Every morning while spinning, I watch about 90 minutes’ worth of Morning Joe. These political programs are a great platform that any politician can use to answer questions while simultaneously changing the narrative in real time. So how can we make Democrats appearing on programs like Morning Joe learn how to use the platform not to speak to a few talking heads, but to instead reach the American poor and middle class?
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez appeared on MSNBC with host Kevin Melvin a few days ago, and spent the entire five or six minutes talking about Russia and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. As I listened, I wondered why he did not segue into a progressive message and speak directly to Americans.
The senator is not alone. Democrats are very good at answering questions asked of them, but they aren’t very good at forcing a narrative regardless of what the host asks them. It's no accident that for Democrats, the generic congressional polling has fallen dramatically over the last few weeks. Americans know that Republicans are not ideal. But many do not have a clue about what it would mean to have Democrats in control. After all, the Republicans have done an excellent job in making the word “liberal” a dangerous and scary word, and making Democrats the very representation of the maligned word.
It’s easy to watch all the wins in the red states where Democrats should not be winning, or see the parade of Republicans Congress members quitting, and believe the Democrats have 2018 in the bag. But we should be a lot more humble. One of the reasons why I don’t feel victorious when I win an argument with a right-wing neighbor, even after they profess to change their views almost immediately, is that I am always cognizant of the reality that most people revert to form. The only way to mitigate this is to plant seeds very deep so that the roots themselves run deep. Moreover, it is vital that we create a narrative that relates directly to their personal economies.
Progressive activists are doing an excellent job in preaching the progressive message in an ad hoc manner. But from my experience on the ground, we are often spending a significant amount of the time preaching to the choir. After all, except for the excellent block walking that Swing Left and similar groups are doing, we may not be reaching many of the communities whose interest we purport to serve.
The concern is that the Democratic Party establishment is content in their belief that hanging on is preferable to either making a mistake that Republicans would be fast in capitalizing upon, or sanctioning the left-leaning movement of the party. That is a recipe for defeat. How many teams win when playing prevent defense?
While Democrats start coasting to "victory," the Republicans, flush with cash, will shortly begin to define each Democratic candidate. Those definitions will stick if Democrats do not preempt them by doing two things.
Republicans are good at what they do, and we all know that the truth is not necessary source material for them. So first, progressives must define their opponents immediately so that it is they who are on the defensive. Then, progressives must tell poor and middle-class America, in a district-specific manner, what is in it for them. It must be clear to them what they should expect out of voting for Democrats. Here are a few of the key things to convey:
- Democrats will fix the health care issue once and for all with a single-payer Medicare for all system. Americans dread shopping around for health insurance at ever-inflated prices and with reduced services. Even conservative pundit George Will agrees that single-payer is unavoidable given the current healthcare fiasco in America.
- Democrats will provide student loan relief. There are several bills in Congress that partially address the problem. At a minimum, we must treat student debt like a boat anchor that threatens the economy as well as the financial well-being of a generation that was screwed by those who selfishly supported state and federal tax cuts that went mostly to the wealthy. While the previous generation went to college on the cheap, millennials are asked to help the titans of finance with tax cuts and then pay them undeserved interest rates caused by those very tax cuts. The federal government should start by buying all outstanding private student loans and refinancing them at the same rate that banks borrow from the feds.
- Democrats will provide need-based subsidized child care for anyone who wants to work.
- Democrats will decriminalize marijuana and treat drug use as the disease that it is.
- Democrats will make the criminal justice system live up to the "Justice is blind" motto.
Those five bullet points expressed in different terms will work in every district in America. That message appeals to millennials, people of color, all working-class people, parents, and every demographic in between. One would hope that every Democrat who gets on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, HLN, or any other network would steer every topic to these bullet points.
Republicans will ultimately get defensive and accuse Democrats and progressives of big government and tax increases. Disregard the complaints and let them know the money was there until the Republicans gave it away. Enlighten Americans about the windfall Republicans gave to their Wall Street benefactors.
Progressives must not wait for Democratic politicians from the old guard to present this case. They must go out to every community and spread the word. They must use their local networks, broader social networks, and the organizations they frequent to make the case. Progressives and Democrats must be willing to be uncomfortable in regions they’ve neglected as they work to grow the party among those served by our platform. They must make the affirmative case not only for voting, but voting for progressives and Democrats.