Brainstorming ideas for Democrats to take control of media message:

[kentuck]

The purpose of which is to make news rather than let news make us. Of course, the idea has to be interesting, controversial, and newsworthy before FOX-TV and MSNBC, and others will show up. They will not show up just because we call a news conference to say that George W Bush and Dick Cheney are crooks. (But that is the secondary message that we wish to send.:)) Therefore any subject matter should be preceded by forewords about the Bush Administration. The purpose is not to manipulate the media, but rather to get them to report equal and balanced coverage for our side.

One subject that has been mentioned previously is the "shakeup" of the Kerry campaign. This sounds juicy and controversial. All the media will show up for a news conference to report such a "shakeup". That is the time that the Kerry campaign must take advantage of to say what they wish to say about George Bush and Dick Cheney or any other issue. That should be disposed of before they say anything about what changes are to be made in the campaign structure. Perhaps they want to say someone is leaving the campaign or perhaps one or two people are being added and the responsibilities have changed. Perhaps no one is leaving but we are only adding a person or two? The purpose is twofold. Get out your message and then report any changes in your campaign. That is one idea that will guarantee media coverage. Can anyone think of another?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Take it to the opponent: Expose their house of cards

The opponent has been shining the light on Kerry. Time to take it to Bush and make him squirm and get off script. Make the Bush surrogates froth and foam and take the campaign to Zell in a crashcart.

[StClone]

2. Entebbe style raid

Grab control of the heart of the beast until they force us out...it's our only hope.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. Corporate Media: meet John Kerry's FCC!

:kick:

:)

[sue4fun]

4. Old suggestion

Years ago some of you may remember what I thought was a super show on pbs, the debate show and forget the name. They would have the top people in the world in on both sides of the issue and really debate it.

All the hollywood people on our side could come up with a show and this country loves reality shows and maye throw in a gong like the old gong show when they lie. LOL!

It would be something positive from our side and we have the power in TV to get it done.

[ClassWarrior]

12. Wasn't it the Columbia Forum or something like that?

Originally sponsored by some academic organization, I think.

Those were just awesome.

[grasswire]

5. theatre works

Max Cleland went to Crawford. He grabbed the day's headlines.

Theater makes news. Press conferences are useless.

Maybe they ought to send poor Max Cleland to dog Bush at his every appearance. He would be turned away, every time, and every time the cameras would be on him. Other veterans in wheelchairs could join him. Fifty veterans in wheelchairs would make quite a splash.

[maine_raptor]

16. Now this is one HELLVA an Idea!!!!!!!!!!!

Kerry's team must have contacts with the old VVAWs and I assume a number of them are wheelchair-bound.

A convoy of 30, 40, 50 vets in wheelchairs and wearing old uniforms following Bush to each and every event he appears at would generate a large media following. Combine that with a letter that these folks are trying to deliver, a letter that asks the President to explain one thing: Where were you during the summer of 1972?

The issue should not be asking for a denouncement of the SBVT ads, it should be asking him for an explanation for HIS missing for duty in Vietnam.

How about this: "I lost the use of my legs for my country, Mr. Bush. Where were you while I was sacrificing for my country?", asks Joe Doaks, a Vietnam veteran who fought in Hue during the Tiet Offensive.

Now this same kind of action can be done on other levels with other issues. Take Medicare. How about a bunch of little old ladies and gentlemen, with walkers hounding Bush at every event? Think the media wouldn't pick up on that?


We know that protesters are not allowed near Bush events, OK, so why not picket GOP or Bush/Chaney HQ's?

We need actions that draw media attention while at the same time point out the issues.

[bain_sidhe]

21. And the sign says...

Where were you, George?

[yardwork]

43. Excellent! I'm stealing it for new sig line.

Another idea - write lots of positive letters to the papers about Kerry. Spread the good word about Kerry.

[goclark]

25. Disabled in wheel chairs should join Cleland

I took my mother to get Clinton to sign her book in a wheel chair. She had just had major surgery eight days before.

I can not tell you how kind everyone was to her.
What ever age you are, to see someone that is in a wheel chair and still has the guts to be wheeled to see the President,that is a massive statement! Even Republicans have people in their families,disabled and in wheel chairs, who they would want to have respected.

It is also important because Bush has done nothing to help the disabled.

Let America see how he has turned his back on these people. Have mothers wheel their children to see the president. Have him turn his back on them.

One more important point: My mother has told me again and again how much she loved being wheeled to see Clinton. She sees that experience as a real step to her recovery because she climbed a mountain that day!

Many of us think that because a person is in a wheel chair they do not feel up to being empowered. Max Cleland is their hero and everyone needs to see that all things are possible.

It should be done in a long line of wheel chairs. Let's not limit it to Cleland. He not only represents the veterans, he is a hero to those bound in a wheelchair with no respect from this Administration.

[Career Prole]

6. Remember the stink when Michael Moore called * a deserter?

He failed to defend himself and we gave him a pass...
it's time for the campaign to question Bush's service.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=748143&mesg_id=748143

[Webster Green]

9. Yes, it is time to question his service......

Bush missed his physical and lost his flight status. That part is well documented and can't be denied. It costs a lot of taxpayer dollars to train pilots. Bush declaring that he got an honorable discharge isn't good enough. Why did he get an honorable if he didn't fulfill his duties? More special treatment, thats why. Why the hell should he get a pass on this, and why should the dems be afraid to bring it up?

[kentuck]

7. How about this one? Kerry To Make Major Policy Statement on Iraq

Do you think that would peek media interest?

he could preface his statement with what he thinks Bush did wrong by unilaterally invading Iraq, creating more terrorists in the process, and permitting Osama bin Laden to keep al Qaeda alive and well, etc. Then he could make a major announcement that he would have a policy to start withdrawing troops from Iraq within six months on his term. That, in itself, would be newsworthy enough to call a newsconference, but in the process, would permit the campaign to get out the message to the people that George W Bush has made a miserable mess in Iraq.

[Democat]

8. Kerry should go on the Howard Stern show - Howard is Dem friendly!

This is taken from another DUer posted on this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x748864

In the above thread, it is pointed out that many Republicans running for office - including Arnold and Rudy - have gone on Stern, why won't Kerry?

Stern is an ex-Bush supporter who has strongly campaigned for Kerry - we can't afford to let friendly people in the media be ignored just because some cowardly Democrats are afraid of offending a few right wing fundamentalists.

[kentuck]

10. Not only on Stern but on as many talk shows as he can schedule....

And rather than being cautious about saying something too controversial, he should plan on saying something controversial, something like, "Mr Bush lied to get us into the war in Iraq" or "Dick Cheney should resign because of all the improprieties about Halliburton, his old company" or "Condi Rice has done a totally abysmal job as head of National Security". The reason to say something like that is to get the media to continue the discussion the next day and would permit more coverage, which would give more time to explain positions on "free' television.... It's really not that complicated. The Kerry campaign could start tomorrow and request guest appearances on Letterman, Stern, Larry King, Tweety Bird, and all the others. He shouldn't be concerned about saying something that might be taken the "wrong" way. The media cannot survive without controversy. That's the way they are.

[cheshire]

11. The way to effect the media is thru money. Write to advertisers and

Boycott. Boycott. It works like cutting a blood vessel.

[kentuck]

13. Except boycotts are easier to talk about than to put into practice....

But, no doubt, they are effective. But, how do they help to get out your message??

[ljm2002]

14. Sound bites...

...repeated often.

"George Bush is a misleader"
----------------------------

-- always used before getting into specifics on how he has lied, such as with his tax cuts for all occasions, lying us into the Iraq invasion, etc., etc. Note this allows our candidate to say he lies without actually saying the words "he lies". Bring up what he said he'd do vs. what he did: be a uniter; change the tone in Washington; capture Osama; nation building in Afghanistan; on and on.

"Does he really know the score?"
--------------------------------

-- folowed by, "He sure does talk a good game. But when it comes to the realities facing everyday Americans, he is woefully out of touch." quote him on his predictions about: tax cuts and how they were going to help the economy; "record" job creation vs. actual job losses during his administration; "turning the corner" vs. the uninsured; "mission accomplished" vs. number of KIA before and after; Medicare bill, what it really costs seniors, how it ties the government's hands on price negotiations; $87B measure re: Iraq that Bush himself threatened to veto; talk about "supporting the troops" vs. cuts in veterans benefits; governed like he had a mandate, when he had lost the popular vote; etc., etc.

"Where was George?"
-------------------

-- followed by, "George Bush needs to come clean about his missing year in the Air National Guard" (with surrogates to go on the talk shows, saying things like "Well, no one has come forward that served with him in Alabama. And *some people* say he was drinking and doing drugs during that period. Wouldn't it be better if he just released the records and let the American people make up their minds based on the record?" And a surrogate could also ask, Where was George when Senator Kerry was being fired on in the Mekon Delta? Where was George when the issues of the day were being discussed? John Kerry stood up and was counted. And George? He wants to smear Kerry's record, he feels safe in doing so, because his own record either doesn't exist or else it has been expunged.)

or, alternatively, to bring it into the present:

"Where is George?"
------------------

-- Bush has spent -- and continues to spend -- 42% of his presidency on vacation, and this White House conducts its business under an unprecedented shroud of secrecy. He avoids press conferences, attends only controlled gatherings during his campaign -- he is unavailable to Joe and Jane Average Citizen. (and again, surrogates to ask where he was on September 11, when even the news anchors were asking Where is the President?)

Oh well, you get the drift. Sound bites, followed up by hard hitting and well rehearsed talking points. Hammer 'em. Be relentless. Don't be "nice". Remember Will Pitt's old axiom, "Anger is a gift". Doesn't mean you have to go off on anyone, just use the anger to get and stay energized against this most corrupt of regimes.

[Julien Sorel]

15. With every new sleaze 527 group

that forms, send them a link to their web page and say,

"Thanks for all you did in publicizing Swift Boat Veterans For Truth. By demonstrating that sleaze, no matter how ridiculous, gets more attention from the media than issues, you have moved the goal posts on political debate. Backwards. By a lot.

"All professions seem to have their up and down periods. Looking back, I suspect few will look at this as one of the up periods for journalism. Again, thanks for all you do and have done."

[sampsonblk]

17. Steal as much of Dean's message as possible

Pound on the idea the Bush is incompetent

Pound on the idea that incompetence leads to dead soldiers

Pound on the idea that the Bushies can't be trusted

Pound on the economic and military mismanagement

STOP disavowing points in our favor

[kentuck]

18. How about: "Kerry Says Bush Has Wrong Solution to Social Security Problem"

And then explain how much he has spent in just 4 short years and how much he has taken out of the Social Security surplus to give to those that he thought needed a huge taxcut. And explain the unconservative nature of $500 billion dollar deficits. That is not conservatism. That is dangerous radicalism. Conservatives should hold him accountable.

Do you think this would get any play in the media? The whole exercise is to say or do something that will get repeated or pursued in the media. Only thne do we have an equal opportunity to get out our message.

[Career Prole]

19. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Alan Greenspan told shrub that

a smooth ten-year transition from traditional Social Security to private accounts could be had for approximately one trillion dollars.
They told him, according to O'Neill's book "The Price of Loyalty", that accomplishing this would be his legacy.
This was back when he still had the entire surplus to work with, pre-9/11 and other self-induced disasters.
The idiot decided he wanted the tax cut to be his legacy...said social security could wait, even though O'Neill told him he might not be able to do both.
Now we have a massive deficit and there is no way in hell to revamp social security painlessly.
Someone at Kerry HQ needs to read "The Price of Loyalty" and start pushing the hard questions on social security.

[kentuck]

20. Do not be afraid of controversy.

Controversy creates attention. Attention creates the opportunity to speak out on the issues. Speaking out on the issues gives an equal chance to reach the voters. To take a passive approach and depend on the media to report our side has been proven not to work. We have to be more aggressive at making news stories - rather than responding to news stories.

[roseBudd]

22. viral and guerilla marketing techniques will get media attention

Create an issue that brings the media to us using viral and guerilla marketing techniques.

please help me get the word out:

most people have not read the 8/6/2001 PDB. I created a postcard size version.




Please print and distribute the image above. High res version for printing available below. Put them on car windshields. Hand them out on street corners. Drop them on driveways in the suburbs.

We don't need TV buys to get some attention on this issue. We have to undermine Bush's perceived strength. We all are potential disseminators of printed media. We do not need a newspapers permission or lots of money for TV commercials. We need viral grass roots marketing. We need to create a buzz. If we create a buzz with massive distribution of printed ads we will get media coverage. If these start miraculously appearing and no one knows where they are coming from it will start to get media attention. We must also go after and mock Rice, Cheney and Ashcroft. It is the whole package.


Bush admin. INCOMPETENCE is key to undermining his strength.

high resolution version for printing here:
http://somnamblst.tripod.com /

[neomonkey]

23. I think the one thing we must keep in mind,

...and something we've learned from the Bushies:

THERE IS NO ALLEGATION OR CHARGE THAT IS TOO OUTLANDISH TO CONSIDER OR VOICE

Seriously. Kitty Kelly's book is coming soon, and on the surface it is very outlandish. I can't believe however, that none of those facts are true. There has to be something there.

[kentuck]

24. Per this book....

Democrats can get more mileage out of it by discounting its charges than by agreeing with it. That is the reality of todays media. IF the Democrats agree with Kitty Kelley, then it will be discounted as not credible at all.

[neomonkey]

26. Sucks indeed...

I wonder if the Democrats could simply not respond and let other non-affiliated groups do the dirty work.

[kentuck]

28. If people see these charges as not credible....

and the Democrats jump on the bandwagon, then other charges by Democrats will lose credibility also. Everything will look "political". Democrats should not jump on this story. It would be a political mistake. They can get more coverage of the story by disagreeing with its premises.

[neomonkey]

31. I certainly see your point

But my worry is that every cynical and suspicious Bush-backer out there (which includes about 95% of TV pundits) will presume, if not actively suspect, that there are Democratic roots in this book and using their power of voice, get that suspicion out into living rooms across the country where it will take root. It almost seems like a no-win sitch for Kerry.

In some ways, it might be analogous to our inherent suspicions from the beginning that the Swift Boat Veterans were entirely a creation of the Bush campaign - with the one difference being that our suspicions were warranted. :7

[kentuck]

34. Then that would be perfect !

We could call a news conference to say that we absolutely have no connection to the story. I assume that is true? But that would keep the story going! That's what you want...that would put Bush on the defensive but your fingerprints are not on it. Stay away from it. Denounce it. :)

[Richardson08]

27. Cheney's words on Meet the Press

Take Dick Cheney's comments on Meet the Press about 18 months ago about Iraqi's greeting American troops with candy and flowers,play that segment and show the numbers of U.S. troops killed/wounded in Iraq.He made comments about Iraq being a cakewalk with no insurgents and getting the peace would not be a problem.Play those comments and after show pictures of the terrorists/insurgents firing those mortars/rocket launchers at the U.S.troops/civilian contractors/workers.Point to how many people have been killed in Iraq since the invasion.

They question whether John Kerry is fit,perhaps they should look in the mirror

[kentuck]

30. I think he also said the oil revenues would pay for the war...

Only missed it by 20000% !

[Richardson08]

35. Use Cheney's words

He made many statements to Tim Russert on that particular Meet the Press which should be used against him.Let's look at his record.455,000 HAL stock options.If Clinton had 455,000 HAL stock options,they would have 10 Ken Starr's after slick Willie.It's a joke

[roseBudd]

38. Another great idea for a postcard

http://somnamblst.tripod.com

to print the high res version postcard of Bush: Incompetant

[roseBudd]

33. Put your idea in a visual form

and distribute it via paper using guerilla marketing techniques

See http://somnamblst.tripod.com/

for an example. Note this prints 4"x6"

[Richardson08]

37. Someone should look at that Meet the Press

The Kerry Campaign needs to drop the nice guy act and drop the gloves.The other side is playing for keeps.No room for Mr.Niceguy.If Caraville/Bagala were running this campaign,Kerry would be leading.The other side is running the politics of hate and divide and conquer.Kerry should tell the senior citizens the other side wants to eliminate their social security(Alan Greenspans comments from last week) and raise their cost for healthcare.Scare them and they will vote for Kerry.The other side does that.

[Richardson08]

29. I love the new Medicare Kerry ad

They play the segment from Thursday's speech talking about how the Medicare bill is so wonderful and then they show the news clippings of the cost of Medicare increasing which was announced on Friday.If you want to bury something in the news,announce it on a late Friday afternoon because Saturday is the one day people do not buy newspapers in comparison to the other days of the week.That is what they did

[Cogito ergo doleo]

32. A barrage of factual attacks

backed up with good documentation, based on *’s failed policies might be interesting. And I loved how Dean refused to talk over the distracting * video last week. That was the strongest thing I’ve seen to counter the media in years. Dean showed the media could be tamed and they backed down and removed the video all together.

The Kerry team could force the media to get down to facts. When * tells Native Americans that he thinks the government housing programs are good and then the very next day slashes their budget, haul out the Kerry team with pie charts and stacks to documents. It will make the news guys look foolish. They need to stop debating opinions and start exposing the truth.

[kentuck]

36. Yep...

The Kerry campaign has to challenge more of the Bush statements and policies. I'm sure there were several statements in his convention speech that could be challenged??

[Cogito ergo doleo]

39. That speech is a goldmine

and would provide most, if not all of the material needed for the next couple of months, point by point. I'd love to see it.

[Dr Fate]

40. Call Bush a "liar" and use that word. Then bring up 5 examples.

Add new examples everyday.

Repeat as necessary.

In other words, tell the truth about Bush.

[Richardson08]

41. Families of fallen soldiers in Iraq

Put together ads in each battleground state of a local fallen soldier.Show a picture of that fallen soldier with their family and friends.Have a family member narrate the ad.Talk about that person and what happened to him or her in Iraq.Finish it off by saying "Don't let them do to your family what they did to our family".End the ad by showing that original picture and then removing that person from the picture by leaving a blank space.The war in Iraq was wrong and more and more people are realizing it

[kentuck]

42. Keep your eye on the goal...

which is to make your own news - not let them make news for you. The idea is to get on the mainstream media and claim our share of the airtime to give our viewpoints. It is not a manipulation - it is using the airwaves which belong to us as much as it does FOX or the rightwingers. We need to be aggressive with our ideas to get on the media and not be at the mercy of the networks - whenever they wish to invite us. We will make decisions that might be controversial but they will be reported and when we have the opportunity to be on the air, we should take full advantage to say what needs to be said. That is our goal. ANd those are the types of ideas we are looking for...

[kentuck]

44. Here's another: Kerry Says "US Absolutely Not Safer"...

Challenges Bush's assertion. Kerry says Bush has misled the American people by saying we are "safer". Kerry says we now have more terrorists and more enemies around the world and the people should not be deceived by the words of Mr Bush. He is not being honest.

Don't you think that would get into the media?