The presentation is scheculed for 1 pm today in Berryville, Virginia (Clarke County). I often (usually?) disagree with Democratic operative/progressive activist Matt Stoller, but he’s a super-smart guy (one who’s usually VERY critical of the Dems…from the left), and he has an interesting take on this that I think is worth sharing (bolding added by me for emphasis):
FWIW, I like Better Deal and I think Better Jobs and Better Wages is a good message. Better skills, meh. But two out of three is solid…There is a cartel of pollsters, consultants, and media buyers in the Democratic Party. They are skilled, but adhere to a set of norms. Most candidates are new to political marketing and accept what this cartel says. Even if they don’t, they still have to use their stuff. If you wanted to run on something that involved corporate power, you would have to fight, not the GOP, but your own consultants. You’d basically have a whole set of campaign operatives – who ostensibly work for you – badmouthing you as ‘difficult’. Messaging would be written in committee, with populist candidates compromising with non-populist consulting. Weak language was the result. This wasn’t because the cartel is bad, but because the cartel doesn’t do policy/ideology, They get this from party leaders. If you were to do aggressive populist policy, you’d be out on a limb, with no support from anyone. Very risky. Very hard as a candidate. This “Better Deal” framework changes the norms of the cartel. Now that internal discussion on how to message will function differently. Better Deal, Better Jobs, Better Wages isn’t a slogan everyone will use. It’s a framework that makes a lot of new messaging possible.
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