MyDD :: Four Simple Suggestions for Bloggers

Four Simple Suggestions for Bloggers

by michael in chicago, Sat Nov 12, 2005 at 05:55:30 PM EST

Not earth-shattering, but simple and solid advice--Chris

In Paul Rosenburg's diary "How To Run The Table In 2006--And Beyond," Paul proposes some excellent suggestions on how Democrats can focus the country's attention on the problems caused by Bush and the Republican party, and present the Democratic Party as the party of needed change leading to the realignment Chris has spoken of.

While Paul's suggestions are great, I'm not a Democratic Party staffer or policy maker. I'm a blogger. So I took Paul and Chris' ideas and riffed off of them to come up with four simple sugestions bloggers can help the Republican's assume responsibility for the mess they've created.

The name "Bush," not "Republicans," often gets much of the blame directly in the Blogsphere. We must help everyone remember that Bush is a REPUBLICAN president and can't do much with out his friends in the REPUBLICAN controlled congress. So here are my suggestions for bloggers:

When referring to Bush, always include the word "Republican" in close proximity to his name as in "Bush and his Republican Culture of Corruption..."
When referring to Congress, remember to remind readers that the Legislative Branch is Republican controlled. For example: "Legislators in the Republican controlled Congress today proposed legislation that would cut veteran benefits..."
When writing about Bush or Republican leaders like Frist, always include the word "Republican" in association with them. For example, instead of "Majority Leader Bill Frist" use "Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist."
When referring to the Republican Party, always start with the words "Republican Party" rather than "GOP." To the less politically aware, the lack of awareness that "GOP" is the Republican Party may be to the Republican's advantage.

All of this is completely obvious to those of us in the Blogosphere, but to those not politically aware the word "Republican" can and should be directly associated with scandal, corruption, and lies. Maybe through simple association, over time we can give the word "Republican" a negative association just as the Right has done to the word "Liberal." At the very least, by simply using the word "Republican" in our work work more, we may help the Republicans more effectively tarnish their party's reputation.

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Awesome. Now let our congressmen know this... (none / 0)

It's pathetic that on repeated visits on Sunday Suckfest talk shows our Dem representatives in the republican-controlled congress fail to do this simple negative branding of the GOP.

by Sam Loomis on Sat Nov 12, 2005 at 06:15:59 PM EST

Thanks Chris (3.00 / 1)

Of course they aren't earth-shattering ideas. If they were I would have called this post "Four Earth-Shattering Ideas for Bloggers." ;-)

Witty comment goes here...

by michael in chicago on Sat Nov 12, 2005 at 06:18:23 PM EST

this touches on something I have been fearing (none / 0)

that with the unquestionable divebombing of Bush's credibility, it will become easier and more acceptable for the next field of Republican presidential hopefuls to distance themselves from his failures and get away with it. Earlier, Republicans could whip their people into line claiming that the 04 election was more important than individuals' particular issues. And when Bush was popular there was no incentive to break rank for other Republicans. However, we are now in a position where ambitious Republicans will conciously distance themselves from this unpopular white house and there is not much to stop them unless we take the suggestions given above. Can you imagine the tragedy of an-as-of-yet-relatively-unknown GOP governor running for president in 08 vowing to "fix whats wrong in washington". These are things everyone should start doing. good work.

by dre2k5 on Sat Nov 12, 2005 at 07:07:19 PM EST

I hate the term "GOP" (none / 0)

I don't think Republicans are "Grand" in any way, shape, or form.

by Geotpf on Sat Nov 12, 2005 at 08:40:52 PM EST

The Bush Republican Party (none / 0)

Good diary - this is very important, make the Bush festering stink, for which they bear so much responsibility, stick to them. Don't let them run away from it.

There was a similar discussion at dKos about two months ago when Bush started really sinking in the polls. I've been sticking unwaveringly with my suggestion at the time:

Always refer to politicians, pundits, and right-wing pseuso-journalists as "Bush Republicans".
Always refer to the party as "the Bush Republican Party".

by miholo on Sat Nov 12, 2005 at 08:42:47 PM EST

And always... (none / 0)

...refer to GWB and Republican senators/congress(wo)men together as "George Bush and his enablers in Congress." Use lots of rubber-stamp imagery. GWB could have done nothing without support in both houses of Congress. The fact that Republicans aren't supporting every one of GWB's ideas now is nothing more than opportunism. GWB's ideas were no better three years ago than they are now.

by KTinOhio on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 12:59:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

One more thing (none / 0)

"Republican politicans" are the problem, and they will try to desperately cling to voters who vote Republican as protection. ("They're bashing you all too!")

Republican Politicians are the problem, in the US and in Missouri.

by RBH on Sat Nov 12, 2005 at 10:12:56 PM EST

This is sometheing that I've been worrying about (none / 0)

How to translate what we are doing here (blogs) into mainstream thought so we can wake up that the great mass of uninterested voters who believe in the latest slogan or attack ad. They vote in whoever has the better ad campaign and do not really take time to look at the real values that the Party stands for.

How do we reach those guys? <begin story here> a few days ago a co-worker give me political propoganda from their state senator (R) in the guise of an 'official communication' of an increase in homestead exemption legislation that was passed (pushed by Dems!)and instructions on how to 'officially' file under this act (homestead), assuming you haven't had the good sense to do it before they increased the exemption this session. Oh yeah, she rents, (and so why is this Bozo sending this to renters from the voters lists and not land owners from the Assessors list?).

She (my co-worker) was worried that this was an official communication of something she needed to do. She brought it to me because she wanted my opinion, and did she need to do something or was this political? I told her this was a political piece in disquise (and asked to keep it). <end Story>

This story shows the problems in reaching most of the electorate, for the most part they don't care. I'm doing what I can but I believe that helpful hints like your post help to lay the blame and create the groundswell of discontent that will lay the groundwork for realignment.

What other ideas (simple examples that will stick with the great uninterested masses) are out there?

In my view, this is one of the greatest hurtles we face.

by NvDem on Sat Nov 12, 2005 at 10:40:50 PM EST

Let's Not Flub This. (none / 0)

Clueless folks who've been basted in the toxic pseudo-idealist stew that's endlessly served up by the media matrix often wander into MyDD, only to be brutalized by site regulars for the crime of exhaling faulty notions. This must stop. They must be persuaded, not alienated.

The former liberal Republican Connecticut Senator Lowell P. Weicker was defeated by the neocon Democratic candidate Joseph Lieberman, whose campaign was financed by William F. Buckley (!), a little over a decade ago. Weicker went on to become Connecticut's governor, and he pushed through a progressive income tax in that state during the final moments when that was possible to do. Lieberman went on to become the principle architect of the use-of-force-in-Iraq resolution.

People who happen to be Republicans are not intrinsically the problem that we face. It is the neocons that are the problem. Let's not flub this one.

by blues on Sun Nov 13, 2005 at 12:47:40 AM EST

Random notes of agreement, 2 (none / 0)

I agree about the branding and the repetition. Someone on dKos wrote a diary about Mitt Romney, using the brilliant new (to me) word Conservatarian. I've adopted it, I HATE the way the word Libertarian initially sounds like liberal, which I am proud to consider myself. I am committed to the restoration of the word liberal to respectability. I loved the speech on The West Wing last week about all the things we have for which we must thank liberals. And while I'm on that roll, I'll just point out that not all conservatives are cons, but this current batch of Republican conservatives certainly are, they are the most ungodly shower of lying jerks to come down the pike in a century.

Secondly, I just read Krugman's Friday column, and one sentence jumped out at me: "politicians who don't believe in a positive role for government shouldn't be allowed to design new government programs." I've been hollering about this for a while. I don't think they should hold office at all. A little healty suspicion about government is one thing, but this Reagan meme that government screws up everything it touches seems to have become something that Republicans take great pride in proving. It's time for our candidates to start challenging Republicans who spout that malarkey.

by Jeany on Sun Nov 13, 2005 at 02:08:19 AM EST

Re: Random notes of agreement, 2 (1.00 / 1)

If you're so proud of being a liberal, why do you "HATE the way the word Libertarian initially sounds like liberal?" Seems to me that would further your agenda.

I also love the fact that you get your motivation from a fictional TV show -- the only place liberals still control what goes on in this country. :-)

by snoopy on Sun Nov 13, 2005 at 05:15:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Commercial (none / 0)

I had an idea for a DNC ad that follows said guidelines. It can be found here.

Now, of course, it should be updated to include Libby and maybe even Abramoff but too many targets clutter the line-of-sight... :-)

the lyceum

by mattgabe on Sun Nov 13, 2005 at 02:37:17 AM EST

Good pointers (none / 0)

I've always felt that calling the Republican Party GOP was a big mistake -- gives them the respect they don't deserve.

ARGville: Strong opinions, Advice, Discussion Forum, Humor, and some typos

by VictorNJ on Sun Nov 13, 2005 at 11:26:56 AM EST

Bush-ism (none / 0)

Can we start calling it Bush-ism? I like that it connects his actions to a broader philosophy. I like that it attaches to that philosophy a name with 38% approval rating and a disastrous track record. I also like that it invokes the question of what his actions stand for.

What does a CIA exemption for turture stand for, Mr. President? What do your cuts for social welfare and expansions of corporate welfare stand for, Mr. President?

A lot of other people subscribe to his philosophy of government, try Kilgore and Forrester; or Cheney, Libby, and Rove; or DeLay, Lott, and Abramoff. If we want to clean a little house for the next few years, let's find every Bushist in the country and call him what he is. And we can keep calling him a Bushist until he's replaced by someone who's not -- I'd take an honest-to-god conservative over what passes for a republican most places. If we could just get all the Bushists replaced I'd certainly have a lot more faith in our two-party system.

Progress is Personal | PCCC

by msnook on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 02:18:00 AM EST

The first two ... (none / 0)

... can be nailed with just one sentence. I usually use "Bush and the Republican-controlled 'ownership society' in Washington DC" and a host of variations. This way, the reader is reminded that Bush is a Republican and the Republicans have the "trifecta" all in one swoop.

by Sizemore on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 06:16:23 AM EST

I would also add (none / 0)

that it is very important to connect Moderate Republicans to their wack-a-nut leadership in DC.

Many voters do not make the connection (sadly, even some Democrats), so when you send out any literature, point out that Rep/Sen X's efforts in DC were thwarted by wingnut leadership which this person voted for...

A vote for Rep/Sen X is a vote for Tom DeLay/Bill Frist....

by Nazgul35 on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 09:14:56 AM EST

Suggestions for Bloggers from Michael in Chicago.. (none / 0)

Oh yeah, and don't forget to mention also that the Republican Party has controlled Congress since 1994 and the White House since 2000 and that hard core, uncompromising Democrats like Michael from Daleyville (THE most corrupt city in America, run by Democrats by the way...), can't accept the fact that their political party is so out of touch overall, all things considered, with the American populace, that they will NEVER control the halls of government again.

by realrepublican1854 on Tue Nov 15, 2005 at 04:03:56 AM EST

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