Media Mantra: Bush is not as smart as America's enemies.

[CitizenRob]

The Republicans have mastered pushing false information onto the media through disciplined repitition of lies, and half truths. Just look at how Americans have managed to tie Iraq to terrorism despite the fact that until Bush got there Iraq had no ties to Al Qeada.

The Democrats must become as disciplined at spreading our "brand" of infromation as the Republicans.

I have a few suggestions for phrases to repeat over and over again by category:

Bush's IQ is best related to how it puts Americans in danger:
-"Bush is not as smart as America's enemies."
-"America's enemies are smarter than Bush."
-Example: "The danger is that America's enemies are smarter than Bush."

Bush's foreign policy record:

- "Bush lost bin Laden."
- "Bush gave Iraq to Al Qaeda."
- "Bush let North Korea get nukes."
- "Bush will start a draft if reelected."
-"Bush failed at capturing Osama Bin Laden, failed in Iraq, and failed to keep North Korea from obtaining Nuclear Weapons that can reach America."

Bush's domestic policy record:
- "Bush sold our jobs to Mexico and India."
- "Bush gave our tax money to the corporations."
- "Bush will have to start a draft after the election."
- "Bush failed to protect us from terrorism."
- "Bush has hurt America's future."

Kerry On Foreign Policy:
- "John Kerry will crush Al Qaeda."
- "John Kerry will win in Iraq."
- "John Kerry will stop terrorists."

Kerry On Domestic Issues:
- "John Kerry will fight for the middle class."
- "John Kerry will stop big money corporations from hurting Americans."
- "John Kerry will not start a draft."


Those of us who run blogs, or who write/speak to the media must remember to keep these messages simple and consistent. The news media lets the Republicans get away with making lies become truth through repitition. Keep the message concise, keep the message on target, and repeate it often. If we follow those principles we'll see our truthful message propogated through the media just as easily.

CitizenRob
LiberalTimes.com

[dammit905]

1. Kerry's new team rocks.

They can do it! :)

[CitizenRob]

3. I hope...

I certainly hope so. I often find myself altering the level of my vocabularly for those who are listening. I don't understand why Kerry is unable to do this. Maybe he's just an eternal optimist who thinks that everybody has the vocabularly, and cognitive skills that he has.

[dumpster_baby]

2. yep, those "repetitions" techniques are why the Right/BigMoney is in power

and why they have been able to move America to the Right over the last 20 years or so.

Choose some memes/phrases/slogans and POUND AWAY for YEARS!

Like, for example: TAX THE RICH. They own most of the wealth, make them pay for it. You may say it will not work, and that Americans would reject it, but they may reject it ONLY because the Right has been disciplined enough to pound away on "Tax Relief" for decades.

THe Dems have to think long term.

The RIght has been able to do this by buying loyal foot soldiers that have places in the media, and these foot soldiers have simply repeated the same Rightist Memes for DECADES. Now in 2004 we see the end product of AN ENTIRE GENERATION of loyal meme-spreading media foot soldiers.

[CitizenRob]

4. Long term strategy.

The Democrats have really been lacking a long term political strategy for spreading their ideas. It is unfortunate that the Republicans figured out the best way to do it first. That doesn't mean it's too late for the Democrats, if we start now we'll change the tide within a few years. Unlike the Republicans who had to pioneer the meme spreading methods that are in use today, the Democrats already know how it's done from watching their counterparts do it.

So let's get our machine moving and start spreading those memes and ideas in the long term. We need to create memes both for current candidates, and for long term ideology.

I think, Tax The Rich is an excellent long term meme.

[CitizenRob]

5. I just had an idea!

I thought to myself we need to think of a catchy slogan for propogating this idea through the Democratic party, and I came up with a meme for it:

"Meme's for dems"

Well, I thought it sounded good. :-)

[opihimoimoi]

6. Bush is Straight and Forthright, a Strong Leader who knows How to Fight

the Terrorists.....This is whats being fed to a Fearful people...made fearful by clever manipulations and strategies among the media and their Masters.\

The Human Race faces severe challenges clearly over the top with the BushCo Team. This ineptness will cost us dearly soon enough. In many ways, it already has.... look at Bush and how he spends OUR money.

[CitizenRob]

7. Maintaining civility.

While the "memes for dems" program may be spreading opinions, it is important that they look and sound like facts. If a Democrat is on a show like Crossfire he should completely drop the words, "In my opinion" from his/her vocabulary. After all, they are on an opinion show, the audience should already know that what they say is the speakers opinion. It's not our fault it sounded like a fact, and the audience may have taken it that way. :-)

[zbdent]

8. How about: "In his zest for declaring war on Saddam, Bush ignored

Osama bin Laden - twice. Before 9/11/2001 and after 2/2002."

[CitizenRob]

9. while it's true...

It's not really concise enough, plus, the word zest is an uncommon word making it obvious that the repitition by somebody wasn't their original words.

[zbdent]

10. How about zeal? Besides, people shouldn't be falling for that crap

about how there's a "simple answer to every complex problem" that the righties always claim.

Bad economy? Tax cuts.

Crime? Death sentence (what about white-collar crime? How about vehicular homicide involving Laura Welch?)

Mental illness? Prayer in school (believe it, they've tried that!).

[CitizenRob]

11. People shouldn't...

People shouldn't be falling for that crap, but they do.

Memes have to be something that doesn't involve any thought. The ones you've come up with, while showing you have the ability to think, won't work on people lacking that ability.

"Bad economy? Tax cuts" involves a whole thought process and is lost on people who don't understand what irony is (ie, union workers who vote Republican.)

"Tax the corporations," I think works great because everybody has felt the bite of corporate bullying (ever had a phone bill dispute end in your favor? Didn't think so.)

"Tax the rich" is a good meme once it gets out the gate, but it has to get past the fact that the majority of Americans think they will be rich one day, despite the reality that they won't.

I'm not going to go into the "Crime? Death Sentence" one, because once again you're relying on the person hearing it to a) believe the death sentence is wrong and b) have a sense of irony.

Basically, anytime you pose a question and give a moch answer you're relying on the reader to be able to interpret your answer as being a punch line or joke. The problem is, most people won't get it. It is better to state something you want flat out without relying on interpretation steps in between.

If you know your audience, you'll know they need it simple, short, and concise.

[zbdent]

12. I don't know if you got it, CitizenRob, but I'm sure that a bunch of

DUers got the idea that I was stating the "complex problem" and then the right-wing "simple solution".

Are you one of those I have to spell out things?

[CitizenRob]

13. Oh no, I got it.

I liked your slogans on a personal level, but for it to qualify as a meme it has to be far simpler: zero-thought-process.

Memes are mind virii. They are meant to get into a person's brain and form a basic underlying rule. Did you see "I, Robot" (or, even better, read the book?) In the movie (and book) the robots have four underlying rules that every action must be filtered through. A meme is meant to do a similar thing, it is supposed to form a foundation by which all thought processes are filtered through, or are built upon.

If you put a question and pose a moch answer your slogan requires multiple steps for the person reading it to understand it's intent. Unfortunately I don't have your examples available to look at, but I believe one was "Crime? Death penalty!" When I took a speech/debate course in college the professor had his own meme: don't ask questions because your audience might answer them. For example, when you pose the question "Crime?" the readers/listeners brain immediately heads down a pathway which may actually end at "death penalty" in their head. So when you put the answer "Death penalty!" they may think, "yep" instead of "ha, it's funny cause it's wrong."

Instead posing your belief in this meme, "The death penalty is wrong." forms a strong meme. When that meme is repeated often enough over the course of years through the media, and in daily life it becomes something along the lines of "seperation of church and state," "freedom of speech," or more recently "Tax and Spend Democrats." In each case there are parts of the American population that see these as hard set foundation rules, not as just the abstract ideas that they are.

Memes are powerful, and devestating when used for political purposes.

[CitizenRob]

14. 4 years of groundwork

For four years we've laid the ground work meme that Bush is stupid. We need to now tie that meme to a bigger idea: "America's enemies are smarter than Bush."

[glitch]

15. I think you're right CitizenRob - for years I have been irritated that

some folks call bush a nice enough fellow with a good heart, but not up to the job of president. But now I am thinking the way to get him out of office is just that. Nice enough guy, but duped by the pnacers, bin laden and vulnerable to being duped by anybody else.
Who wants a vulnerable president?
So I like your meme.
PS I actually believe bush is a hateful little creep dictator-wannabe who hates everyone, likely even himself. But the people who like him can't or won't see that. They are very fearful people IMO and will respond to the vulnerability meme.

[CitizenRob]

16. The Killer Meme

We've got the killer meme: "America's enemies are smarter than Bush," or "Bush is stupider than America's enemies." Both of which are easily backed up with a statement like, "Top US generals now say we've lost the war in Iraq, Osama Bin Laden still hasn't been captured by Bush, Iraq is now a terrorist breeding ground for Al Qaeda, and last week North Korea appeared to have tested a Nuclear Weapon despite Bush's objections." Each of those statements are easily back up.

CitizenRob
http://www.liberaltimes.com

[struggle4progress]

17. Bush IS one of America's enemies. eom

[Onceuponalife]

18. mantras

But those phrases are simplistic and easily seen through. Just stick to the facts about Bush's inept (and immoral) handling of Iraq. Kerry needs to point out Bush's failures more forcefully.