Now, I’m a downtown-living, center-left geek with a high IQ and a strong ability to relate one concept to another, and if I was drifting whenever Kerry spoke…like I said, I don’t think “Dumb It Down” is the issue.

While I agree with you as far as fine tuning the message to the particular crowd……

Do not underestimate the importance of the media upon the last two PResidential elections..

In 2000 Al Gore reputation was sullied thru the media with the unsubstanciated “Internet creator” rumors

In 2004 John Kerry was Swiftboated for at least 6 weeks before the media even conceed that the charges were patently ridiculous..

I m not saying DEMS are perfect candidates…but to say Bush was successful because he appears as a regular guy is missing the point….

What DEMS need to do to gain traction with voters is to put forth a COORDINATED message that is repeated by the Kerry’s, Clintons, Bidens, Kennedys, and Pelosis day after day…..

The Republican communication apparatus is one to be envied for its ability to target groups and get them to vote with their hearts….

What DEMS need to do is target these peoples hearts AND MINDS…

People arent stupid they see the huge federal deficits, the losing proposition in Iraq, Katrina misfires, and the Republican scandals left and right, DEMS need to make that connection by engaging these people all day everyday…use the Blogs, Radio, TV, whatever you have to to get the message out that if elected DEMS would be more interested in serving your universal needs than the Republicans have shown over the last 6-12 years….

Your post reminded me of a couple of comedy bits.

The first one was an episode of SNL from October 2000 that was rerun last night at three in the morning. Darryl Hammond as Bill Clinton is talking about the Bush/Gore debates and making the point that neither of the two candidates deserves your vote. And that when Gore answers a question like “Mr. Gore, what would you do about the Middle East,” Gore answers with something like “Well, if you square the two sides of an isoceles triangle…” To which Hammond/Clinton replies, “What the HELL does that mean?”

The second bit was late September/early October 2004, on the David Letterman show, after the monologue when Dave sits down and talks to Paul:

“Paul, we had Senator Kerry here last night. He’s running for president…WHAT was THAT about?”

And at that moment I winced and said to myself, “Kerry’s lost.” Because I had been thinking the same thing during Kerry’s appearance, and if I, who greatly wanted to see the Bushies pack their bags and leave the White House, was tuning him out, I could only imagine what the people who were on the cusp had decided about him.

The really sad reason is that those people are thinking, “So what? They all lie.”

You make an interesting point. But I think one of the problems with Democrats may be revealed in the very nature of your question. It is decidedly NOT complicated to say “we want to tax the wealthy and pass the savings onto everyone else.” Anyone interested enough in their country to vote is smart enough to understand the distinction. But Democrats seem to think a lot of voters AREN’T smart enough and that’s one of the problems–Dems feel they have to “explain” when really what they need to do is build trust.

It’s not that people don’t understand Democratic positions, it’s that they don’t TRUST the Dems to actually deliver. Dems should be far less concerned with explaining the complexities of their ideas (which really aren’t that complex) and more concerned with convincing the people that they can actually follow through.

Easier said than done. But it’s something Dems need to work on. Remember, this is not something that used to be a problem for the party — it’s a new phenomenon brought about by being the minority party for the first time in generations. A lot of Dems still assume they’re the dominant party in America and it’s only a matter of time before they are re-elected. But the reality is, they lost the people’s trust and have to win it back if they want to establish any permanent majority.

And the dems, full of Bush hatred, can’t seem to admit that the republs got a few things right. Which means when the dems get power, they will make decisions not from intelligent analysis, but only if it’s the opposite of republican ideas. That’s sure to work well at problem solving.

Iraq and the debt are large issues to me. In Iraq we have lives and treasure lost -with no true metric for withdrawal. and as I write this, I watch the ticker on this page reflect that our debt is increasing at $20,000 +/- per second.

I agree that the Repubs don’t deserve to win. I disagree with you however, I think they do deserve to lose.

Do the Dems deserve to win – Nope. My only hope is that as in ‘94, for the first few years of change, our representitives will.. well.. represent.

These are just two issues that I know will effect my grandkids. arguments can be made for many others. Cynical yea I guess so, but for my grandkids – stay the course is not an option.

The Republican policy: “We’re for lower taxes.”

The Democratic policy: “We’re for low taxes for the working and middle classes, but also for a progressive tax policy which makes the ultra-rich pay their fair share, and ensures that we collect enough revenue to cover budgetary expenses.”

Republican response: “Aha! You’re for higher taxes. We’re for lower taxes.”

Now, the Democrat can respond by saying “It’s not that simple, let me explain…” but who gives him/her the chance to? The media works on 5-second sound bites, and the only thing a Democrat can say in 5 seconds is, “You don’t get it, it’s complicated,” leading to all of the assorted charges of intellectualism, elitism, etc.

How do the Democrats get past this?

These extremist Republicans could not have accomplished as much without the help of the so called MSM which is a de facto mouthpiece for Republican propaganda.

Republicans have been adept at deceiving and obfuscating Americans with smoke and mirrors. Governing in secret and deceiving Americans have been their style. They have bamboozled a good portion of our citizens to vote against their best interest again and again.

Republicans do not talk about health care, health insurance, minimum wage, education, etc, as accomplishments that have their imprint and which have improved the lot of most Americans. The majority of Americans who work for a living have suffered the most under Republican rule. Most if not all Republican legislation has within its entrails a poison pill which in the end lowers the standard of living in our country. When shit hits the fan under Republican rule, which occurs often, what is their reponse: Blame and Excuses are the order of the day.

The propaganda from the MSM and the pundrity enjoy claiming that Democrats do not have a plan for governing. They may have one, we just have not seen it. However we have seen the Republican’s plan of government for the past six years, and guess what; Republicans have not had a plan of government for this country during this time, except their plan to grab all the power they can and to stink up the place in the process.

The Democrats may not be perfect and may never be, but a lot of Americans seem to be waking up from the torpor we have suffered for the past six years and are willing to give Dems a chance at governing.

A majority appears to have finally realized that it is “time to change the trash bag, because the garbage we have now Really Stinks”.