Here's a plan to WIN IN '04! I truly believe we can and we will!

[JohnOneillsMemory]

WE NEED ALL THE POWER OF KNOWN TRUTHS, THE OUTRAGE OF TRUTHS REVEALED AND THE EFFICIENCY OF ADVERTISING COMBINED TO WIN IN 2004.

CHALLENGE:
The hyper-nationalistic post 9/11 uber-patriotism, whipped up to levels not seen since the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings of the 1950's needs to be directed back to the healthier origins of American civic virtue, the American Revolution and the rule of law over brute force.

SOLUTION:
To make sense to the war mindset electorate in '04, we must speak 'their language.'

>I envision a media-friendly theme park approach to alerting and educating our fellow citizens.

>There is already universal acceptance, a vocabulary, a costume, songs, storied personalities, the idea of virtuous citizens triumphing over wicked tyrants, in short: an accepted Disney-fied national mythology. It is at the core of national identity we are raised to embrace from birth, That is, RED,WHITE AND BLUE=JUSTICE!!

>So, instead of trying to pull the patriotic American mind back 350 degrees to explain how our government has abused it's power for years, let us push forward 10 degrees to come full circle with the first American Revolution.

NOW THE PLAN:
1)This election's bumper sticker themes for Democrats should be:
LET FREEDOM RING AGAIN!
TAKE BACK THE FLAG AND TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY!
IMPEACH KING GEORGE AND SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

2)A symbol to wear-Liberty Bell pins? Blue ribbons?

3)All the imagery of Revolutionary times should be used, the tricorn hats, fife and drum corps, more flags than can be counted.

4)Town criers complete with bells ringing at every street corner and public event imaginable with the list of King George's crimes etc.

5)In the spirit of Keep It Simple Stupid, we have a list called the Bill of Rights to re-sell in the emotionalized market of ideas.

6)Every sympathetic, courageous journalist and activist should be apprised of this 'Talking Point' with the repetitious lock-step efficiency of the fascists we are opposing.

7)Every teacher and librarian should be asked to put up posters and pamphlets about the importance of the Bill of Rights, the US Constitution and the American Revolution.
Especially high school and college teachers this election cycle.

You get the idea. It's a theme park approach to educating our fellow citizens. Lots of potential here and I think this is our only hope to rescue ourselves and our planet from the PNAC and their corporateer backers.

[Gingersnap]

1. Good plan

Do you think it would work better as a grassroots movement--a la Moveon.org--or something a candidate should attempt?

I really suggest you send this to True Majority and Moveon. I think they are, unfortunately, spending money on an anti-Bush ad campaign that will be percieved as lacking a positive vision.

American Revolution, I like that...

[bobbieinok]

2. me too

n/t

[JohnOneillsMemory]

3. It was sort of used one day in Philadelphia at a Dean rally.

In August this year, I stumbled on a Dean rally right across the street from the Liberty Bell. There was a union convention that all the Dem candidates were attending and Dean organizers staged a rally which drew 4000 people. The organizers tried to get people to ring handbells but very few did. It was really satisfying to yell out "Impeach King George" in historic Philadelphia and have it be so relevant.

Yup. Handing this to other org's is the way to go. I'm gonna find a costume to wear and print up some handouts for when I fly around the country for work. Can't wait to go through security looking like a Minute Man. Ha!

[genius]

4. Odds are a million to one against.

First, the Republicans are putting in those pre-programmed voting machines with software designed, updated and owned by Republican corporations. Those machines gave the Republicans the Texas legislature for the first time since reconstruction. The Texans are so worried about re-districting that they don't realize that the districts don't matter with the voting computers in place. A Democrat could get 100% of the vote and lose by a landslide. A demonstration was done in OC and the Democratic Central Committee, in the demo, voted 100% for Osama Bin Ladin over Lockyer for governor and 100% to legalize child slave labor. Look at Georgia where votes disappeared from the computer and no one questioned it.

Second, the DNC will roll over. It may make noise about wanting a paper tail. But, in the end, it will take the loss and do nothing.

Third, the Republican-owned news media has made it clear that their choice is Dean. Absent a miracle, he'll be the one to destroy the Democratic Party. After the nomination, the Republican news media that has been having a love-fest with Dean, will suddenly swing into their real plan that everyone but Dean and the Deaniacs is waiting for. They will hit him on his inconsistencies and his support for Bush's worst policies. They will point out the lies he told in his commercials. The news media, which is on Bush's side, will then paint Bush as a saint, who may have been misguided at times, and Dean as a pathological liar, who wants to destroy the environment, Social Security, education and health care in America. Dean's record in Vermont will help them immensely. The Democrats will write in "Al Gore" in protest and the Republicans will all go out to vote. Dean will be lucky to pick up Vermont in the Bush 2004 landslide. The newspaper polls will say that everyone has turned on Dean and so no one will be surprised when the computers show Bush won. The liberals will mostly assume that it was Dean's right wing policies that did him in, and since they won't vote for him, they won't know otherwise. This is why I've been arguing so hard for backing someone with integrity. If we run somene with integrity, the people will show up and know what happened when the computers try to turn the outcome.