So you've decided to run as a Democrat? Congrats, you're a socialist.
Bernie sanders speaking
Look, it doesn’t matter if you run as a moderate democrat or a fire-breathing leftist; if you’re not a Republican, they’ll be using every dog-whistle they can against you. You’ll be a socialist, a communist, out to get whites, to destroy religious institutions, blah blah blah.
The GOP is a minority party with a cohesive cultural vision and a good political strategy. They’re going to use every cultural dog-whistle they can to elicit fear and try to smear Democrats. Some Democrats spend all their time trying to stop this smear, to stop the GOP from defining them by saying no, that’s not us. I want x, not y. Those Democrats usually lose.
Instead, you need to present a positive vision. The GOP is going to kick and scream, they’ll call you a socialist. You need to focus on your message, not theirs, and quit letting them define the terms of the election.
Think about it like chess – in chess, white has a first-mover advantage. As black, if you fail to counter and change the playing field, you’ll lose. Democrats need to present a vision of hope and progress—look at what Barack Obama did in 2008, leading to a massive 60-40 win in the US Senate and a historic presidential election.
Joe Biden gave us a glimpse of this strategy in 2020, with his Build Back Better message, an intersection of justice, addressing climate change, and developing a sustainable economy. Swing voters in key midwestern states got a ton of that vision in front of them, including 4 page Build Back Better pamphlets—and Biden won those key states. Far too many Democrats introduce plans that people never hear about, letting the GOP define the terms. Look at the failures of the Biden campaign in outreach to Cubans in Florida, where Donald Trump successfully defined Biden as a socialist/communist, stoking fears before the Biden campaign responded and tried to redefine their candidate.
Biden needed to get in front of those voters first with his winning message.
That Build Back Better message? It came from the progressive wing of the party, rebuilding for a sustainable economy. It’s a moderate version of the Green New Deal messaging.
There are a lot of talking heads on television right now claiming that progressive messages sunk moderate Democrats in swing districts; that’s not what happened. What happened is they got caught in the trap of spending the whole election talking about what they weren’t, instead of who they were.
There’s a reason politicians like Donald Trump and AOC build massive followings against some conventional wisdom. They’re clear about who they are. Folks may think Donald Trump is a total asshole(and he’s far worse than that) but guess what, he’s sure not hiding who he is. He says the quiet part out loud. A lot of voters like that(there are other factors, but I’ll leave those for another article).
Politicians need to be true to themselves. Be a real person. As Democrats, we’re not going to do that by being assholes. However, we can do that by embracing true empathy, and fighting for the people we seek to represent. Medicare for All is a simple slogan, a simple case that makes sense to everyday people, and polls extremely well. Even if some people hate your plan, they know you have one, and they know you’re fighting for people.
Let them label you a socialist for fighting for working people. That is a battle you can win, messages like a Green New Deal and Medicare for All stick with voters. When Democrats present a progressive vision fighting for working people, the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, we win. We bring in infrequent voters in blue cities, driving up turnout in key states – look at what Ilhan Omar and Rashida Talib did to help win Minnesota and Michigan by massively driving up turnout in their districts. Look at all of the co-sponsors of Medicare for All and a Green New Deal that won election in swing districts.
I’m not saying that every moderate Democrat in a purple US house district needs to talk about banning assault rifles. That’s probably not going to win in those districts. But building a sustainable economy that works for all, making sure people have healthcare, and protecting working people? That can win those districts, and those messages poll well. Slogans matter, plans are nice, but Medicare for All, Green New Deal, $1000 a month, or $15 an hour are easy to remember, and they align with our values and people’s needs.
It sure can’t hurt to try it – Democrats lost nearly all of their gains in the US House this year and are being forced to fight for two Georgia US Senate seats in a runoff election January 5th. To avoid losing even more seats in a 2022 midterm election, it’s essential that Democrats learn their messaging lesson and execute for working people.
Build Back Better will work, if we execute on it, and talk about it right. Show working people that Democrats care about them and are here to help, and they’ll give us more power to do so. Begin weatherizing houses across the country, creating jobs and helping lower energy bills. Execute on a progressive vision, run on populist progressive values, and change the country.
We can do it.
