Forget the Swing Voters

[kerrykat2004]

I think it's time to say a big f*ck you to the "swing voters." If they're so stupid that they can't tell the huge differences between Bush and Kerry, then we don't want them in our camp anyway.

Instead, Kerry should work on strengthening his Democratic base, just as Howard Dean did during the primaries. Hold massive voter registration drives in Democratic strongholds in battleground states. Employ huge armies of volunteers to drive elderly, disabled or poor Democratic voters to the polls on a scale never before seen. Have volunteers contact every single registered Democrat in battleground states and ensure that they have a way to the polls on November 2nd.

Kerry should bring all of his primary opponents actively into the campaign. Howard Dean would do wonders in re-energizing the younger Democratic voters, and he'd also pull away a lot of Ralph Nader's supporters. Dennis Kucinich has huge appeal amongst Greens, peaceniks and antiwar activists. Wesley Clark would almost certainly throw Arkansas into the blue column. The same goes for Dick Gephardt in Missouri and Bob Graham in Florida. Al Sharpton has the potential to energize the black community in potential battleground states. John Edwards, of course, has the small-town appeal that can potentially turn the tide in Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina.

Something else that is critically important is to have as many teams of pollwatchers and lawyers for the Kerry campaign at the polls as possible on November 2nd. It is imperative that NO Democratic voters be intimidated or scared away from the polls, as they were in 2000. Recruit as many attorneys as you can who are Kerry supporters and make sure they're watching the polls on November 2nd. They will help ensure that every registered Democrat actually gets a chance to vote in 2004. We must all stand together against voter fraud. Pollwatchers must check the voting machines to make sure they are not rigged as the Bush campaign recently tried to do in Florida. Don't trust ANYBODY. Remember, we don't know how many election officials are being paid off by the Bush campaign, or otherwise working as secret operatives for the GOP. This is not paranoia -- it's the reality of the new world in which we live. It happened in 2000 and unless we stop it -- it's gonna happen again in 2004.

There is a large number of registered Democrats and would-be Kerry voters who -- for one reason or another -- cannot or will not go to the polls on November 2nd. Many of these people are elderly, disabled or very poor, or live in rural areas with no transportation.

It will surprise you that, on average, 40-50% of registered Democrats do not vote regularly. Many of these folks haven't voted in years, but would vote this year if we motivated them enough to go to the polls. This is why armies of Kerry volunteers should phone every single registered Democrat in swing states and make sure that they can get to the polls on Election Day.

The number of so-called "swing voters" is very, very small compared to the number of registered Democrats who don't usually vote. Most polls indicate that only 2-5% of the electorate is truly undecided, and most of them will vote for Shrub anyway (the "don't change horses in the middle of a stream" idea).

We need massive voter registration drives in Democratic strongholds -- black communities in Florida; blue-collar towns in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Iowa; environmentally-minded towns in Nevada and Colorado.

We need to make sure that every person in the United States who wants to vote for Kerry has the opportunity to vote for Kerry. If they're not registered to vote - let's register them. If they have no way to get to the polls - let's have volunteers drive them there. If they're intimidated by Republican hecklers at the polls - let's have lawyers and pollwatchers there to guarantee them their right to vote.

The Democratic Party may be "united," but it's not energized. Bush plans to win by energizing his base. We need to do the same.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Voter registration is akey

because there are so many that are really mad at Bush and have finally registered to vote. I think their number will balance the number of regular voters who are undecided.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. Nope. Our base is as charged up as ever- indies are the key

We need the swing voters, especially because of the electoral college.
Sorry but you are wrong.

[kerrykat2004]

4. NewYorkerfromMass

You are wrong. The number of registered Democrats ni swing states who aren't planning to vote far outnumbers the "swing voters".

And our base is not charged up. It's falling apart. The only time it was truly energized was when Howard Dean was on the scene. There was a true hatred of Bush and a determination to get hik out of the White House.

[lancdem]

5. Our base is quite energized, thank you

The polls show that and so do the huge crowds Kerry-Edwards are drawing.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LoZoccolo]

11. P.S. if Howard Dean was the answer...

...he would have won (which he didn't) and would have been polling better than Kerry against Bush* during the primaries (which he wasn't).

[LoZoccolo]

12. And here's proof of the "against Bush*" claim.

http://www.pollingreport.com/wh04gen4.htm

Some later polls:

http://www.pollingreport.com/wh04gen3.htm

[Demobrat]

3. All fine as far as it goes.

But nothing will work unless the less than enthusiastic politically are given a reason to get out and vote FOR Kerry. Let's assume he's got the ABB vote sewn up. Next up: The What's In It For Me crowd. Kerry has to give people a reason to get excited about the future. Vietnam was a long time ago.

[DaveinMD]

6. recipe for defeat

you cannot blow off swing voters. Its fine to energize the base. But swing voters decide presidential elections. Alienating them is a sure way to lose. Calling voters stupid is no way to build a majority.

[PVnRT]

7. Whatever

Fuck the swing voters and lose, that's how elections work. You're not going to change the minds of partisans on either side.

Oh, and, by the way, it's bullshit little elitist posts like yours that give ammo to the Right when they say that liberals are nothing more than a bunch of out-of-touch kooks. Good work.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. Our Base Is Eighteen Percent Of The Electorate....

Eighteen percent of Americans define themselves as liberal....

[LoZoccolo]

9. First you say swing voters are responsible for Bush* being close.

Then you say "Bush plans to win by energizing his base".

Make up your mind.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. You Need A Base Plus Strategy...

It's not rocket science....