Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Ultimate Lesson of Election 2014: “Nothing’s Free”.
http://bluntandcranky.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/the-ultimate-lesson-of-election-2014-nothings-free/Stripped down to its barest bones, thats the takeaway. The Republicans won because they invested in things that could help them win, and the Dems lost because they didnt invest thus. Not saying its fair, not saying its right, just saying that smart investing pays dividends, and un-smart investing loses shirts.
And what was the GOPee investment? Why, twas in propaganda media. 24/7, all across the TeeVee, radio, Internets, billboards, you name it, the Elephants paid millions upon millions to hammer their message home. And even though the bulk of said message was a pack of lies, the repetition of it over a period of years proved effective lots of gullible nitwits believed it. The Phants bought the media and used it to brainwash the masses. That was a huge investment, and it resulted in an enormous return.
In contrast, the Democrats invested in smart public policies (like the ACA), and then tried to pretend they hadnt. They invested in the election of a truly historic President, and then tried to pretend he wasnt there. Dems invested a lot in holding back the most cray of the Repubs cray-cray ideas, and then pretended they hadnt done that either. Many Dems actually did a very good job in office, but got scared of seeming too, well, non-Republican. They invested and then tried to un-invest. Small wonder they got bupkis for a return, innit?
You cant get ANYTHING for free. Even the air we breathe and water we drink requires investment to keep it clean enough to use. Hell, even love requires an emotional investment, does it not? Gravity isnt free, for that matter ask any physicist. NOTHING COMES FROM NOTHING. Ya gotta do something, pay something, sweat, speak, take some kind of action, if you want to get something in return.
The Democrats, Greens, and the Left in general need to treat this as a lesson in reality. If they want power, they wont get it by being virtuous; by being right; by having a D by their name; kicking and braying; or any of the other stupid, lazy, disorganized, inconsistent methods they employed in 2014. And they can look to their own ranks for proof. Minnesota Dems invested in candidates, media, turnout, message, and did much better than the party as whole. They invested wisely and profited thereby. Something the rest of American Democrats did not do.
One phrase common during this writers youth was the marketplace of ideas: the notion that quality ideas would, like quality goods and services, rise to the top via free and vigorous debate. The willingness to invest time and effort in the debate was part of how well an idea succeeded in the market. The Repubs invested in control of the debate instead of quality policies, but have succeeded because, 9 times out of 10, the public hears only GOP talking points. Sadly, because of this unscrupulous (but competently executed) strategy, the GOP is winning the battle of ideas, at least when it comes to how it shakes out at the ballot box.
Non-Repubs neednt opt for the criminal methods employed by the GOPee; but they DO have to invest in good ideas and policies, courage, consistency, and learn to aggressively promote themselves and their products if they are going to succeed. Based on this years election cycle, Democrats have a f*** of a lot of work to do.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
0 replies, 341 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (1)
ReplyReply to this post