Mods please forgive one more new thread: last points of introduction

[Dem_Strategist]

I'm sorry about starting new threads, but there are so many questions in the other two that I can't possibly respond to everyone.

Here are some final introductory thoughts:

1. I know DU is read by members of conservative and rightwing forums and frankly I don't give a damn. Nothing I say here will ever give them ammo against our team.

2. Common sense dictates that I could never deliver all the hundreds of suggestions to the campaign nor that the campaign could possibly listen to all of them. That's why I tell you that blogs and forums are monitored, but that the decision-making process is tight, principled, smart, meticulous and strategic.

3. Since the vast majority of your suggestions will not be heeded (by necessity), you should concentrate your efforts on doing something that will lead to tangible results, such as holding the media accountable for screwing Democrats over in every election cycle.

4. I am certainly not discouraging anyone from sending advice, your feedback is welcome. I'm simply saying don't expect the campaign to have 40,000 advisors.

5. I am not claiming that Dems are perfect. Don't be surprised to hear pointed criticism of Dem surrogates/talking heads.

Finally, thank you once again for a great welcome.

BTW, I'm not Carville, Begala, Brazile or a high profile tv personality. I work behind the scenes, and my job is to get shit done.

[meegbear]

1. Good Enough ...

Welcome aboard and let's win this!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. The vast majority of us appreciate the job you're doing

Keep up the fantastic work and kick that son of a bitch out of office once and for all!! :toast:

[DancingBear]

3. That being the case,

a tip o' the hat to an OFFICIAL Kerry/Edwards shit getting done-er!

:yourock:

[janx]

4. Media--

I think that if we are to have any effect on the media, we must work in an organized fashion, so I appreciate your comments. The media only seem to react to mob efforts (many complaints or congratulations at the same time).

A few complaints here and there, scattershot, don't do anything.

The Kerry media response and Media Matters are probably the absolute best channels to effect the mob-like influence needed. (This is unfortunate but true.)

Thanks again for your suggestions.

[Joanne98]

10. Here's a media master list

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=614019#614078

[annxburns]

5. Godspeed ...

I am writing, emailing and praying as hard as I can.

[WilliamPitt]

6. One easy request

Post until you cross the threshold and are able to get PMs. I think the limit is 50.

:toast:

[slinkerwink]

8. I don't think DemStrategist should have PMs

He'd get way too many PMs, and there would be an right-wing operative or two trying to mislead DemStrategist. Besides, the volume of PMs will make his job harder to get feedback from us. It's better that he has a compilation of threads that he can bookmark.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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

[slinkerwink]

7. I've looked at rapid response but it doesn't have everything in it

a great site I've used for debunkings of right-wing lies is http://bushcampaignlies.blogspot.com

There are over 50 "debunkings" at that site.

Also, I welcome you aboard. I know it's hard to sift through all those comments and suggestions.

All I want to see is Kerry kicking Bush's ass in November ;-)

[stellanoir]

9. thanks so much for your work and your candidness.

It's great to have affirmed that we aren't just swinging in the breeze on these message boards. We all often border on redundancy from time to time.

Speaking of which. . .

Believe me. brevity is hardly my strong suit but here's a one liner I woke up with today, undoubtedly in reaction to the "no so swift boat deluge," that might just undermine the illusion of *''s great leadership.

"Bush has started three wars but he doesn't know how to finish any of them."

By saying three, I'm differentiating the "War on Terror" from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as I hardly believe them to be an amalgam.

Also. regarding the foolishness of this "sensitivity" argument between Kerry and Cheney. . .isn't one of the primary tenets of war, to "know one's enemy?" The lack of the * administration's knowledge of Islamic culture is blatantly obvious to anyone reading the Iraqi blogs, and has sadly, irrevocably eroded the possibility of winning the hearts and minds.

Okay, I'll shut up. Thanks and again, welcome to DU

[Loki]

11. Welcome to DU Dem Strategist

I hope we have the right strategies to win this thing - I have to keep in mind, that just getting Kerry in the WH will only be the beginning of the battle - with the mindset of the Repukes in power, it will be investigation after investigation after innuendo after smear campaign, they will throw everything in their little bags of dirty tricks to prevent a democratic president and his administration from serving effectively. Are they prepared for that? I hope they are.

[sangh0]

12. Do you need any help from a computer programmer?

I'm available

[Joanne98]

13. Welcome to DU

We complain alot but you'll get used to it. We're just frustrated. People don't feel there getting any help from the campaign. I'm in Ohio and it's really unorganized. We need to know they think about us at least. Please check in with the state forums. People in the battleground states need better communications with organizers. It sounds like your running a top-down campaign. I was hoping for something a little more Dean. But something is better than nothing.:)

[Maeve]

15. Welcome to DU and thank you

It's the folks who "get shit done" that we need, all we can get!

Please understand the sceptical reception you've gotten in part is a matter of "once burned, twice shy", as most of us have assorted scars.

:toast:

[quinnox]

16. I have to say this is a really interesting development

DU is getting to be famous it seems. First Rush Limbaugh takes notice, then Chris Heinz and now an apparent insider with the Kerry campaign.

One question, I understand you are not a high profile tv person, but if your name was revealed (and I understand you will be doing so after the election) do you think people here would recognize it?

Just curious.

[Dem_Strategist]

20. Probably not

n/t

[Screaming Lord Byron]

23. Glad to have you here.

We're a good resource and a lot of us know our stuff. There are a few right-wing trolls here, but I am confident you've got a good nose for that sort of thing.
Hopefully you don't get too many questions about who you are. I for one have no interest in your identity (and I mean that in a good way).
We're good debunkers and researchers, a good place for issues to be discussed that are not ready for the mainstream, somewhere you can keep a controversial subject at arms length, but still monitor it. We'll do what we can.

[quinnox]

26. thanks for answer

[Voltaire]

31. Welcome to DU

Enough of the Honchos around here have vouched for you and that's fine by me. Excuse me if this has been asked before, I know you have been bombarded with queries, but is this a unilateral move on your part or has this been greased by some higher-ups in the campaign?

[kaitykaity]

17. Kerry has to STOP giving the Thugs such easy

attack material. The "sensitive" comment and the "I'd vote
the same" bullshit are mistakes of high order.

I thought Kerry was freaking smarter than this.

[merh]

18. Welcome!

We want to win too - thanks for all of your hard work.

:yourock:

The 44th President of the United States of American, John Kerry!

:bounce::bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
:bounce::bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

:bounce::bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
:bounce::bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[CatWoman]

19. Welcome to DU, Dem_Strategist

or is that Dem_Strategeryist? :D

:hi:

[Dem_Strategist]

21. Would have tried that handle

but I bet Rove has it already. :)

[janx]

25. That's not

my handle for him. But I shy away from online vulgarity when I can help it... :-)

Listen, DS, it might be a good idea if you persuaded the admins here to keep daily Media Matters and Kerry reponse threads pinned to the top of this forum. Permanent links. I will suggest this, but your advice would ensure it.

That way, every forum member need only click and respond once a day. It would mean a lot of responses each day. We could barrage them en masse, every day.

[Norquist Nemesis]

22. Welcome to DU DemStrategist!!! As for the rest of us...

let's get to work people!!! We've got the motivation, so let's put it into action!

This might seem a little off-topic, but it's not. Spefically for newcomers. If you're feeling like you're in an area overwhelmed by conservatives/Republicans (like me ;) ) check the State Forums. Go ahead and make a Roll Call post to see if there are other DUers near you. You'ld be suprised! They may very well have suggestions how you can jump right in and be actively involved. Think about attending or organizing a meetup too. The tools are here. We just need to use them.

[JohnLocke]

24. The three most important things you said bear repeating

1. I know DU is read by members of conservative and rightwing forums and frankly I don't give a damn. Nothing I say here will ever give them ammo against our team.

2. That's why I tell you that blogs and forums are monitored, but that the decision-making process is tight, principled, smart, meticulous and strategic.

3. You should concentrate your efforts on doing something that will lead to tangible results, such as holding the media accountable for screwing Democrats over in every election cycle.

[Viking12]

37. 4. Get Involved Locally!!!

All politics is local. Work some phones, register voters, & meet your neighbors.

[Tom Rinaldo]

27. Understood. But please forgive one more piece of advice lol

I think there is one area where we can not afford any delay in going negative on Bush, no matter what the overall strategy is. That is regarding his conduct of the War against Terror. There is one basic reason why I single this one area out. Events beyond our ability to manage could at any moment shut down all normal political discourse in this country. While I now think this election is Kerry's to win or lose, should a major terror attack occur on American soil the initiative will shift to Bush, and it will become his election to win or lose, depending on how he reacts and how the public then perceives his leadership, INDEPENDENT of any attempt by any Democrat to frame the issue for them in the wake of such an attack.

Terror is the Wild Card that can change how the Election deck is stacked, and I am not talking about stage managed fear jolts caused by shifting color codes or the releases of some new frightening information or disclosure of another Al Quada cell being broken. I am talking about the real thing, coordinated Al Quada attacks with large civilian casualties. Bush is not above playing the fear card to win an election, but Al Quada is independently and seriously all about the business of playing a genuine fear card on America. It doesn't matter if the probability of an Al Quada attack in America before Election Day is high or low, is is distinctly plausible, and it would, speaking of politics only for the moment, rip the ball right out of our hands. Any potential downside associated with attacking Bush now concerning his stewardship of domestic security is far outweighed by the fact that there may be a limited time window, due to factors beyond our control, during which we can directly attack him.

Should Terror strike before November, George Bush will become America's President again, not just a Republican incumbent running for reelection. He may be judged harshly, or he may be judged well, but Americans by and large won't be turning to Democrats or Republicans to inform those judgments. They will listen to Bush, turn to the media, and then to each other wherever people gather. If WE have points to make regarding Bush's efforts or lack of same to keep this country safe they have to be made before anything dramatic happens. Nothing may happen before the Election, but we can't know that. We can't know about next week.

There is so much ammunition Democrats can use against Bush in this area, but in the aftermath of a Terror strike the whole country will become a political no fire zone. The topic would be on everyone's minds, do we trust our President, but overt displays of partisanship would be the kiss of death. We have to lay the groundwork for the proper conclusions to be reached NOW, while that discussion is still politically acceptable.

[merh]

30. Remember, a year ago we had terrorists, just like we do today

and NYC was blacked out, but no acts of terrorism occurred. That would have been the opportune time if they had wanted to strike, when we were the most vulnerable!

Terra is just their way to control us!

[Tom Rinaldo]

32. First thing, mine was NOT a "we will lose because of a terror strike post

I'm enjoying the other thread up now at DU about least favorite wet blanket posts lol. I'm not saying there will be a terror strike or that Bush would win if there is one. But Terror isn't defined solely by the Bush Administration. Bush gets to play effective games with Terror because Terror is not fiction. There was the bombing of Marine barracks in Lebanon years ago, and the U.S. embassies in Africa, and the attack on the Cole, and the night club carnage in Indonesia with Australian tourists targeted, and the Madrid train bombings. There was the first bombing of the World Trade Center before the planes brought them down. There was the shoe bomber over the Atlantic. There was the plot to attack The Los Angeles air port broken up during Clinton's Administration. Those are just some of the plots and acts we really do know of.

There is more hatred of America by many Muslims now after the invasion of Iraq than there ever was before. When Al Quada acts they draw up plans well in advance, typically they plan over years, not months. They don't suddenly rush in during an unscheduled black out. That has never been their methodology.

I can not think of any rational reason why Terrorists would have organized world wide to attack NYC and Washington DC three years ago, followed that up with a few of the more recent attacks I mentioned above, and then simply give up on any further attempts to attack America again, after we went gunning for them in Afghanistan, can you? Bush uses the Terrorist threat, he did not invent it.

[merh]

33. There are those on DU that do not

believe the terrorist strikes occurred as professed by the admin and the 9/11 commission.

Al Qaeda has had its effect, if it is the one that is behind the attacks, it has put us in the constant state of terra, thanks to the admin's mishandling and abuse of the attacks and failures to truly track those responsible.

For the ultimate effect, terrorists could attack anywhere in the USA -any number of targets - there are plenty of soft targets for them to chose from that are more dangerous than any sky scrapper ever built. They don't have to do anything, the admin does it for them. (imho)

[Tom Rinaldo]

34. Fair enough

I can accept that there are disagreements among some of us about the underlying reality of the Terror threat. To the extent that the threats are external in origin, Bush and company have poorly managed, and further endangered, our security, while undermining basic liberties. I'm in that camp. And if, as you seem to posit, the threat is to whatever extent internal in origin, then Bush and company are literal Terrorists. In either case this regime has played Terror for political advantage, we agree on that.

[merh]

36. We definitely agree on that!

The sad thing about it, whether it was internal or external in origin, is that the admin has done nothing to protect the nation and has done everything conceivable to put us at greater risk.

[Sparkly]

28. Welcome!

I'm so glad you're here! :hi:

[VOX]

29. Welcome to DU, Dem_Strategist -- your good efforts are appreciated!

Looking forward to working with you.

I totally agree that the media is Democratic Enemy #1.

:toast:

[Joanne98]

35. A challenge to number three (A new Dem sex scandal)

Let's stop the circus before it starts: i posted this on another thread.......

OH NO another dem sex scandal......

Now we'll never be able to talk about anything else for months. Candy Crowley and Faux news stopped everything and there's a lawsuit. A double curse. It's already impossible to get thru the Laci/Kobe/Michael/Lori (rich black men+dead white fetus)news. But NOW a DEM had gay sex out of holy wedlock with a civil TRIAL. The media is sure to make it big because he raised taxes on the rich and he has got be punished by message senders. Bold moves by dems will not be allowed. So what do we do to stop the slaughter. We need our airwaves and it's hard enough. Najaf couldn't even get thru Amber Frey and the weather. Maybe Dem Strategist will know.
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL????????????

since I posted this just minutes ago Wolf has had Bob Barr on talking about Monica and Bill Clinton's clenis. Let's make this a test case.
The mission is to stop the media from talking about this non-story. Your a strategist what's the plan?????????

[Joanne98]

38. kick

[west michigan]

39. I hear ya brother and ...

... welcome. The team seems to be doing a hell of a job with the tour after the convention. Living in Muskegon and seeing 15,000 attend a rally in republican Grand Rapids is .... well... never thought I would see that on a Monday afternoon. Noteable seeing other stops at third and fourth tier towns drawing huge crowds that are displayed on cable news makes one think "wow" drawing that kind of crowd there? I cant be the only joker thinking that.
An odd tidbit for thought. Whenever I bring up the deficit around people the response is that they are unhappy about it. This cuts accross all political stripes and usually it is a sharp response. Maybe just my bias as a Perot voter in '92 along with the other 19 or so percent .....,but hey, if it is not a dynamic I would sure say it's an undercurrent. P.S. nothing wrong with your tone.

[union_maid]

40. Belated welcome and thanks for being here

I was reading some of the threads from work earlier, but I don't post from there so I'm late. One of the things you said one one thread was that we were playing checkers when Kerry is playing chess. I was so happy to read those words! I thought as much. Kerry projects the demeanor of someone who is in control of his message to me. However, with so much at stake it's hard not to get freaked when the media seems to skewing things in the wrong direction.

I have no suggestions for the campaign. I have faith that a very smart team is in charge of it. I'll be looking for your suggestions whenever you find the time, however. I'm in a very blue state and will not be able to do much traveling, so I'll look for things to do online.

Thanks again for stopping by.