From an email John Burton sent, I have to wonder what year it is, 2008 or 1968?
The party should also provide the materials for a program to soften up Republican incumbents long before the election, such as draft letters to the editor around current issues, phone scripts for volunteer phone banks, and suggestions for radio call-in shows.
Uh, not to go all Jetsons or anything, but how about starting with a website? Which, ironically is the most efficient way for letters to the editor, volunteer phone calls (beyond banks even) and radio talk shows messaging. However, once you build a website you get into a "post-broadcast" potential where you find there are for more effective arrows in your quiver. Yet the overall return of investment is why for a few cycles now starting with a targeted website has been the most effective method to "soften up" incumbents. An online strategy helps in the following three key areas:
Fundraising
While the CDP can't start raising money for Democratic challengers prior to the Party endorsement or nomination, it can raise money for local central committees and clubs in a targeted district through a "dump-so-and-so" or such website. Better yet, for federal races, the CDP can use ActBlue's Democratic Nominee funds to turn candidate recruitment on it's head. Multiply that by re-occurring monthly donations and nominees can leave the primary with more COH than they had going into the final push. I predict this will be the biggest game-changer in the 2010 cycle, but you need an internet organizing program to make it happen. And building this infrastructure in the off year will allow the fundraising for the candidate to be far greater once the Party can leverage the investment early.
Communication
For years it has made no sense to focus on the internet as an ATM, so let's look communication. Unfortunately, the CDP went from a leader in online message dissemination in the 2004 cycle to junk in 2006, to constant but not that aggressive against Republicans in 2008. And now we have the expected next Party Chair not even mentioning the internet as a way to soften up Republicans. In short, communication is the biggest potential for setting up 2010 in 2009 and should be used to a degree against all Republicans (especially leadership and marginal districts). Plus, if you want you can easily do letters to the editor and calls to radio shows, but there is so much more to do it only makes sense once you are already using the more effective tactics.
Organizing
In 2008, Barack Obama took organizing to a new level while the CDP utterly failed to take advantage of it for campaigns in California. Yet the tool kit is out there (including bankless phone banks), a great number of people of been trained, and the budget mess is the perfect vehicle to translate that energy into organization -- with again the most efficient mechanism being to begin online.
While I totally agree with the goal of softening up Republicans, can we please remember which millennium this is when looking at the tactics to accomplish that goal? And I agree there is a strong role for the party, but it isn't materials, it is organizing and communication infrastructure. |
