Thank Goodness for Barack Obama’s
“Hope and Change” slogan in 2008! Other than that, I cannot think of a consistent,
punchy, winning message over the past few decades that Democrats came up with.
Even Joe Biden’s “Restore the Soul of America” message was poetic, but I doubt
it had any impact on the 2020 race.
To be clear, effective messaging
doesn’t need to be limited to a slogan or bumper sticker. But it seems that every time a slogan or a
comment is put forth by a Democrat, Republicans pounce on it.
Look how “Defund the Police,” “Medicare
for All,” and ‘Green New Deal” were used as weapons against congressional
Democratic candidates in 2020. Data are inconclusive as to the impact they had
on those races but anecdotally, some politicians claim they had an effect.
Look how the George Floyd murder
protests, which were mostly peaceful, were allowed to be manipulated by
Republicans to shift the message from needed police reform to the destruction
of buildings and even cities. It was a classic case of
“Whataboutism.”
The most recent example is Rep.
Maxine Waters’ comments regarding the Derek Chauvin trial and what should
happen (confrontation) if the verdict is not favorable. The GQP took it and ran
with it, and a censure action by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had been organized
though tabled.
Did the Democrats attempt to
censure Marjorie Taylor Greene for her heinous comments or those Republican
congressmen who have perpetuated Trump’s big lie on the 2020 election outcome?
No. Or even those congressmen who spoke at Trump’s rally that incited the
insurrection on January 6? Crickets.
It wasn’t that long ago when
Republicans bludgeoned the Democrats for being soft on terrorism. In fact, the
2004 election cycle featured that mantra.
Is it asking a lot for Democrats to turn the tables on Republicans
during the 2022 cycle by pointing out THEIR softness on domestic terrorism and
white nationalism?
Even the establishment of a 9/11-style commission to look into the events surrounding January 6 can’t get any traction. Why aren’t Democrats beating the Republicans over the head with January 6? Yet, the Republicans Benghazi-ed the Democrats to death when they saw an opportunity.
We cannot ever forget what happened
January 6, and we should not allow the Republicans to escape the linkage
between the atrocities of that event, Donald Trump and those Republicans who
voted to acquit the former president in the impeachment trial when he so
clearly incited the attack.
The Democrats do not need a catchy
slogan to inculcate this matter into the conversation during the 2022 cycle. Footage
will do just nicely. Those horrific images of Trump flag-carrying thugs breaching
our Capitol should be a staple in every Democratic ad against those Republicans
who are apparently soft on insurrections. Pictures do speak louder than words.
