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How I Would Have Won as a Democrat in Alabama
Posted on 11/5/14 at 7:35 am
Posted on 11/5/14 at 7:35 am
Don't usually talk politics but this years election cycle has really disturbed me. Every single political ad in Alabama was, "I am a conservative, Christian, family man, with values who Opposes Obama and his liberal agenda." Every. Single. One. Some of these people who couldn't legislate their way out of a paper bag get to make decisions for millions of people.
The only thing that needs to be said for Democrats is that they were spineless and tried to out-repub the republicans. A horrible strategy that anyone with a brain easily saw thru.
Hindsight is always 20/20 but these are some strategies that I believe would have garnered me election in Alabama.
-APPEAL TO BASE. Dems seemed to focus more on appealing to the Republican base than focusing on their own in addition to independent voters. It would have been better to identify common issues that affect both groups and focus there. In Alabama that would be unemployment, poverty, and education
-Hammer on Issues. Once I've identified my issue I would try to drive it to voters. Give the, "Im also a conservative, Christian, blah, blah BUT I'm also here to fight FOR YOU and NOT AGAINST Obama" if I previously supported Obama policies show how those policies benefited my constituency vs pretending they didn't exist. Should avoid too many stats and numbers doing this as I don't believe the common voter really pays attention
-MONEY. I would utilize Obama's grass root strategy of small donations instead of focusing on big money donors. You still might not have the financing of opponents but you'll have a nice boost
-Appeal to Middle Class. The middle class is becoming extinct. Talk about higher ed, medical cost. Appeal to young parents. Recent college grads. If nothing else you can grab swing votes here
-POOR PEOPLE. This is where I would try to win some sympathy votes. I would focus on poor/rural whites vs minorities (also old people). I don't know the voting rate for this population but you're not really looking for their votes but those that want to "help" them
These are just a few things I thought of and was curious if it would be an effective political strategy? Also, tl/dr
The only thing that needs to be said for Democrats is that they were spineless and tried to out-repub the republicans. A horrible strategy that anyone with a brain easily saw thru.
Hindsight is always 20/20 but these are some strategies that I believe would have garnered me election in Alabama.
-APPEAL TO BASE. Dems seemed to focus more on appealing to the Republican base than focusing on their own in addition to independent voters. It would have been better to identify common issues that affect both groups and focus there. In Alabama that would be unemployment, poverty, and education
-Hammer on Issues. Once I've identified my issue I would try to drive it to voters. Give the, "Im also a conservative, Christian, blah, blah BUT I'm also here to fight FOR YOU and NOT AGAINST Obama" if I previously supported Obama policies show how those policies benefited my constituency vs pretending they didn't exist. Should avoid too many stats and numbers doing this as I don't believe the common voter really pays attention
-MONEY. I would utilize Obama's grass root strategy of small donations instead of focusing on big money donors. You still might not have the financing of opponents but you'll have a nice boost
-Appeal to Middle Class. The middle class is becoming extinct. Talk about higher ed, medical cost. Appeal to young parents. Recent college grads. If nothing else you can grab swing votes here
-POOR PEOPLE. This is where I would try to win some sympathy votes. I would focus on poor/rural whites vs minorities (also old people). I don't know the voting rate for this population but you're not really looking for their votes but those that want to "help" them
These are just a few things I thought of and was curious if it would be an effective political strategy? Also, tl/dr
This post was edited on 11/5/14 at 7:40 am
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Posted on 11/5/14 at 7:40 am to undecided
Didn't read
Posted on 11/5/14 at 7:43 am to undecided
Democrats spent a lot to get Marsh out, but they failed there too.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 7:49 am to Vols&Shaft83
Real progressive for the thread you jackass
Posted on 11/5/14 at 7:49 am to undecided
The ads this year were painful. It was like who could make themselves look like a red-blooded, old fashioned, Murican and make their opponent look like a commie, hippie, Obama lover. Like you said, everyone was appealing to the same base.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 7:58 am to undecided
FWIW I would have voted for you based on that campaign.
But this is Alabama, so you would have lost in a fricking landslide
But this is Alabama, so you would have lost in a fricking landslide
This post was edited on 11/5/14 at 8:01 am
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:01 am to undecided
It's Alabama, you still would have lost
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:03 am to undecided
An issue you would have is the fact democrat policies have harmed the very things you want to fix. Medical costs, etc. You wouldn't have won shite, the dems fricked this one.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:04 am to undecided
You would have lost.
A mostly unmotivated base as opposed to the very motivated conservatives. The Dems weren't playing the conservative's game because they thought it was good strategy but because it was the game they had to play. Midterms are typically kind to the GOP and this one had especially favorable conditions.
Try this in two years and you've got a better shot.
While you're laying out a nuanced position, you are getting beaten by "undecided = Obama". That was the Republicans entire strategy and it worked to near perfection. I do think this is a better approach than to try to create distance but the simple message travels much better than the complicated one.
Tough way to make it happen. You wouldn't have the support base locally to make a huge difference and the groups that support the Pubs were coordinated and well funded this go round. While I like the notion, there's just not enough money to be had to fight back.
Good place to approach imo, but the solutions are complicated and some of them unpopular within the hard charging right.
Poor people don't vote in midterms like the more affluent do. Plus the Dems have played lip service to these groups for years with little results. It's slowly starting to lose traction imo, because of lack of results.
I appreciate the attempt, but this wasn't the cycle to try and win from the left. The President is unpopular, the liberal base is disinterested and the conservative base is steaming mad and ready to kick some Democrat arse. That's not to mention some of the in fighting within the national Democratic Party (Senate Leadership vs POTUS) and a GOP who learned their lesson well from 2012 running a better class of candidate and moving into the 21st century on the data front.
quote:
-APPEAL TO BASE. Dems seemed to focus more on appealing to the Republican base than focusing on their own in addition to independent voters. It would have been better to identify common issues that affect both groups and focus there. In Alabama that would be unemployment, poverty, and education
A mostly unmotivated base as opposed to the very motivated conservatives. The Dems weren't playing the conservative's game because they thought it was good strategy but because it was the game they had to play. Midterms are typically kind to the GOP and this one had especially favorable conditions.
Try this in two years and you've got a better shot.
quote:
-Hammer on Issues. Once I've identified my issue I would try to drive it to voters. Give the, "Im also a conservative, Christian, blah, blah BUT I'm also here to fight FOR YOU and NOT AGAINST Obama" if I previously supported Obama policies show how those policies benefited my constituency vs pretending they didn't exist. Should avoid too many stats and numbers doing this as I don't believe the common voter really pays attention
While you're laying out a nuanced position, you are getting beaten by "undecided = Obama". That was the Republicans entire strategy and it worked to near perfection. I do think this is a better approach than to try to create distance but the simple message travels much better than the complicated one.
quote:
-MONEY. I would utilize Obama's grass root strategy of small donations instead of focusing on big money donors. You still might not have the financing of opponents but you'll have a nice boost
Tough way to make it happen. You wouldn't have the support base locally to make a huge difference and the groups that support the Pubs were coordinated and well funded this go round. While I like the notion, there's just not enough money to be had to fight back.
quote:
-Appeal to Middle Class. The middle class is becoming extinct. Talk about higher ed, medical cost. Appeal to young parents. Recent college grads. If nothing else you can grab swing votes here
Good place to approach imo, but the solutions are complicated and some of them unpopular within the hard charging right.
quote:
-POOR PEOPLE. This is where I would try to win some sympathy votes. I would focus on poor/rural whites vs minorities (also old people). I don't know the voting rate for this population but you're not really looking for their votes but those that want to "help" them
Poor people don't vote in midterms like the more affluent do. Plus the Dems have played lip service to these groups for years with little results. It's slowly starting to lose traction imo, because of lack of results.
quote:
These are just a few things I thought of and was curious if it would be an effective political strategy? Also, tl/dr
I appreciate the attempt, but this wasn't the cycle to try and win from the left. The President is unpopular, the liberal base is disinterested and the conservative base is steaming mad and ready to kick some Democrat arse. That's not to mention some of the in fighting within the national Democratic Party (Senate Leadership vs POTUS) and a GOP who learned their lesson well from 2012 running a better class of candidate and moving into the 21st century on the data front.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:04 am to Tiguar
the only real elections in alabama are the republican primaries....damn son, dont you know anything?
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:09 am to undecided
quote:
How I Would Have Won as a Democrat in Alabama
quote:
undecided
Seems legit.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:14 am to PrivatePublic
quote:
But this is Alabama, so you would have lost in a fricking landslide
This is what I would really like to figure out? How do you shake people out of the status quo?
I really think turning low/middle income people is key. I'd also like young professional minorities to be more visible. The common link between this group is that they're all upwardly mobile to an extent and striving for their version of the American dream. They played a large role in electing Obama twice and if democrats can translate that success to the local level they have a winning strategy.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:30 am to undecided
quote:
How I Would Have Won as a Democrat in Alabama
Short answer - you wouldn't have, and won't at the state level for a long, long time.
Looking at your strategy:
-APPEAL TO BASE. You don't have one. Right now, the Democratic party's stand on social issues is far out of step with mainstream Alabama.
-Hammer on Issues. Again, what issues could you espouse that might play to the majority of Alabamians?
-MONEY Small donors? Really? You wouldn't even win the primary. Even the big money doesn't help. The Poarch Creek tribe and other gambling interests sunk close to $2 million in Joe Hubbard's campaign against a (R) Attorney General that's not even liked in his own part right now and what did it buy them? Five percentage points. Hubbard lost 60-40 instead of 65-35 like all the other state (D) candidates.
-Appeal to Middle Class/-POOR PEOPLE With what? Poor and middle class white voters are the strongest (R) base out there. They're anti-immigrant, they're seeing their hours cut because of Obamacare, they're hearing 'more revenue' and see that as new taxes taking more money from their pocket.
So, would the strategy would be effective? Yeah, if you wanted to turn 30 point losses into 40 point losses.
I don't know how old you are, but (D)s controlled the legislature until 2010 and the (R)s didn't win a post civil war governer's race until 1986 and even that one was due to (D) infighting. Bob Riley in 2002 was the first (R) elected based on a straight up race and it was a very close call even then.
In a decade (D)s went from holding most every office to not even fielding candidates for most.
For Democratic party to be relevant again in Alabama, they've got to turn away from totally catering to some of their 'base' (particularly the AEA and minority voters. The average Alabamian hates unions and there aren't enough minority voters to win elections) and work to attract rural white voters - which were their bread and butter up to 10 years ago. In order to do that, they must:
-Totally revamp their leadership - that means show Worley and Reed the door and never, ever, let them back.
-Convince voters that they believe in hard work instead of handouts, but think it's right to help those in true need. Right now, they're just seen as the party of the freebie.
-Convince voters that the same values as the common Alabamian on issues like crime and punishment and gun control. Many actually do, but they've been successfully tied to the national platform. They're going to have to openly split to change the perception.
Once they get those hurdles overcome, they can talk about winning a statewide election. Until then they're just going to be the party of irrelevance in Alabama.
Edited to fix the year Riley won his first term.
This post was edited on 11/5/14 at 8:34 am
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:41 am to Duke
quote:
A mostly unmotivated base as opposed to the very motivated conservatives. The Dems weren't playing the conservative's game because they thought it was good strategy but because it was the game they had to play. Midterms are typically kind to the GOP and this one had especially favorable conditions.
Think this pissed me off the most. It's been shown historically that the Democratic base does not show up for mid-term elections. With so much on the line why weren't dems better prepared to combat this? They had two years and a Republican lead government shutdown that was hardly a factor. There's also the fact that the economy is improving and unemployment was declining. This should have been shouted from the rooftops (common voter will take at face value).
quote:
While you're laying out a nuanced position, you are getting beaten by "undecided = Obama".
This has been the most interesting too me. Tom Wolf, who won Governor of Pennsylvania campaigned with Obama. Allison Grimes wouldn't even admit to voting for Obama and ran anti-immigration ads came across as weak and disloyal. Voters want you to stand for something not blatantly try to mislead them. It's a delicate balance but if you can strike the right chord between yourself and the incumbent it's better than complete abandonment.
quote:
I appreciate the attempt, but this wasn't the cycle to try and win from the left. The President is unpopular, the liberal base is disinterested and the conservative base is steaming mad and ready to kick some Democrat arse. That's not to mention some of the in fighting within the national Democratic Party (Senate Leadership vs POTUS) and a GOP who learned their lesson well from 2012 running a better class of candidate and moving into the 21st century on the data front.
I didn't realize how bad it was until last night but I'll give the Republicans credit. Not only did they beat the Dems they also struck back at the Tea Party which is the one silver lining.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:43 am to undecided
quote:
Appeal to Middle Class
Dems have destroyed the middle class.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:50 am to JustGetItRight
quote:
-Appeal to Middle Class/-POOR PEOPLE With what?quote:
-Convince voters that they believe in hard work instead of handouts, but think it's right to help those in true need. Right now, they're just seen as the party of the freebie.
quote:
-Hammer on Issues. Again, what issues could you espouse that might play to the majority of Alabamians?quote:
-Convince voters that the same values as the common Alabamian on issues like crime and punishment and gun control. Many actually do, but they've been successfully tied to the national platform. They're going to have to openly split to change the perception.
quote:
-APPEAL TO BASE. You don't have one. Right now, the Democratic party's stand on social issues is far out of step with mainstream Alabama.quote:
work to attract rural white voters - which were their bread and butter up to 10 years ago.
Seems like you answered your own questions? Remember I'm just the pretty-boy candidate, I'll have people like you to help work out the details of my plan
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:56 am to undecided
There's no overcoming the stupidity of Alabama voters. And that goes for the majority of voters on both sides of the aisle. We have a long history of electing people that go against our best interests. Except for certain districts, it will be. Long time until a Democrat wins a state election. Only hope is to get some level headed, moderate republicans. There are some out there - Cam Ward and the fella from Huntsville(Holtzclaw I think) come to mind. Bradley Byrne I'd put in that category, though he's spewed some of the far right rhetoric since getting elected and getting to DC.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 9:11 am to The Spleen
quote:
Cam Ward and the fella from Huntsville(Holtzclaw I think) come to mind. Bradley Byrne I'd put in that category
You and I rarely agree on anything political, but you just spotted three people that should be on the short list for Gov in 2016.
Byrne should be Gov now and would be if not for Bentley's covert alliance with AEA but his future's probably in DC now. Probably in the senate.
Cam Ward's going places. He's a realistic problem solver that's getting a lot of very positive attention for what he's trying to do to fix the prison system.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 9:14 am to undecided
quote:
I'll have people like you to help work out the details of my plan
Well, that's going to be a bit of a problem because I'm a dyed in the wool conservative. The Democratic party is going to have to come a LOOOOOONNNNGGGGGG way for me to seriously consider any of their candidates.
I'm not a member of any party because the person and the platform are what matters to me (hence my choice to not cast a vote for either gubernatorial candidate), so it could happen but I don't see it.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 9:23 am to JustGetItRight
Though I lean left, I can respect republicans that actually govern and work to make things better. 3-4 years ago I'd put Del Marsh in that category, but now I'm not so sure. Some of that is his association with Mike Hubbard. I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. I've met both and Marsh is a likable guy. Hubbard gave off the scumbag vibe. P
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