What do you think of Kerry's new slogan?

Apparently they are deciding to use the slogan "Let America be America again". It's from a Langston Hughes poem. What do you think? I think it works and a good slogan or catchphrase is always important. Does anyone have ideas for good catchy slogans that the Kerry campaign could use to get people's attention?

Here is the article.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/01/politics/campaign/01motto.html>

Sorry if this is a dupe.

It's from a poem a lot of people respect, it indicates that this country has gone down a path that is alien to its nature, and it tells a voter that Kerry plans to restore America's dignity, etc. all that bullshit.

But slogans, even effective ones, are always pretty stupid-sounding to me.

:thumbsup:

america be america again? what were we before? Mexico? :eyes:

We're on what the sixth slogan now?

EEk.

:(

For one thing, it's too much like "Let Reagan be Reagan" for those of us old enough to remember that idiocy.

And yeah, what country have we been if not America? Did we change identities and I somehow missed it?

'Where has the country been? It's been right here the whole time!' But of course it has the same theme as Kerry's--something fundamentally American has been taken away from this country by Bush, and it's time to get away from where he has taken us.

strikes me as rather different. Because my country, the one I grew up in in the 50's and 60's has been stolen from me. I want a return to a country that moves in the direction of fairness for all, not in the direction of repression.

And do you not remember the smarminess of "Let Reagan be Reagan"? It made my skin crawl. And that's what happens when I see "Let America be America again."

John Kerry won the primaries by stealing all of Howard Dean's speeches. I'm another Howard Dean supporter who won't vote for Bush, but since I live in Kansas which will reliably go for W anyway, I'll probably not bother to vote the presidential column in the voting booth. Why bother? My vote doesn't count, not so long as we have the idiotic electoral college. I have NEVER before felt as if I'd be making a choice for the lesser of two evils. I have always considered the Democrat to be the superior choice, but not this time.

He's not everything I want on policy by a long shot, nor is he everything I want personally. Kucinich was my man on policy, and as far as campaigns go, Dean's put Kerry's away in terms of exciting and involving people. As far as the campaign slogans go, let's say there's no accounting for taste and leave it at that. If I tried to compare Kerry's and Dean's slogans, I honestly couldn't tell you which is 'better', though I never really cared for 'bring it on', personally.

We elect real people. Only sometimes the slogans tell you exactly what you need to know. Which, sadly, is the case here.

You'll find the answers to your question and you'll see the beauty of such words.

:eyes:

I think it captures all the ABB sentiment. It's what I want. I want to go back to fighting the political battles like we fought them before. I disagreed but I thought they wanted the best for our country and our allies. I don't think that today.

that I'm sick and tired of seeing Kerry posts in this forum when there's a whole forum devoted exclusively to the Election.

So I'll keep repeating myself: I loathe Kerry. I loathe him in the exact same way that I loathe Bush, with the ONLY difference being one of degree.

I stay out of the GD2004 for the express reason that I LOATHE Kerry and do NOT want to read anything about him. I am likely going to have to live with him as President for 4 years, which fills me with dread and nausea, and I'd really appreciate it if I didn't have to suffer the reminder of that HERE.

The slogan is stupid, as is pretty much everything Kerry and his sycophantic, delusional advisors dream up. If any of them had an ounce of creativity or originality they might be able to THINK UP THEIR OWN DAMN ORIGINAL SLOGAN. But no. Not in their genes. And far too risky, I suppose.

Bah.

Or how about 'you have the power' for originality? Come on--you apply a standard to Kerry that you don't even pretend to apply to your avatar. That's no slam on Dean--his campaign was superior to Kerry's in terms of organizing and exciting people. His slogans, however, like all campaign slogans, sound dumb. And of course none of them are original--they are trite, copied, and cliched--both Kerry's and Dean's.

"I'm Howard Dean, and I'm from the democratic wing of the democratic party." That was one of the really good slogans, and there were even cartoons drawn for that one. I think one was of a large branching tree, and Dean was sitting over on one of the left branches. Anyway, I agree that Kerry has yet to come up with anything as original or creative as Dean. But I disagree in that I do like Kerry, and would be happy as a cat with a canary if he wins. My thoughts, though: We expect too much of our elected officials before they are elected, and too little of them after they are in office. Kerry can't possibly possess every single quality of greatness, if he did, he'd be Vishnu, or Kucinich or something. Unelectable.

the democratic wing of the democratic party was used by others, most famously by paul wellstone.

Thank you for playing. Here's your parting gift...

In my opinion the proper way to deal with it, if you disagree, is to point out your difference of opinion with at least some pretense of being polite.

And welcome to DU

:hi:

but I'm past the point of even pretending to respect or have any regard for the attitude expressed in Eloriel's post. I shouldn't have said anything and if it hurt anyone's feelings, I sincerely apologize, but that post came from an honest place.

you want to say, however you like. Some people will like it, some not, but please don't listen to anyone that tells you there's a "way" to say something, particualry if they suggest that there is a consensus over social etiquette other than the posted rules.

We're not all so snooty here.

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I don't speak for DU as a whole, but we would all do a lot better to treat each other with more respect. But as you say, you have exactly as much authority on this as I do.

Your post is actually quite benign--you should see what we hypocrites who preach civility have posted earlier in the forum's history. :D I just didn't want to see an otherwise innocuous thread turn into another rehashing of old flame wars. Probably too late, but oh well.

edit: As mitchum says, you have nothing to apologize for.

I've been here for a long time, I just lurk for the most part, and I've started threads that got me accused of being a freeper troll, disruptor, etc...lazy accusations and I know the drill on here sadly enough. I hope it stays on topic and just deals with the slogan and the PR war that Kerry will have to wage just to get people to pay attention to him, since IMO the presidential campaign, while this year, will be more grass roots driven, will also have to be waged on television in 30 second bursts.

You're sick and tired of seeing Kerry threads on a democratic forum? Gosh, I never would have guessed that such a foul thing could occur. Despite the fact that a wide range of opinions across the left spectrum are openly accepted here, somehow you find it repugnant that there would be discussion about the Democratic candidate.

But wait, that's right. You "loathe" Kerry. Bully for you. Life must be hell for you right now, what with Bush and Kerry being essentially on the same level in your eyes. I can understand how it would demean you to be on a forum where people just want to see Bush defeated, which is so lame, when you can want everything all at once and damn any facts and/or circumstances that might prohibit what you want. Screw strategy, screw winning. I want what I want, and I want it now.

There's a whole other forum I've heard of where you can take your little road show and be at peace. Kerry talk is verboten in this place. You should go back there. You'll be happier, I think. Seriously.

I used to have a lot of respect for you. I still do. But this post of yours is so over the top on so many levels, so unreasonably vitriloic, that it really brings home an ugly truth: We are our own worst enemies, and we will probably always lose, because of stuff like this.

With all due respect Will, a lot of people here are sick of Kerry. That doesn't change the fact that they will vote for him, but it does focus minds on the action needed after Kerry is elected if a genuine progressive movement is to be built in this country. Burying your head in the sand and pretending that Kerry is the answer to all your prayers is not the answer. Loathe the candidate, vote for the party - its a healthier position than you realise.

and are angry their candidate lost. they never supported or cared for kerry and still don't .

and their anger at having to do this will mean that they will be all the more effective at lobbying once he is in power, because they won't be hampered in seeing his shortcomings by some emotional attachment to 'their' candidate. If you want to be really low about it, one could even make the argument that having the left of the party publically bemoaning him can only help Kerry's standing amongst swing voters. And I firmly believe that the hard left is disciplined enough to vote with its head, not its heart.

do you think there might be a reason all "the Kerry haters" voted for another candidate?

they can't accept the things they cannot change?

What's the reason for attacking Kerry endlessly on a Democratic forum? They just want to help the party and the candidate become more progressive, I'm often told. So how's the tactic working, has it helped a damn thing yet?

There are ways to be effective in advancing causes and moving toward change; and there are ways to indulge in emotional tantrums that are completely ineffective and may well be destructive.

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eom

There's a whole other forum I've heard of where you can take your little road show and be at peace. Kerry talk is verboten in this place. You should go back there. You'll be happier, I think. Seriously.


Seriosly, you know very well since you lurk there that Kerry is talked about all the time. There are lots of different views on the topic of John Kerry. What there isn't is demand that everyone look at him with starry eyes.

What does exist here is debate--if you post something unambiguously positive OR negative there's about an equal chance that you will receive a snarky comment. One side will lambast the 'Kerry haters' while the other will yell 'look! I'm being repressed!' and it's all a petty game--the reality is both opinions have plenty of play here, and what is really at work is that both sides are only interested in hearing their own version of things. :(

at that place. Deny that all you want, but you know that's true.

QUOTH THE RAVEN.. "There's a whole other forum I've heard of where you can take your little road show and be at peace. Kerry talk is verboten in this place. You should go back there. You'll be happier, I think. Seriously." ....NEVERMORE!

Let me bluntly correct you.. This other forum that you mention does allow Kerry talk. He's just not soundly praised there. He's more honestly analyzed and criticized and we have other things to talk about besides Kerry anyway.

I suggest you take a look at the other forum and see what I mean.

Hawkeye-X

or have you missed all the Kerry Sucks threads that pop up here every day?

But being banned for four months takes a lot of me after the primaries. A well-rested person doesn't return until he's good and ready.

While I am still critical of Kerry, I will vote for him because he's the only choice, and while I will follow my views and vote for those who share my views (like Mike Miles over Ken Salazar in August US Senate primaries for Colorado) on the local level.

But it's nice to see you again, Will. Want a friendly wager on when your beloved Red Sox visits Colorado Rockies on June 15-17th?

The wager is like this:

I'll wear a Kerry shirt for a week in public if my Rockies lose the series.

You send me both of your books autographed if your Red Sox lose the series.

What do you think?

Hawkeye-X

Colorado is 19-31 and has lost eight of their last ten games. They are eight and a half games out of first place in the NL West.

Boston is 31-20 and has won seven of their last ten games. They are tied for first in the AL East, arguably the toughest division in baseball.

I'll take that bet, but I don't think you're going to get your books. :)

If anybody wants to throw typed-tantrums about Kerry ("IhatehimIhatehimIhatehim!!") there's a better place for it, I agree. How little respect for democracy it shows to stay so emotional over the simple fact that more Democrats voted for Kerry than for one's own preference.

and i will post on this forum and many others about him. and why open threads with kerry's name mentioned if you don't want to read about it ?

It does something, I think.

or in the ATA forum about the existence of a thread? I suspect the number is more than zero.

nt

I'm tired of Democrats "letting" things be. It's time to make things better, not let them anything.

The ones that agree that America is currently NOT America due to the Bush administration. A lot of pople won't be reached by that message and some will use it to call the Democratic party "unAmerican" for suggesting even the thought that America might not be America today.

I don't think it should be the only slogan they use for that reason. They need a real PR campaign with multiple messages for multiple population segments, each one carefully tailored to people who might be thinking "Bush seems OK, but I'm not sure about when he....". These are the people we need to get to vote Democratic.

I won't launch into a diatribe about how they also need to attract previously non-voters into registering and voting as well, so if there's to be a central theme, it needs to be inspiring, very inspiring. I don't think "we'll get back to business as usual", which is basically what the message says to the unbiased, is at all inspiring.

They need to tap Dennis Kucinich for campaign slogans. Dennis is the one.

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but it doesn't have to sing to me. It's not one that I would have picked for a presidential campaign. First, it's not really a strong action verb with "let". It should be "Let's Make" or something like that. Second, the picture it creates falls right into the trap of 'blame America' 'America's bad'. JMO

It does fall into that trap. I take back what I said earlier. It's a horrible error, a trap or a psyops ploy from poltical infiltrators. It's a clear set up for the Republican echo chamber's already shrill "they blame America first" - one could harldy pick a worse slogan in this context.

I hope they don't use it. It's going to be hard enough without putting on concrete shoes from the start.

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n/t

"Take Back Our Freedoms"

or it would be to a large swath of people. And the idea of "take back" appeals to too small a subset of voters. I think the slogan suggested in the article is good because it's romantic, and talks about the general malaise and negativity that has settled into this country, which I think is nearly all attributable to Bush and his gang. As much as I hate "Morning in America", I think this slogan has that same feel.

..."The Everything Candidate For Everybody<tm>"...?

Kerry is running a campaign more boring than Hubert Humphrey's. The only reason he will win is because Bush is such an idiot he can't help but win.

but it fits with the rest of his campaign. :-(

It's from this beautiful poem by Langston Hughes:

Let America Be America Again
Langston Hughes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."

The free?

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.

O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!

who would be a good person to read it ?

i liked the slogan when i heard it. but when you read the actual poem it comes from it's incredible and makes you understand it much more.

he fought in the civil rights movement and he is a war veteran. at first i thought it should be a non politician. but john lewis seems to not just have the voice but is representative of something important also.

Whoooooosh! That was the sound of that poem and slogan flying high over the heads of the entire country.

As usual, too many nuances. Slogans need to be brief, clear, concise, must speak to an emotion and be understood by someone with an IQ of 80 or less. An obscure dusty old poem isn't a good basis for a slogan.

I wouldn't want to have to explain what the slogan means, over and over again to every reporter on the planet who asks, "why do you attack America first"?

However, I'm not running the campaign, so I'll just make up my own slogans. :)

Whoooooosh!!!

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the Kerry campaign is using only one line of the poem and not the whole thing.

Right. I pointed out that explaining the source of the slogan over and over again isn't going to gain any points with either the media or the masses.

"Let America be America again"

"Why do you blame America first?"

"Well, it's a line from a poem. Maybe you've heard of it.."

"No, but in any case, why do you blame America first?"

"Well you see, the poem...... "

"I still don't see why you're blaming America first."

It's also less than inspiring, even when you know the source and all the "elitist" literary background.

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This was my take. Most people won't "get it." Requires actual thought. Anybody who thinks along the lines of this slogan is already voting for Kerry.

for posting that, I didn't know where the slogan came from and now it makes sense to me. I didn't like it before but after reading this I am changing my mind. :thumbsup: THANKS! :hi:

and on reflection, a pretty good slogan.

it reminds me of what Raygun's followers would always say "you have to just let Reagan be Reagan". :puke: First time I heard the "America be America" thing I thought of the Raygun saying. It just seems sort of meaningless, could be taken to mean anything or nothing. Kerry needs something zippier or deeper, this is bland and disappointing. :-(

I just read the poem and I LIKE the slogan! A BIG :thumbsup:

that would be a better one, but there is no chance in hell of it happening.

Let Kerry be Kerry again.....er what was that?

too esoteric for most of 'Murika

that's my preference. *l*

but I don't have a better idea - least not one that will get him elected.

When exactly was America, America?

When did we 'lose' our country, vis-a-vis 'I want my country back'? If Kerry's slogan is 'meaningless', how can Dean's fail to be the same way? Both indicate some ambiguous 'loss'--both seek to return to some ambiguous set of values they feel has been lost. Can you explain why Kerry's is uniquely meaningless, whereas Dean's is full of meaning? It seems you are applying two different standards here.

It's a fine poem, but we can't force people to read it. As a stand-alone slogan, it leaves something to be desired.

ahhhh...did I miss something?? Haven't been around for about a week, come back, read this post and bingo bang boom, instant pissing on that slimebag vermin unfit for duty scum Kerry---well, isn't that what all these great Democrats are spewing here??? Think of the shock it must bring for the casual observer coming to DU for the first time. This is sounding like a pep rally for George!! Or is it signaling that we have all thrown in the towel and conceded to George? I must have missed some "latest" poll numbers because this so predictably happens. How about this for a great slogan: We Surrender...... I was getting pumped up on our chances, but after reading the responses to this post, I guess the verdict must be that we are going to lose and lose big in November.

I wasn't aware the poster was asking if we liked Kerry; I thought we were discussing the slogan.

Kerry the zero and his zero campaign rants in like a few posts. The subject matter was used to start an attack on Kerry. Since Kerry IS our nominee, I find it a bit dumb to devote pages of print to condemning him as the Satanic brother of Bush (so to speak). What's the point?? Shall we just stay home and not vote. Should we all rush out and vote Nader?? What good does it do at this point to try to destroy Kerry---trust me, GWB is going to do a good job of that all by himself (these guys play dirty). It's one thing to have posts that try to get the Kerry campaign to move in a certain direction or to put things in gear and get going, period. But to start the drumbeat of Oh Loathsome Kerry, is just plain being the handmaiden of Limbaugh.

This thread sort of degenerated and I get the impression that a lot of threads here degenerate because people who hate Kerry, find him ugly, find him boring, whatever...have to shout it from the rooftops. Here's some advice, which I will try to follow from now on and will likely fail, but I think it might work. IGNORE THEM. DO NOT ENGAGE THEM. After the Convention, they will be gone, but why not get a head start on it now and lets spend more time tearing Bush down and getting Kerry in office rather than dealing with these people.

These people can't deal with the fact that they did not get their way, that people did not agree with them. They have not gotten over it, may never get over it, and all they have now is the opportunity to rant on a bulletin board. That's all they have now. Take a little more away from them by not talking to them. Let them just rant to themselves. We are less than six months from the election. Engaging these people, trying to argue with them, is a monumental waste of time. Cut the cord and write them off-they are not worth the time.

Flat, monotonous, uninspiring.

great concept, but needs to be pared down. take it from the same source, but make it short & sweet.

Be America Again
America Will Be
Let America Be
America Again

I love the smell of vanilla in the morning...smells like victory.