The jungle primary for Georgia’s 6th district
laid bare the opportunity and the bungling of the Democratic Party in the Trump
Era; with a seat, so winnable the Democrats decided rather than make a truly
aggressive push, their candidate would focus on the foibles of the Man-Baby
President instead of articulating what it means to vote for a Democrat.
Have we not learned from the problems of Hillary Clinton’s
doomed campaign? As April segues to May, it’s still difficult to figure out
what Hillary was FOR. Her candidacy was predicated on being more serious than
the monkey throwing feces all over his cage. The problem is at least the
feces-launching monkey is DOING something. Hillary – despite nearly three
decades in public service – basically spent her campaign saying, “I’ve done
things that are good but, vote for me because I’m not THAT guy.”
This is not a winning strategy. People want to hang their
hats onto something. Voters need the tangible. Republicans have mastered this
concept.
In Appalachia automation is not the problem with coal, it’s
nimby-pimby environmentalists from Washington who are the reason you’re
unemployed!
In education, it’s not that charter schools are for-profit
entities with student achievement as a secondary goal, it’s that BIG GOVERNMENT
wants to keep tenure for the evil, lazy TEACHER UNIONS.
The most egregious is “women’s health.” Regressives use the
guise of “women’s health” to call for invasive gynecological examinations just
so women can have access to the birth control pill.
By the way, these same Regressives are virulently opposed to
anything more than a blood pressure test for a 70-year-old man needing a refill
on his boner pills.
Still – messaging.
Back to GA-06. The question I can’t answer today is what is
Jon Ossoff for?
He presents a great package – intellectual, handsome, etc. Sacrificing residency for his fiancĂ© while she finishes med school should appeal to every
woman except those who inexplicably think their role is in service of men.
On Hardball, Chris Matthews gave him a rough interview but
Ossoff was cooler than a Massachusetts winter. The guy is unflappable. He
clearly has the temperament to be in office.
But, I don’t know what he’s for. He described himself as
“pragmatic” on Hardball, but that has no meaning.
Look at President Moron Don. That guy, you know what he’s
for, even as he completely changes his positions.
Is Ossoff for keeping ACA in place while improving the law?
I think so because he has a D next to his name.
Is Ossoff against granting a massive tax cut to the 1%? I
think so because Bernie Sanders endorses him.
Is Ossoff for increasing the minimum wage? Seeing as most
Democrats are, it stands to reason that so is he.
You see where I’m going.
Now, take a gander at Helmet Head in the White House.
He is going to “repeal and replace” ACA because “it’s going
to collapse and people will get hurt.”
That’s tangible.
He’s going to deport brown people because “they’re killers
and rapists.”
Again, that’s tangible.
He’s going to construct a “big beautiful wall” so that
“America is safe.”
Again – tangible.
Granted, Fat Face’s appeal is directed at the ignorant,
uneducated, and flagrant racists. As we learned in 2016, there are a lot of
them. Reluctant Trump voters couldn’t fathom voting for a Democrat. When Gary “Aleppo” Johnson turned out to be weirder than everyone thought, there was
no protest vote outlet for those disaffected Republicans.
Now look at Bernie Sanders. BUT NO! HE’S A SOCIALIST! WE
CAN’T LISTEN TO HIM!
Really? Um, you know Bernie’s pretty
popular, right?
61% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the cranky old
man from Vermont!
His appeal mirrors that of Donnie Dumbass because they both
tell you what they’re thinking when you ask. In Bernie’s case, however, these
are well thought out positions developed over a lifetime of work throughout
various communities in America. Bernie’s ideas don’t change because his
son-in-law just walked into his office.
Bernie is the most popular politician in American, and here
are his positions:
- Need to raise taxes on the “Billionaire class"
- Free college at all public universities
- Single-payer health care
- Federal minimum wage of AT LEAST $15 per hour
- Aggressive climate change regulations
So, if a guy advocating all this “socialist” stuff has a 61%
approval rating, what’s to lose?
For the next eight weeks Jon Ossoff is playing with house
money. If he loses, well, he’s SUPPOSED to. Right now, he’s having a moment,
and it’s best to emulate the Independent Senator from Vermont.
Whether Ossoff is a true Progressive or a more Moderate Democrat
is immaterial. Now is the time to swing for the fences. He needs to truly talk
to people and give them something to vote FOR.
Think about it – by turning the election into a referendum
about Orange Caligula, he earned 48% of the vote. Now he’s running against a
woman ardently opposed to gay marriage and gay adoption that also was the
architect of the Susan G. Komen foundation’s public relations snafu with
Planned Parenthood.
Ossoff must talk about who he is, what he believes in, and
how it will make people’s lives better. Make the issues personal – for example,
suburban women in Atlanta probably have children and want a better life for
them.
Talk about how a Democrat’s tax policy will open doors for
their children.
Explain how ACA and/or single payer health care will ensure
no child is sick for a minute because treatment is too expensive.
Make women’s privacy a personal issue and not something
where the government needs to be involved.
Based on last night’s results, Ossoff already won. Democrats
now must step up the moment and provide a vision of what America should look
like. As Tom Perez says, Democrats give a shit about people.
Now we must show how our ideas provide the better life for
the people of America. Right now, only Groping Don uses a tangible message.
Jon Ossoff is the man for the moment, now it’s on him to
seize it.