Submitted by Don Hermann, Greenwich
Here’s an opportunity to be a pyromaniac and the Democrats are burning the wrong stuff. They’re polluting the environment with a lot of soot. That’s money up in smoke.
Their real goal is to light a fire under people. To show Fight. Emotion. Business acumen. To get things done. They can’t even get a raging fire going. What they’re burning is money. And good will.
Why? They’re still rubbing two sticks together hoping something will happen. Meanwhile the Republicans are lighting fires all over the place. State by state. They’re using gerrymandering to heat the flames. The flames are burning away democracy.
They started by making it difficult for people of color to vote. Once they win that battle the rest is a walk in the park for them. They don’t need a majority of votes.
They need control of state houses and Governorships. Regardless of the outcome of an election, the Republicans can change criteria and end up on the winning side. They’re in the process of rewriting history. School books and library books will not reflect events of the Holocaust and slavery. Florida has
banned the mention of gender identity in schools. The fire is almost out of control.
That begs the questions “Who are the Democrats? What do they stand for?” The unfortunate thing is that the Democrats’ hearts are in the right place. But their heads are in places that are not mentionable.
Before you throw rotten tomatoes at me, hear what I have to say. I do have a burning desire to tell you.
I would like to put a match to every email I receive asking for money. It would light up the sky. Since the need is critical we won’t deal with opposing the requests. However, we will challenge the approaches used for individuals running for office and the Party.
If I would grade grade schoolers for their creative efforts in producing these emails, I would flunk them all. As communication tools, they’re not credible.They ignore the fact that any message that goes out to the public leaves an impression on people. From an image point-of-view it’s no different than running a TV ad. You don’t have to be a communication expert to understand that the headline is designed to capture the recipient’s interest and set the stage for them to respond.
It’s a selling tool. As such, it’s essential that you involve the recipient in your message. From the outset. Why is it important for them ? Then integrate the message to show the benefits for both of you. I can’t think of one email I’ve received where the reverse wasn’t true. The need was for the sender, not the receiver.
The next feature of a communication is to be honest. Imaginative, yes.
Misleading, NO. Trickery, NO. It’s better to be direct and not cutesy than clever and unrelated.
Let’s look at some of the headlines used for the solicitation of money and requests for participating in surveys:
Be brutally honest (What is being suggested here?)
Humbly asking (Is humbly asking, respectfully asking , more effective than just asking?)
WOWWOWWOW ( Several people I know responded with BOWWOWWOW.)
Begging you on our hands and knees (A senatorial candidate begging for money? A potential leader has to be better than this.)
I need your help (This is backwards. We need your help.)
I’m personally asking you
Me, Heather (2) (At first I thought this was a come-on.)
Packing our bags (They pack their bags almost every day. Cheap trick.)
Goodbye (Same story as Packing our bags. Must do a lot of traveling?)
A couple of times I received an email grading my relationship with the Democratic Party of which I was a member. The grade said F?! (How to win friends and influence people?)
Advisory Board—I have selected you for the survey for your past participation and support. (I never filled one out.) It’s not an advisory board. The ones I’ve seen are used as a device to get you to fill out a survey with limited opportunity to express your feelings.
What do these headlines have to do with the Democratic Party and the receiver of the emails? They’re so out of left field. They do nothing to make you feel good about the Party.
If you do get past the headlines, there’s a darkness to the messages.
Complaints. And more complaints.
The question, is this the best the Democratic Party can do? Is this the image they want to present? Where’s the spark? Where’s the awareness of what you’re doing and want to do?
Whether you’re a business, a non-profit, a political party you have to have a plan. That plan must have priorities. If your priorities are misguided , you’re in big trouble. The Democrats’ current agenda is quite impressive. However, the fires the Republicans have set are destroying the landscape. The Democrats are now struggling to get their own fires going and put out the Republicans’ fires. They’re not succeeding in either case. They’re getting hosed.
Several months ago, the Republicans announced their plans to restrict voting in several states. The Democrats made a decision. Their priority was to hold off on a major campaign to fight the voting issue and instead try to pass infrastructure and other bills that could have perceived value to everyday Americans. Some of those bills have been signed. It’s like a big secret.
In any event, back to Priorities and Voting. Most of those benefits the Democrats have in mind are wonderful. One problem. The paper they’re written on burn easily. They help make a nice flame if and when the Republicans reject them. As they get rejected, so does the Democracy we live in and treasure.
Before things completely explode, dramatic action must be taken. Not just complaining.
In addition to all the emails and fundraisers now that just blend in, be visible. Be creative. Demonstrate. Relentlessly. Show the world that Voting is the most important issue on their plates. You know why? Because it is. Make sure people understand that losing the vote will not only affect them today but will impact their children and grandchildren.
The message is not only for people of color. They’re for people who are Black. Brown. Yellow. White and any other color you can think of. A color blind issue.
Celebrities can be very important in selling products, ideas, etc. Their endorsements can make or break a concept. They can light fires. They should fan the flames of Voting. They should be at the head of the line. Hollywood types, athletes, politicians, religious leaders as well as everyday people like you and me.
Thousands and thousands of people, maybe millions. Form lines to register to vote. Bring chairs. Food. Water. Everything the Re publicans oppose. Have some of the leaders read out loud about history. The accurate stories of those issues that are being changed in school books and libraries. Demonstrate at State Houses. Congress. Republican leaders’ homes. All over. There should be special Event Days at stadiums where the pros perform. Watch the media cover it like a blanket. Watch the message reach those who seem indifferent.
If people have to miss work they should show up when they can. Bring their kids. What will the message be? They’ll be many messages. They’ll flow like a raging river. Or inferno. And the question “Where’s the fire” will go up in smoke.
Don Hermann