gets the most soldiers to the front.

[Pototan]

30. My point

If young voters, pro-choice women and minorities aren't motivated to get out to vote of their own volition, we need to motivate them. Losing your Democracy and freedom to control your own life is the motivator.

Nothing motivates like fear. And if there's anyone who doesn't fear a second Trump term, they really are living under a rock.