(UK) Labour drafts in US election architect (Dean) for 'our midterms'

[deadparrot]

Labour has enlisted one of the engineers of this week's Democratic victory in the US midterm elections in an attempt to boost its flagging fortunes before the local elections in May.

Howard Dean, the former presidential candidate and one of the men credited with masterminding the trouncing of the Republicans, will visit the UK next month to brief party officials about his pioneering campaigning techniques.

"The Welsh, Scottish and local elections next year are our midterms," said Hazel Blears, Labour's chair. "It has to be done differently for us to carry on being successful ... We're looking at how have upped their game."

Labour is particularly interested in the Democrats' style of targeting grassroots voters through low-key meetings in homes. "We want to look at their experience in campaigning, getting out the vote, holding house meetings where people can come together ... You don't want to transplant American politics, but there's a lot we can share," said Ms Blears.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,1945410,00.html

[savemefromdumbya]

1. If Labour gets rid of Blair then we might win

speaking as an overseas Labour International person. I also think besides getting rid of Blair and his supporters, Labour constituency members tend to be in general a bit on the 'lazy' side. The Liberal Democrats have the grassroots thing worked out. I remember it was like waking the dead trying to get someone out to go door to door in our constituency.

[cui bono]

2. She also said Labour could benefit from

the so-called "viral" tactics Mr Dean helped pioneer. "Politics is increasingly local and decentralised ... People go to people they trust for word-of-mouth recommendations. It's about like-minded people talking, with concentric circles of campaigning, rather than about a political message from the centre."

[T_i_B]

4. New Labour has big problems in this regard

To be honest with you, New Labour is very bad at internet activism. This can be traced in no small part down to Labour's strong tendency to centralize their campaigning and not giving the Labour grassroots enough of a voice.

The whole New Labour "triangulation" thing also plays a part here all to often the government simply falls between two stools, being disliked by both left and right wing bloggers.

And when you do finally see New Labour stuff being advocated on the web, all too often it has stench of astroturf all over it. All in all Labour needs to change the way it works in a fairly big way if it wants to be effective in campaigning via the internet.

[Rose Siding]

3. Foreign countries have found something they like about America

He was in Canada for this, too.

It's been a while. sigh

[Apollo11]

5. Labour Party

For 10 years (1987-97) I was a very active member of the British Labour Party. Since 1997, the Party has lost about 50% of its members (including me - but I no longer live in Britain).

My impression is that grassroots democrats in the US have potentially more influence over their party than members of the British Labour Party. In the USA, you have primaries where you can choose between candidates with different positions and different priorities. Then after the primary, you all come together as a coalition and support the candidates you have chosen.

As a member of the British Labour Party, you have less influence over choosing candidates, and in any case - all candidates are expected to agree with the party platform on all issues. And the party platform is basically written by Tony Blair - for as long as he wants to remain as Leader.

Of course there are Labour MPs in Parliament who voted against the Iraq War back in 2003, but they are a small minority (25% - depending on which vote you count). Compared with a majority of Dems in the US House of Representatives who voted against the Iraq War resolution in 2002.