Marketing the Democratic brand

This is an edited/abridged version of a diary I wrote following the Democratic Party’s very poor results in the 2014 midterms.

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November 9, 2014

In his diary The electoral boom-bust cycle, and why parties have no incentive to change Kos writes:

[The] cycle won't be broken until 1) the Democrats figure out how to inspire their voters to the polls on off years, or 2) Republicans figure out how to appeal to the nation's changing electorate.

And given that each party is validated every two years after a blowout loss, the odds of either happening anytime soon? Bleak.

In the comments, jabuhrer objects to the premise:

I think almost everyone is making a huge mistake in the way they are interpreting "presidential years" and "off years."

Younger and more diverse voters came out in such numbers in 2008 and 2012 because of Barack Obama, not because it was a presidential election year.

I'm quite sure that, unless something changes, the next non-Obama election (2016) will look basically like the last couple of non-Obama elections (2010 & 2014)...the Democratic edge we saw under Obama will be gone.

But they're both right. Democrats have bad odds of winning in the low-turnout midterms.  And we only have so-so odds of winning even in higher turn-out presidential elections, when we don't have the benefit of an extraordinary candidate like a Barack Obama or a Bill Clinton.  (Consider the fates of Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry.  Yes, I know Gore actually won, but not by terribly much. And they were facing lightweight opponents.)

The solution lies in what Kos says will end the cycle; when

Democrats figure out how to inspire their voters to the polls

If the message of the party is clear, simple, consistent - and inspiring - then our chances of winning won't be so dependent on whether we have rock star candidates, or what year it is.

It kills me that, during election cycles, the advertisements from our campaign committees never promote the Democratic Party's achievements, never espouse a guiding principle, a reason for being.

The underlying righteous principles of the party, ever since FDR, still exist today.  Just consider one policy area, health care.  Truman, trying to continue and expand on FDR's New Deal progressivism, was the first president to advocate the establishment of universal health insurance.  His proposal was quashed by conservatives (mostly Republican), but it set the stage for a continuing Democratic effort.  Johnson succeeded in covering all seniors under the Medicare system. Clinton spent tremendous political capital on his Health Security Act, which met the same fate as Truman's grand proposal.  Nonetheless, progress continued under Clinton with the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Family and Medical Leave Act.  And Obama has practically staked his presidency on the Affordable Care Act.  

Of course it's not only health care Democrats have fought for.  Civil rights.  Social Security.  Environmental protection.  Unemployment insurance.  A minimum wage.  The weekend!  

The weekend.

The formation of unions helped to strengthen the idea of working five days a week as well. In 1937, auto plant workers staged a sit-down strike in Flint, Michigan, to protest bleak conditions at General Motors that included no bathroom breaks, no benefits or sick pay and no safety standards.

The negotiations between GM and the United Auto Workers ultimately improved working conditions. The federal government would show its support when Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, a key part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Many historians credit Roosevelt’s labor secretary, Frances Perkins, for championing the cause. Perkins was in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village in 1911 on the day of the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Almost 150 garment workers, mostly women and immigrants, were trapped and killed when the building caught fire. The exits had been blocked — a common practice at the time.

“She saw the young girls jumping out of the window,” Santomauro said. “This, I’m sure, opened her heart about the plight of the workers. That really stayed with her.”

Aside from the 40-hour workweek, the Fair Labor Standards Act also included several reforms in place that Americans can appreciate to this day — establishing a minimum wage, overtime pay and putting an end to "oppressive" forms of child labor.

I think the Democratic campaign committees wouldn't have to have a multimillion dollar advertising budget - or the talent of Ken Burns - to be able to vividly present the history of the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Nowadays I'll bet you a bright junior-high school kid with a computer could put together a compelling presentation.    

And facts are facts.  Comparing Democratic to Republican administrations, there has been on average under Democrats

more economic growth more reduction in poverty smaller government size smaller deficits

Is there any company in America that doesn't put effort into publicizing the superiority of its products?

I'm not in advertising. I don't know how to sell a brand.  How best to take advantage of traditional and new media channels.  But surely there are lots of talented folks on our side who do.

We need to promote the Democratic party, its past and continuing achievements, its fundamental principles.  

Such a wholehearted advocacy effort wouldn't just stand to motivate more folks to go to the polls to vote Democratic.  It would also stand to remind Democratic politicians of their party's legacy and purpose.