What tips Independents over the edge?

[LiberalTexan]

DUers were so kind to help me with the last flier I put out to my precinct Dems to inspire them to vote in the Texas primary back in March (we got record turnout!). Now I'm looking for a different kind of help.

This summer I'll be blockwalking my precinct hitting the houses where people vote in the general elections but we don't know which way they sway. I consider these people independent voters. I have heard that independent voters have a very low approval rating of the current administration, so I'm thinking that my flier to them will be all the reasons not to vote Republican AND/OR all the reasons to vote Democratic this election.

I have a one page split flier of the two party platforms in Texas compared. I'll also be including Democratic material from the campaigns + this flier that you'll help me with.

I know why WE choose not to vote for idiots, but we pay attention! These people are just living their lives not thinking about anything in particular. I want to change that.

Some background on my area: I live in the telecom corridor in Northern Texas (Dallas area). We got hit so hard in the last 6 years with huge layoffs and most everyone's jobs going to India. There are constantly houses for sale in my neighborhood. I think if every house hasn't been affected by layoffs, then I can at least say none of us have job security from day to day. Also, our area is close enough to have cared about what happened with Katrina. We still have Katrina people in our community. Also, we've got a lot of families with kids, so education is an issue. Everyone's got an SUV around here, so gas prices is an issue, too.

I'm looking for kind of bullet points....things I can put in an easy to read format. Some stats to include would be great. I'd be willing to share my finished flier with anyone that wants to see it.

Thanks DUers. I've been at DU for almost five years now and you never let me down!

[savemefromdumbya]

1. where do we start!

I would say the economy. Bush has been a spendthrift with taxpayers' money (Bush is the money pit) largest deficit ever etc.

Can you trust Bush on homeland security - NO! He wanted to hire Arab terrorist country to control our ports. Hired an idiot to run FEMA and now another idiot head of Homeland Security. Failed to fund HS adequately.

Now America is shunned by the world for Bush's blatant attack on human rights = torture, blatant premptive attacks on other countries in his quest for oil.

Spying on us not on the terrorists!

[LiberalTexan]

10. Good

I like your economy comments. I think that will hit home with people around here. They claim to be Republicans for fiscal responsibility.

Does anyone know where I can get some stats on the economy? Some really dramatic stats? Like what's happened since Clinton?

[savemefromdumbya]

22. "Don't make the kids pay for our mess"

http://people.bu.edu/kotlikof/Don%27t%20Make%20Our%20Kids%20Pay.pdf

also Bush hid the truth from his last budget and has been fiddling while Rome burns. However, we Democrats have to come up with some novel ideas not just smoke and mirrors!

http://people.bu.edu/kotlikof/Is%20the%20United%20States%20Bankrupt.pdf

[LiberalTexan]

23. Thanks,

these black and white numbers are hard to refute. I like stats. :)

[Liberty Belle]

2. Cuts in Medicare, Social Security, education, student loans.

There was a MoveOn rally here last week. I'm a journalist. I've read the 275 letters sent to our GOP representative.

Many writers said they are Republicans but won't vote for the GOP anymore because they are disgusted and feel betrayed; these cuts are affecting their lives directly -- especially those with disabled kids, medical conditions, an ailing relative, or parents/grandparents on Social Security/Medicaid.

Miriam

[LiberalTexan]

11. Stats?

I know there have been cuts to veterans retirement funds, non-funding of body armor for current troops, cuts to education.....does anyone have stats on this? I don't want to seem full of hot air. It's really dramatic when you get some numbers to back yourself up.

(Thanks for your suggestions, Miriam!)

[Liberty Belle]

21. MoveOn has some stats on budget cuts, with citations to

other sources such as the Wash. post on cuts in Medicaid, SSI, and education. There are also huge cuts in childcare proposed.

I don't have stats on veterans retirement or body armor handy, but I'll bet Veterans for Peace might be able to help.

[LiberalTexan]

24. MoveOn

seems like a likely place to find the info you are talking about. However, I just spent the past half hour on their website and don't see anything about the current budget (and they've got no search engine). Is there something I'm missing here?

[Liberty Belle]

29. Here are stats from MoveOn talking points, used at last week's rallies:

Bush's "Reverse Robin Hood" budget Robs from poor and
working class Americans.

Bush's budget proposal would hurt millions of working
Americans by slashing over $280 billion dollars from
vital national services including Social Security,
Medicaid, education, student loans and childcare.
Bush is even trying to use his budget to sneak through
Social Security privatization and over $6 billion
dollars in direct, immediate benefit cuts.
Bush's budget would cut over $13 billion dollars from
Medicaid, over $3 billion from the department of
education, kick 400,000 children out of child care and
slash student loan programs.
To pay back his wealthy friends:

Bush's budget also includes massive new tax breaks for
the wealthy that give away over $930 billion dollars
to the richest 1% of Americans over the next 10 years.

All Bush's cruel cuts do nothing to reduce the
national debt. In fact, under Bush's budget, the
deficit would increase by $192 billion dollars in just
five years.

[mrcheerful]

3. Why not try telling them that rethugs set up a welfare system for business

to out source their jobs? Not only are they loosing jobs but through their tax dollars they are paying for said job loss. Also dig up facts about how much tax dollars have gone to corperate welfare, seeings how most independents are so against wefare if you can put those 2 facts about rethugs through to them, it might help.

[LiberalTexan]

12. Outsourcing....

This is a good one to hit on. It means so much in our area that on election day '04, my back windshield on my car said "Outsource Bush".

I wonder if anyone carries any realtime stats on the estimate of jobs in the US that have been outsourced??

[kiraboo]

4. Fiscal irresponsibility. Trampling the Constitution.

Cronyism. Eliminating the separation between Church and State. Legislating morality.

I was an Independent until late November of '04, although in 2000 and 2004 I voted Democrat because the third-party protest vote seemed to me to be very irresponsible. Watching the idiot son destroy our country has turned me into a Democrat because we can't afford any more wishful thinking and must now consider force of action our only option.

[enlightenment]

5. Over the edge of what?

You're kind of suggesting that most independents vote Republican. Perhaps that is true in your area, but it's not a given.

Independents are independent for a wide variety of reasons -- that's why they're so tough to get a handle on, politically.

In your position, I would create the best talking points you can think of that really, really reflect what you believe is important. Those points will either reach your intended audience or they won't.

Based just on my personal experience (having been a registered independent/unaffiliated voter for 30 years) I don't think that there are any magic words you can say to convince.

Good luck (seriously!)!!

[LiberalTexan]

8. Then I was misunderstood

I don't mean to imply that Independents are voting 100% repub. What I'm suggesting is that many of them may not be voting at all. I know that from looking at my precinct's voter rolls for the past three years. Some of them bother to vote every other year or so. When they do vote, quite a few are voting Dem (I have 600 people in my pct that have voted Dem in the general election but haven't voted in the primary-- here in TX you pick a party affiliation only by voting in a primary, not by declaring a party).

I just want to inspire fence sitters --and they happen to come with the title "independent". That's all. And, yes, I'm in a Republican area, so mostly the fence sitters are voting Repub.

As for magic words and changing what people think, I've got a little bit of a different take on it. There are 68,000 democratic voters in my county, though we were recently listed as one of the most Republican counties in the nation. Do we see 68,000 dem yard signs or bumperstickers or any other signs of life? No. We see "W" stickers and Bush/Cheney stickers. I'm not even convinced that the people who put those on their car aren't just going with the "mainstream" here in TX. My point: I think the voters that are fence sitters or fair weather voters are just voting Republican because they THINK everyone else around here is and it's a given that we SHOULD.

I'm very optimistic. I believe if we can present some clear messages to the people, then we have a good shot this year. It's my job to find out who these 600 people are in my precinct. But, I'll treat every independent as a person willing to hear the arguments.

I like talking points, bullet points, short and sweet. The Republicans have been perfecting this for years. Now it's time to take the art back.

[enlightenment]

19. Appreciate what you're saying

and admire your dedication.

Still, from my position, I'd not pay much attention to you -- and I sit at the far left reaches of the political spectrum (at the very least, what Zogby calls a "progressive liberal").

When people start talking AT me, instead of TO me, I turn off. Talking points (and all the other Republican clap-trap) is like talking AT a person; there is a presumption that; 1. they don't already know the information you're tossing at them; and 2. that they're will to accept that little bit of information as gospel.

That said, I understand what you're trying to do and I know that you have a better sense of your community and its members than I do (how could you not?)
So -- I will believe that your approach is the best one and offer this one suggestion. Have available, if asked, a list of articles, web sites, books, etc. that your independents can use to find out more about your bullet points. Make it easy for them to look it up on their own, so they don't just add your flier to the round-file.

A number of the posters on this thread seem to think (and that may only be a function of the written word, not real beliefs) that independents are either stupid, lazy, Republican, or all three. I've never met one of those. All of the independents I have met have been liberal, questioning, and perhaps more than commonly critical of the established social paradigms -- including the political ones.

That means they're not as easy to convince -- but once convinced they are very hard to sway from their convictions.

Once again, good luck -- sincerely. I'm going to go look up how Texans register, since I am somewhat confused (I get the open primary thing -- its the other part).
Tah!
on edit: traded a semi-colon for a comma.

[LiberalTexan]

25. Do you think it's a waste of time?

I'm now wondering what my approach should be. I feel like what I'm doing is just trying to FIND those people out there that are voting dem sometimes and get them fired up to vote this fall. I guess you wouldn't be too surpised at the number of people out there who don't even know it's an important election year (especially since all the politico talk shows are already talking about 2008).

All the independents you know have been liberal? Where are you? Massachussetts?

[enlightenment]

30. Of course it's not a waste of time!

I'm sorry I'm coming off as such a wet blanket -- I guess I'm not putting things well.

I think -- again, just my opinion -- that many independents have a certain, um, shall we say elevated opinion of themselves (myself included, to be perfectly honest) because they don't 'run with the herds.'

Appeal to that -- reminders that a nation without personal freedom includes the loss of their independence, or something like that. (I'm not good at this kind of thing. gee. what a surprise.) I suspect that regardless of which way they lean at the moment, they would agree that the ability to make a free choice is important -- perhaps focus on Bushco's desire for a unitary executive (and how Scalia agrees). Scares the c&*p out of me, in any case.

Independents aren't always issue driven -- it's one of the reasons they choose not to affiliate with parties, who build their base by running on issues. Focus on the big picture instead; issue "A" will do "this" -- but the larger problem is what will happen when ALL the issues create "this."
(Does that make any sense? It's late and my brain is misfiring).

As to the rest -- I teach college history. Trust me, I am completely aware of the general level of apathy about this election and elections in general. I do my best to fire them up, but most of the time I feel like I'm talking to a wall. A polite wall. They're never rude.

I currently live in Las Vegas, NV. A blue town in a purple state (and not the fantasy that everyone seems to think it is). I've lived in Colorado; the blue parts and the red parts -- more liberal independents in the red parts, actually. I've lived in Mississippi -- not many there, but the one's I knew were like me. I've lived in California and Virginia and Japan and even Texas, when I was little. I've never been to Massachusetts, to my regret. It's on the list.

I suppose we gravitate to what we understand; it also helps that I'm in academia, land of the pointy-headed, intellectual, liberals (and frequently independents) so despised by Horowitz and company! Makes me proud.

[Mythsaje]

6. May I offer...

Don't panic.

Yes, I know there's a detour sign up ahead, but it's a fake. It was put there by a band of criminals who are trying to rob the armored car marked "U.S. Treasury." They set up the same detour back in '04, and, when the truck went right instead of left, they were waiting to ambush it and steal everything in the truck.

I know they're telling you there are "Godless Communists" lurking to the left, but they're just scarecrows set up to frighten you. The REAL "Godless Communists" are so ineffectual that they're little more than a running joke anymore.

What's REALLY around the bend if you take a left turn? Well, let's see.

-A way out of an unpopular war. Rather than appointing ideologues that base their decisions on what they'd LIKE to be true, the Democratic Party will listen to people with real world experience in dealing with actual warfare.

-Affordable Healthcare for all. Americans have admitted they'd like to be able to get medical care without going deep in debt in the process.

-A budget that makes sense. Yes, rather than spending billions of dollars we don't have, the Democratic Party will put a cap on spending and return some fiscal sanity to the government by cutting back on corporate welfare and making sure everyone pays their fair share.

-A TRUE coalition of the willing. With the Democratic Party in control, we'll be able to actually make and keep valuable connections to other countries to help track down, capture, and prosecute terrorists.

-Sound environmental policies. Instead of granting big corporations more power to poison us and our children, the Democratic Party will work to ensure that the water we drink and the air we breathe is clean and safe for everyone.

-Clean, renewable energy. The Democratic Party will create a new "Apollo Project" to seek new sources of energy to release us from bondage to the Oil Cartels and the profiteering of the oil companies.

-Self respect. America will finally be able to stand proud and say "we did away with rendition, torture, illegal wars of aggression and held the people responsible accountable."

-Privacy. The Democratic Party believes that the Constitution should be respected, and the 4th Amendment shouldn't be ignored on a whim.

If all of this sounds good to you, please ignore the detour signs and take a left in November.

If you truly want what's best for America and Americans, it's the best turn you could make.

[Minnesota Libra]

7. Seems to me you need to concentrate on.......

.....

Job creation

Economy

Education

Basically ask the question of who people would trust to create jobs and improve the economy.

Don't forget to mention FEMA and who people would trust to provide services in a disaster situation.

The one thing I NEVER listen to regardless of which part/s say it is claiming everything will be just fine as soon as "New Candidate" is sworn into office. Admitting the good life will still take hard work is important. Am I wording this right, or am I being totally confusing?

[OhioBlue]

9. you might include

something to remind them that voting Dems into the Legislature will return the constitutional checks and balances between our current executive and legislative branches which is what has been missing and enabling the * admin to create the mess in so many areas.

[Orsino]

13. Tell them that if they want the luxury of independence...

...they'd better vote against the fascists right now, while it's still legal.

[adigal]

14. Here's one

* The Democrats will work to stop the outsourcing of jobs by stopping the huge tax credits given to companies who outsource.

[LiberalTexan]

16. Good!

This is a nice quick bullet point!

I could do a list. "The Democrats will work to:"

I think the top of the flier will be something like:

Are you tired of.... (or maybe that sounds too much like an infomercial. LOL)

[cap]

15. ask everyone to petition their Congressmen to release the

Jobs Migration Study commissioned by the Bush administration. This study details how jobs in software, telecom and pharmaceuticals are going overseas. Show them the current article in Foreign Affairs and ask why

[LiberalTexan]

18. It's a secret document?

We aren't to know how many jobs have gone overseas? Why am I not surprised?

What is "Foreign Affairs"? Is it a magazine? (sorry for the ignorance.)

[cap]

31. it's not classified but they just wont release it...

Foreign Affairs is a magazine published by the Council on Foreign Relations


while you are at it, the keynote speaker from the Carlyle Group at the Wharton Private Equity Conference is predicting a world wide equalization of wages... I dont think he met overseas wages would meet current American wages.

[sweetheart]

17. what tips

ask some independents yourself: www.progressiveindependent.com

I wonder if the two party system is all that presumed in the territory
where you want to walk....

[Odin2005]

20. To the Dems, the economy; to the Pukes, social issues.

I think the peak of the Bell-curve distrobution peaks slightly into the socially conservative, economically left-wing corner of the ideological chart, which is why the social issue purists are shooting us in the foot.

[LiberalTexan]

26. Before this thread dies

I just want to say thanks for those who contributed. There may be many more people that turn out on election day because of you. :)

[Crazy Guggenheim]

27. Don't waste your time with this:

"I have a one page split flier of the two party platforms in Texas compared. I'll also be including Democratic material from the campaigns + this flier that you'll help me with. "

You just get the base going and put out the Democratic Candidate's platform. The base will not be ignored.

:popcorn: :popcorn:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

28. Hit them on an emotional level. Remind them of the "terrorist alerts"

in 2004. What happened to them? Where is ObL? Are you any safer now that Saddam is captured? BUSH is bought and sold by the special interests, remember the political capital he had to pay back? He's paying them back. Want to bring up Iraq? Mission Accomplished. Iran is another *intellegence* problem!

:popcorn: :popcorn: