Language Choices and the Democratic Party

So back when I was working for The Other Side, I was amongst those who spent a great deal of time thinking about, and providing counsel on, political language.  One of my signature moves, which will not be immortalized via statue, was advising candidates and organizations to embrace “relief” instead of “reform.”  My rationale was that many voters hear “tax reform” as a “tax shift” which might hose them; whereas relief meant tax cuts and more money in their pockets, which unsurprisingly evoked a positive visceral response.  Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz.  

I bring this up because I was listening to the latest episode of Elevate Maryland, featuring Special Guest Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary (D-MD).  She raised the concern that Democrats just weren’t as proficient at message framing compared to Republicans.  Two points:

1)      She is right.

2)      It is refreshing to hear policymakers speaking candidly, accessibly, and authentically.  It is clear that Delegate Atterbeary has not “gone Annapolis” (note: for residents of the other 49 states, fill in your state capital here).  Far too many people, once elected to public office, start adopting an arcane patois that makes them sound like John Kerry on Quaaludes.   

I have often argued that Democrats, in many swing districts, can win by employing language consistent with a Progressive/Populist positioning.  That pairing, again not everywhere but in many competitive districts, constitutes a functional majority.  This does not mean having to adopt “conservative” stances in order to be considered populist; nor does it mean sounding like a Jill Stein acolyte. It means coming across like a down-to-earth, thoughtful human being who isn’t afraid to fight in the defense of expanding the sphere of liberty for working and middle class folks.

Too often, Democrats get caught up in schismatic foolishness. This happens frequently with parties in the center-left to the left.  It happened with Labour in the UK in the 70s and early 80s, which led to the rise of the SDP on their immediate right and to the pull of the Militant Tendency on their left. Of course, these fractures are more likely to occur because Labor then, and the Democrats now, are Big Tent-oriented.  Beyond that, the widespread adoption of information and communication technology platforms, the existence of a 24-hour news cycle, and the utilization of the Internet and social media, have all served to elevate mass awareness of our internecine squabbles.  This creates branding challenges, but I digress.

My point is this, if the Democratic Party wishes to break the Republican’s precarious grip on swingable center constituencies, they need to articulate a clear and compelling set of animating values and organizing principles. Let’s call it an American Deal (or a Maryland Deal, if you want to focus it locally).  Does it sound like a document that was released in ’94.  Yep.  Did it work?  Hell yeah it did. The difference will be in the content, with the faux populism of the Contract with America replaced by a legitimate People-First orientation of an American Deal.

The first step is to consider the values, the policies that stem from those values, and the optimal language to use when discussing both the values and policies. 

It really isn’t that difficult.

Again, great interview Delegate Atterbeary!  Way to work for the folks in the Fightin’ 13^th!

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

   

The FEZ Post: Foose, Elevate, and Zen

When asked about an obstreperous yet vacuous back-bencher, I believe it was former British PM Sir Anthony Eden who opined, “I don’t think much of him, alas, too frequently.”

Shifting from the intrigues of Westminster in the ‘50s to Howard County of today, Renee Foose, of course, is the answer to what happens when an uncontrollable Superintendent meets up with an unyielding Board.

Careful readers of this blog will know that this author generally believes the Reform Five to be more in the right when it comes to matters facing HCPSS.  That said, the recent traditional local media coverage is making it appear as though we are dealing with a “she said/they said” controversy…school yard fractiousness where the combatants are roughly equivalent in their degree of wrong, or short-sighted-ness, or self-interested-ness, etc…

The reality, from a communications perspective, is that Foose and her allies have been punching above their weight in terms of advancing her “case.”  Her opponents, quite simply, are not as cohesive as they could and should be.  The election results of 2016 should have been seen as a massive repudiation of the Foose regime.  A different Superintendent might have taken the hint and resigned, or opted to find a way to collaborate with the new Board.  Nay, not Ms. Foose.  By choosing to dig in her heels and snipe away, she opted to become an Obstacle, seemingly more intent on career preservation and on retaining whatever control she has over the day-to-day operations of the school system.  A different regulatory structure could have provided a faster remedy to this impasse, alas, it was not acted upon by our good friends in Annapolis.  So, we find ourselves in the mire.

It is unfortunate that we rely so heavily on citizen journalists and other interested parties to get the story right.  Such is the reality of our modern era, with traditional media often having neither the resources nor the institutional memory to provide its consumers with the depth of coverage such a story requires.

Speaking of citizen journalism, this blog would be remiss if we did not single out the new podcast offered up by HoCo’s own Action Squad:  Candace Dodson Reed and Tom Coale, Elevate Maryland (elevatemdpodcast.com).  While I enjoy the interview and discussion format, and they landed two interesting guests for the first two shows, I would definitely like to hear more of their thoughts on various state and local issues.  Perhaps the biweekly nature (and length) of the podcast necessitates the coverage of more topics within a relatively short span of time, but I would love if they could drill down on certain issues and share more of their expertise and insights.  Overall, nicely done!

Finally, on a sadder note, this blog would like to recognize the passing of Robert Pirsig, author of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”  I recall reading his book in its entirety over a series of Metro rides, which is precisely the wrong environment to consume this work.  An attempt to reconcile our technologically-driven society with a personal commitment to a higher expression of human values, which he summed up through his perspectives on Quality as a metaphysical concept, one felt the struggle of the protagonist as he tries to live authentically, and meaningfully, in a world that doesn’t necessarily appreciate his worldview.  His ability to locate the spiritual within the mechanistic, when seen through the lens of mindful action and a self-perfecting impulse, helped lead to the creation of this classic work.  He shall be missed.

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

Thunder on the Right and Grand Theft Punditry

Note to JB: try changing your password. GrandVerbalizer93? Do you log on to your blog using Prodigy?

Slats here.  I saw the reaction to my Guest Column (four words: laudatory and deservedly so) and thought I would chime in. 

I heard about this Frank Mirabile (among other Republicans) looking at a County Executive primary run.  He is more of a symptom of a larger issue.  In the 1990s, you could get away with triangulating, Bill Clinton did that with the liberals in the Democratic caucus and with the Republicans who controlled the House for most of his Presidency.  It worked (plus ou moins) because you had deal-cutters on all sides (R/D, White House/Senate/House of Reps), and this was particularly the case between 1995 and December 1997.

Kittleman doesn’t have Bill Clinton’s political skills.  He reads glass-jaw to me, but what do I know. I am writing this 50 feet from a fjord.  Beyond that, today’s Republican Party is so radicalized, institutionally and from the top down, that any effort by a conservative like Kittleman (who tries to play the role of moderate) is going to fire up the folks to his right.  This Sanctuary bill puts him in a tough spot.  If he backs it, someone like Mirabile is starting at 30% - 35% in a primary instantaneously.  It becomes the “No New Taxes” in HoCo in the Trump era.  But if he doesn’t support the concept behind the Sanctuary bill, Kittleman loses support among Democrats and moderates who like having a “good Republican” for whom they can vote (See: Anderson ’80, Huntsman ’12, Kasich ‘16).

Frankly, the bill should have three votes on the Council right now.  I understand that Jon Weinstein may have some concerns, but I am not sure why Sigaty is holding back.  Unless she has decided that she wants to run to the right of folks like Ball or Woodcock.  How will that work out for her? Ask President Paul Fucking Tsongas.

Anyway, it seems like the Nullifiers are where the Democratic base is when it comes to Federal immigration policy and the incoming Administration.  It’s a values play: are Americans generous of spirit and respectful of our neighbors or do we run around demanding, “papers, please?”  I don’t know all of the details about that particular piece of legislation, but the fundamental principles behind the debate are the important ones.  And it is always fun when Democrats are able to coalesce human rights, civil rights and state’s rights issues into one package.

Let me answer JB’s viewer mail.  I know his job keeps him occupied and my answers are no better than guesses but until these reindeer stop grazing around my 4C, I am stuck at this bar for a while.

I think he wants to write about other races, including the Board of Education.  He seems jazzed about the current pro-Reform bloc on the BoE and sees opportunities for further progress, with the right candidates, in 2018.  I’m not sure if he thinks there is much to say about County Districts 1 or 5 right now, although he seems high on a “Doctor Z ” even though he is pretty sure she is still steamed over the Schmaltz Incident of ’14.  I think he wants to write about State Legislative Districts 12 and 13…and 9B to a lesser extent, but he wants to hear more from certain incumbents before he engages in open, public speculation involving potential retirements and shifting slates in ’18.

Will he write more? Depends on the gig.  As his mentor, I always told him the key is to “retire young, retire rich.”  The hard-headed bastard never listens. 

Serious offers only on the alpacas.  As is.

A Clip Show

With the Maryland General Assembly's 2014 legislative session hours away from entering the history books, I would like to re-state my position regarding the House of Delegates: the term of office - at four years - is simply too long and it should be reduced to two years.

Arguments in favor of this particular reform can be found here

as well as here

and here.

That is all for today.  Still working on the Howard County Executive campaign analysis.  Hope to have that up later on this week.

Stay tuned, as more will follow.