Could the Democrats have done better in the 2022 elections and what can they do in 2024? It’s about messaging, especially in the following areas:
Crime – “Defund the police!” This was a made-up slogan by the Republicans who repeated this lie so often that many believed it to be true.
Do you want to know about crime? Who was responsible for injuring 140 police officers during the Capitol Insurrection of Jan. 6t?
Focus! Focus! Focus! Trump was behind this and many of his Republicans in Congress closed their eyes to this reality in support of Trump. To offset this false belief, the Democrats should have placed ads on television and in newspapers showing the riots that we all saw on television throughout the day, featuring comments made by House GOP leader, Kevin McCarthy, and by Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell.
McCarthy said, “Trump bears responsibility for the Capitol riot.” McConnell publicly denounced President Trump and his supporters for instigating the insurrection by saying “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”
Do as the Republicans do. Repeat! Repeat! Repeat! The only difference: truth!.
Inflation – Who and what caused inflation? Realistically, one reason was the breakout of COVID. Another was the fighting in Ukraine.
Both caused shortages of so many products. Prices rose and everybody suffered. The increase in the cost of food, drugs, gas and rent affected so many families and individuals. Businesses were hurt too. How many local mom-and-pop shops were forced to close their doors?
As for the big public companies, with so many of us suffering, how come they reported record profits? Yet they still got tax breaks.
Check out such companies as Tyson Foods, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Anheuser Busch, Pepsico, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble, Walmart, Home Depot, Toyota, AT&T, Verizon, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Apple and let’s not forget ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP, to name a few.
Record profits. Tens of billions of dollars in profits! So many of these companies had contributed to the Republican cause. “Give and ye shall get” and boy did they get. Republicans for the little people? How would you like to buy a bridge?
Abortion – Let’s hear it for the God-fearin’ people who care about life but really don’t give a damn about women? Control over their own bodies?
It’s not up to them but to politicians who really care about them. Sure! In some states, it would even be illegal for victims of rape, children too, to have abortions. Just imagine young girls forced to have a baby.
Can you imagine what that would do to their childhood and to their families? What if it was your daughter or granddaughter who was a victim of rape? Imagine your grandchild having a rapist as their father, living behind bars, that’s prison. And for that person to be called “father”? Give me a break
For 2024, the Democrats must be more precise in getting their message out covering crime, inflation, abortion; Let’s also not forget about the Republicans’ desire to cut or eliminate Social Security and Medicare.
The Democrats could also pull out a bag of tricks, or more precisely one bag, that could generate a lot of support.
In Wyoming, it has been 46 years since a Democrat was last elected to the Senate and 44 years since one was last elected to the House of Representatives. That is called Republican domination.
There is no reason to believe that might change in 2024. Wyoming! The state where the Republicans expelled their own Liz Cheney for becoming a member of the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol.
Based upon her heroic stand for democracy, the Democrats should support her run for Congress in 2024 by putting her up as their party nominee, in either the race in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.
Although her positions are so different than the Democrats’ positions, it would show the electorate that Democrats would reward an individual who put country ahead of party.
With some Republican electorate support, she could win and in reality, serve with total independence; to vote how she pleases based upon her own convictions.
At the very least, it would shine a light on an individual who helped save democracy. This out-of-the-box thinking might help Democrats win races in other states.
We must spread the word of truth. Our democracy is still at stake.
Alvin Goldberg
Great Neck
