Staying Focused

Staying on Message, and having a great message, is more important than ever in these crazy times

The environment that Donald Trump is creating is so juicy, so mesmerizing, that it is all too easy to focus on his antics, and not on winning back the House in 2018.  The Democratic National Committee  seems to have fallen into that trap.  Their website today reads:  JOIN RESISTANCE SUMMER.

The U.S. Senate Democrats recently released their A BETTER DEAL slogan and program.  I like that slogan more than the DNC's, but it still misses the mark, I believe. 

The other day I read about a study of Obama-Trump voters that was conducted by the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group.  I found some interesting and telling observation on this group of people in an August 17, 2017 New York Times article by Nate Cohn.

First:  "The Obama-Trump voters generally support Mr. Trump's key campaign pledges on police, infrastructure spending, trade and the environment."  I'm not happy about their thinking; what I have found by talking to some of these voters is that they want fairness, especially regarding immigration.  They aren't especially upset with rich people or big corporations.  (The "Better Deal" program  pits "special interests and the very wealthy" against the "middle class".  I'm not sure how helpful that is.)

Second, a number of Democrats running  for office in 2016 either won a bigger share of white working class people without a college degree, or lost by a smaller margin than Clinton did.  Tammy Duckworth in Illinois, Russ Feingold in Wisconsin, and Katie McGinty in Pennsylvania won their races.  John Kander lost his bid for the US Senate in Missouri by three points; Clinton lost by twenty.

The Democrats may not be able to get back all of these voters who flipped from Obama to Trump.   Democrats should not abandon their positions on the environment and police brutality.  They should, though, try to learn what Duckworth, Feingold, McGinty and Kander did to outperform Clinton in 2016.  And then they should use that information to craft a compelling program and message for 2018.

Grab a seat

This could take a while

If you consume lots of news from liberal sites as I do, and have participated in protests - some massive - it is easy to believe that this whole Trump presidency will be dispatched quickly.  Especially given the flow of bad news for Trump and his team.

Not so fast.  Don't get sucked into believing that outrage by people you affiliate with is enough to end this particular presidency.  Especially not given the pathetic lack of direction from the Democratic party.

I found several laments from pundits and politicians today after a very quick surfing of the web.  

Tim Kaine, our almost Vice President, stated that Democrats need to talk to the middle class, and need to talk about economic growth.  (USA Today, 5/24/17).

From Matt Taibbi, in a 5/26/17 Rolling Stone article, I found this gem:  "'But Republicans are bad' isn't a message or a plan, which is why the Democrats have managed the near impossible:  losing ground overall during the singular catastrophe of the Trump presidency...  People need a reason to be excited by politics, and not just disgusted with the other side.  Until the Democrats figure that out, these improbable losses will keep piling up."

On a July 10, 2017 interview on Michigan Radio, Jan Eyer (senior V.P. at Vanguard Public Affairs) thinks the latest Democratic messaging attempts prove the party still doesn't "get it".  For example, one of the slogans prepared by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reads:  "Democrats 2018:  I mean, have you seen the other guys?"  (I have not actually seen this slogan anywhere but from this source.)

I end with my friends, and their website:  the Democratic National Committee.  Their main content is:    

1. Hold Trump accountable

2. Take a stand

3. Make calls to Republicans

4. Give us money

5. Watch us "live"

6. Shop our merchandise

7. Learn about our new officers

I guess Tom Perez didn't read my letter, but put it in his circular file. 

Democrats obsess at their own peril

And risk any chance of taking the House in 2018

Trump keeps laying landmines, and Democrats keep viewing them as stepping stones to an inevitable landslide for Democrats in 2018.  It is a Republican "strategy" too delicious, too elegant, to have been cooked up consciously by anyone.

Yet a strategy it is - get the Democrats to focus on the shiny objects - the offensive tweets - and they will avoid the really difficult work of coming up with a compelling message to encourage people to vote for Democrats.

Democrats are doing the Republicans a big favor by obsessing about how awful Trump is.  They are ignoring the fact that a lot of people voted for Trump because of what they perceived as his positive message (much as that pains me to acknowledge).

I fear that until the Democratic party wakes up and develops a strong, affirmative message, the chances for Democrats are slimmer than they should be in 2018.

Depending on where you live, your vote may really NOT count

Political Gerrymandering

The Supreme Court will hear a case involving political gerrymandering in Wisconsin in the fall of 2017.  Racial gerrymandering, the practice of drawing congressional lines along racially concentrated areas, has been ruled unconstitutional in some cases.

Political gerrymandering, or the drawing of congressional districts in order to mute the impact of voters for the party out of power, has not been ruled on.  The problem the judiciary has with throwing out non-racial gerrymandering is that there is no "workable standard for deciding when partisan line-drawing crossed a constitutional line."  (Brent Kendall, 6/20/17 Wall St. Journal)

Republicans gained complete control of the Wisconsin government in 2010 - a re-districting year.  The redrawn map helped convert very close state contests into wins for the Republican party.  In 2012, Republicans won 48.6% of the statewide vote, but gained 60 of the state Assembly's 99 seats.  In 2014, 52% of the vote yielded 63 seats. (Adam Liptak, 6/20/17 New York Times)

Wisconsin is not alone in this practice.  A lawsuit is pending in Pennsylvania against the Republican Party.  Pennsylvania has the infamous "Goofy kicking Donald Duck" district, which traverses five counties, and at one point is so narrow that it only encompasses the width of a restaurant.

Democrats also use political gerrymandering to advance their party.  Maryland is being sued, accused of depriving voters of their first amendment rights.

Any hope of finding gerrymandering unconstitutional may hinge on the concept of an  an "efficiency gap" - a measure of votes considered wasted in districts designed not to be close.  Two states where this gap occurs are Ohio and Massachusetts.

Some states are getting rid of political gerrymandering by using independent commissions to draw congressional maps.  Most states will not voluntarily give up biased districting until the judiciary tells them they must.

My letter to Tom Perez

I am sending a letter to Tom Perez, the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and I am attaching it below:

June 22, 2017

Tom Perez

Chairman

Democratic National Committee

430 South Capital St. Southwest

Washington, DC 20003

Dear Chairman Perez:

I am a voter who is very concerned about the state of the Democratic party.  I believe that if the party continues on its current path, Democrats will not make strong electoral gains in 2018.

The Democratic party does not have a strong message.  Looking at the DNC website (as I have been doing since mid January), I am struck by the lack of a message beyond RESIST and DONATE.    Looking further into the website, I went to a section that included the 2016 party platform.  There I found the un-inspiring “Stronger together”.  What exactly does that mean?  Did that move anybody to vote for Hillary in November?  Why is that the message now?

Before the inauguration the Senate moved to start repealing the ACA.  I looked at the vote count, and said to myself “all we needed were two more Democratic senators and this wouldn’t have happened.”  I immediately went to the DNC website to see how I could help.  

What I found was sickening.  The website had not been updated since before the election.

I then decided to start a blog, which I have been posting to weekly since mid-January (you can find it at thinkandparticipate.blogspot.com.  

As part of my blog, I have been talking, and listening to people - most of them Trump supporters.  I have asked them if they think that the country is headed in the right direction.  The resounding answer is “NO”.    Then, almost all of them volunteer that things are not fair in the country (they are usually referring to illegal immigration.)  

It seems to me that the Democrats could use fairness in a strong, compelling message.  

Resist may work with the base; I don’t think it will work with people who voted for Trump in 2016 (and who may very well have voted for Obama in 2012).

Sincerely,

Joan Savitt, 2 Woodlawn Ave., Wellesley, MA

*******************************************************************

I am not especially hopeful that I will get a response, but I am going to continue to write to him, and try to contact others in the Democratic Party, who might be interested in what I have to say.


I CHANGED THE LETTER - THE ABOVE LETTER HAS THE WRONG ADDRESS - IT SHOULD BE: 430 S. CAPITAL ST. SOUTHEAST, NOT  SOUTHWEST.

Testing ... Testing

Trump's base is still devoted to him.

Have you ever wondered why Republicans in Congress still support Donald Trump?  People keep asking "how can Republicans support a man who loves Vladimir Putin, who doesn't want to get to the bottom of the Russia hacking/meddling scandal???"

If you watch as many news shows as I do, you have probably heard that "Republicans were so much braver during Watergate ... those were people with deep conviction and integrity."

Recently  a pundit/historian ( maybe Michael Beschloss) said on TV (maybe the Rachel Maddow show - I did try to find out)  that Republicans only got the courage to confront Richard Nixon when  they perceived that his supporters in their districts were becoming disillusioned with him. 

So, who knows, maybe Republicans will grow some courage ... when their constituents have told them they have had enough with the Donald Trump administration.

Scoring the communications of Democrats and the president

There is some hope

I was hoping that the Democrats would have understood by now the need to have a clear, concise message about why to vote for Democrats.  The record is mixed.  A saving grace is that the president's messaging, exacerbated by his lack of discipline, is completely chaotic.

In addition to talking and listening  to people  I am researching  how the Democratic parties in OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, MICHIGAN and WISCONSIN are forming and communicating  their message .

I am most disappointed with the Democratic party in Ohio.  I am from Ohio and have actually interviewed David Pepper, the Ohio Democratic party chairman.  Nowhere on the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) website, especially not on the home page, is there a headline of purpose.  The closest they get is to state:  "Stand up for all Americans.  Join Ohio Democrats".  What does that mean, and is it supposed to motivate anybody to do anything?

The ODP website discusses redistricting reform - gerrymandering is a huge problem in the Buckeye state.  This effort is called "Resistance Summer", and is a fine, worthy, and needed thing to do.  It is not, however, a call and a reason to vote for Democrats in Ohio.

The Ohio website includes details about the 1618 PLAN, which is designed to help Democrats run for office in 2018.  Buried in a paragraph about this plan is a sentence about how the Ohio Democratic Party needs to improve its messaging about why it is important to be a Democrat.  So true!  PUT THAT MESSAGE FRONT AND CENTER ON YOUR HOMEPAGE!

The websites for the Michigan and Pennsylvania Democratic parties have a better, more clearly communicated message than does Ohio's.  They aren't great, though.  

Michigan's website has a statement  that reads "Our focus is on putting Michigan issues first, fighting for families, seniors, students and veterans...".  A good message - they still need a compelling headline.

At least Pennsylvania has a headline on its website's homepage:  "Continue the fight for what's right".

It is a headline, it is an active statement.  It doesn't however, "paint a picture", as marketing wordsmiths would say,  about what is "right", and why that matters to the ordinary voter.

Wisconsin is the clear winner.  Their headline reads "Fighting for Fairness and Opportunity", and it    achieves a few strategic goals.  First, it appeals to the average voter.  Everybody has a sense of what fairness and opportunity means to them.  Second, it is what I hear when I listen to people talk  about whether they think America is headed in the right direction.  Third, it can cover a lot of topics, from healthcare to tax reform to school funding.

It has the visceral impact of the odious "make America great again" without the  awful  dog whistles.  I hope that more state Democratic parties do what Wisconsin has done - devise a clear and compelling message, and communicate it forcefully.

What I learned from listening to carefully chosen words in North Carolina

I guess people here can tell I am from the North

I am on vacation in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and I got the chance to speak to some people here.  Because I have been so lucky getting people to talk to me about the direction of the country, I assumed that people here would be equally chatty.

NOT QUITE.  People did speak to me, but they did not say much.  What they did say showed me the gap between my world and theirs.

The first woman I spoke to, Pat, does not think the country is headed in the right direction.  Pat, who  works at the Rite-Aid,  is not happy that historical flags and monuments are being taken down.  I did not press her, but I am pretty sure she was talking about the removal of Confederate flags, statues, and monuments.  Pat said that these items are part of our history, and we should respect that.  She said that "it wasn't right; actually, it was right in the beginning, but now we are moving on."

I appreciate Pat's belief.  I, too, think it is important to know our history - to never forgot.  However, I don't think that we need to glorify it.  I didn't ask Pat if she thought it would be a good idea for Germany to have statues of Hitler so that the German people could "remember their history".  No one wants to talk about Hitler, and I wasn't about to mention him to Pat.

The next lady, Michelle, had just gotten off of her shift at work.  She was kind enough to give me a minute of her time.  She said that her husband talks about a Bible passage dealing with End of Days.  I assumed that she and he believed that we were just about there.  She lamented the divisions and selfishness in the country and throughout the world.  Michelle was born and raised in Currituck County - one of the coastal counties near Kitty Hawk.

I spoke with a woman, Anna, from Jamaica.  She looked scared to talk to me, but thought that our government needed to work differently with other countries.

The last woman, whose name I did not get, is from Maryland.  She was with friends who were about to go into the Walmart.  I was the least comfortable speaking with her - she appeared to be smirking - payback, I guess, for all the snark from the "liberal elite".

This woman did feel that the country is headed in the right direction, because we have a leader with common sense, who is bringing people into his administration, who also have common sense.  The implication was that Obama did not have any.

Even though I did not encounter any chatter boxes, I feel that the experience of listening to people in North Carolina was useful.  I am starting to get how much people like me take for granted  the "proper way to think about things."  And how not everybody thinks the way I do.

Listening to a nurse in Framingham

I am always nervous when I approach someone to ask  if they will answer a question for my blog.  So far, no one has yelled at me or told me that I am trespassing.

This past Tuesday was no different.  I approached a woman outside a shoe store in Framingham, MA, and asked her if she could give me a minute to answer whether or not she thought America was headed in the right direction.

She was happy to talk to me (her teenage daughter was not, and asked  for the keys and went to the car - I get it!)

One minute turned into twenty, and I heard a lot.  This woman (I should start asking people for their first names) wasn't sure whether we were headed in the right direction or not.  She doesn't like Trump, (I sense that people who voted for him are tiring of his methods)  and didn't like Obama too much in his last term - she felt that he had let things slide.  She also felt that the politicians in Washington are completely ineffective - they cannot, or will not, get anything done.

She did feel that Obama had the right idea with trying to get healthcare for everyone, but that the  plan  needs work.  She felt that people should pay something for their healthcare.  "Everyone should have healthcare, just not the same for everybody", meaning, I think, that people should pay what their income allows.  Being in the health field, she felt that socialized medicine does not work.  "People come here to have their knees replaced because they can have it done right away."  I wanted to ask "what about France?", but I didn't.  I was here to listen.

She also felt that many do not take care of their health - there is no personal responsibility.  There should be a way to make people accountable for the lifestyle decisions they make that impacts their health.

This woman felt that the middle class was being squeezed unfairly by policies devised in
Washington, DC.  Her family's income taxes have gone up dramatically in the last eight years.  She blamed it on Obama - it is impossible for me to tell if her family's income increased and they were bumped into a higher bracket.   I don't know if you can blame a dramatic increase in income taxes over eight years to Obama.

"Obama fatigue" is a term I have heard before, and I think this woman has it.  She is from Pittsburgh, and said that lots of people there had high hopes when Obama was elected, but that he had let them down.

She felt that he had not done anything for anyone - I did not bring up the auto bailout or Obamacare - but I did ask her about Republicans' unwillingness to work with him.  She felt that Obama was not willing to be a real politician and interact more enthusiastically with the legislative branch.  Obama needed to be more like Ted Kennedy.

At the end of our conversation, I thanked the woman for her time.  She said to me "maybe you should run for president!"  I chuckled and shook my head.  "I'm an illustrator" -  one who knows that people are desperate to be heard.

Listening on Cleveland's west side

Getting an ear full.

Yesterday I visited Cleveland's West Side Market.  Foodies, if you are ever in Cleveland, pay it a visit.  I didn't go just for the food, but for the opinions as well.

Cleveland is divided culturally, ethnically and sometimes racially into the east and west sides by the Cuyahoga River.  It is hard to understand what that means unless you have spent some time here.  I am from the east side, and am proud of its diversity, its museums, its symphony orchestra - its culture.  

If a west sider doesn't know that you are from Cleveland, they may tell you to avoid the east side, where you are likely to be robbed or murdered by a "diverse type" person.  (Times have changed, and that may not be accurate anymore.)  From my grossly prejudiced statement, you can probably guess that I think  Cleveland's east side is liberal, and the west side is conservative.

I went to the west side, hoping to talk to some people who might feel differently about politics than I do, and listen to them.  I spent a lot of time listening to this fellow, while I was eating ice cream and congratulating myself on how many people I had listened to already (more on that later.)

I was eating my ice cream (chocolate peanut butter cup), and he sat down near me with a double scoop of ice cream on a cone.  He started talking immediately, so I figured that he was probably game to tell me what he thought about the direction of the country.

He told me that he was a 57 year old father of five daughters; he has several grandchildren.  He got an associate's degree in mechanical engineering, and had a good drafting job using AutoCad until the early 1980's.  That's when his job, and others like his, were outsourced to India.  Since then, he has been doing construction work all over the country.  He had even worked in Lowell, MA.

He said that it is a lie that manufacturing jobs are coming back.  Despite that firm opinion, he believes that Trump will help the country.  Trump does not "need the money", and will "shake up Washington".

He believes that Hillary should be in jail,  and that politicians and bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. want to keep the status quo because they benefit from it.  He does believe that we should build a wall, although he has no problem with immigrants, just as long as they come here legally.

Trump says what is on his mind, and he is being unfairly bashed by the media.  Trump really wants to help people like him, the little guy - and will even bring back manufacturing, even though he told me that that was not going to happen.

Whoever is president needs to do a few things to help bring back the middle class, the man told me.  They need to lower the price of gas, utilities, and food.  Although he gave no suggestions on how to accomplish these goals, I can sympathize with him.

The man, whose name I never got, was tickled when I asked if I could draw him.  I didn't agree with a lot of what he told me, but he didn't need to know that.  As he left, he told me that I was the most interesting person he had met in a long time!

Before I sat down with my ice cream, I met a disabled woman selling the Cleveland Street Chronicle, a newspaper written by the homeless.  I bought a copy (I recommend everybody buy one at some point; the articles are eye opening.)  This woman HATES Donald Trump.  He is trying to take money away from the poor - from her.  She relies on Social Security to survive.

Because she was trying to sell papers, I thanked her for her time and moved on.  I approached a woman and her daughter - clearly from the suburbs (as it turns out, they are from Stark County - home of the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.)  I asked her if she could answer a question for my blog, and she said "sure".  "Do you think the country is headed in the right direction?"

Simple question, right?  She said she did not know.  She did not have enough information.  I pressed a bit, she still professed a complete lack of an opinion.  I then asked her daughter, who looked to be at least sixteen.  "Oh, she doesn't know anything, she's in high school."  I kept my horror at that response to myself, thanked them for their time, and moved on.

I then approached two men, wearing identical polo shirts bearing a distillery logo, what they thought about the direction of the country.  One of the men volunteered that the country was definitely headed in the wrong direction; in fact, it was spiraling downward.  Before I could ask "why", he said that Trump didn't know what he was doing.  He didn't have much hope for any politicians in Washington solving the problem - he compared the Democrats and Republicans to two bad football teams battling it out - specifically, the Browns and the Bengals.

The more reserved man said that he doesn't like Obamacare because his premiums keep going up and up.  He did not have much hope for the recently passed Republican version, either.  It turns out that these men owned the distillery whose logo was on their shirts.

I got more opinions than I bargained for, and I was surprised by some of the response .  That shows me that you really have to ask people what they think, and listen to their responses.  You cannot assume anything.

Is the Country Headed in the Right Direction?

An interview in Westborough, MA

I have been flummoxed about how to approach people, to listen to what they think about the current political situation, and to try to find out why they voted the way they did in 2016.  That's the money issue, one of the keys to taking back the House in 2018.

My husband picked up an old, small spiral binder a few weeks ago, and asked me if I could use it.  I said "sure" - and into my purse it went.

I decided to ask people one question:  "Is the country headed in the right direction - why or why not?"  
I pulled into a strip mall, and armed with my little notebook and a pen, screwed up my courage and approached a woman coming out of a local restaurant.

The woman seemed a bit wary when I approached her, but happily gave me her opinions.

She felt that "only time will tell" if the country is headed in the right direction - but it was definitely headed in the wrong direction before the election.  Her issues ranged from illegal immigration to education to health care (she sells health care policies).  Her parents came from Italy, legally, in 1956.  They made sure that they and their children learned English, and her father stressed the importance of speaking proper English.  Her opinion boiled down to "There are rules and people should follow them."

As someone who sells health insurance policies, she felt that the current health care system was making things too complicated.  She is in favor of giving people vouchers to buy health insurance.

She was most animated about education.  I was not surprised to hear her lament how arithmetic and spelling and reading were taught - I had many of the same concerns when my children were young - but I was shocked to hear her say that public education is PURPOSELY bad to keep people down.  If  people are not educated, the government can do whatever it wants.  She is in favor of vouchers for education.

I asked her if she thought that one candidate understood her concerns more than the other.  She answered "yes", but did not say which candidate she was referring to.  I don't think it was Hillary Clinton.  She did volunteer that the country was too divided, and that Congress needs to get its act together.  That is something I think I can agree with her on.

Thoughts about listening

When it seems all is lost, listen

I went to an authors' talk a few days ago at Wellesley College.  Andrew Forsthoefel, a 2011 graduate of Middlebury College (same year as my daughter graduated from college), was talking about his book Walking to Listen.   I had seen an article about him in the Boston Globe a few months earlier, and because I believe that our current political climate demands that we LISTEN to people, I was intrigued by his story.

I sent him an e-mail, and he got back to me and let me know about his book and his talk at Wellesley.
Hoping to pick up some pointers about how to get people to talk to me, I attended his presentation - and bought his book.

Today I started reading his book.  It seemed like my best option - given that the House was on the verge of passing Trumpcare and I needed to get my mind off of what this means for people like my daughter who have a pre-existing condition.

As I read, I realized that Andrew was not going to give me any nuggets of wisdom about how to make my goal of listening to strangers any easier.  I did find out that Andrew was scared about approaching people - not just about being rejected, but about being physically attacked.  His mother's landlord sent him off with these words of wisdom:  "Don't trust anybody".  The whole point to him WAS TO TRUST PEOPLE.

He felt foolish at first.  He thought that "a lifestyle of comfort and consumption inhibits peoples' ability to make a pilgrimage."

After reading fifty pages, I realized that Andrew would have no trouble getting people to talk to him.  "And then there was serendipity, that inexplicable cascade of just-so conditions that moves your right where you didn't know you wanted to be, to people you didn't know you were looking for."

I realized that I want to listen to people, but I want it to be on my terms, on my schedule - to fit into my idea of what the future will look like.

After meeting Andrew, and reading some of his book (I am a slow reader), I know that I will renew my efforts to listen to people, and to be open to who they are and what they have to tell me.

I Didn't Go to the March for Science

Instead, I worked on an illustration for Sustainable Wellesley

Here it is:

Sustainable Wellesley is a group that advocates for a clean, sustainable environment.  They are hosting a forum on Eco friendly landscaping at the Wellesley, MA Free Library on May 13.  I've always wanted a lawn that is safe for all of God's creatures, so I am attending.

We cannot always make every march, protest or event.  We can do what our time, mood, and energy levels allow.  Let's remember when we are close to despair - keep doing, keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Own It

WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO WIN IN 2018

After the electoral gut punch in November, the exhilaration of the Womens' March in January, and the thrill of staging raucous town halls throughout the late winter and early spring, it is time to come to grips with what it will take to win in 2018.  I am talking about putting up with a long, slow slog.

I live a block away from mile 15 of the Boston Marathon.  This point is after the "Scream Tunnel" of Wellesley College, and before the brutal Newton hills - most notably Heartbreak Hill.  People are starting to look not too happy around this area.  They have to dig in, because they have another 11.5 miles to go.

We are entering the really tough part of the journey to take back the House in 2018.  It's time to own  this marathon.  The exhilaration will be back when we cross the finish line.

Listening to Ohio

Ohio Democrats Take Action

I recently had the pleasure of talking to David Pepper, Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.  Here are the major takeaways from our conversation:

• Ohio has not felt the benefits of the recovery from the Great Recession that most of the nation has enjoyed.
• Democrats can get themselves into a bubble - they did in 2016, believing that Trump's liabilities would hurt him more than it did.
• Every time Trump talked trade, Democrats knew that they were losing voters to him.
• The Ohio Democratic Party is making a serious, sustained effort to listen to voters across all 88   Ohio counties.

I have been hoping that Democrats would undertake serious, brutally honest listening tours among all voters.  The Democrats in Ohio are doing that.  These are taking place through KITCHEN TABLE CONVERSATION throughout the state.  The goal is not only to listen, but to develop messages that resonate  throughout the entire state, not just the blue sections.

Let Renewable Energy Power the Democrats' Strategy

"China poised to take lead on climate after Trump's move to undo policies" reads the headline from the March 29, 2017 New York Times article written by Edward Wong.

"China wants to take over the role of the U.S. as a climate leader, and they've baked it into their five year plans." said Barbara Finamore, senior lawyer and Asia director at the Natural Resources Defense Council

From the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA.org), PacRim is pulling out of its Alaska Coal Project because of a lack of customers.

"The contributions of sustainable energy to the country's economic competitiveness are direct, dramatic and dynamic."  Lisa Jacobson, president of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.

It seems to me that the Democrats have a ready made strategy, screaming to be adopted.  Push sustainable energy.  It doesn't have to mean a loss of jobs; indeed, I believe that it is a nascent economic sector that is only going to get bigger, and employ more people. The cost of sustainables continue to drop - Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that investment fell 18% from 2015 to 2016 because of the dramatic drop in cost, not demand.

Engineering and building storage capacity should be a big part of the economy.  Not only does the grid need upgrading and expanding, storage capacity has to be increased as well.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has implemented a program to get most of its energy from renewable energy sources (there have been some hiccups, largely because the grid and storage capacity cannot accommodate the supply.)  Germany has day where close to 100% of its power comes from renewable energy.

If Germany and China take the lead in the renewable energy market, is the US crippling our future economy?  I think so.

The vision is becoming clearer

I am heartened that some Democrats seem to be moving beyond "Resistance is our strategy" to "Let's figure out what our strategy is."  Tom Perez, the new chair of the DNC, was recently interviewed by Dan Balz of the Washington Post.  (You can see the interview by clicking on this link:  wapo.st/202perez).  I was happy to hear Perez say that he knows that people felt that the Democrats were not listening to them. (not that I am happy about that - I am just happy that they realize it.)

Perez said that the DNC needs to make "house calls", and needs to have an every zip code strategy.  He also said that we need to build an economy for the 21st century.  The country needs to invest in basic infrastructure, not to help Wall St., but to help every person in the country.

I was finally able to speak to someone at the Ohio Democratic Party.  She told me about a few initiatives that are being taken in the Buckeye state (where I grew up).  One is the Main St. Initiative - a program to help Democrats run for office throughout Ohio.  This effort supports candidates through training, phone banks, canvassing operations, and direct mail.  In 2016, 38 new Democrats were elected to office.  A Democrat won back the mayorship in Toledo.

There are also programs to engage with ordinary citizens.  One is called C.A.N. meetings (concrete action now).  Another is called Kitchen Table Conversations.  The latter is for small groups of people.

I was not able to speak to anyone at the Wisconsin Democratic Party - I will try again next week - but I was glad to see that they have a meaningful statement of purpose.   "Giving every person and every community in our state a fair shot at success and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream is what Wisconsin Democrats stand for."

Strategy and Tactics

The Democratic leadership has a fixation with pledges, petitions, and "pony up" (sorry, I couldn't help that one.)  The democratic senatorial campaign committee (dscc.org) website has three places where you can take "action".  Two of them involve handing over your information.  The third asks you to watch a newly released TV ad about the perils of repealing the Affordable Care Act.

I am as scared as the next person about repealing the ACA.   Is it appropriate, though, that the organization tasked with taking back the Senate in 2018 is spending its money on an ad defending the ACA?

If the Democratic National Committee were a well run company, precious funds needed to market a new product would not be spent defending an old product, no matter how worthy it is.  Someone should be spending money to protect the ACA - just not the democratic senatorial campaign committee.

The DNC and the DSCC need to focus on strategy, not tactics.  Strategy is what guides an organization in its desired direction.  Strategy is what help you evaluate whether you are on or off track.

Tactics are the things you do to achieve your strategy.

Spending money to create an ad defending the ACA is a tactic that is not supporting the strategy of taking back the House in 2018.

Who knows what the strategy of the Democratic National Party is.  Right now, it seems to be Resist, Resist, Resist.

Problem is, that does not excite anybody about voting for your candidate in 2018. 

I have prepared an "artistic" explanation of the difference between tactics and strategy.  Consider the humble shingle.

You can use it to build all kinds of stuff.  If you don't have a strategy when you are building your stuff, you can end up with something like this:

If you have a plan, a strategy, you can end up with something like this:

(I have been looking at this house for over 33 years!)

I am still hoping that the Democrats come up with a foreward thinking strategy to take back the House in 2018, and to govern for the people, of the people, by the people.

What I learned about leadership in fifth grade

I had the best example of leadership in fifth grade at St. Dominic's School in Shaker Hts., Ohio.  Sister Timothy had come to teach at our school from some place exotic on the East coast - maybe New York.  She took an immediate dislike to us, and we reciprocated in kind.

In her mind, we were dumb as sticks.  None of us knew how to diagram a sentence! (actually, I think they should teach it now.)  She thought we were sneaky, too.

As the year progressed, things got worse.  Something happened to Sister Timothy's prized possessions - her very own Child of Prague statue - that really set her off.  The statue had been damaged slightly - I don't remember exactly what happened.  This normally angry woman became furious.

Father Worley - the cool priest, tried to talk to her.  She got angrier, and insisted that we were trying to make her life a living hell.

(Sister Timothy with her "neutral" face.)

Finally, the school principal, Sister Thomas Howard, took charge of the situation.  I will never forget what she did, and I have always tried to emulate her wonderful leadership skills.

First, she spoke privately with Sister Timothy.  Then, she spoke to our class as a group.  She let us vent for a few minutes.  Then, she asked us to give Sister Timothy a chance.  She acknowledged that we had legitimate issues with our teacher.  She asked us to make an effort, to do something hard, to try to get along with a difficult woman.

I imagine that she did the same with Sister Timothy.  First listen, then ask to try to get along with us.

It worked.  For the remainder of the school year, we worked well together.

I learned about leadership from a pro in 1967 -  leadership involves listening and challenging your followers.

I hope that our leaders start showing some of these same qualities soon - our country depends on it.

The donut shop

I recently spent a few hours drawing in a donut shop in a western suburb of Boston.  I was hoping to talk to somebody about what they want from elected officials.  The only person I spoke to was a man who admired my drawing.

I did discover something interesting, though.  The man behind the counter was an immigrant - either from India or Pakistan, I would guess.  The donut shop serves a largely blue collar community.  Young men, appearing to be construction workers, came in and out, grabbing a coffee and a donut or two, before or after their shift.

There was a friendly, comfortable banter between every customer and the fellow working behind the counter.  These people were familiar with each other.  Nobody felt threatened by somebody because of their accent or the color of their skin.  I might have been the most threatening person there.

It is tragic that there is such frightened and angry talk about "illegals" today.  Perhaps everybody needs to visit a donut shop like the one I drew in, and get a little perspective on immigration.

Ask and Listen

Yesterday I asked the owner of my local hardware store if I could draw in his store.  I explained that I am interested in what non-politicians, in other words, ordinary people, think about the last presidential race.  I really want to talk to Trump supporters, and just listen to them talk about why they voted for Trump, and more importantly, why they didn't vote for Clinton.

The owner did not want me asking people about politics.  He was fine with me drawing.  I asked him "what if someone approaches me?"  That seemed to be fine.  I promised not to get in anybody's hair, or start a riot.

I am not the only person who wants to talk about what people want from their politicians.  There are a couple of notable groups that I hope to talk to soon.  The first is the Blue Collar Caucus, started by Representative Marc Veasey of Texas and Representative Brennan Boyle of Philadelphia.  In a 2/16/17 article in Politico, Representative Boyle said that Trump got that people were upset when a manufacturing plant shut down.  He mentioned an Oreo plant that had closed.  The Democrats did not seem concerned; Trump did (or at least he communicated that.)

There is another group, called Knock Every Door (Knockeverydoor.org), that is aiming to canvas voters across the country to find out what voters want.  You can contact them and volunteer to be a canvasser.

As it turns out, I did get to speak to someone with strong opinions in the hardware store.   She came over to see what I was doing, and I explained what I was trying to find out.

The woman I spoke to is a conservative.  She made two really good points.  The first was that she did not feel that the Democrats listened to people like her.  The second was that she felt many conservatives were afraid to open their mouths for fear of being ridiculed by liberals.  I could empathize.

She then started down the rabbit hole of Democrats planting fake news, rich liberals paying people to cause trouble at Republican town halls, and Obama's interference with Trump's presidency.  This conversation was going nowhere, and I was able to end it on a cordial note.

I am going to continue to talk to people - next week - a donut shop in a neighboring town.  I hope that someone is willing to talk to me.

Finding our Path

We recently had a blizzard.  Our cat was stuck inside for days, unhappy.  Finally, he braved the cold and ventured into the snow.  My husband let him out early in the morning.  When I woke up, I called for him, but he did not come to the door.  I feared the worst.  Perhaps he had been hit by an icicle, or was trapped in a snowbank.

Finally, I got the idea to go to my bedroom window and look for tracks in the snow.  I found them!  There were areas where it appeared that he was confused and couldn't decide where to go.  But his tracks continued, into the safety of a rhododendron bush.

We live in historic times, and many of us are scared and angry.   We don't know what path we are on, and where it will take us. In times like these, it helps me to think of somebody like George Washington and what he went through at Valley Forge.

The Revolutionary War looked lost in late 1777.  The British had re-taken Philadelphia.  Congress, having no faith in Washington, refused to fund his army.  Washington would not attack the British in Philadelphia, and he retreated with his army to Valley Forge; they stayed there for six months.  His men starved.  They had no medicine, no supplies.  Somehow, Washington and his troops survived, and prevailed.

It is easy to look at history and think "Oh, they knew that everything would work out in the end."  In fact, they didn't.  They set out on a path, with no end in sight, and persisted.  Just as we must do now.

Listening tours, part 2

I go to a hairdresser who does a great job with my hair.  Plus, she is kind,  loves her family,  is crazy about her son, and  is generous.  I am pretty sure that she voted for Trump - given her recent comments about things like Obamacare.

Recently I was thinking that maybe I should find someone else to do my hair.  Especially if she starts talking about how she thinks Trump is being treated unfairly.  Or she starts dissing Obama.

Then I thought, maybe I should listen to her.  Not so that I would change my mind, but so that I would expand my mind.  Those of us who did not vote for Trump need to listen to those who did.  I know a lot of people won't agree with me here.  (I am closely related to them!)

Lots of people who voted for Obama, sometimes twice, either did not vote in 2016, or did not vote for Hillary Clinton.  Perhaps it is because of fake news.  Perhaps it is because Russia had a huge impact on the election.

All of the above are possible.  I would guess, though, that there are other reasons, and it would be helpful to just listen; gather intelligence.

Next week, when I get my hair done, I am going to keep my mouth shut - if something comes up about the election or the current administration - I am not going to give my opinion.  I am going to be curious and welcoming of my hairdresser's comments.  I truly believe that listening, and responding appropriately, will help the Democrats re-take the House in 2018.

Bubble Up Economics

Ronald Reagan popularized the notion of "Trickle Down Economics".  The thinking went that if you gave rich people a big tax break, they would spend all of those tax savings and stimulate the economy.  The jury is still out on how well this theory worked.

The economy did improve under Reagan.  Was it due to trickle down, or to the fact that Reagan increased government spending by 2.5% (mostly on  the military)?  Under Reagan's presidency the country experienced stagflation (double digit unemployment and double digit inflation).

Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama tried a version of Bubble Up economics.  Bush did it with a tax rebate in 2001 and 2008.  (the rebate did not prevent the fiscal collapse of 2008).  Obama gave people a 14 month payroll tax cut, from 6.2% to 4.2%.

The multiplier effect (the number of times a dollar circulates throughout the economy) was not what I expected it to be from either of these programs.  Some data suggest that the working poor and the wealthy spent a bigger percentage of the give-back than did the middle class (who spent most of it on savings and paying off debt.)

However, an article from a 12/9/10 blog posting in The Economist (the blog is called "Democracy in America") called "The rich are harder to stimulate than the poor" stated:  "To wit, the gross value of the tax cut for income under $250,000 is much larger than that for incomes over the line."

I do not know whether "Bubble Up" economics works.  I do know that it is a legitimate idea for stimulating the economy, and would probably appeal to working and middle class people.

"The Globalization of Indifference"

I was not going to do a post this early in the week, but Sunday's sermon at church changed my mind.  Our visiting priest at St. John the Evangelist in Wellesley, MA, Father J. Brian Hehir, read a letter written by Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston.  (This letter was read at Mass by all priests in the diocese.)

The letter was inspired by recent events; the Muslim travel ban, and Pope Francis' warning against the "globalization of indifference".  The letter was inspiring, in that it urged everyone to welcome immigrants, to appreciate their contributions to our society, and to have compassion for their plight.  It made me proud to be Catholic.

Years before he was a cardinal, O'Malley was a Franciscan priest - you may know them by their  unique garb - a simple brown tunic and sandals.  They often work with the poorest of the poor.  Cardinal O'Malley worked with undocumented people, so-called "illegals", in the Washington, DC area.  They were escaping persecution, and were mostly from Central America.  This experience gave O'Malley a unique perspective on the current travel ban.

Next week

I am going to a once a week posting schedule.  I should have a post next Wednesday or Thursday.  Barring some catastrophe, the post will be on something I call "Bubble Up" Economics.

Listening Tours

More and more, I am reading and hearing about how Democrats need to learn to listen to real people, to people who voted for Trump, to people who live in "fly-over" country.  There was recently a retreat for top Democrats in Shepardstown, WV (gorgeous little town - close to Antietam and Harper's Ferry).

There were sessions on how to talk to "real people".  One session was called "Speaking to those who feel invisible in rural America".  It seems astounding to me that politicians need to go back to school to put their listening ears on.  You can read more about this meeting in Burgess Everett's 1/25/17 article in Politico.  http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/democrats-real-people-lessons-234198

Another author wrote about Venezuelans' complete inability to rid themselves of Hugo Chavez.  The worst thing to do is to talk down to the people who voted for Trump.  Lectures don't work.  Speaking to people, on their turf, and listening to what they have to say about why they voted for Trump and what they want for themselves, their family and their community, is what works.

You can find this article, by Andres Miguel Rondon,  in the 1/27/17 Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/01/27/in-venezuela-we-couldnt-stop-chavez-dont-make-the-same-mistakes-we-did/?utm_term.

I am happy that the Democrats seem to be getting the message.  I hope that they take it to heart.

Lincoln and McClellan

Imagine that it is late September of 1862.  You are Abraham Lincoln, and you are fretting about the performance of Major General George B. McClellan.

Earlier in the year, in the spring, McClellan would not act at the battle of Richmond (the Peninsula), until May.  He  overestimated the size of the Confederate Army, and refused to move against Lee's forces until he felt sure that he would win.

The battle at Antietam concluded in mid September.  The Union Army was able to claim victory, barely.  In an act of insubordination, McClellan would not advance agains the Confederacy, until it was almost too late.

Imagine President Lincoln's frustration with his general's stubborn defiance.  In early November of 1862, McClellan was relieved of his post.  He would never lead in battle again.

Is there enough of an effort today by the Democrats to take back the Senate in 2018?  Right now, it doesn't appear that way.    The Democrats ask for your contact information and contributions, all important, but not hitting the mark, by a long shot, at taking back the Senate.

Women's March 2017, Boston

Saturday I attended the Women's March with some of my great friends from the League of Women Voters' of Wellesley.  We were all exhilarated  by the huge crowd, the great speakers, and the energy of people of all colors, genders,  and ages.

I particularly loved the music being tolled by the bells of the Arlington Street Church.  Amazing Grace was memorable.  We were blessed by excellent weather and peaceful enthusiasm.

I am still disappointed by the Democratic National Committee.  The website to take back the Senate, www.dscc.org, has been updated- with a sign-up sheet (for what exactly?), and pictures of Elizabeth Warren speaking at the March.

I would love to see actual proposals for action. We must not let all of the energy from Saturdays' marches - around the world - fade.

Take back the Senate

Instead of watching the Innauguration this morning, I have been doing research on how the Democratic National Committee is planning on taking back the Senate in 2018.

I am a bit relieved that the DNC website has been updated.  It is not dominated by BLUE SQUARES,    which seems to me is a good thing - as blue squares may be about the least dynamic shape and color combination that exists.

There is even a website for Taking back the Senate - you can find it at www.dscc.org.  I did check it out, and was distressed to see the message :  "Stay tuned to learn more about our efforts to take back the Senate."  UGHH!

I started this blog last Thursday because the Senate "voted 51 to 48 to approve a budget resolution instructing House and Senate Committees to begin work on legislation to repeal major portions of the Affordable Care Act."  (Washington Post, 1/12/17)

It finally occurred to me what I could do after the election (I keep telling my daughters "there is a path; I just don't know what it is yet.")  I could work to help take back the Senate.

Not yet, though.  Evidently, I just have to "stay tuned".

The good old day, aka October, 2016

Remember when we thought that Russian hacking of the DNC was a big joke?  I do.

Democratic National Committee

I finally came up with something to do - make sure that Democrats re-take the Senate in 2018.  What did I do?  Contact the DNC, of course.

First experience on Friday - the DNC had not updated the website since before the election.  I sent them an e-mail, and called.  I did get a response, and they appeared to have updated the website.

Today, I sent an e-mail, asking what was the DNC going to do about gaining Senate seats in 2018 from Rust belt states.  Listening tours?  Outreach?

I got an e-mail back, stating that I should contact my friends on Facebook and tell them that "we have to stop Trump".  How is that going to help get Heidi Heitkamp re-elected in North Dakota!!!

I am very frustrated.  If enough people contact the DNC, maybe they will actually do something to help take back the Senate in the next election.

I will continue to post to this blog.  If you read it, I promise to do some hilarious cartoons (not intentionally hilarious, of course.)