As promised: Reflections on the Elections [cleaned up]

[Note: a couple of readers have suggested I clean up original post, to include such things as proper capitalization, and perhaps omit at least some of the ellipses ('...'). Here's the result.]

After I got home Tuesday night from DPNM 'election night watch party' (which happily was a victory party for NM1 & Heinrich), I had a note waiting for me in my email in-box from Bold Progressives. (I don't remember signing up for this site, but probably did in some moment of weakness.)

Anyway, the email asked for my thoughts.
"What are you thinking right now? Seriously, we'd like to know."

So, at 1:00 a.m. I clicked the link and answered the questions as best I could at 1:00 a.m., with more than a little booze under my belt.
Sadly, I didn't keep a copy of my responses, but what follows represents an 'enhanced' (and improved) memory.

Question #1: In general, what are you thinking tonight?
My response (again, "improved"):

I'm thinking that Dems need to learn two basic political skills:
1) Communication
2) Organization

1) Communication skills
Democrats had (and have) by far the better story to tell, the better solutions to propose, but somehow failed to communicate either the story or the solutions.

In part I attribute this failure to our 'sophistication'; to our tendency to intellectualize everything, to think things through, to see the world in grey, not in black & white. BUT - even when the issues ARE black & white, we fail. For example:

GDP = consumption + govt spending + investment +(exports - imports).

Consumption: consumers have no money, and are hoarding what $$$ they do have.
They're NOT spending.

Investment? - Businesses are sitting on wads of $$$, sequestering it; they are NOT investing; and those few that seek to invest are stymied by banks that AREN'T LENDING.

Balance of trade? We're importing more than we're exporting.

What's left?
GOVERNMENT SPENDING to stimulate demand & grow GDP!!!

... but somehow we got sucked into a discussion about the deficit!... even though it's now cheaper for the federal government to borrow than at any time in past 30 years!!! Some investors are in fact PAYING FOR THE PRIVILEGE to lend the federal government $$$!!!
How'd that happen???

We - Dems, progressives, sane people - failed again & again to effectively COMMUNICATE our ideas, our solutions. Furthermore, we failed to effectively rip to shreds the 'arguments' and positions of our opponents.
Over and over. Repeatedly.

To some extent this began at the top, with President Obama.
He who communicated so brilliantly and effectively during the campaign, but has utterly failed to communicate effectively as president.
BUT: we are all guilty.

On the other hand, we simply ridiculed & mocked the GOP's mindless sloganeering, without ever thinking that mindless sloganeering works!
WE ought to get good at mindless sloganeering. But we're too pure, too honest, to intellectual to even try.

[This not said Tuesday night; it represents an after-thought] We're also really lousy at branding/labeling. W's "Clean Skies Act" gutted the EPA, but it was well-named.

When we decided to attack health INSURANCE reform, we mis-labeled it health CARE reform (incidentally allowing the loyal opposition to call it ObamaCARE. Quite a catchy perjorative term; much more catchy than ObamaINSURANCE). The bill itself didn't touch health CARE - it was all about reforming how we provide health INSURANCE. Branding this as health INSURANCE reform would have focused on everyone's bad guys - the insurance industry. Instead, we made it about health CARE.
Branding/labeling is an important communications skill we need to learn.

2) Organization skills
As Dems, we're all absurdly proud of our free-thinking, "I'm not a joiner", lone-wolf approach to politics. I'm as guilty as anyone. Buffoon has fewer than two dozen regular readers, but still I pride myself on doing my part in our great democracy by spewing my drivel on a more-or-less regular basis. Other blogs (including those mentioned on right-hand sidebar) are more effective.
BUT: we somehow disdain formal 'organization'. As a result we are overtaken every news cycle by astro-turf Tea Partiers.

The on-the-ground organization contributing to Obama's election was left to wither.

DNC, DSCC & DCCC are the Catholic Church of politics: centralized, entrenched organizations whose real interest is preserving the status quo.

If we continue to be only a community of passionate bloggers - some with very large readership, others with close to none - we'll continue to fail.
Organization is key - getting people - just folks - to ACT!
Often and routinely. If someone among us can figure out how to motivate folks to ACT, often and routinely, we'll have a prayer moving forward.
Otherwise, it's all just mental masturbation - feels good, but is, in the end, fruitless.

Question #2: What do you think the progressive movement should do next? As in, immediately...
My response (very dimly remembered):

Well - let's address the deficiencies noted above.

Someone - likely, many someones - in our community must have expertise in rhetoric (the art of argumentation for the purpose of persuasion). Let's enlist their help to teach the rest of us how to do it.

Again: Surely some few folks among we liberal/progressives have organization skills! Who are they? How much would they charge?

Finally: we oughta be working with business. Yes, I'm serious. The big $$$ are found in biz community (particularly after disastrous and WRONG SCOTUS Citizens United decision).
Let's figure out how to lobby 'em to convince 'em that govt regulation is IN THEIR BEST INTEREST! (Again: I'm serious. Really. I believe a strong case can be made that govt regulation REALLY IS in big business's best interest. See, e.g., Rules of the Road.)

Question #3: Do you think Pres. Obama and congressional Dems should fight harder for progressive policies or seek middle ground with Republicans? (Please elaborate.)
My response (again, from vague memory, and elaborated/improved):

Middle ground with Republicans??? You're kidding, right?

Time and again President Obama sought compromise (as a means, not an end).
Time and again he's been rebuked.
I'm not crazy about the phrase, but it seems appropriate: time to man up!!!

Our elected representatives (a dying breed) have no clue how to NEGOTIATE! - another basic political skill. We give away the farm before we get to the table (Baucus: "public option is not on the table"). We give away the North Forty afterwards in exchange for vague promises, never fulfilled.

Again: I'm betting there are more than a few someones among the liberal/progressive ranks who KNOW how to negotiate. Let's employ 'em! - sell the Congressional & Senate Democratic caucuses some training classes! (Heck, if nothing else, it'll be economically stimulative, employing private contractors!)
[note: 'compromise' and 'bipartisanship' are means, NOT ends!]

If President Obama decides his best course is to continue current course he ought not count on a second term.
The so-called loyal opposition are convinced he's a pansy. After all, he gives away the farm before negotiations have started.
If he wants to get anything done in next two years, well - now's the time to play hardball.

So - that's close to how I answered the questions Tuesday night, at 1:00 a.m., after much alcohol and some celebration for NM1 Heinrich win.

What would I add today? Limbaugh & Beck.

We need to study 'em.
How do they garner their huge audiences? - they ENTERTAIN!
(This goes to 'communication skills' theme above.)
We've got a couple of folks on our side with same skills: Stewart & Colbert.
BUT: they don't have huge radio audiences.
Air America failed - it was too wonkish.
You - we - need to keep folks' attention. You keep folks' attention by ENTERTAINING.

If you want to contribute your two cents, here are a couple of links:

Progressive Change Campaign Committee

2010: What are you thinking?

p.s. my initial responses included links to Private Buffoon and al Qaeda in Albuquerque (blatant self-promotion).
And, oh yeah! - NM1 is still in the D category: Congrats to Martin Heinrich!!!

p.p.s. in response to this post loyal reader tedthecat sent me a password protected link to an article by former Oklahoma governor David Walters in which he proposed some fairly specific actions to re-vitalize Oklahoma's Democratic party.
Here's the link: http://reddirtblog.typepad.com/onebite
... and here's email addy to request a password: tokenliberal@gmail.com
The title of the article is "One Bite at a Time" (as in "How do you eat an elephant?") It's a long read, but worth it for the specific ACTIONS proposed.
Update: here's a more accessible link. One Bite at a Time