Progressive Integration: A Glance Forward
by Richard Hoefer
I've
been doing a lot of deep thinking the past five months since the
election, thinking which has become much more focused since Howard Dean
was elected to DNC Chair. A very hopeful sign no doubt, but not a
panacea by any means. A recent set of
meetings I attended in Washington, D.C., reveals to me that the
Democratic Party apparatus is still very commitedly entrenched in a
beltway-centric reactionary cultural mindset. And this rusty
culture expresses itself most visibly by the poll-driven inauthentic
voice of alleged leaders like Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry and Hillary
Clinton and Joe Biden – all of whom turn off and repel 50% of America
just by opening their mouths.
We are
in a terrible crisis, which to me feels worse than the
masterfully-malicious past four years of stagecraft which saw America
succumb to the neo-con message machinery. That well-funded,
think-tanked machinery used multiple channels like Fox News and paid
faux-journalists to seduce 60% of Americans into believing that we
needed to invade Iraq because Saddam Hussein was behind the 9/11
attacks – attacks which for real sent a collective fear shivering up
our country's spine, thus setting off a whole chain-reaction still
playing out today.
The
November 2 election, we all know, has been treated by the neo-cons as
authorization to not only occupy all three branches of government, but
also aggressively bulldoze every progressive gain fought for and won
over the past 30 years.
I
believe that it is virtually impossible for us to be rescued from this
crisis by any kind of reliance on the Democratic Party, even with
Howard at the helm. The Dean movement gave rise to a new class of
citizen activists and strategists, and we are the real frontline hope
to repel this neo-con machinery and push them back into the holes from
which they oozed while America slept.
Over the
past two years, there have been a number of initiatives I have posed to
[activist groups] in one form or another. Some have seen some
implementation, others not. The “shift” for me now is that we cannot
rely upon the formal Dean organization (DFA) to lead us to victory.
They have definitely provided potent ideas – like running and backing
local candidates for office, and they have executed some of their ideas
with great success. But they have failed to galvanize and unite
progressives outside of their sphere. And again, that job now belongs
to “free agent” citizen activists who have been part of multiple
progressive communities, from DFA to DailyKos to True Majority to
MoveOn to Democratic Underground to a host of others.
SUGGESTED ACTION PLAN
RECOMMENDATION:
If you haven't subscribed to DemSpeak, I do recommend it. http://www.DemSpeak.com
is being re-organized, top to bottom, and will probably relaunch in the
next 30-60 days.
DEMSPEAK PORTAL:
Like other portals I have developed over the past two years (DeanPort.com, ProgressiveStart.com), DemSpeak will be a startpage aggregator of all sites and resources surrounding the whole spectrum of Progressive Messaging:
Values
Inventory, Message Identification and Development, Engagement
& Rapport Strategies, Framing and Reframing language, Strategic
Development and Deployment of Frames, Mediaspace Injection
Choreography, and Framing/Media Crossfire training of Capitol Hill
Legislators, new TV spokespersons for progressives, Talk Radio callers,
and progressive leaders.
There
will be a public-face aspect to DemSpeak, and there will be a private
“think tank” layer which is password-accessible only to
thoroughly-vetted citizen strategists.
This will become a vibrant hub which unites and aligns all such messaging initiatives and operations.
CONTEXT NOTE: PROGRESSIVE INTEGRATION PLAN
DemSpeak is one of 6 integrated initiatives which will map out and facilitate alignment within the entire progressive movement.
One of
the other 6 projects will be a completely new launch of a true
cross-organization National Grassroots Network featuring at its heart
the 50-state Clickable Map comprehensive database. This rethink breaks
from a Dean-centric model and expands much more broadly.
A third and critical component is GTV Network – a progressive cable TV network (cable and web).
There is
an overarching strategic component which integrates all 6 initiatives.
If you have a tangible role you've been wanting to play, and have not
known how to best apply your expertise, please contact me at: rh
AT deanport DOTCOM.
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