What Dean must do now

[jeter]

He must build on the support he has already received. He's gotten a lot of attention but that takes you only so far.

I think he must now build. Go to the Black churches and campaign. Campaign at the Union halls. Campaign on BET. Get support from people like Jesse Jackson, etc. Go after more traditional support. His policies of a new industrial strategy, opposition to war and National Health Care would fit in perfectly. So he wouldn't have to change what he is saying only those he is saying it to.

It would shut up a lot of people from within the Democratic Party. Isolate the DLC and run against them in the primaries.

I bet if he did this his support would nearly double. He would put away the industrial states and the west and have a foothold in the south.

[CMT]

1. I agree

He needs to keep working on expanding his base. He recongnizes this and is taking efforts to do this. For instance, he recently bought radio time on predominately African-American stations in South Carolina.

[jeter]

3. That's fine, CMT but he has to be out there

Black voters are proud and don't like being taken for granted. But once they're with you they're loyal. No Democrat has really made an attempt to go after them. They make up about 30% of our base. I think if Dean went out there. Pressed the flesh. Put a few high-level African-Americans on his campaign staff. Campaigned in the churches. Went on BET. Be made available for Ebony Magazine, etc. etc. He could win their support. It has to be legit. The problem with Dean is that he comes from an overwhelmingly White state. So he has no identification with Black voters. He has to make himself known.

Then do the same with Labor groups. His positions are very pro-labor. His issues seem to be in sync with labor issues. So he won't be pandering. Or changing his positions. Only expanding those recieving the message.

With labor's organizing ability. And Dean's own organization. Plus the loyality of Black voters and Dean's diehard's. I can't see how he would lose.

[CMT]

4. yes I agree with you

he should be going to black churches and union halls. By the way he is already making strides with unions. The SEIU endorsement has not yet come but he was the top vote getter. He also has some strength with the UAW--and according to John Nichols of the Nation an endorsement by them wouldn't be out of the realm.

[Chomskyite]

2. Every single word on here is right

Gore did all of what you mentioned and got 92 percent of the black vote, which was MUCH MORE than Clinton, who Toni Morrison with some justification called our first black president. Saying in a debate you're the FIRST politician to talk race to white audience is not going to get it, man. Did he ever read about Hubert Humphrey? LBJ?

I also think he would do well to acknowledge there's deep sadness among the base about what Bush has done to our country using the 9/11 attacks as justification. He's expressed our anger. But there's grieving going on too.

[AP]

16. Gore was running on Clinton's (and his record) with black America

by the way.

[w4rma]

19. I fully agree with your post, Chomskyite,

except for one minor detail:
the word he used was "only", not "first" and was in present tense. IMHO, it was an incorrect minor slip of the tounge.

[gristy]

5. I agree.

And what you are saying had not occurred to me before. The time seems to be very ripe for Dean to go after the "traditional" democratic base. He has already established his credibility with a broad spectrum of the electorate, and he can use this to his great advantage as he woos the minority and labor support. Take the battle straight to the DLC's home "turf", so to speak. This would be a strategy similar to what he did when he did his TV ad in Texas at the start of Bush's vacation down there. He must already be planning this. If not, and he does it, then he should hire you, jeter.

[tsipple]

6. Wasn't There Some Poll That Said 1% for Shrub?

That only 1% of African Americans would "definitely vote" for George W. Bush?

[tedoll78]

7. One big goal..

is to get from now to the end of the month without a major screw-up. So far, so good.. the attacks on him haven't really stuck, as his campaign has either refuted them or ridiculed the attackers as politically desperate. One thing helping in this endeavour is that Clark's announcement will suck the air out of the attacks for a few days. Another help is that the last few days of the month will be spent speculating on how much money the candidates have raised.

Once the end of the month comes, it will be revealed that Dean has broken a popular sitting president's fundraising record, and another week or so of favorful media coverage will be splashed all over the place. With fresh strong numbers to point to (proving that the 2nd quarter wasn't a fluke), Dean will have extra strength and credibility to approach these groups and tell them basically, "See? I can win. I'm beating the other nine handily, and their attacks haven't stuck - I have some degree of Teflon. So join us and win!"

Make it to the end of the month safely, and it'll basically be smooth sailing for Dean until mid-October. The first week of October will be Fundraising Reaction Week. The second week will be California Recall Reaction week. For the third and fourth week, new gimmicks and surprises will have to be introduced, and from what I know of this campaign, they're very capable of media manipulation. It's what got them this far in the first place.

[gully]

8. Dean people were at a local hip hop concert in my area...

Great ideas!

[mandyky]

9. I think we'll see a Dean college tour in October

Dean's Generations Dean is organizing and getting a lot of non-voters registered. Dean is also working on Latinos and African Americans, but a church tour would be pandering, and I am not sure Dean would do that, unless he was invited. I think the young people are where it is at and they will get minority exposure with that.

[Rose Siding]

12. He's kicking that off tomorrow

In Atlanta- Isn't that the Gen Dean kick off?

[Eloriel]

13. Yep, that's what they say

I'll be there, even tho I'm well past the target market. :evilgrin:

Eloriel

[jeter]

14. Eloriel, this is my point

This is a mistake. He's campaigning to the converted. Why not use people like you and me and organize blue collar rallies, instead of college rallies?

[tsipple]

10. Two Words: VOTER REGISTRATION

That's what Dean needs to do, I think.

Also, Hurricane Isabel looks set to hit Washington, DC, and it would be awesome of Dean called out his volunteers to help affected residents prepare and repair.

[jeter]

11. He has to go beyond the colleges

Dean has the potential as Clinton and my hero Bobby Kennedy did before him build a black and blue coalition (african americans and blue collar workers). Their issues are his issues. He already has the colleges. No point in preaching to the converted. A good way of offseting criticism is by going on the offence, being pro-active. Not letting the man get him down. Always fighting and pursuing.

I think the largest undecided group within the Democratic Party right now is the Black and Blue Coalition. And like I wrote, Dean's message is their own. Who would benefit most from a new industrial strategy - creating new jobs, etc.? Blue Collar and Black Voters. Who would support a National Health Care Plan most? Blue Collar and Black voters. You see what I'm saying.

I think Dean should get away from campaigning to those who already support him. He should use them to help him reach out to other groups. More traditional within the Democratic Party. Groups that would benefit most from the policies he is already advocating.

[janx]

17. Just because he's going to colleges, it doesn't mean that

the only people there will be young people. I think he's coming to C.U. in October--and if he does, I guarantee there will be many people of all ages there.

Besides, it's still early.

[AP]

15. It's not where you go, it's what you say.

He needs to get a message which energizes the broader base of the democratic party.

[jeter]

18. It's also where you go...

How many blacks or blue collar workers would go to a college to see him speak? He has to go to them, not the other way around.

I say this as a Dean supporter.