Possibly the most important thing: Dems need to get better at the propaganda wars. [View all]

One frustration I have with the Dems is that they seem to never understand what the GOP knows well. That politics is about propaganda. Most voters are not well informed. Most voters, indeed most people, make decisions based on emotion more than logic. The Democratic and Republican parties are brands, and they need to constantly be cared for and marketed as such. And when people hear things repeated over and over, they tend to believe them.

Here's where someone says "we need to get rid of the DLC Third Way neoliberal corporatists who sold out the working class." That's nonsense. Not only is this a false charge -- Obama has been extremely progressive on policy -- but it misses the point. Politics is about perceptions, not tariff rates. If this were about actual policies, then the Rust Belt wouldn't have voted against the party solely responsible for the continued existence of the US auto industry. You wouldn't have people on Medicare and SS talking about how much they hate government programs.

And as much as I love the guy, Obama gets a big chunk of blame here. Witness the steady loss of downballot races during his presidency. It's a bit of a paradox, because as an top-of-the-ticket politician, I think he's a genius. His speaking ability is basically unparalleled, he inspires people, and he has that ability to convince people he cares about their problems. Obviously, part of the problem is that Hillary doesn't have the same chops -- I think if Obama had run for a third term, he would have won handily.

But Obama's team wasn't very good at all at the larger political game. And we can't be a party that relies on political geniuses like Obama in order to win elections. Dems and surrogates need to be constantly make the case all over the media that the GOP is the party of racism and trickle down economics, the Dems are the party of working people and social justice.

And this point needs to be made in non-subtle, repetitive ways. Alan Grayson (who I am not generally a fan of) memorably said in congress that the GOP's healthcare plan is "don't get sick, and if you do, die quickly." That's the kind of stuff we need.

Because here's what happens. You say that once, and pundits will say "oh, no, that's out of line." But you say it a hundred times, different people say it, and suddenly by sheer force of repetition, it becomes part of the dialog. This is how birtherism, "death panels", and all the rest of the GOP lies get spread. And it just so happens that Grayson is right: the GOP actually wants to kick people out of their insurance, which is in effect a "don't get sick or die quickly" approach to healthcare.

I don't have all the answers, but I do feel strongly that what Dems need to get better at is not fine-tuning their policies. The product we offer is already many times better for all but the wealthiest Americans than what the GOP has. What we need to get better at is marketing.