Dem Strategist: Winning

[Dem_Strategist]

Just got around to reading some of the comments on my previous threads.

None of my posts are meant to be offensive to anyone here, least of all my suggestion that polls are for strategists, not DU members. What I mean by that is that if an advisor or strategist wants to base a media buy or campaign schedule around internal polling, that's their prerogative. But for online activists like you, following polls is a distraction.

Regarding "political judo," this is a relatively common term to describe the process of using your opponent's attack against them. It certainly isn't the strategy of choice for ALL attacks, but in the case of the Swift Liars (who were going to get press attention no matter what), it seemed to be the best approach.

Back to the goal at hand: winning.

I've tried to explain how I believe you can best contribute. The media should be your target. Whatever their motives - laziness, bias, ineptness - the key is to get as many people as possible to hold them accountable for their bullshit.

Example: read this headline, then read the article. Tell me why that particular headline was chosen.

"Poll: Bush Tops Kerry As a Strong Leader"

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040814/ap_on_el_pr/bush_kerry_poll&cid=536&ncid=536

Answer: pro-Bush, anti-Kerry spin. Pure and simple.

[molly]

1. Of course * leads by 10 points on terrorism

he is the one that has the experience. Kerry has never been in that position. Are people too stupid to understand that?

[Guaranteed]

70. "Political judo" would necessitate Kerry using the Iraq war against

Bush concerning the war on terror (see my sig line.) But I don't see that happening.

[lancdem]

2. Since you have a new thread

could you answer this question? Some DUers are upset that Kerry's taking three weeks off. I see it as a sign of strength. Could you give us your take on it? Thanks.

[OKNancy]

69. Could you post a link to this

three weeks off business.
He will be in Cincinatti next week and Charlotte NC on Friday, and who knows where else.

Edit: I looked it up on google - It's three days
A three day weekend.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. 'Bush, Kerry spar over Iraq' 'Kerry Put On Defensive About Iraq'

Same story, two very different headlines.

[KittyWampus]

4. Don't Campaigns Have "Internal Polls" Which Are Quite Different

than what are published for public consumption?

One wonders if some polls are less than straightfoward (Gallup) & simply attempts to manipulate public opinion.

Also, some DU'ers have thin skins and chips on their shoulders.

IMO, a massive protest at CNN headquaters during the RNC would do much more than massing in NYC where cops will be pissed.

[skygazer]

5. I saw that article this morning

And just shook my head in disgust. I for one don't pay much attention to polls. For one thing, I'm not familiar enough with the different polling groups to know who's overly partisan. For another, I'm cynical enough to know that you can skew polls and people's opinions generally by how you frame and phrase your questions as well as who you ask.

[Hoping4Change]

6. Excuse me but condesension is exactly the word for your

remark that "for online activists like you, following polls is a distraction." Perhaps you can't chew gum and walk at the same time but don't insult the rest of us.

[merh]

10. Please don't take offense to Dem_Strategist ...

he/she is just trying to help us. DS is also trying to get us to help him/her and the Kerry campaign. We all want to win. DS is part of the campaign, there are other posts attesting to the legitimacy of DS.

If the post offends, just ignore it. There is no need to be snippy.

Too many people on DU give the "reported" polls too much credit, I think that is the point DS is trying to make (though I cannot speak for him/her). Feel free to read and interpet the polls as you like.

DS is just making suggestions and asking for our help.

[John_H]

73. "there are other posts attesting to the legitimacy of DS..."

Could you please direct us to these posts? Even though DS's Alperesque tone seems pretty authentic and clearly s/he's been tasked with a fairly narrow purpose (whipping us all up to make the mediawhores nicer to Kerry, as you may have noticed) but I'd be interesting to see those vouching threads.

[emulatorloo]

78. If you contribute to DU, you will be able to search and find the posts

I'm just saying!. . .doesn't cost much, gives you search ability.

[Amaya]

14. That was condescending?

[Hoping4Change]

62. It is condesending to suggest DUers haven't the wherewithall to

put polls into context and not be overwhelmed by their import. If distraction is a concern why not advise people to avoid DU?

[RetroLounge]

16. Oh, grow the fuck up already...

RL

[Triana]

19. Well, I didn't take that as a condescending remark...

...I think Dem_S is just trying to help and I personally took it as a helpful suggestion rather than condescension, but that's just my take on it...

[Meshuga]

40. If you take Polls seriously

Like DS explained in a different post, and I agree with him, that if you read the polls back in December and then said that Kerry was going to win the nomination people would have thought that you were insane.

Polls mean shit! Especially when the election is 2 1/2 months away.

[Hoping4Change]

51. Being cognizant of polling results and taking them seriously are

two different things. Besides there are numerous polls that pertain directly to on line activism, for example a DUer in another thread posted the following

"A 2002 Pew Research Center survey found that 35 percent of voters get their election news from local television and 33 percent from local newspapers. Other research indicates that swing voters rely even more heavily on local outlets for their news."

[merh]

7. Why was the headline chosen?

Because it is the only poll that has Bush in the lead.

The press only reports the positive for Bush. I ignore polls, they are only reported if they reflect badly on Kerry.

I agree with you, the media should be our target. Most of us have tried to make a difference, I cannot tell you how many emails, letters and letters to the editor I have sent (as have others on DU) regarding this issue and the poor job that the media is doing. We keep trying and will keep trying, but we don't know what good it will do or is doing.

You have the inside tract, have our efforts had any effect?

(Had to edit because I cannot type! - sorry for the typos)

[molly]

12. C-Span is great for getting across our message

however, please have your facts written down before calling in. I heard someone the other day that I just knew was from DU - articulate - spoke quickly, but clearly - no wasted words and no slurring or hmmmms or uhhhhhssss. Made us DEMS look GREAT!!!

[merh]

18. Good idea - I forget about C-Span

and I would definitely need to have the ideas typed in advance, I would just bumble along and make no sense otherwise.

Thanks. :thumbsup:

[molly]

22. There is a guy - a pug - that calls in regularly

I recognize his voice and certain phrases that he uses. He's got a southern accent. He must have several cell phones with different states - all south. He is full of vile and spew and has never once said anything positive. One of his favorite is "git a life". You'll recognize if you listen enough.

We need a positive and educated and strong image backed up by facts.

I wanted to call in when George Will said that outsourcing is great for the economy. Sure it is - for the CEOs. I wanted to call in and state that CEO salaries have grown by leaps and bounds while jobs and salaries have diminished. I was so angry that I couldn't get my act in order in time.

[Cha]

53. I heard him the other day from Texas talking to

Jack Germond. He also said(which a lot of them do) .."you People" ..talking about Liberals.

[Dems Will Win]

8. Dem Strategist, please come to this thread and reply

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=613558#620169

Wanted to talk about a campaign newspaper for Kerry for the the swing, did one for Dean (275,000 copies).

Thanks!

[molly]

9. Am I missing something? Didn't Kerry win the primaries?

:shrug:

[Cheswick2.0]

23. Do you really want to start that again?

Kerry played some dirty tricks during the primaries and he won in part because of that. I dispise practically every stand he has taken on any issue except the environment. The only reason I am voting for him is because bush is worse. Don't blow it with that bullshit Molly.
The person you are insulting has a good idea and probably doesn't despise John Kerry as much as I do. Do you really want to alienate him too?

As it is I intend to do everything in my power to get rid of Kerry in 2008.

[molly]

25. Hey - I was responding!

what dirty tricks?

[Cheswick2.0]

29. I am not going there again Molly

It is not getting the campaign anywhere to keep fighting over the primaries. So I suggest you lay off your knee jerk Dean hate response.

[Meshuga]

30. Why?

"As it is I intend to do everything in my power to get rid of Kerry in 2008."

You're not giving Kerry a chance to show that Kerry is going to be a good president first before campagning against him in 2008?

[Cheswick2.0]

34. here is why

I think he is going to govern exactly the way he says he will.

[Blue_Roses]

80. LOL

that comment makes no sense

[emulatorloo]

79. If you say it enough times. it will be true?

Repug pot stirring to get you to hate kerry. Dirty tricks standard operating Repug Operating Procedure, aimed at both Dean and Kerry IMHO. Has happened again and again.

There is no proof for your assertion.

Somehow now Kerry and Dean are friends and have "bonded." Somehow knowing Dean, I doubt they would be so close if your theory is true.

[Dems Will Win]

28. Molly, simply trying to get a good idea into the Kerry campaign

FYI, the week the DEan Times came out in Iowa, Dean went from 26 to 29 and Gephardt 26 to 22. Can't be sure, but the Dean Times probably had something to do with it. The Kerry surge came 2 whole weeks later, so even if Kerry did eventually win, it doesn't mean the Dean Times was a bad idea.

In NH, the week the Dean Times came out, Dean went from about 18% (right after Iowa) back up to 26%. Again the paper no doubt helped as the reaction to it was very positive.

Perhaps you would recommend getting rid of the Meetups or the push for online contributions, those were Dean campaign innovations as well. The newspaper is just not as well known.

[molly]

31. OK - why not go out to Kerry's website and send an email?

[Dems Will Win]

57. Gee, why didn't I think of that?

It's very hard to get any new ideas into the Kerry campaign, so talking to Dem Strategist here on DU is actually the best Opportunity Yet.

Molly, maybe you know Teresa. If you do, tell her about the newspaper idea for me, wouldya?

[Cheswick2.0]

32. Hello and thank you

If Dean was so bad why did Kerry start giving his stump speech?

[Chili]

11. that kind of reporting drives me crazy

"Bush has a 10-point, 49-39 percent advantage over the Massachusetts senator on the issue of handling terrorism. They were even on handling Iraq (news - web sites), and Kerry was favored by slightly more on the handling of foreign policy, according to a poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press."

So in other words, people see the candidates differently depending on the question - NOT that Bush is universally seen as the "stong(er) leader," which is what the headline suggests. UGH! And look how far down you have to go before you read that 52% believe that Kerry would do a better job with the economy - the economy, probably the NUMBER ONE issue in the election.

Unbelievable.

I will be bald by November 2 from pulling out my hair.

The byline reads Will Lester. Here's the link to AP.org's contact page:

http://www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact.html

[patdem]

13. Its the media stupid! I agree. I have noticed that MANY times there is

NO email address to anyone and I am confounded as to what I should do when I disagree with the piece or want to debate a particular article!

Advise on what to do? Just hit the 'contact us'?

I always love to read pieces with an email addy to the particular journalist, but they always seem to be of a 'Democratic bent'!!!

[Walt Starr]

15. The only way I can see us winning is if we effectively raise the bar

on Bush.

The bar has been lowered so far down with Bush, it's about two millimeters off the ground.

I've suggested the meme of 'Bush is going to clean Kerry's clokc in the debates'. How else are we to raise the bar on Bush.

The Bush campaign in 2000 and this year has been all about setting the bar so low that if he doesn't muble incoherently for vfive minutes followed by curling up into a fetal position and sucking his thumb, he has exceeded expectations.

[molly]

17. Well, Karen Hughes is back so they probably

have daily sessions. Watch old videos of him. He is mentally going downhill.

[City Lights]

35. We can EXPECT him to capture OBL before the election.

If he pulls osama out of his hat, he meets the expectation. If he doesn't, it's another bush failure.

[CalProf]

37. Here are the Kerry Campaign's Talking Points on the Debates

The shorter version: "George Bush has never lost a debate." Also: "George Bush is a blue ribbon debater."

The longer verson is below:



As you know, in 2000, the Bush-Cheney team successfully lowered expectations for Bush and raised expectations for Gore, allowing Bush simply to win by “holding his own” and not “making any major mistakes.” This year, they’ve already started to play the expectations game.



· “Starting early to raise expectations for Mr. Bush’s opponent, Mr. Dowd calls Mr. Kerry ‘as strong a debater as has run for president’ since the televised face-offs began in 1960.”



· “Cheney looks forward to a debate with Edwards scheduled for Oct. 5. “Debates are always a fascinating part of this process,” he said. “I debated frequently when I campaigned for Congress and in the last campaign. John Edwards is a man with considerable skills in this area. He’s made millions arguing cases before juries, so it should be an interesting evening.””



George Bush has never lost a debate. This time around, it’s important that we point that out for the press. Below are talking points, a press release, and an “expectations” fact sheet from the 2000 debates. Thank you.



TALKING POINTS ON DEBATES:



· George Bush has always been underestimated in debates, and always used his clear-speaking style to surprise his critics and defeat his opponents.



· In 1994, everyone in Texas predicted then-Governor Ann Richards, who was nationally recognized for her sharp debate skills, would win. But Bush defeated her decisively.



· Then in 2000, conventional wisdom was that Al Gore would beat Bush. People remembered his memorable debate performances against Ross Perot and Jack Kemp and against Senate campaign opponents, and concluded that Gore would roundly defeat George Bush.



· But, once again, Bush’s clear-speaking style and easy-going manner made him the winner, marking a critical turning point in the race.



· John Kerry understands that this is going to be the toughest debate he’s ever faced. He knows that, despite the Bush campaign’s great skill at lowering expectations, George Bush is a blue-ribbon debater.



· We know that George Bush will be ready. It’s the Bush record on the ballot, and his actions and words that will be debated. So, there should be no failure of preparation by this White House or this President.

[Meshuga]

20. I saw that headline/article this morning on Yahoo front page...

That's the kind of shit that sometimes makes you discouraged. No matter how many letters or phone calls you make they are still printing this garbage. :-(

It's so frustrating!

By the way, political judo was the proper way to handle the swift boat smear. As long as we talk vietnam the fact that W was AWOL is going to surface. Let them sink their own ship... Kerry doesn't need to run on his vietnam record. Kerry has so much more to offer Americans if the media cares to talk about policies.

[BeatleBoot]

21. Dem Strats is Correct Folks.

We are on-line activists, no?

We need to hold the media accountable.

Remember what they did to Gore about "creating the internet" and about "some dog's drug costs" in 2000. I sat there with my wife wondering why they were "piling on" the guy.

We need to mobilize in a big way.

Hey, if you aren't into it - that's cool.

How can we coordinate all of us to hold the media accountable?

That's my question. Any suggestions.

We only have like September and October to do so.

We need to act fast.

[Meshuga]

24. It would be nice

I wish mediamatters.org had a section for activism. They have the time to do the research and we have the time to write letters to the guilty parties based on their research. I know fair.org has something like that setup. I guess we can look up information and find the proper media contacts at the congress.org website.

[Cha]

54. Exactly! Mediamatters is kinda like

mediawhoresonline used to be and it would be wonderful to have a section for activists.

[Nite Owl]

26. DS we will do our part in contacting

the media but some of us have brought up the point of 'training' those who are our voices and faces on tv. Sometimes, quite often in fact, they come off as real wimps against the right wingers. They seem unprepared with their facts and all too willing to get talked over. There seems to be no coordination of talking points. The right wing gets their message of the day and they all speak in one voice, that is what makes their message effective and ours come off as mush. There has to be some sort of training, not answering to lies and calling them on them would be a start.

[stellanoir]

27. * has a 100 point lead in inciting future terrorism only

Due to his absolute insensitivity, not towards terrorists, but towards Islamic culture in general, and the prolonged economic servitude of the Iraqi people insured by the 100 orders of L. Paul Bremer, foisted upon the Iraqi people upon his swift and premature departure from that country.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0805-07.htm

These orders include foreign ownership licenses of Iraqi companies, 100% foreign privitization of Iraq's 200 formerly state owned enterprises, and grants foreign contractors, including private security firms full immunity from Iraq's laws. I'm only paraphrasing a few of these. They are truly atrocious.

"They cannot be required to hire Iraqi's or to reinvest their money in the Iraqi economy. They can take out their investments at any time and in any amount." Nor are they required to hire Iraqis.

". . .Transformation of an occupied country's laws violates the Hague regulations of 1907 (ratified by the U.S. and the U.S.Army's Law of Land Welfare.. . .With few reconstruction projects underway and with Bremer's rules favoring U.S. corporations, there has been little opportunity for Iraqis to go back to work, leaving nearly 2 million unempoloyed 1 &1/2 years after the invasion and, many believe, greatly fueling the resistance."

Terrorism finds its roots in poverty, abject desparation, and unemployment.

Ain't democracy grand. . .?

It's not the authorization to use force that is regrettable, it's the disasterously incompetent implementation of that force.

"It's the incompetence, stupid."

see http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com for further reference.

on edit. . .Also. . .we all write a plethora of e-mails to media sources and get barraged with a litany of gently polite auto generated responses. " Thank you for sharing your views. . .we receive so many e-mails that is impossible for us to address the concerns of each individual. . ." blah blah blah.

I used to work for a notable person who received a slew of mail.
We at least read all of them and if it was not an extraordinary message would at least send an appropriate non generic response to most, but would summarize and forward maybe one out of 500 to it's intended recipient. There is the sense with media now that nothing is read. I've had the greatest response by writing to free lance journalists and mass e-mailings to 100's of clients. I truly think we should concentrate on the free lance journalists who most often are hired as talking heads for the major outlets, as opposed to connecting the outlets themselves.

Are any e-mails to the outlets ever read. . . ? One has the sense that when they read them on air on some shows, they probably just grab 2 out of the first 10 ( point and counter point) because they're not at all exceptional.

okay. . .enough again.

Just win damn it!

[merh]

33. Please be sure you read this thread and other similar threads

in the General Discussion forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x620221

Kerry needs to address the lack of funding issues that resulted in the closing of hurricane evacuation centers in the area where the storm hit. Because of GWB, local communities cannot adequately provide for the protection of its citizens.

[Cheswick2.0]

38. I think you are missing the point "Demstrategist" is making

Kerry doesn't have to do anything you think he should do. The campaign is running a well oiled perfect campaign. They know what is best and you are not supposed to think. You are just supposed to shut up and do what Dem Stratetist says you should do. Write letters to the media. Forget that thousands of us have been doing that for four years.
Forget that Kerry lacks his own rapid response team because the campaign itself doesn't want to commit to putting their names out there tied to anything in particular, much less criticism of the media.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

42. Well, I think you are missing the point.

Isn't it nice that we can disagree without hating each other?

[Cheswick2.0]

46. Who hates anyone here?

Get used to outspoken female democrats who don't like taking directions from people they think are wrong. We are the majority of the party.
Disagreement isn't hate even if you are not comfortable with it.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

49. Amazing how I say one thing, and you ascribe the exact opposite to me.

Why is that?

[merh]

43. Well, if you knew me, you would know that I don't

take direction very well! (heehee) I will always make suggestions regarding issues that I believe should be addressed.

I do think DS is trying to get folks to recognize (in this thread any way) that the polls that are being reported are only being reported because they make the clown-n-chief look good.

I have no problem with that since good polls for the repukes make them cocky and lazy and make dems more determined (imho).

[Cheswick2.0]

45. I agree with you on this

I think the polls are being reported for the same reason. I just don't think e-mails from a lot of democrats is going to change what the media is doing. Kerry needs a professional rapid response team.

I have been writing my fingers to the bone, but Chris Matthews hardly ever quotes me on his show. I one person on the Kerry team said what I say to the media, it would be in the news. That is my point.

[merh]

50. I have asked DS to let us know if our efforts have had any impact.

The majority of DUers have been emailing and calling and writing letters to the editors and letters to the media in attempts to get them to accurately report the facts and not *'s spin.

I couldn't agree with you more on the need for a rapid response team.

[Cha]

55. Isn't that what I heard that Clinton has..a

rapid response team? And Gore apparently didn't.

With all those brilliant Dems on the Kerry team..I would think they could have the Best Rapid Response in the business. Because when Kerry gets to be President..they will need one those and more!

[OneBlueSky]

36. putting polls in perspective . . .

is salon.com's Farhad Manhoo in his discussion(s) of the Iowa Electronic Markets (http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/iem/) . . . noting that Kerry seems to be consistently trailing in the IEM despite leading in most polls, he notes:

What accounts for the disparity between the polls and the IEM? Are the polls wrong, or is the IEM off? Should Kerry and his supporters be concerned, and can Bush rest easy?

The fundamental difference between an opinion poll and a prediction market like the IEM has to do with the time horizon. An opinion poll is a fuzzy snapshot of the electorate as it stands today; indeed, many surveys ask respondents only about how they might vote "if the election were held today." Traders on the IEM don't really care about a theoretical election held today -- they're mainly concerned with how things will play on the actual Election Day, and what happens today matters only if it affects what happens in November.

The many and various opinion surveys, the big convention speeches, the pundits' prognostications, the usual summertime speculation that precedes any election: "Our traders pretty much ignore all that," says Thomas Gruca, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Iowa and a co-director of the IEM. Betting money on an election focuses the mind, Gruca says, and traders learn to weed out real information from the fluff. (This accounts for why prices on the IEM remain relatively stable during an election, while polls, even in this tight race, tend to fluctuate by many points.)

(snip)

Should Kerry and his supporters be worried about what the IEM says? If all the traders were like me, inexpert and inexact in their stock-picking ability, they could dismiss the market. But the IEM works because not all of the traders are like me, and because some of them have real information about what might happen in November. This could be insider information -- information about a campaign's strategy, about a candidate's performance under pressure, or even about a terrorist attack -- or it could just be a certain specialized kind of expertise (for instance, an expert in oil prices might know how the supply and demand of crude will affect gas prices in some key swing state, thereby clueing him in to likely voter behavior there). The market works by collecting all these people's bits of information and processing it into a kind of collective intelligence, what James Surowiecki has called "the wisdom of crowds."

http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/08/16/iem2/index.html

[bushwakker]

39. You guys have to do a better job Dem Strat

You act like RW media bias is some new phenomenon. Why aren't you guys prepared to get the shaft from the Beltway press corps? Did you see what happened to Al Gore? You guys need to figure out a way to deal with it - we can't do it. You can start by finding some competent spokespeople (your guys make Lehane and Hattaway look good for Christ sake) who know what the GOP spin is and have formulated a coherent punchy response and counter attack BEFORE they get into the arena.

[Cha]

56. Right..this is hardly new...I think the press may have

been kinder to Kerry during the primaries(I say May)..but someone predicted that they would come on Stong during the general election.

And here we are. As I said in an above post..There must be some brilliant Dems working for Kerry who can come up with a way to turn everything around from the media into a positive!

[Kahuna]

41. When is Kerry going to nail bush to the cross with an ad...

That shows, what bush says vs. what he actually does? Bush is the ultimate flip flopper. Yet he has effectively painted Kerry as a flip flopper while the rest of America thinks he is a straight shooter.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

48. They did release a web ad like that very early on.

It was called 'Keep His Word' and it showed clips of Bush saying one thing, and then the facts of what he actually did, and another, a and so on. I loved it, but I can only conclude that their testing showed they got a better response with a positive message. I get the feeling that other than the Bush faithful, most people don't need to be convinced that Bush is not trustworthy.

[Cheswick2.0]

44. First of all

<<<But for online activists like you, following polls is a distraction.>>>>>

I am a democratic activist in real life, not just on line. I can keep more than one idea in my head at a time, so I am not in the least bit distracted by polls.

No amount of online e-mail rapid response is going to be a substitute to a high level Kerry paid staff rapid response War Room like Clinton had. Kerry has got to be able to answer for himself. If he can't do that why should people vote for him? I am voting for him, but I am talking about the 2 percent of undecided Nascar Dad military fetishists the campaign has decided is their margin of vicory?

As much as I love Al Gore, this is a mistake his campaign made.

[Kierkegaard]

47. Perhaps a slightly different tack

I agree media is a ridiculous parody of its former self, but I have to imagine they completely disregard emails and letters that are critical of their performance. Kind of like those 1-800-howsmydriving numbers. They are for pacifying the people who get pissed off by the company's incompetent employees. I doubt any action is ever taken.

I can't see appealing to their better judgement, as it is apparent that they have none. The only way to make them reconsider their policies is to exploit the only power we have over them: their advertisers. If we were to pick some of the most generous contributors to the big media machine and voice our concerns, with the addendum that we will no longer buy products from a company that would support dishonest and biased 'journalism' in the interest of partisan politics, that might garner a bit more interest. The best place to hit 'em is where it hurts the most. In the pocket book. (Can't remember where I heard that before...)

What do you guys(and gals) think?

[Hoping4Change]

61. Having written numerous letters to editors, I agree completely.

An organized attempt targetting cetain advertisers for "supporting dishonest and biased 'journalism' in the interest of partisan politics" would IMO have impact.

[Kierkegaard]

64. Let's do it...

Anyone else on board for this??

[annabanana]

66. Nothing short of regime change will tame the RW media

The first thing the new Dem administration should do is dismantle and re-regulate the media monopolies. Only then will some truth begin to re infiltrate the public consciousness in this country.

[ljm2002]

52. "Trix are for kids"...

and "polls are for strategists, not DU members."

Does that about cover it?

Look. I'll say it again: I'm glad you're here. But you gotta get a slight attitude adjustment: DU is not part of the Kerry campaign, as much as most of us really, really want to see Kerry take the White House. Harness the DU if you can, it's not yours to command.

We already do media campaigns. I've heard DUers call in on talk radio, I've seen LTTEs posted here and read them in newspapers. And we'll continue to do it. Meanwhile, we're hoping that you actually listen to some of the advice here. In particular, there's a lot of frustration about our side taking the offensive. No we don't have to be as dirty as they are. But we can't let their dirt go unanswered, either. Their dirty campaigning works, and it's deadly. Please, please take some of the strategic advice here to heart, and put it into action. We're counting on you!

[quaoar]

58. I write headlines

It's part of my job. I know the thinking that goes into them

Tell me why that particular headline was chosen.

That headline was for an AP story, so the headline writer probably did not have space constraints to consider. If that headline had been on a newspaper web site, it probably would have been picked up verbatim from the story that was in the print edition. Sometimes what a headline says is dictated by the space allotted for it.

But on this story, the headline writer had three ways to go:

1. Poll: Bush has edge over Kerry as strong leader

2. Poll: Kerry has edge over Bush on economy

3. Poll: Bush, Kerry split in voters' minds

The third one would be the most balanced. But it also says the least. Nobody would read that story. So you have to pick something from the poll results to highlight.

Therefore, you look for an element in the story that is NEWS -- in other words, something that has changed. Bush had been dropping in the polls on his leadership abilities and then suddenly this poll shows him up. Kerry has led Bush on the economy all along.

That is probably why the headline was written the way it was.

Would I have written it that way? No. But the headline as written is not necessarily evidence of bias.

[snippy]

71. Very interesting and informative. n/t

[Paradise]

59. hmmm, an open-book test.

yahoo, like aol, is blatantly pro-bush, anti-kerry. pure and simple.

sooo, where do we go from here?

like, yahoo or aol are gonna give-a-damn about letters.

dem-strat, this is bigger than both of us.

[kodi]

60. perhaps a Brianiac amongst us will explain how to combat the media?

write letters, send emails, boycott advertisers, protest in front of the news tv stations and local papers' offices, buy stock in the media companies and become stockholder gadflies? what else? are you suggesting that we wreck the printing presses or kidnap and hold tv pundits as hostages? (what else is there but buy the companies and convert them to "progressive" media organs>>>sounds like AAR and al gore's plunge into tv.)

anyone here think none of us haven't done all (or least most) of these things already? we were doing it even back in november and december of 2000 during the florida recount and as i recall the only ones in politics who stood up with us was the congressional black caucas while all the white folk, and that includes john kerry and john edwards hid under the fucking bed while a judicial coupe d'etat occurred.

and now a person who draws a salary that comes from the democratic party and its contributors, contributors like me, tells us that its the big bad media's fault.

here's a quarter, go buy a clue, we know this already, knew it years ago, and protested as mentioned earlier, but what we want to know from those who we leave in charge of runnng the country as the rest of us go about living our lives is, WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN DOING ABOUT IT THESE PAST SEVERAL YEARS?

its not "us" the people who have the ability to counter media spin, its those democrats, business people, and journalists who have at least the opportunity to be heard on the airwaves and op-ed pages if simply by dint of their positions in politics and the culture at large already.

reassess what one means by "the media" and start here first:

"“The major media are large corporations, owned by and interlinked with even larger corporations, they sell a product to a market. The product they sell is the popular viewer, their customers are the corporations that buy advertising, and the picture of the world represented reflects the narrow and biased interests and values of the sellers, the buyers, and the product. Profits and the issues drive the media and items reported are for the financial benefit of the companies that own these enterprises. The fact that the posing of the information delivered is not for the benefit of the people, as we would define the presses role is obvious. No issues will be debated or given much play that make the audience, advertisers or press them uncomfortable, regardless of its value to the nation and its people.”

by Noam Chomsky

Nothing, absolutely nothing can be done effectively considering the current systems of government and information distribution to the populus in order to realize the goals you set down in your original theses. Any attempts to inform honestly the public with the facts will be undermined via distortion of such facts by those who control the information distribution network, viz., the major media. This distortion of the facts sets the agenda for those who control the media and the subsequent debates on what is important are skewed towards those items, those areas of concern to the liking of those with media, economic, and political control.

It is akin to trying to move down a river to a particular destination, yet all the time forces that may be adversely affected by you arriving at that destination can divert the river away from the course you set. So it seems best to use another avenue of travel, at least another river, if not go overland to get where you want to go.

thre more posts i read from dem strat. the more i want to bang my frigging head against a wall in grief and fear of the democratic nominee once again having an election victory snatched away because of weak-assed thinking by his "professional political strategists."

if john kerry happens to win, and i sincerely pray he does, it will despite the advise of his paid professional advisors.

i dont know who else feels this way, but i see donna brazil's paw prints all over those posts

[Paradise]

63. Not my nature to be rude but I'm very confused with Dem_Strat.

"Answer: pro-Bush, anti-Kerry spin. Pure and simple."

Like... we don't know this?????? :crazy:

"i want to bang my frigging head against a wall", too!

[farmbo]

65. DUers can help...nursemaid the press corps when Kerry visits your town

I've served as a campaign volunteer on the logistics detail for two recent candidate visits. The gig required security clearance and intense coordination with the campaign staff and Secret Service, but in both instances I felt we'd lost an opportunity to help shape Kerry's message to the 100 or so members of the traveling press corps.

The press corps travels with the candidate and usually stays at the same hotel. Kerry's paid press staff works their a**es off putting out press fires and getting out that day's message, but as they arrive at the hotel en mass, the working press corps is forced to rely on the harried local hotel staff for information.

Many of them are trying to file stories with a local nexus. In my case two reporters were seeking the name of a local diner where they could do "man-in-the-street" interviews the next day. (I steered them away from a nearby franchise restaurant and toward a colorful, neighborhood diner) Some may just want information on shopping or workout facilities.

But they're all political junkies...and they're all interested in what's going on in your state. And better that information comes from you, or someone like you, rather than a disinterested (or, worse, Bush supporting) concierge or bartender.

So arrange to be there when the press busses roll in. The hotel bar is always a good bet. (Be prepared to wait..they always arrive late). If you pick up something interesting, let the Kerry paid staff know ASAP.

[ulysses]

67. a question, friend:

Does your presence on DU offer a two-way exchange of thought and information, or is it meant solely as a one-way deal from you to us? Just curious.

[ScreamingMeemie]

68. I would, but I guess I am too busy playing checkers.

:(

FWIW, I think the campaign had better pay a little bit more attention to its supporters. These are GOP tactics thus far in my opinion. Don't question, just go along.

Thanks,
Laura

[oasis]

72. Why not do what the poster suggests and see what happens over time?

[saracat]

74. I don't suppose you will read this ,Dem Strategist,

But I would suggest capitalizing on those media that you know are supporters.For instance in my city, which is the capital of a swing state, I am deliberately being vague to protect the identity of a reporter, the local Fox affiliate has a major news anchor that is a Dem. We get far more coverage from Fox than anybody else, yet the Kerry Press rep doesn't seek the Dem out and work with him. She has expressed surprise that Fox cooperates more. Today I told her why.Another station, a CBS affiliate, also has a Dem anchor.She however has been threatened with job loss if she attends a Kerry rally as a private citizen. I am told by the other reporters that this is happening at many other stations. We need to know who is who and work together with the Dem friendly press. We also have to protect them when necessary.We should write letters of support to the stations when they go out on a limb for us.Rather than treating the press as the enemy ,we need to round up our friends and work together with them to get the word out.But if we never take the effort to find out who our friends are, we won't have much success in promoting Dems!JMHO.I have put together lots of press events and several for the Democratic Party. I have had a positive experience working together.Many of the Kerry Press people don't care about the local press and who they are and that is their and ultimately our loss.

[Dover]

75. Who at the AP is making these decisions? Surely this bias is intentional

so who would be best to direct our responses to, to get the most bang for the buck? The editors, the headline writers, the owners, the advertisers?

And IF it is intentional (ie a directive from the top), to influence people to keep Bush in office, is there any specific action from the public that might change their minds?

[deutsey]

76. Any strategy to take on "the media" must also include

a way to take on mega-conglomerate ownership of our media.

While "laziness, bias, ineptness" are certainly factors among mainstream reporters, the fact that they and their editors know who signs the checks plays a huge role in what gets reported and how.

Anyone who has worked in a corporation knows that the sensibilities of the CEO and senior management set the tone for the "corporate culture."

[ulysses]

77. yes and yes again. until this is effectively addressed

anything else we might do is going to be limited in its effectiveness...which is why we need our lawmakers to damned well stand up and be counted.