The quotes come from CentralMAguy on this BMG thread and I thought it was brilliantly strong-worded, yet poignant; it’s the sort of ad which can deliver votes.
Use of language is paramount in an election. Not only do Democrats have to be clear, but messages must distinguish the systematic differences between Democrats and Republicans – which is one of the key components to victory. If Democrats want to win more often around the country, no point will help propel us to victory more than these: Republicans either create or ignore problems, Democrats solve them. Republicans think we’re all on our own, to scavenge our bread and water; Democrats think we’re all in this together.
From immigration (such as the McCain-Kennedy bill, if House Repubs didn’t derail it) to pay-as-you-go, budget-surplus government (Clinton – not Bush, Bush or Reagan), the prognosis rings true everytime. Now let’s help propel one of the three (and hopefully the current front-runner, Deval Patrick) to victory.
That would be a good commercial but not until Dems do better job linking most of those problems with Republicans. Right now your average voter is more likely to link those issues to their local government.
…the reason municipalities are having such a hard time maintaining roads, firestations, etc., is that local aid has been slashed under this administration. Of course cities and towns are trying to offset that loss. How? By raising property taxes.
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This is the real tax issue. People keep clamoring for tax relief and the only response they get (from most Dems too) is a promise to cut income tax. Meanwhile, property taxes and all other fees have gone up. Dems could win on the tax issue if they pointed this out. As the income tax has been cut, everything else has gone up. AND services are being cut. Most candidates don’t have the balls to make the argument. But it’s one that people I’ve talked to get (and I’m talking about average working people, not the “radical left” so often disparaged here).
Obviously, it would need some fine tuning, but the basic gist of my point I think rings true: we need clear messages that distinguish just why the conservative way of thinking is systematically flawed and why a more progressive outlook is can be benificial to everyone. Futhermore, I think casting the Republicans as exacerbaters of problems and Democrats as problem solvers is not only a powerful message, but one that also generally rings true over the past decade or so.
that I devoted a separate post in response.
In my best impersonation of President Bush, “bring it on.” =)
I did intend it to be some catchy sound-bites, much like those which will be used against Democrats. What I did neglect to point out in whipping up that blurb Ryan pasted was its root: income taxes down, local aid goes down, property taxes go up. At least that’s what I’ve experienced here in Central Massachusetts.
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The GOP dogmatic agenda of “lower taxes, no matter the means, no matter the cost” is cheap populism at its worst. What’s even more ridiculous is that Healey and Hillman are traipsing around the state promising to both cut the income tax while raising local aid. Huh? They never mention what other spending they would cut to finance their fuzzy math. It’s far easier to just tell voters what the candidates think they want to hear.
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Anyway, my point is that Democrats can remind voters that all politics are local, that their communities are dependent upon the state for budgetary stability, and that many are paying more taxes overall while their quality of life has dropped under Republican leadership.