What's the PLAN, Ma'am?

After the general election of 2016, many felt that the new Democrat majority in the House of Representatives needed Nancy Pelosi's expert guidance and leadership. I basically agreed with that assessment, and felt that those new congresspersons who ran on ‘not voting for her as Speaker’ were in dangerous territory in terms of separating themselves from the one who would hold control over committee assignments and other forms of  assistance that could be made available to them and their districts. Recently, I have begun to see some flaws in that assessment, but continue to believe that the new Dems would be caught in a maze if they didn't have Ms. Pelosi at the helm.

Without going into detail about that, let me concentrate on one issue: the lack of a comprehensive Democratic Plan for informing and educating those who voted for them (and those voters who did not vote for them). Why is it that Republicans seem to be able to win media attention on a daily basis while Democrats are either silent or ineffective in their presentations? How come Republicans continue to win in terms of promoting their 'brand?'

Contributing to my concern have been the following occurrences:

1. Almost complete silence from Dems on the package of Reform legislation known as HR 1

a.     what has happened since passage?

b.     what more can be done to move these reforms toward implementation?

c.     Why isn’t every progressive Democrat constantly talking, writing, texting, tweeting, blogging about those reforms?

d.     Why aren’t those reforms being touted and used to draw a definite contrast with Republican incompetence and neglect of such necessary changes?

e.     Why aren’t there Commissions and Task Forces and Think Tanks and expert Panels being formed to follow up on those reforms?

2.  More silence on the issue of Climate change and the package proposed by ‘AOC’

a.     How do we expect to educate the public as to what is in this package if no one is talking about its details?

b.     How come the leadership is not talking about the boundaries and deadlines we have to work with before we start losing our planet? – this is not optional!

c.      How come the dire consequences of Republican inaction are not talked about and pointed to every day and education of the public done on a regular basis by every congressional office?

d.     Why isn’t there a countdown to planetary disaster being shown somewhere every day?

e.     Why is the Green New Deal in hiding when most of its provisions should be brought before us every day?  Just because a Resolution didn't pass doesn't mean the problems have taken a vacation!

3. We are also met with a great silence on what individual Democratic representatives are doing to sponsor legislation related to issues and concerns in their own districts; what’s the big secret?

4.  And then, of course, we have the chairmen of investigative Committees trying their best to explain what they are up to, with minimal help from the leadership and membership

a. where is a comprehensive on-going report to the American public about what is being attempted in those Committees?

b.  about what is being accomplished and

c.  about what Trump is blocking, covering-up and stone-walling?

            I’m not talking here about reports just from individual committee chairs and members; I’m talking about planned reports and/or press conferences from leadership that indicate a strategy, a plan to work toward desired outcomes.  In such a context, what the fake President is doing would tend to come across for what it is:  obstruction and ignorance!

5.  Today, as I write, we are being confronted with Trump once again sticking it to Democrats over infrastructure.  Just before a scheduled meeting with King Donald, Speaker Pelosi came out of a caucus meeting, and declared to the Press that Trump is guilty of a ‘cover-up’ with a meeting looming in the WH in just 45 minutes about infrastructure.  Then, Trump used a Rose Garden lectern to tell his base (and other pawns) why he walked out of that scheduled meeting with Schumer and Pelosi: that he  cannot – and will not --work with Dems on infrastructure as long as investigations continue, and “cover-up” and the “I” word are being used by Democrats. 

Again, we had no context for why Democrats were meeting in Caucus; no explanation of what the infrastructure meeting was about in terms of agenda; and apparently no publicized plan for what Democrats were trying to accomplish with either meeting. And yet, we learned later from Schumer that the Dems had a lengthy infrastructure proposal ready for Trump (while Trump had nothing to offer).  Why didn’t we get the word about the Dem plan – is it a secret as well?  Have the Leaders ever heard about ‘promotion’ which is used to grab attention?  Instead of getting out ahead, the leadership ended up inadequately reacting to the rantings of a spoiled narcissist by simply dropping their jaws!

Moreover, there does not appear to be a comprehensive Plan for dealing with the subject of IMPEACHMENT.  What the public gathers from a disjointed Dem message is that some want to move ahead; some want to gather facts; others want to win election in 2020 so they are (too?) cautious in everything they say and do.  Who knows what is happening since the Dems apparently have no Plan about how to get to that goal -- if it is a goal.

So again, I need to ask some questions:

            Why can’t Democrats get their act together and beat Trump to the punch with details, facts, real goals and solid strategies?  Dropping jaws and speaking haltingly to reporters in front of temporary microphones as one’s only reaction is not going to cut the mustard! 

            Why do Democrats seem to think the only way to inform and to educate the public is to answer reporter’s on-the-spot questions; hold impromptu news briefings following meetings; or leave it to representatives to explain everything to their constituents?

Does the Democratic Leadership not understand that the tweeting, the diversions, the sensationalistic occurrences, and the outrageous rallies held by this wannabe dictator are stealing the headlines, the articles, the cable news attention and the votes?  They’re losing ground to a clown who knows how to manipulate the news cycle and the emotions of the public.  And what do they do but act as though what has always been done in terms of messaging will suffice.   IT WON’T!  Because – as usual – you end up responding to Donald Trump and his antics, rather than directing new messages and a changed narrative to the voters and the public.

So here -- with apologies for not being even more detailed -- are some thoughts for Democrats who want to change this disastrous approach to communications and education of the public.

You can’t achieve much of anything without a Plan for doing so

Put together a detailed plan for dealing with Impeachment.  There seems to be little doubt that impeachment is an obligation, whether or not there is a trial in the Senate.  So, the question becomes two-fold:  how do Democrats get there, and how do they bring along a majority (or large plurality) of the public?  To take charge of the narrative, House Democrats must announce a stated goal, like:

§  “We intend to bring articles of impeachment against this President that will address the following charges under the broad category of violation of his oath of office “to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States…”

o   He intentionally gave comfort and aid to an enemy state

o   He has tried in numerous instances to obstruct investigations and to undermine judicial and law enforcement proceedings

o   He has accepted gifts and emoluments from foreign sources

o   He has failed to protect the national security of this nation, and

o   He has abused the powers of his office and undermined certain aspects of our Constitution; to wit, the co-equal nature of the branches of government and the oversight responsibility of the Congress in relation to the Executive.

(Realizing that I have zero legal training, I would expect that the above could be expertly couched in appropriate legal language without appearing to be lawyer-speak!)

It is not enough to have a Plan just for the road to impeachment.  There must be a Plan for Educating the Public and bringing them to conclusions that will support that process. The aim, of course, is to change the narrative to one that abrogates the slogans of “witch hunt” a “do-over” “a corrupt bunch of investigators” to one that affirms the charges of wrong-doing outlined in the Mueller Report.

It has been my feeling all along that the House Democrats should combine several approaches in carrying out this Plan.

1.     Without over-emphasis on the Report, proceed to follow its outline of possible charges and hold designated hearings about designated topics (not just about people, but topics) before designated committees.  Plan hearings on that basis as Congress’s response (not a ‘do-over’ but appropriate response of oversight) to the Report they should have had delivered to them in its entirety in the first place.

2.     Continue to make immediate use of the Courts (or hefty penalties like fines) whenever obstruction or ignoring of a subpoena occurs.  (Delay is tantamount to acceptance of wrongdoing)

3.     Every major finding by a Committee should become the basis of a presidential censure and/or the basis of specific legislation aimed at bringing reform of abuses.  Use both procedures and use each of them to educate the public; i.e. “this legislation (or censure) represents our response to the undermining of our Constitution and of the honorable office of the President – here are the details…”

4.     Every major finding should also find its way into the House Judiciary Committee that will presumably be the initiators of impeachment charges (unless a Special Committee is appointed); that Committee must then clearly explain why each finding is pertinent to their inquiry.

5.     But finally, it has been my concern for some time now that the Democratic Party seems to believe that promotion and publicity are not as important as attending to issues, values and legislative remedies for society’s problems and needs.  SORRY FOLKS – WRONG AGAIN!

  

The Democratic Party needs another Plan, and this one is huge, because it has been so neglected.  We should expect the same result we got in 2016 if we don’t attend to this problem right away.  The aim, of course, is to get better at Message delivery, but that aim would need to be defined carefully and I certainly don’t have more than a few suggestions.  Others have the expertise and the answers, and a process of consultation and planning must be part of the Plan.  A few of my thoughts and suggestions for consideration follow:

1.     There needs to be a Commission of Experts in public communication to come up with a promotion Plan for Democrats, including training and techniques required of all staff and representatives

2.     There needs to be a Public Relations office available to the Speaker and the Leader

3.     Perhaps, Democrats need a Fox News-type Outlet (not a propaganda machine, of course, but a central outlet) dedicated to the aims and goals of the Democratic Party and an even broader group of Independents who may share some progressive views.  Some say that MSNBC is already close to that description, but there may need to be some refinements and understandings to make that a reality.  Just how far is MSNBC willing to go to be known as the Voice of the Democratic Party and Progressive Independents?  I’m not sure… Maybe we need a whole new and different entity, purchased and administered operationally by the Democratic Party? 

4.     The DNC has got to focus its mission and goals on what would be beneficial to this Plan. What is the aim of the DNC, other than to promote election of Democrats to office?  In April 2017, its new director, Tom Perez indicated: “The DNC must do a better job of communicating our message and be a meaningful partner with organizations, candidates and state parties in all 50 states and territories,” The organization has seemed to be taking on broader outputs, including closer ties with the grassroots.  That certainly ties into the need for promotion of ideas and activities and the need for education.  The DNC needs to be factored in as a grassroots outlet and inlet for promoting progressive ideas and activities.

5.     There needs to be some over-arching group responsible for getting out the Democratic message in an orderly, planned and disciplined fashion.  Politico reported on the formation of one such group in Ohio in 2017.  “In battleground Ohio, the state party formed a messaging working group after the election that included advertising and consumer marketing professionals in addition to party activists. They meet regularly to devise a new brand and narrative for Democrats in a state that President Donald Trump won easily after two consecutive victories by Barack Obama — an effort supplemented by the state party’s polling, focus groups and extensive individual interviews of voters who backed Trump after supporting Obama or who sat out 2016 altogether.”

6.     There also needs to be a group of experts versed in social media, who can oversee the necessity of utilization of that medium, perhaps issuing sample messages to users who can then tweet, blog and use other resources like Instagram to deliver a somewhat unified message about what progressive Democrats are up to at all levels.   

I do know that some of these entities already exist in one form or another.  But ask yourself: are they working together?  Are people aware of their purpose and activities?  Did they make a difference in 2016?  Can they make a bigger difference in 2020?

I’m simply asking:  we may have some structures and some people who are experts in the field of journalism and media, but are we winning the media war that is raging?  I don’t think so.  Are we coming up with new ways to communicate that catch the eyes and ears and emotions of different cohorts of people?  Not that I’m seeing.  Can we even divert the headlines away from Donald Trump for one day?  I have my doubts.

Speaker Pelosi needs to hear from grassroots progressives.  She needs to know that Democrats must:  

§  organize and plan in order to change the Trump narrative;

§   present a clear and positive message of strength and resolve, even though local messages may differ because of context; we need to make our message a principled New Deal, not a list of agreed-upon minutiae;

§  make sure reforms already presented do not take a back seat but are promoted in contrast to what Republicans neglect;

§  continue to investigate the alleged Crook in the Oval Office and not apologize or back away from it;

§  investigate and pursue articles of impeachment immediately in a context of response to the Mueller Report and initiate immediate concrete actions like censures and/or reform legislation to bring the public into the process. 

We Need Democratic Plans – for Impeachment, for Reform legislation, for Educating the Public, for Promotion of democratic values, for Saving our Planet.  NO MORE STALLING!  LET THE MESSAGE GO FORTH that the “I”s (“Ayes”) have it – that:

DEMOCRATS ARE COMMITTED TO INITIATING REFORMS, INSTITUTING NEW JOBS, INNOVATING NEW-AGE PROGRAMS, INVESTIGATING CORRUPTION, INFORMING the PEOPLE, and IMPEACHING this OBSTRUCTIONIST PRESIDENT!