The first step is to create a platform with two purposes in mind. First, it needs to center around populist ideas such as patriotism, the Constitution, liberty, and smaller, less-intrusive government that is fiscally more stable. And second, it needs to be attractive to the majority of the voting public. A VAST majority. I won't pretend to be an expert in such things - the leaders we choose for our movement will work that out.
Two things that will be critical:
- Defund the current GOP. Do NOT donate to the GOP, or any GOP candidate for which we have an alternative candidate. Instead, ALL our donations should go directly to the independent campaigns of our chosen candidates. In this manner we put a choke hold on the GOP - either they back our candidates, or they lose. Sure, they will still have their mega-donors and PACS, people who want to retain the establishment status quo. To counter that, we would have to be very vocal in making it known that THEIR candidates will NOT get our 80 million votes, and therefore cannot hope to win.
- We must be extremely careful as to who we support. They need to be vetted like no one else has ever been vetted. They must be smart, strong, charismatic, happy, God-fearing, trustworthy and patriotic to a fault. Strong on the Constitution, fiscally responsible. Morally sound. People who easily attract others. This is not to say they need be perfect - but if they have made big mistakes in the past, they must come clean, and seek redemption so it cannot be used against them. Reagan came clean about having been a liberal Democrat early on. Yes, I know - I am describing a bunch of Ronnie Reagans, Donald Trumps (without the Trump baggage) and Kristi Noems. A tough task, but we must do it.
At this point we have one or more strong leaders, and a number of great candidates, all on board with a truly good platform that the majority of people can accept, if presented properly. The final major step is at hand - how to get our message out in a manner that attracts followers and wins people over. Note that it is not out of the question to win over a lot of liberals - Democrats that are not happy with the boot-leg liquor their party is trying to force them to drink - what is often referred to as "the koolaid". We can do this. We can win them, just as Reagan did. All we need are two things: the right message, and the proper presentation. We can have the greatest message ever delivered - but if we can't get people to listen to it - want it - we will lose, every time.
And here is how we do that. Trust me - this is one area in which I have substantial experience (which I will attempt to demonstrate at the end of this post).
To win any election there are a few simple things to consider:
1) Understand the audience (average voters). The average voter
today is often not well educated, not well informed and may be inexperienced
(as in under 25). The average voter does not have the time to "keep up"
with the news, and is often preoccupied with entertainment and
celebrity. In short, not well informed. Democrats know this, and use it to their advantage. We need to use it even better, by having a better message and presenting it in a way that grabs voters' attention. So...
2) Play to the largest share of the audience by reducing our
message to its lowest common denominator. If our message is geared to
the best educated and well-informed, our message will only reach 1/3 of
the voters. But a message geared to the lesser informed will reach both
groups - the informed, and the non-informed, which doubles the
audience. Dumb it down - stop trying to show we are the smartest people in the room. That turns people off. Make them feel smart for following us.
In order to have our message resound with the greatest number of
people, we must first form the message in such a way as to be
understood by the least educated and least informed among them. Intelligent people will understand facts, statistics and logical explanations, but simple people will not understand such intellectual
explanations. If they do not grasp our message, we will not get their votes. Use the KISS principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid.
3) Make your message entertaining (see #1), as well as
informative. If you do not entertain, you will not hold their attention,
and hence will not reach them with your message. Once our message has been simplified and made easily understood by even
the least educated, least informed and inexperienced, it is imperative
that the message be presented in an entertaining fashion. People today are consumed with entertainment and celebrity. Show most people a picture of Kim Kardashian or Brad Pitt, they will know who it is. Show those same people a picture of Mitt Romney or General Mike Flynn and they probably will not have any clue. Try it if you don't believe me.
Jesus, Aesop
and Reagan all understood this principle of educating via entertainment. Jesus taught by using parables
that entertained, yet instructed. Aesop used fables to do the same. And
Reagan was "the Great Communicator" because he used stories, humor, and
helped people draw a mental picture they would remember. So, instead of
"political ads" on YouTube, create an entertaining video that could go
viral, and inform people while entertaining them. Make it interesting, funny, or whatever else it takes to draw and hold their attention. After all, not many voters remember the Republican ads about health care. But every voter remembers the Democrat ad of a Republican pushing a wheel-chair bound Granny over a cliff! Use topics of general interest coupled with humor and imagery and you will capture your audience, all while educating them.
4) Sell the sizzle, not the steak. People do not buy "features" -
they buy the BENEFITS that those features offer. Know which "benefits" the
average voter wants, then find a way to help them get those benefits by following us.
I learned this
while investing in real estate. If I told a buyer that "This home is
close to schools", all I would get is a nod and a yawn. But if I told
them that "Mom can sleep late because the home is close to schools",
THAT got their attention. If I said, "The missus will enjoy this great
kitchen", they would roll their eyes, but if I said, "Imagine the great
family gatherings and parties you could have with such a great kitchen",
that would strike a chord with the buyer as they envision entertaining
in that home.
Republicans are lousy at advertising the benefits of their platform, and too often concentrate on merely listing features. We need to create PICTURES for the small-minded electorate, not just words. Conservatives are good at offering great ideas and plans, but liberals are good at using imagery designed to appeal to an emotion, not intellect (which 38% of people lack in any quantity). Remember - the liberal mind runs on emotion, not logic. By inserting emotion into our messages we can get them to remember our messages. Emotion is the glue that liberals (and many other people) use to hold onto their beliefs. If you doubt that, read the tweets of someone suffering TDS.
The uninformed do not pay attention to grand ideas,
but they will always be attracted to a pretty picture. Bear in mind - a
whopping 38% of the electorate have no clue what is going on, and they
make choices based not on reality, but on the pictures they have in
their minds and the emotions to which they are attached. To them, a photo-op is not just perception - it is reality.
Hence, conservatives need to start presenting their ideas with simple
pictures or images that appeal to the voter's emotions.
Again, consider the impact of that visual of Republicans
pushing Granny over a cliff. Many voters will not vote for you if they don't even remember your message.
Liberals win elections because they use pictures, entertainment and stories
to sell their agenda. Instead of a lengthy, boring dissertation on how
we can fix Medicare, they simply showed a Republican pushing Granny over
a cliff. Instead of a lengthy discussion on the role of government in
our lives, liberals produced "The Life of Julia." As they say - one
picture is worth a thousand words.
If you doubt that last statement, think about Hurricane Sandy. More than
1/3 of voters in 2012 stated that Sandy affected their vote. They were swayed by the emotion involved. Even though
President Obama actually did nothing to help the victims, everyone saw
the photo op of him being praised and hugged by powerhouse Republican Governor
Chris Christie. The picture told voters that Obama was "presidential"
and also "praised by Republicans." That is what made an impression on
voters - not the long-term misery that Obama never bothered to actually address.
We live in a culture where most voters simply cannot be reached unless
they are being entertained, and the message is kept simple and creates
imagery. Take that to the bank - either appeal to the audience, or lose
them.
Democrats won the woman vote because they offered BENEFIT. They won
Latinos because they offered BENEFIT. The won black people because they offer benefit. And recently they even stooped to offering cash cards - illegal, yet effective. Republicans need to repackage their
message to offer better benefits (keeping it legal, of course) and offer them in a way that holds voter's attention. An example - Democrats offer hungry people a fish
(welfare, a benefit). Republicans offer to teach hungry people how to fish
(a feature). Voters say, "Darn, I have to waste time learning something, and then spend time actually catching and cleaning those fish." Instead, Republicans should emphasize that by teaching them how to
fish (feature) they and their families will never be hungry again (benefit). Get it? Sell
the sizzle, not the steak.
IMPORTANT: Every patriotic conservative with a desire to restore our Republic needs to do at least this much - pass this post on to everyone you know. That is the only way this can work. It must get into the hands of the people who are capable of putting it in motion. Anything less than all of us pulling together would only mean failure, and no chance to preserve America for our children and grandchildren. Please think about that before walking away from this.
IF WE DO NOT STAND UNITED, WE WILL FALL!
Earlier I promised you an example of teaching by entertaining. Here is one I wrote 10 years ago.
Now it is up to conservative patriotic Americans to put in the effort if they want to give their children and grandchildren a free, viable and strong Constitutional Republic. It will not be easy, but it is the only alternative to a globalist, socialist (or communist) world, with nowhere else to run.
Oh, and by the way - you can use these same methods to be more successful in all that you do.
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