Brand Democrat

Ruby Jo Faust, on November 22nd, 2004 at 2:08 pm Said:

Nice link — I had already got it via a political post on a literary blog I read. That writer has just begun a political blog, writing as Polly Perks at http://www.reluctantwarrior.com/

Polly Perks is only one day old as a political pundit, but I’m expecting thought-provoking things from her. Your readers might want to check it out.

Brad Hutchings, on November 22nd, 2004 at 11:33 pm Said:

Please, please, please make the middle poster the national poster of the Dem Party. If a core item of your Party’s politcal beliefs is the government enforced 40 hour work week in the year 2004, you’ll never again be a majority coallition Party. In practice, this plank also means the 8 hour day, which is a loser.

It’s even more of a loser with your Blue State base. We are becoming more and more a 24/7 society. That doesn’t mean we all have to work 80 hour weeks to support it. It does mean that flexible leisure time, more flexible schedules, and more spread out use of infrastructure (freeways, public buildings, parking, parks) and private activities (eating, shopping, gym, etc.) gives us all better opportunties to enjoy the riches of our society.

So you guys rally behind the 40 hour week and other quaint union agenda relics from the 40s and 50s. It’s economic idiotarianism plain and simple. Social Security (as it stands today as a generational wealth transfer vacuum cleaner) and Medicare will be in the same boat within 10 years unless they are adjusted to meet reality ASAP. And the first poster — health care for sick kids — look to the great state of Tennessee for leadership on that. Way too expensive for government to control. All the wishing in the world won’t make it so.

Independent rant, on November 23rd, 2004 at 8:13 am Said:

Rebranding the Democratic Party is essential and the place to start is with the ideas. A poll in the 11/23 NY Times shows that there is great support for the Democratic ideas that, sad to say, isn’t translating to enough support for our candidates.

Key findings include:
– 51% say Bush is not likely to make sure Social Security benefits are there for them;
– Only 21% say abortion should not be permitted and 64% think Bush will appoint judges who will make it illegal;
– While 32% think the Bush tax cuts have been good for the economy, 19% think they’ve been bad and 45% don’t think they’ve made much difference. 45% think the 2001 tax cuts should be allowed to expire while 41% want them made permanent;
– 67% say reducing the deficit should be a higher priority than lowering taxes.

And we still couldn’t capture the White House? Rebranding is just the first of many steps we need to take.

johne, on November 25th, 2004 at 10:48 pm Said:

Brad, I admire your ability to look on the bright side, and hope you don’t mind if I see in your comment an echo of some similar embrace-the-future ancestor, a Bradlius Hutchingus perhaps, ex-citizen of the fading Roman empire around 700 AD or so, telling his friends, “It solves everything! You just find a lord, turn your land over to him, you and your descendents are bound to the soil forever, and he fights off any stray barbarians! Sweet! It’s called feudalism. Sure, there’s people who badmouth it, but they’re prabably the same ones who’d like to see a return to the Republic. Heh!”

Teal Sunglasses, on November 27th, 2004 at 12:08 am Said:

branding the democrats…

not just a giggle, a good idea……