Craig Axford's Weekly Campaign Update - April 5

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Join me for an online chat at http://www.axfordforchair.org/chat.htm tonight (Tuesday, April 5th) from 8:00 – 9:00 PM.

Join the growing list of delegates and other Democrats endorsing Craig Axford for Chair. You can view the list of endorsements and sign up to endorse Craig here:
http://www.axfordforchair.org/endorsements.htm In addition, please support the Axford for Chair campaign by making a donation online at
http://www.axfordforchair.org/index.htm#donate or mail a check made out to Axford for Chair to 521 East Hollywood Ave., SLC, UT 84105. Thank you for your support!

Many of you have asked about the issue of the Chair's salary. Some have argued the Chair need not take a salary at all while others take the view the Chair should be compensated for this full time commitment. View my position on this important question here: http://www.axfordforchair.org/vision.htm#why
11 Principles Democrats can use:

As I stated in earlier updates, over the course of the remaining weeks of the campaign for state party chair, my weekly updates will focus on 11 principles Democrats can use to retake the initiative in Utah and begin building our party both locally and throughout the state. These 11 points are borrowed, with some minor changes, from George Lakoff's book “Don't think of an elephant! Know your values and frame the debate.”

My last update featured principles 3 &4 out of the list of 11 principles Democrats can use. Previous updates can be viewed at :

http://www.axfordforchair.org/archive.htm

This week will focus on items 5 & 6. As always, your feedback is valued and I will do my best to respond to any questions you may have about these points or how I would apply them to building a stronger Democratic Party here in Utah.

#5: Understand where conservatives are coming from. Get their authoritarian morality and its consequences clear. Know what you are arguing against. Be able to explain why they believe what they believe. Try to predict what they will say.

We need to understand the extreme right tends to believe issues are black or white, good vs. evil, etc. This is a powerful tool in their rhetorical arsenal, especially when we fail to proactively articulate our values. The consequences of this black or white thinking are painfully obvious right now, and we are all paying the price. We must do a better job of contrasting the cost of their black and white/ good vs. evil hierarchical worldview with the benefits of living within a society that better reflects our belief in the dignity and worth of each individual, the golden rule, and a more caring and nurturing society.

#6: Think strategically, across issue areas. Think in terms of large moral goals, not in terms of programs for their own sake.

We have all heard the jokes about this or that Democrat appearing wooden, stiff, and wonkish. The jokes too often have more than a kernel of truth to them. We need to talk in terms of general principles that define our philosophy instead of specific initiatives and programs that cause peoples' eyes to glaze over.

Again, the Republicans do this superbly with talk of an “ownership society” or a “culture of life”. These phrases describe overarching principles that resonate with people, even when the consequences of the policies behind these statements are often contrary to the values expressed through them.

For Democrats our policies usually match our values, but we fail to talk about them as policies of moral worth. We need to do a better job of articulating a broader moral message such as that encapsulated in the Golden Rule (see last update at http://www.axfordforchair.org/archive.htm#24 . Values like the Golden Rule reflect so much of what we stand for, but get lost when we begin to describe our initiatives in terms of the details instead of the broader philosophy that gave rise to them

Please contact me with feedback or questions. Remember, I will be hosting a live online chat tonight (April 5 th ) between 8:00 & 9:00 PM and would love to hear from you then. Thank you.


Craig Axford for Utah State Democratic Party Chair
Office 801 755 7195
Personal [phone]
Cell [phone]
[e-mail]
http://www.axfordforchair.org
Visionary Leadership for a New Democratic Party