I hope DUers will keep in mind as we get closer to the 2024 election

[summer_in_TX]

57. Dems too often start proudly touting a list of programs.

But values trump good programs any day of the week. Yes, the good programs reflect our values. But we need to make our values very explicit, and specifically tie programs to those values.

Framing is critical, and for decades the GOP had the simple frame of family values (which conveyed the ideas of conservative Judeo-Christian morality, traditional roles for men and women, and opposition to abortion), government spending was out of control (shrink the government but expand the military, deregulation and trickle-down economics would create prosperity, and no new taxes. Their simple mantra was echoed over and over by every GOP member of the Administration, Congress, state legislatures, etc. Their message discipline ensured Americans knew what they believed.

Democrats tendency to brag on all their good programs to help people caused listeners to lose sight of the values, the message was jumbled.

One reason we won in 2020 is that Joe Biden is great about communicating our values and tying policy proposals and accomplishments to them. But to win more Senate, House, and state legislative and gubernatorial races so our policies can be adopted, we need to get much better at framing.

Here's a couple of my frames and just a few of the ideas that fit within them.

• Democracy (an end to gerrymandering, fair elections, expanding voting opportunities for all, one person one vote, the strength and value of a pluralistic society) at home and abroad (support for Ukraine/opposition to authoritarian governments and their expansion).
•Freedom (to organize for better wages and working conditions for a better life for themselves and their families, for women to decide their own futures and whether or when to have children, to be able to read freely without banning of books, to educate all Americans with historically factual and inclusive information)