Undeterred by opposition to an unpopular health control bill they rushed through congress, the deficit they tripled in just two years’ time, fumbled foreign policy moves, and disastrous energy proposals, Democrats believe that the problem isn’t with their policy, but with messaging.
Democrats are hoping they’ve found a secret weapon for winning back the House in 2012: Twitter.
House Democrats say that while they may be outnumbered, they stand to come out ahead by becoming more savvy to social media to stay more directly connected to the public.
Exit polling from November 2nd showed that the top concern for voters was the economy. A recent ABC poll shows that confidence in government has hit a 30-year low while 55% are unhappy with how Obama is handling the economy. Democrats are making a politically deadly assumption that any loss for GOP in terms of public perception is due to Republicans grossly watering down the red mandate they were handed on November 2nd — not because voters suddenly favor the very Democratic policies which caused them to vote red last year.
It’s not that Democrats aren’t already connected to the public; the public just doesn’t like what it sees.
The California Democrat pointed to the roles that Twitter and Facebook have played in affecting political climates, most recently in the context of the government upheaval in Egypt and labor disputes in Wisconsin. Democrats should harness that same potential when it comes to developing an effective messaging strategy this cycle, Honda said.
“I think when we have more air time and utilize technology … we can focus on getting control back of Congress in 2012,” he said.
A gross misunderstanding of new media and its role in grassroots. Social media served to organize and spread information about counter demonstrations in Iran and Egypt — just as it was used (and still is) with the tea party movement and before that, #dontgo. Social media won’t help Democrats sell a rejected platform. Revising the platform and then attempting to spread awareness of the changes will work, but House Democrats believe that voters just don’t get it. You’re stupid, apparently, and need the benefit of the big govocrats’ “effective messaging.”
Democrats don’t change their policies, they try to win with repetition. It’s the only useful element of mainstream media — no one believes a word they hear on the networks or read in the NYT, but it’s the repetition which they hope will accomplish the goal of wearing down the audience.
Democrats’ problem isn’t “effective messaging.” Now Republicans, absolutely. The GOP still haven’t streamlined their mission and are still all over the map, thus prompting a slip in voter confidence amongst independents. Unless they assume the role they were given on November 2nd, they’ll lose one of the biggest victories given to them courtesy of grassroots — and grassroots won’t make the mistake of entrusting them with maintaining our Republic again. Democrats will also fail if they fail to assume responsibility for their failure and recognize that their platform was rejected, not because voters were uninformed but disenchanted with a Democratically-controlled congress.
No amount of Twittering or Facebooking will save them without an actual change in ideas.
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