What next?

[demwing]

We collected some solid ideas about a reform platform
We chatted about branding
We collected some basic demographics on our members

What next?


I'd like to have this group target three initial goals:

First:
1. Become the Underground of the Democratic Underground
2. Act as a think tank for Democratic Party reformists

Finally:
3. Get our message injected into the dialog in the 34 states (24 R / 10 D) with an open US Senate seat in 2016

And that last one is the big ticket item, right?

There are ways we could pursue this at the grassroots level. We could run Roosevelt Dems in those 34 Dem primary campaigns, or we could work to get 1 or 2 of our platform goals on the ballots in each of those 34 states.

Or we could just talk. I respect that. This is, after all, a chat room

MannyGoldstein asked me a good question. He wanted to know where I see this group ending up 3 months from now.

He had a great question, but he target the wrong audience. He shouldn't ask me, he should ask everyone.

Where do you all want this to go? 3 months out, where do you want to see the PRG?

[F4lconF16]

2. Measures are good

But we need to run candidates to have a lasting impact. Otherwise we'll continue to see people voting for liberal policy and not liberal people.

I'd really like to work on getting people elected, even if it's at the local level. We need to start getting people out there with a strong and clear message (directed more at "moderate" Dems than anyone else). We have to be able to get our message heard so that we can start changing the way people feel about leftist candidates. Even if we don't meet with much success the first election, we can start getting people used to the idea that FDR Democrats will support them and their needs.

I'd be happy to put in time volunteering for any candidates we can find up in Washington/Seattle.

[KoKo]

3. We would have to get into the "NetRoots Nation" Group & Power Brokers

that have evolved since 2004. We on the Left used to own much the Net back in the Salad Days. "Media Whores Online, Bart Cop...a few others and then Democratic Underground, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, (The Scooter Libby Trial Reports) and others who sprung up like "Crooks & Liars and Talking Points Memo." Individual Single Bloggers who had big readership were also influentials---too many to name.

But....we "Populist/Progressive/Activists don't own the Net anymore. The PTB do and the few Progressive Sites struggle for money.

We Could:

Write a Diary in Daily Kos about goals of a New Populist/Progressive Movement Forming? Flood Josh Marshall's TPM with Progressive Posts? Use "Twitter" to Recommend Articles from people that we feel are in sympathy with us so that they get attention?

Set up a "FaceBook Page" where we post articles under whatever our positive new Name (for the Rump Dissenters of the Dem Party) ends up being? Or whatever new sites that young people go when they are sick of "FB?"

As Far as Candidates Go:

Firedoglake tried with ACT BLUE...and it's still around. Maybe work with them to identify who is going to fight as a Dem and start supporting them. Or, Adam Green's Group PCCC who managed to get people elected this Mid-Term.

Start "Meet Ups" (like Howard Dean initiated} by joining your State/Local Progressive Group and get them energized.

The MEDIA effort is the most important, imho.. for now.

[Eleanors38]

15. Essential: Move to form alliances with these groups...

We get a Lot bigger, the message gets Simpler, People see credibility in our message.

We have limited resources as PRG, but a large coalition can bring to bear all manner of resources and expertise and a Unified Simple message. This is what we should work toward. And soon!

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Do you remember the DU Activist Corps on DU.2?

There were certain "actions" that we all agreed to take to move a progressive agenda forward, like making calls, writing LTTE, trying to remember what some other ones were. This group might be the ideal place to come up with ideas about things we could actually do. Everyone's pretty discouraged after the last election, so some ideas about things we might do, rather than just talk about, might be helpful with that...

[starroute]

5. I want to see us working on reclaiming the narrative

From my perspective, it's way too early to even think about electoral strategies. Our biggest problem is that since Reagan, the Democrats have allowed the Republicans to define the narrative and the objectives -- and then have at most offered a slightly kinder, gentler vision of the same thing.

It's as if we really believe that cutting welfare benefits will put more people back to work -- while giving financial incentives to the wealthy will encourage them to work harder.

Not only does that have to stop now, but we need to speak up about it at every opportunity and call out mainstream Dems who go along with the GOP line.

If the GOP wants to slash food stamps by $40 billion, we shouldn't be arguing to slash only $9 billion. We should be standing up and saying that the economy is still sluggish, that every dollar spent on food stamps puts nearly $2 back in the economy, and that cutting them takes money out of the pockets of hard-working American who will find their businesses without customers.

We should be promoting the idea that government exists to do what private enterprise either can't or won't do -- from researching diseases that mainly affect poor people to bringing high-speed internet to the inner cities and rural areas -- and that crippling its ability to do these things diminishes everyone's quality of life.

And we should be hammering that point home wherever and however we can.

[scarletwoman]

7. I agree with you, reclaim the narrative.

I have a number of thoughts about this. At the moment, unfortunately, I'm about knocked out with a virus, and putting thoughts into words right now is beyond me. I can barely sit upright to type this.

I plan to come back to this later when I feel semi-human again.

[starroute]

9. Please do

I'm all about story. For me, tactics come way down in the list -- and the same old tactics can't work if the story isn't changed first.

[onecaliberal]

10. Yes, Starroute you are 100% on the right

Track. We have to begin with taking back our narrative. Call out the dems who act more like republicans and fail represent the people. We should all be in touch and active within our county democratic central committees.

[Alittleliberal]

6. First we need one of our progressive powerhouses to official announce their run

Then we need an organized GOTV effort getting progressive enough voters excited enough that they show up. I think this is the part we need to focus on. We have members in a bunch of states. Traveling within our general locations to help each other put on events could poll a lot of people together.

[EEO]

8. An emphasis on educating voters and officially coining the terms the Roosevelt Party and...

Roosevelt Democrats. Through mass e-mails, calls, and I think some form of regular Public Service Announcement (PSA) that informs Americans about things like:

Social Security is solvent.

The Affordable Healthcare Act was a conservative idea and we want single payer, which will cover everyone (and explain how everyone pays into a fund, which then can be used by citizens when they get sick so people are no longer losing their homes and going into financials ruin just because they get sick)

On the whole, Red States benefit more from federal social programs.

Foreign Aid is a small fraction of the budget.

Making contrasts between daily military spending and what we are failing to do socially at home.

ETC.

The GOP thinks it owns morality when it is the least socially responsible. It is well beyond time we call them out for that. The CBO can be our best friend in a lot of these PSAs, which can be renamed to better suit our goals. We need to come up with how and what form we get our information out there, and then we can expect people to want to sign on or tell us to go screw.

[hotrod0808]

11. This kind of thing

takes time, and we have to patiently move people through the ranks, like Howard Dean suggested. Starting at the local level, we must work to elect people to councils, state offices, House, Senate, etc. I don't see the party making great headway as long as gerrymandering and this Supreme Court are running the show. Starting on a local level and biding our time are the only way to go to change this country, and it will take a decade or longer. I'm in for the long haul.

[demwing]

12. Kicked for vis. /nt

[Cosmic Kitten]

13. What next...

It seems obvious that Branding, Framing,
and capturing the Narrative are central.

Do we have anyone here who works in PR?
If you want to get attention you need to MARKET.
But what are you marketing?

Addressing "policies" is fine but it's not a brand
people can identify with and get behind.
There needs to be a groundswell, first.
Petitioning to end wars if a worthy cause...
but unless a significant number gets behind
the idea it goes nowhere.

And as far as Branding and framing goes
I'm perplexed at the push for "Roosevelt".
I comes off as out of touch with today's demographics.
Could millennials get behind Roosevelt?
Will minorities, immigrants, women identify with Roosevelt?
With a rising Hispanic electorate, Roosevelt would be a big miss.

If the brand is poorly conceived it's not going anywhere.
Look at the most successful advertising campaigns.
How could "Roosevelt" be appealing in today's marketplace of ideas?
It's largely a harken to days gone by, not forward thinking.

[Eleanors38]

16. "There needs to be a groundswell." How?

[Eleanors38]

14. I see PRG as a recruitment center for Activists...

who will be a part of an organization that goes well beyond DU discussion; forms alliances with other populist organizations, and does the work of:

1) Media, I-net outreach
2) Fielding candidates, precinct-to-senator
3) Campaign work at all levels
4) Street demonstrations
5) Building community around local projects
6) Taking control of the Democratic Party.

I'm 66. I don't see myself arguing, re-arguing, then chewing cud over whose bonafides are better than someone else's, here at DU or anywhere else.

[zipplewrath]

17. Knowledge is power

The best thing we can do is to be a place where we can all work out our understanding of issues both persistent and momentary. A sounding board where progressive responses to both immediate and repetitive issues can be developed. We're all people who influence our local body politic. We can share those thoughts and ideas which address issues which the larger body discusses.

One of the things that progressives need to be able to do is to address the "what can we do" in both the immediate and the long term. Too often our response is to suggest that the solution to something like an Iranian hostage crisis is not to have been involved in the coup 20 year previous. Well, nice observation but that can't be done and there are still hostages in Iran. What are the PROGRESSIVE solutions to hostages in Iran that can actually be engaged?

What are progressive solutions to the ebola "crisis"? (Yeah, I know, there is no crisis).
What are progressive answers to the Keystone Pipeline? Just "don't do it"? Or is it a case of "do this instead".
What are progressive answers to veteran suicides? Yes, it would be nice to go back and not go to war in the first place, but NOW what can we do for those already affected? Is the only answer really "single payer" or are there shorter term solutions that don't require reorganizing the VA?

These are the kinds of things we can work out here and bring out to our communities.