Democratic leaders who want a winning message against Donald Trump’s military occupation of Washington, D.C., should accuse the president of orchestrating “a stunt to distract from the pain his tariffs are causing families” and of “creating fear to distract” from his Republican Party’s cuts to Medicaid. What Democrats should not do: accuse Trump of “manufacturing a D.C. crime crisis” or of committing a “historic assault on D.C. home rule and is more evidence of the urgent need to pass a D.C. statehood bill.”
That’s the takeaway of a memo from Blue Rose Research, the outfit led by Democratic data guru David Schor, that’s making the rounds on liberal-left social media.
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The party’s real problem in the Trump era, though, isn’t simply that they’re letting public opinion—as represented by polls—shape their messages, though of course they’re doing that. The problem is that they’re scared of public opinion, in particular the opinions of the swing voters who elected Trump.
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The Democratic Party has handcuffed itself with data rather than use it to their advantage.
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It is useful to know what the American public feels about a given issue, but these are usually quick questions that provide a snapshot in time. For instance, how voters define “border security,” what part of the immigration situation bothers them or pleases them, and what solutions they support are questions that are not always asked. [...] It doesn’t really explore beyond a surface-level understanding, and shouldn’t trump morals, values, and the ability to take on a fight when one arrives at your doorstep, which is what’s happening now.
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It’s important to remember—since Democratic strategists often seem to forget—that swing voters are not the only voters. There are also Democratic voters who want to have faith in their party again! They’re mad as hell about what’s happening and want their representatives to feel the same way. There are also nonvoters, lots of them young people, who might be energized by a little righteous anger and moral crusading.
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Democrats are so worried about alienating a small slice of the electorate that they’re hesitating to condemn the most abusive act yet [- taking over D.C. -] by a historically unpopular president from the opposing party.
New Republic
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