One area that the netroots can excel at is brainstorming new slogans and talking points, because the conventional wisdom of the Beltway tends to return the same old tired, ineffectual answers. It's something the Democratic Leadership Council would do well to remember, and it's encouraging that net-friendly folks such as Howard Dean, Al Gore, and the Clintons are big players (regardless of what one thinks of Hillary Clinton, she made a smart move in nabbing Peter Daou as a consultant). I intend to write more on this subject in the coming weeks before the election, but channeling the passion of the excellent Budowsky article Mirth posted on recently, perhaps we can all give it some thought, generate some new ideas, or at the very least find the best material and promote it. The Democrats have much better ideas than the Republicans, and they have better candidates as well. But they also need better words, and better slogans.
To kick it off (or build off earlier posts!) here's a great piece from Josh Marshall from last Friday, 9/15/06:
"The president wants us to forget the mistakes he's made in Iraq. He says capturing bin Laden isn't a priority for him. And now he's off caught up in a fight with senators of his own party about which kinds of torture we should use. This president just can't or won't keep his eye on the ball. President Bush took his eye off the ball in Afghanistan when bin Laden was in our grasp because he wanted to hurry up and get into Iraq. And now he wants us to forget about Iraq because he doesn't want to take responsibility for all the mistakes he's made in Iraq. The American people have a choice on November 7th. If you think our country is going in the right direction, if you think Iraq is making us safer, vote Republican. If you've had enough and thinks it's time for a change, vote Democratic."
-- quoted from a (fictional) congressional candidate
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