An open letter to Tim Ryan; Nan Whaley; Joe Biden; + the DNC:

I am a Democrat because currently their platform most closely aligns with my political and spiritual views. 

 

I offer you unsolicited advice on winning. 

 

1.     Be who you say you are. Be a person of convictions. Really. So, this probably won’t help in winning, probably the opposite, but being decent, and not a gross opportunist, will help you (and us). If you don’t know why it helps you, then please have a talk with yourself.

2.     Study the inspirational leaders of history. Study their speeches. Get a speech coach. Get a vocal coach. Work on intonation and projection. Keep it short.

3.     Have great speech writers who understand audiences. Vet the crap out of your speeches. 

4.     Take control of the narrative. There’s the saying that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Probably not true for a politician but it makes the point that you need media attention. Do things. Be bold. Add the luster of star power to your appearances. Reach out to the high-profile figures. Ride a motorcycle around a county. Play a saxophone. Be the DJ at your campaign rally. Don’t be afraid to be a dork. Laugh at the haters. Laugh at yourself. Think about the timeline leading up to the election. Go on all the talk shows. Seth Meyers AND Tucker Carlson. Take (some) lessons from Pete Buttigieg. He’s pretty good at controlling a conversation. 

5.     BE BOLD. Come out forcefully for the things you believe in. Lean into them. Don’t be cautious – you’re the underdog (always) – act like it. Come out swinging. Try to avoid ad hominem attacks. Go in hard on issues of substance. Speak in clear, short, sound bites. Find your talking points and stick to them. 

6.     Don’t just speak to your base. Go out and meet and talk to those who are never going to vote for you. For these instances, have a speech writer who understands these audiences. Your efforts will pay future rewards as well as undercutting the emotional buttons your opponents will push in order to fire up their base. 

7.     It’s Bread and Circuses. It’s Bread and Circuses. It’s Bread and Circuses. 

8.     In the name of all that is holy – TAKE CONTROL OF THE F**KING NARRATIVE.

9.     Again, and with feeling – TAKE CONTROL OF THE F**KING NARRATIVE.

 

Sincerely,

A super frustrated Dem who really wants you to win. 

Our Sacred Duty ...

Image Source - America's Library - Original Draft of Declaration of Independence

As citizens – as patriots – we have the obligation to be educated and informed: to come to our civic responsibilities with seriousness, with our homework done and in a thoughtful manner. We’ve allowed our political process to take on the most despicable aspects of a sporting rivalry. Too often we don’t think, we just scream our team’s name and talk trash about the “other side.” The problem with this is that it’s the kind of thing that leads to the horrors of history. If we vilify and dehumanize one another then we run the risk of repeating those histories. We create an environment where people feel justified in participating in the Kristallnacht, the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing or the attacks in Dallas or Orlando.

Bear with me –

We’re responsible. We allow and propagate shaming and hate baiting.

If we don’t want body shaming or people derided because of how they look, then we can’t participate in that. If we say we believe in religious freedom then that means for everyone. If we want our candidate or our ideas considered on their merits – then we have to do the work.
If we ridicule Trump for his appearance we perpetuate this practice.

If we accuse Obama of being a secret Muslim, …

If we deride someone through memes or ugly pictures – we perpetuate that practice. I’ve seen terrible pictures of Melania, Michelle, Hillary and Donald.


If we demonize, if we vilify, if we use foul terms to refer to one another, if we engage in name calling and lose sight of our mutual humanity, we perpetuate, cultivate this kind of culture. When we lose sight of our individual humanity, when we demonize groups and refuse to engage in the harder work of taking us each on the content of our characters (King) – then we lose our empathy. Empathy is what holds us back from violence. Empathy knits us together and cultivates caring. Let us try to imagine into one another and understand where we are coming from.

I beg you to take a pledge to not participate in hate baiting – to be a bit more forgiving, a bit more kind …

Do the thinking. Discuss what bothers you, your fears, your hopes, how we can together achieve a better world. Do comparative research. Do the work of having real exchanges. Let us privilege a conversation of ideas and policies. Let us take seriously the future of our nation. Let us cultivate the “angels of our better nature.”