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FWD BLOG: With “America” ad, Bernie champions “Yes We Can!” politics and wins with 5 M's of the 2016 campaign

1/27/2016

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As a long-time supporter of President Obama it would have been hard for me to match my enthusiasm for another candidate in 2016 and hence I have been somewhat open-minded….but there is a clear difference right now that is reminding of 2008 all over again.

Regardless of which candidate you support, the bottom line is we have another matchup between a “Hope” and “Change” candidate and a Status Quo candidate. Frankly, I thought the passion-driven Joe Biden and even the future-driven Martin O’Malley could have filled that role better than a 74 year-old “Democratic Socialist” but I must admit Bernie Sanders is finally embracing the mantle in his own way with a “Yes We Can” approach to politics that is truly the more “pragmatic” course to win elections and move forward a progressive agenda.

And there is ample proof that it works besides the poll numbers and the quality of the policies of his ideology.

There is a saying that there are 4 M’s in campaigns and it seems that Bernie has advantages with all of them. Obama’s version included Management instead of the more common category of Media which I think deserves more attention in today’s new media-centric world and because all these elements are just bi-products of good management.

I would also add Movement because if you’re running for President of the United States you’re also running to be the leader of the Democratic Party which needs to succeed in Congress and in state elections for your administration to succeed.

#1 MESSAGE: Bernie is offering voters an uplifting theme that excites people to participate rather than make a pitch that is seen as inauthentic or defeatist by asking for non-supporters to change their tune in the general election...as if their vote wasn’t needed now.

#2 MEDIA: Bernie is a regular on news shows and is surging on social media and hasn’t tried to limit debates or press appearances.

#3 MOBILIZATION: Bernie has built a larger grassroots operation in Iowa with 50% more offices.

#4 MONEY: Bernie might have 50% in less total donations but he has a fundraising operation that is more scalable by attracting millions of low-dollar donors who can make several repeat contributions. But also, this includes how money is SPENT and based on how many offices each candidate has in Iowa he also has an advantage there.

​
#5 MOVEMENT: Even though he is not a fan of the party establishment, Bernie is asking Democrats to vote in larger numbers to create Majorities locally and nationally again. His opponent rarely brings up this reality even though DNC Chair Howard Dean’s 50-State Strategy in 2005 helped lead to the Democratic dominance of 2008.
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BACKGROUND:

With his new “America” ad, as Howard Dean and Barack Obama did before him, Bernie Sanders is showing us an uplifting vision that celebrates our country AND our democracy.  We see people coming together who have the power to create change and aren’t just victims of corporate or ideological interests that want to take our democracy backward.

This is where Hillary Clinton doesn’t bother to go and really is a weakness if she is going to grab the Obama voters who may be more pragmatic but still yearn for a idealistic movement they can believe in.  But in a world where a majority of elected officials are Republicans, “establishment” candidates should be out-flanking their insurgent counterparts to inspire people to join a “Democratic” movement of Hope and Change.

Despite his kind comments about Hillary recently, Obama said in the same Politico interview, "My bet — and I may end up being wrong about this — my bet is that the candidate who can project hope still is the candidate who the American people, over the long term, will gravitate toward."

From my perspective, despite the peaceful socialist rhetoric, Bernie Sanders seems to be pretty level-headed on foreign policy and capitalism but has little interest in either. He also has some wild-eyed ideas on policy that go beyond the concept of a “progressive” system that asks us to pay our “fair share” of what we can afford for services like healthcare and education….as opposed to a plan for somehow getting the rich to pay for it all.

On the other hand, is it worse to not have any wild-eyed ideas at all? If Bernie Sanders pursued a single-payer system but got a “Medicare For All” public option in the Obamacare exchanges as a compromise wouldn’t that be better than the vague call for improving Obamacare without telling us how you can win enough elections to do it?

Where Hillary says “Yes I Can!” manage things as they are and protect Obama’s progress because “No We Can’t!” do any more and we need to tell Republicans that “No, They Can’t!”….Bernie focuses on his message and says “Yes We Can!”

Matt Yglesias notes that Bernie is selling “Hope that yes we can make enormous change happen if individual people believe things can get better ... and come together to make it so. Sanders has a story that channels these emotions. Not everyone finds that story plausible, but it's a story. And Clinton really doesn't have one."

How much would it have cost Hillary to create a theme for her campaign? Her 2008 launch told us she was “In It To Win It” and her 2014 book was summed up as “Hard Choices.” In 2016, I have read about how Hillary’s theme is “Love & Kindness”, but officially she has been “Fighting For You” which tells voters to sit back and let her handle everything. Ironically, this has little to do with FDR’s “Four Fights” that were highlighted as part of her campaign launch at “Four Freedoms Park” on Roosevelt Island then never discussed again.

As recently as the 1/17 NBC Debate and the 1/25 CNN Town Hall, Hillary still had trouble making a pitch to young voters where she could articulate why her campaign would appeal to them policy-wise or outreach-wise. That’s kind of surprising considering that Bernie is pulling in about 60% of the millennial vote in many polls and has been a huge weakness for her campaign for months.

A presidential campaign is not simply a job interview where we compare resumes...it is a call for Americans to participate in our democracy. If Democrats vote at the same rate as Republicans, they win….but they need to be challenged to act on behalf of their dreams. To me, that is the essence of Bernie’s political revolution regardless of whether compromises will be necessary. As they say in football, the only thing the “prevent” defense does is prevent you from winning.

You won’t ever win back a majority in the Congress to get anything done unless you expand your base and the total electorate with big ideas and big outreach. That means you need candidates with the mindset that they will work to mobilize Democrats not expect Democrats to magically mobilize for a candidate.

In 2016, Bernie is stealing a little bit of the Obama playbook and asking us to look forward to a “Future To Believe In” and popular progressive economist Robert Reich makes a good case that it is possible. If only more folks stuck with that playbook in the first place!

I agree with Bernie Sanders that the biggest mistake of President Obama and the Democratic Party in recent years has been their political strategy.

“The major political, strategic difference I have with Obama is it’s too late to do anything inside the Beltway,” he told Andrew Prokop. “You gotta take your case to the American people, mobilize them, and organize them at the grassroots level in a way that we have never done before.”

Even though candidates have to debate this reality once again, regardless of the effectiveness of the governing approach and some of the post-election organizing efforts like Organizing For America, it wasn’t inspiring enough to translate into votes when Barack Obama isn’t on the ballot. 

Most notably, the 2014 mid-term election was a historic defeat despite an improving economy yet DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz wasn’t replaced with new leadership. In 2015, we were told to expect a game-changing DNC Report on how we can do better but got a short list of minor adjustments rather than a real strategy for long-term success.

We also expected a more modern, Obama-influenced campaign organization by Hillary Clinton, but more investments in local field operations and digital tools from low-dollar fundraising to big data analytics to Snapchat accounts are just the beginning.

But as it stands today, even though he hasn’t reached Obama levels, Bernie still has 50% more offices in Iowa than Hillary does (26-17). There is no point in raising money if you don’t use it for winning the election.

As a DNC Chair or President of the United States, you are the LEADERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. Your priority shouldn’t be raising money because it is only a tool...it should be Movement-building through authentic engagement of your supporters. Otherwise, your outreach efforts ring hollow.

At minimum, the strategy shouldn’t include alienation of the voters by shutting a huge chunk of them out of the process, which some Democratic Party officials believe is necessary to support the Clinton campaign right now.

The fix was in among some party committees, as in Virginia thanks to Clinton loyalist Governor Terry McAuliffe, the annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner that normally celebrates ALL Democrats was transformed into a Hillary Rally without Bernie Sanders or Martin O’Malley invited.

Then there has been the attempt to “run out the clock” on primary reason by avoiding media opportunities. Aside from avoiding the press to an extent that even former Obama adviser David Axelrod has criticized, the Clinton campaign called for less debates as part of their “under-the-radar” strategy

The DNC debate schedule was dreamed up by the Chairwoman without consultation and beyond the mocking the political press it turned into a late night talk show punchline, due to two Saturday and one holiday weekend event despite only FOUR total matchups before Iowa and New Hampshire. When the plan was sold as an effort to maximize exposure, even Politifact stepped in and rated the claim as FALSE.


Regardless of the Trump-led ratings boost of the jam-packed GOP field, in 2008, there were 25 debates as the DNC didn’t threaten to ban candidates who participated in un-sanctioned affairs as the candidates gave voters many more opportunities to hear our message and it worked. That is, if you think Barack Obama deserved a fair shot to become President.

Meanwhile. when two DNC Vice Chairs spoke up about the schedule, one of them was allegedly told not to attend the first debate.


This is just the tip of the iceberg of the crony party politics that supporters of Barack Obama felt we were fighting against….and frankly it is a sign of weakness for the establishment choice that encourages more doubt in the candidate.

As David Axelrod has said, “There are two kinds of people in politics...people who want to Do Something and people who want to Be Something.” He decided to work for Barack Obama because he thought he was the kind of politician who was the former.

Sadly, many of the powers that be could care less about “Yes We Can!” as long as they win easy elections and get their plum party titles.

But this essay isn’t about blame…..this is a wake up call to Democrats if they really want to win and grow the party. I am not sure where they are getting advice from, but Secretary Clinton, Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz and their allies need to understand that to inspire Americans to participate in national, state and local elections in numbers will win majorities again requires a belief in the old Obama For America mantra, “Respect. Empower, Include.”

In other words, as I wrote about recently, we need to recapture this spirit with a Progressive vision and Democratic values from our leaders not just their policy proposals. I mean, how are you going to recruit enough voters to pass a $15 minimum wage when you won’t invest in a staff that makes the current minimum wage?

As we witnessed with President Obama and now Bernie Sanders, the voters respond when called upon. And I would rather rely on a network of millions of donors with skin in the game than a few billionaires who barely lifted a finger to help my campaign any day.

With that in mind, i think our first priority in 2016 is simple. Although I won’t scream on a rooftop that I am “Feeling the Bern!,” I will tell you that we need to follow candidates who inspire voters to declare once again….“Yes We Can!”

It’s time to remember what being a Democrat is all about….

“Other people see things and say why? But I dream things that never were and I say, why not?"
- George Bernard Shaw (later quoted by JFK
& RFK)
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ABOUT "FORWARD PROGRESSIVE" BLOG:
Jim McBride discusses forward-minded messaging, outreach and other grassroots organizing techniques.  the former President of the award-winning Arlington Young Democrats, the 1st Volunteer Database Coordinator for Virginia for Obama, Founder of Generation of Obama-Washington, DC, the predecessor group to his current organization Network For Progress that brings together thousands of young professionals and grassroots activists both online and offline.

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REMINDER: June 9th is Virginia Democratic Primary Day!

6/8/2015

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Here are some good resources before you vote in Northern Virginia tomorrow. 

I have not been following these races very closely but from what I know of the candidates I think the endorsements are pretty solid.

Washington Post Endorsements
Alexandria Mayor, Arlington County Board, Fairfax Board of Supervisors

General Assembly

Blue Virginia Endorsements & Debate Videos

Arlington County Board (watch debate)

45th House District - Alexandria (watch debate)

Alexandria Mayor (watch debate)

Learn more about the Arlington and 45th House District candidates: 

https://vote.arlingtonva.us/elections
(includes list of their web sites)


State Voting Information
http://sbe.virginia.gov

You can read more endorsements in local newspapers like the Arlington Sun Gazette and Alexandria Times as well as use google to search for more candidate web sites, debates and other stories....although i am sure you have been inundated with plenty already.



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(includes Progress USA national posts, Career Progress, Comm Tech 4 Progress, Campaign 4 Progress, Advocate 4 Progress, Serve 4 Progress and Forward Progressive blog)
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Are you "Ready For Unity?" Join our "Grassroots" Democratic Autopsy & "50-State 2.0" Movement-building Campaign! #readyforunity #mydemautopsy #50state20

12/11/2014

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JOIN THE 12/13 EVENT & "READY FOR UNITY" TEAM HERE!
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Before you decide WHICH presidential campaign you are “Ready” for you should join the fight to ensure HOW your candidate and their fellow Democrats can better be prepared to win in 2016!

You’re invited to join Network For Progress for a “Ready for UNITY” Democratic Movement-building Task Force! 

Starting with a forum at New Organizing Institute’s RootsCamp (Room TBA) on December 13th, Network For Progress will facilitate a "Grassroots" Democratic Autopsy long-term crowd-sourced Unite 4 Progress "50-State Strategy 2.0" campaign to transparently have grassroots voices heard on the direction of the Democratic Party and work together for future electoral success and not just submit ideas to the experts in Washington that they will be too overwhelmed to handle.

Our deadline for a preliminary report will be the Tuesday BEFORE the State of the Union Address (most likely January 20th).

The goal of this work is to broaden the conversation about what works and what doesn’t so we can ALL learn from previous experiences. In general, the Democratic Party is comprised of people working hard and doing many good things BUT we need to embrace and reinvigorate more strategies that can foster 21st Century-style cultural and systemic innovation for public engagement to create a thriving American Majority-inspired DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT for 2016 and beyond.

Why is this so important? When we talk about democratic “movements” these days we may think of the Arab Spring or Burma, or we might think of Progressives or Occupy Wall Street, but the Democratic Party would benefit from leveraging its brand name and start to identify AND conduct itself more clearly as the Party of Democratic principles of inclusiveness, equality, fairness and opportunity that 90% of Americans think are the cornerstone of our founding.

Framing your argument in terms of values has been a popular theme from George Lakoff, author of “Don’t Think of an Elephant,” and Leadership Expert Simon Sinek offers a good glimpse into its importance for “brands” ranging from MLK to Apple with his TED Talk: “Start With Why.”

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden also once discussed at a TED Talk how there is a difference between winning and succeeding. We know that Democrats can “win” a bunch of elections in 2016 but we also need to recognize that a broader movement-building strategy can position candidates to better SUCCEED for the long-term.

Read N4P's Jim McBride "Forward Progressive" Blog for more:
"Why It's Time For A National MOVEMENT-BUILDING Strategy!"

Please join us and we will begin to share online, video, event and petition platforms to connect and spread your feedback to friends and influencers!

JOIN THE 12/13 EVENT & "READY FOR UNITY" TEAM HERE!
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About Network For Progress:
Launched by alumni of OFA’s Generation Obama-Washington, DC chapter, Network For Progress is a social and media-savvy community for connecting professional and grassroots Progressives, Democrats, Hope Mongers and Change Makers with political and civic participation. 

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(includes Career Progress, Comm Tech 4 Progress, Campaign 4 Progress, Advocate 4 Progress, Serve 4 Progress, Policy Progress, Grassroots Progress, Progress Office and Jim’s Forward Progressive blog)
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FWD BLOG: Why it's time for a National MOVEMENT-BUILDING Strategy for Democrats to succeed in 2016 and beyond!

12/11/2014

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JOIN THE 12/13 ROOTSCAMP EVENT & "READY FOR UNITY" TEAM!
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There is no way to sugar coat it: Politics is a cyclical game BUT the Democratic performance in the 2014 elections was an unmitigated disaster. 


There is ample evidence that 2010 was not just a fluke caused by voters angry about the slow return of jobs after the TARP, the Recovery Act and Wall Street Reform during the Great Recession OR the myths of the Obamacare fight. Even though the positive results of these and related policies are now clear and primed for Democrats basking in their glow, 2014 led to the worst turnout since World War II (when people were kind of busy with other maters) and the most Republican House seats since just before the Great Depression (when the bottom fell out).

Unfortunately, that means Democrats will have to wait until after 2020’s redistricting year (the last election before the next census) to have a chance to fix much of the damage done in the last four years.

The fact is, the Democrats can’t put Barack Obama on the ballot for any more elections and not every race is held in a hotly-contested Purple State during a presidential year so the Democrats need to start looking at how they can better connect with voters.

The good news about hitting rock bottom is that this time people are seriously discussing where “Yes We Can” went. The Democratic National Committee is sharing a survey of supporters right now and has created a Democratic Victory Task Force that will develop a preliminary “autopsy” report for their February Meeting followed by a final analysis in the summer. The team looks promising as it includes some familiar faces like Donna Brazile, Maria Cardona and tech-savvy Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt but time will tell whether they can absorb the cultural and systemic issues that led to this moment.

Yet “Victory” is not a big enough goal for this committee. In the end, winning elections is just a by-product of achieving public support for your cause FIRST that can come from a National MOVEMENT-BUILDING Strategy that seeks to win the hearts and minds of the American people.

There will be plenty of PIECEMEAL PROPOSALS matched with HUGE EXCUSES but we need to focus on the basics.

For example, due to online fundraising and the over-rated power of money to easily brainwash voters and win elections the post-“Citizens United” campaign finance environment didn’t hurt Democrats too much in 2012 as high-priced tools like TV advertising have reached a saturation point in a dying market.

Re-Districting is a legitimate problem often mentioned as Democrats should hold maybe 15 more seats in the House of Representatives if you compare their 2014 national vote total to their elected Members of Congress but we need to remember that losing elections is how we got in this situation in the first place...and that even if this were corrected the GOP would still have a commanding majority.

Hence, my simplest 2014 analysis is that sadly Barack Obama couldn’t figure out how to bring the Movement for “Hope” and “Change” to the Washington political establishment BUT the Washington political establishment definitely brought a movement of “cynicsm” and “status quo” politics to Barack Obama.

The President’s shine was destined to be tarnished by the ugly realities of governing and his time was now focused on more pressing matters, but he might regret how “Yes We Can!” became transformed into “Yes I Can!” where If you just give $5 the experts they can go off and win the election for you...don’t worry about the details or anything!

Well, it’s TIME to worry about the details that were left behind like the Howard Dean-led DNC’s “50-State” Strategy that supported party growth across the entire nation and helped create huge wins in the 2006 mid-terms before people knew who Barack Obama was.

The examples are endless, but here is one from the air war and one from the ground game that illustrate the rudimentary issues that I thought had become Outreach 101.

In 2014, after watching Bill Clinton be heralded as the “Explainer-in-Chief” and the success of My.BarackObama.com, am I seeing key Congressional and Senate races omit what should be politically-popular news about their governing agenda and record of achievements from their messaging AND even information on how to get involved like their campaign office and event information from their web sites and social media platforms....the internet wasn't created for only sharing cool things AFTER they happen!

In 2014, despite widespread use in party circles, why aren’t campaign organizers treated as capable of 21st Century communication with supporters (especially young people) on a regular basis via meetups, email, text and social media? Maybe because they’re perceived as low-skilled labor that doesn’t warrant a living wage or interns who don’t earn any wage at all?

The fact is, we have some numbers on our side but you don’t get credit for having a fundraising advantage or a great Get-Out-The-Vote program on Election Day. You lost the ENTIRE election….there’s no prize for your ad spending or door knocking results in October. Granted, there are external factors and demographic realities that affect candidates, but there needs to be a National MOVEMENT-BUILDING Strategy to shape the political climate 24/7/365 and more than ever it deserves to be scrutinized.

As Obama has said about Washington’s obstacles to policy solutions, the question is not whether there are enough “ideas” to help Democrats win elections - the U.S. electorate is demographically MORE LIBERAL today than it was in 2006 & 2008 - but whether there are enough PEOPLE that are willing and able to implement them.

And it starts with leadership! All it takes is one person at the top who has a vision and everyone else will become both “willing” and “able” to implement a plan in a hurry. So, with that in mind, we need to go beyond just dropping our comments in the Suggestion Box but really need to open up the dialogue beyond that.

And the fact is, the Democratic Party can never be as flexible and experimental as an individual activist, so even though some of the information gathered might not work for party organizations this kind of dialogue will offer us the opportunity to learn lessons that might be unique to our own issues and interests.

That’s why we need to focus on more than presidential primary candidates but a “Grassroots” Democratic Autopsy and long-term “Unite 4 Progress” campaign to help all smart candidates to WIN anyplace and anywhere!

A crowd-sourced forum will allow people to not be limited to emailing someone their feedback BUT to Share, Collaborate and Advocate for them, so best practices of all kinds can become more broadly championed and more easily percolate to the top of organizations instead of just getting read once and archived forever.



In particular, there is so much frustration among Obama supporters right now that this concept can be a great vehicle for channeling their energies by offering plenty of opportunities to promote legacy-building that will increase the President’s poll numbers and make him more of an asset to candidates for the next election.

Now, please join us in our quest for a growing a true Democratic Movement and let’s bring PROGRESS back in America!

JOIN THE 12/13 ROOTSCAMP EVENT & "READY FOR UNITY" TEAM
About “Forward Progressive” Blog:
Grassroots Social & Media Strategist Jim McBride writes about "post-partisan" forward-minded solutions to policy and campaign issues that prioritize strategies that appeal to broad coalitions of voters and supporters to ensure movement success. 

He was the Founder of Generation Webb and Generation Obama-Washington, DC chapter as well as one of the lead organizers of Virginia For Obama’s grassroots-led primary campaign. He is currently the President of the grassroots community Network For Progress and has over 20 years in communications and political work.
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FWD BLOG: Dems need a “Rockstar” Nominee in 2016 - Jim Webb has played the role before and other candidates should pay attention to how he did it!

11/20/2014

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With the announcement on webb2016.com today that the former Virginia Senator is creating an Exploratory Committee to run for President the Democratic race has pseudo-officially begun so it’s a good time to not just throw out endorsements but start a dialogue about what it will take for ANY Democratic candidate to win in 2016….but especially an underdog who is trying to beat the “inevitable” nominee Hillary Clinton.

And it just so happens that even though Jim Webb might not be the insider’s darling yet he could be the most qualified to become the next Obama-like rockstar in 2016.

Even before Obama, Jim Webb’s 2006 Senate campaign laid down the FIRST blueprint for what a “winning” grassroots campaign could be in the 21st Century after Howard Dean pioneered the internet and people-driven strategy in 2004.

First, whether by accident or design, Webb was actually “drafted” to run thanks to the efforts of bloggers Josh Chernila and Lowell Feld as chronicled in the book “Netroots Rising.” A passionate economic populist BUT also a war hero and served as Navy Secretary under President Reagan was the kind of mix Democrats needed in a state like Virginia.

Since he owed his candidacy to people asking him to become a candidate, he smartly let his supporters keep driving the bus with more creativity once the campaign officially began.

As many probably recall, his campaign’s opposition tracking led to the legendary “Macaca” moment where an Indian-American campaign worker was welcome to the “REAL Virginia” during his speech by Republican candidate George Allen...the first political gaffe to destroy a politician via YouTube.

But aside from finding aggressive ways to expose the racism of his opponent, it also meant aggressive ways to mobilize people on the ground FOR the candidate. That mean that volunteers were given the power to innovate under the guidance of Chernila as Grassroots Coordinator of a volunteer community called The Brigades - the alumni chapter is home to some of Northern Virginia’s strongest activists to this day.

But aside from a focus on the typical volunteer roles of door knocking and phone calls, the Brigades were also about proactive outreach efforts. After the “Macaca” incident South Asian volunteers branded themselves as “REAL Virginians for Webb” with their own T-Shirts and Business Cards. Then I had an idea for reaching another demographic we created a Generation Webb program that featured a website with videos and events to reach young voters.

Hence, after an improbable primary victory just four months after announcing his candidacy, Jim Webb pulled off a legendary 9,000-vote general election upset victory against a presidential hopeful that wound up flipping the Senate to the Democrats. Virginia has been a “purple” state ever since.

So, how does this all translate into 2016 for Jim Webb or any other candidate? Here are 4 key ways:

1) Be a Rockstar!

As they say, Democrats want to fall in love while Republicans fall in line.



To win, you need to do more than come up with a brilliant policy idea or wait for an opponent’s gaffe to create a wave of support, you need to inspire an aura of excitement. The critics probably don’t see a new one on the horizon but there’s an easy way to remedy that: start being awesome!

As proven by Webb as well as “Straight Talk Express” John McCain or Ron Paul you don’t have to be superficially charismatic, attractive or unique as a person to make it happen if your CAMPAIGN is attractive and unique...especially if you can build a brand as an authentic and even reluctant citizen leader not just an ambitious professional politician. 


Actions speak louder than Words.



2) Be an “Explainer-in-Chief!”

Everyone was so enamored with how President Clinton explained the President’s record at the DNC Convention in 2012 but his message should have been old hat already if the party was doing its job. As Jim Webb does in his campaign video above, he is also willing to educate his audience on the issues and won’t just throw out a series of talking points. He also will take the time to promote his record of achievements which is even more important to show proof you can get results.

This is also true because the winning candidate will need President Obama to improve his poll numbers and the best way to do that is to highlight what has worked in the last six years. And President Obama is right that it is a problem for ALL Democrats because his policies are their policies too.

There will be pressure on candidates to distance themselves from the President and I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities for that but this is the best way to win over the Obama loyalists and persuadable people who are down on him because the media only covers the overblown crisis-of-the-minute like ISIS or Ebola.


3) Be a “Hope & Change” Candidate!

Not only should candidates support the President’s record, they should also share his “Yes We Can”-themed and “Pragmatic Progressive”-focused messaging. Everyone is going to start wondering if Jim Webb is going to run to Hillary’s Left but I don’t think it was ever clear that Barack Obama was despite his Iraq War opposition. The perception that someone is THE “progressive” candidate can easily label someone as the fringe option not as a mainstream player. If Jim focuses on his positive message and his ability to listen to new ideas, compromise and make government work he will avoid the trap that other insurgent campaigns get into when they focus too much on ideology as some kind of partisan warrior.


4) Be a “Grassroots” Candidate!

Democrats talk a lot about progressive values but they also have to practice what they preach with a campaign operation that learns from the President’s previous campaigns and Webb’s pioneering Brigades team. When you match people-driven policies with people-driven politics you get better results so that means more money invested in digital and field outreach (including attractive salaries and work requirements to attract the best talent) and less devoted to annoying and ineffective TV ads. 


You create buzz among the base by informing and building a relationship with them as part of a team that is part of a broader movement not by treating them like one-way email pen pals that constantly owe you a bigger allowance.



SUMMARY:
The bottom line is Democrats need to start building on these lessons if they want to succeed again. There are no excuses anymore as there are are more registered Democrats than Republicans in America and demographics are leaning their way every day. Hence, the country is becoming more progressive on issues ranging from the minimum wage to gay marriage to marijuana.

Yet Democrats succumb to the hype of right-wing scare tactics and how well they can target ads or raise online dollars they will continue to lose to a party that is fighting to take away our Rights and kill the American Dream in plain sight as their primary agenda.

Like Jim Webb, I underwent a political transformation myself after seeing this occur over the years and especially after witnessing the fraud and incompetence of the Iraq War. And I believe Democrats can not only win but create a mandate if they are more strategic and an even “inclusive” when it comes to persuading men (especially younger “Sportscenter” voters) by speaking the stats-savvy language of a Nate Silver or Ezra Klein so they don’t think the Unemployment rate is 32% for example.

Time will tell if 2016 candidates will proudly exclaim “Yes We STILL Can!” and get to work.


About “Forward Progressive” Blog:

Jim McBride is a social and media strategist was the Founder of Generation Webb and Generation Obama-Washington, DC chapter as well as one of the lead organizers of Virginia For Obama’s grassroots-led primary campaign. He is currently the President of the grassroots community Netw
ork For Progress and has over 20 years in communications and political work.
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