me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me

The most important thing to remember about branding is that a brand is not what you say it is, it's what they say it is. Whether or not the Republicans stand for those things is irrelevant as long as people perceive them too.

Now that's not to say we shouldn't fight back agressively on those points in an effort to rebrand. But to ignore the power the Republicans have in the position of the voters mind is an even bigger problem. We have to deal with political realities.

Hypocrite.
That word is the most damaging word that Democrats could throw at Republicans that deserve it.  At the same time, not every Republican deserves it, not for everything.  Democrats could dazzle the politics of this country if they could, with good conscience, praise Republicans who deserve praise for being honest (even if their ideas are, er, wrong...geez, there needs to be an easier and quicker way to say, "I respect your thinking but I have a better idea.") and out, with plain facts, Republicans who are hypocrites.

I'm all for Democrats figuring out what they're for.  Just make sure you can't be called a hypocrite, not even for one issue.  It is the Bush Republican most-used tactic: if a political opponent is wrong once, he or she is always wrong.

While "Me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me" is cute and appealing, it doesn't quite get the full range of vituperation. The whole point is not just "me," but "Me, not you!"

Or, to put it into 10-word form:

"Me, me, me, me, me! Not you, you Godless traitor!"

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase's WWF theme music as the answer to "Words that define Republicans"

If you know the theme, you'll get it. :D

As for branding.

Can we focus more on destroying stereotypes about liberals instead of just defying stereotypes?

Not original, but like the Firesign Theatre said:

Not Insane.
Not Responsible.

First, what are the top 5 most important issues?

What are the Republicans 5 biggest weaknesses

What are the Democrats 5 biggest strengths?

Remember these are all in the minds of the voters, not what you think.

Where these all intersect and where there are mirror differences between Democrats and Republicans is where the brand is.

For issues I would say: Iraq, Terrorism, the economy, health care and education

For Republican Weaknesses: looks out for big corporations first, ethics, mishandling of Iraq, weak economy, health care.

For Democratic Strengths: Cares about people like me, health care, the environment, social security, stem cell research.

My proposal: Leaving you behind on health care and the economy.

I propose:

Dew Dappled Daisies / Flitting Monarch Butterflies / Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp.

(Well, ok, that's 11, but the extra syllable is needed to make it a Haiku.  ;)  Hat tip to the originator back in the old days of rec.arts.poetry, whose name, alas, is lost like Atlantis.)

The Republican Party: the Party of Corruption, Treason and Death.

I agree 100% with upstatenydem.

As a Democrat & a successful Business owner for many years, it DOES NOT MATTER what you & I think or know about the  Real Republican Party.

Obviously, the Republican Party has done a MUCH MUCH better job especially in the last 20 years of Marketing themselves as the Party of Lower Taxes, Strong Military, Moral Family Values.

Just as it took them years to BUILD THAT BRAND in people's minds, IT WILL TAKE US Years to RE-BRAND ourselves as the better party for the american people.

As you know in any business, its NOT the sharpest CPA who makes the most amount of money in the industry, its NOT the Most Knowledgeable Doctor who has the most patients, its NOT the best quality of shoes or clothes that sells the most, its not the Cheapest Store that makes the most money- ITS THE CPA, the Physician, the Manufacturer & Retailer WHO iS BEST AT MARKETING who ALWAYS WINS! The Business Owner who has the strongest Referral system in place is often the Most successful in his field.  

THIS IS WERE MANY among Democratic Party activists & Intellectuals MAKE SERIOUS ERRORS.
They falsely believe that by being More Intelligent & Knowledgebale about Facts on the Economy,the Environment, Foreign Policy, etc. -VOTERS WILL FLOCK to the party in droves.

If politics were based on WHO KNOWS MORE or on ISSUES ALONE, George Bush would have NEVER been President. If it was based on Issues alone, Democrats would control Congress TODAY!

Unfortunately, it really boils down to the PERCEPTION of your average voter out there that counts. NOT the Political Junkies, NOT the Political Addicts, NOT the Political Intellectuals.

Its the Average Joe Smith who decides elections. There are millions of Joe Smith's. People who will NOT get a checklist of Issues & analyze them before voting. NO! The average Joe Smith will STILL VOTE For the candidate who they PERCEIVE as
someone they can relate to, who can speak their language, and who is not way to the Right or way to the LEft of their personal values.

It will have to be a consistent, clear, concise, unified message of BRANDING OURSELF while consistently & systematically Attacking their policies at every turn.

But by simply calling them on their faults or trying to expose them for their faults alone will not do it. If we cannot provide a CLEAR, CONCISE & ACCEPTABLE MESSAGE to the American people- IT WILL BE A TOUGH ROAD AHEAD!

As Democrats, we are obviously bias & partisan towards our party. We all strongly disagree with the Republican Party. That's already a given & a fact.

Unfortunately, in the real world, its all ABOUT MARKETING, MARKETING & MARKETING! Its the perception that non-partisan independent people(voters)have of the Dem & GOP that really matters.

Its changing the perception of people outside the Democratic Party is what matters.

The problem here is we as Democrats CAN'T EVEN AGREE on what a Democrat should stand for- THAT'S acceptable to all blocks of the party.

The Republican Party: Morally, fiscally, intellectually, bankrupt.

You can call it branding or whatever you want but the Democrats needs a short description that describes the party.  I am as guilty as the next person but Democrats tend to act and speak like policy wonks in an era when you have about 10-20 seconds to catch people's attention.  We need what the dotcoms used to call an elevator story.  I struggle with the details all the time but we need to develop something.

As for the Repubs, how about
Liars, liars, liars, liars, liars, liars, liars, liars and more liars.

Some examples:
Small govt - Liars
Fiscal responsibility - Liars
Iraq - Liars
Valerie Plame - Indicted Liars
Etc.

This should be a centerpiece for the Dems.  "The right to personal privacy" covers spying without warrants, the right to die with dignity and without governmental interference, reproductive rights, eminent domain, and yes, even the right to keep and bear arms.  

Dems should adopt the Libertarian concept of "Leave me the fuck alone and stay offa my property, I ain't botherin nobody."  THAT speaks to the right.

Jesus said,  whatever you do to the least of your
bretheren you do to me.

Michael Moore said, basically to go to heaven we need a permission slip from the poor.

What the hell is so important about... oil fields. Oil.

Redford's character in Three Days of the Condor. And more than ten words, but somehow it fits:

"Boy, what is it with you people? You think not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth?"

I'll do it in 3 words for the GOP

             G OD'S O NLY P ARTY

Democrats: Responsibility, Honesty, Environmentilism, Universal Education, Healthcare, and Oppertunity.  8 words, but I think it quickly summerizes us, although hard to simplify a complex agenda that isn't so short sighted or self-interested.  George Lackoff does a great job in summerizing democratic/progressive values, perhaps  Steve Benen should read it if he doesn't know what Democrats stand for.

It's quite fun to focus our efforts on re-branding the Republicans. But seriously, can we get back to defining who the Dems are? We are not going to last too long in our role as opposition if we don't have a firm grasp on who it is we are. And it has to be inclusive of the moderates in our party, I think. And it can't be oppositional. It has to be a positive statement -- a real stance. After all, that's what I would argue was attractive about Dean and is attractive about Feingold. It has to go beyond the polls and be about what it is we want and can do for this country.

We can start with "Embrace your inner FDR" and continue with "Embrace your inner Francis Perkins". And still have a word left over. Democrats just let this Party step away from the legacy of the greatest President of the 20th century.

FDR is still the "man" (that tenth word). Somehow we went from an America where "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" to supply side nonsense sold by a guy that promoted Borax via a 20-mule team. Does anyone else but me remember when "Dutch" was selling household cleaners while pitching "Death Valley Days"?

" Some of us are old enough to remember a historically oriented TV program called "Death Valley Days," hosted by actor, Ronald Reagan, long before he got into politics." Boy, howdy. And feeling older all the time.
http://www.death-valley.us/article1091.html

equal rights, civil rights, human rights, social security, environmental conservation,

Corporate Crime, Political Corruption, and Rewarding the Wealthy

'Deficits, white-collar crime, big corporations, lies, and dictatorship"

You missed the main issue: abortion. Why are the Republicans concerned about babies before they are born and not after they are born?

Simple. Southern strategy. The fetus has no skin color. When it is in the mother's womb, skin color is out of sight and out of mind. After a baby is born, everyone knows its skin color. That is why GOP cuts program for babies because the needy babies once they are black happen to be black or Hispanic. They also want to deny citizenship to babies born to illegal alien mothers...most of them are Hispanic.

No, these guys have no interest in babies..and this includes poor white babies.

"New Jersey polls show Republican state Sen. Thomas H. Kean Jr., son of the popular former governor, with a 13-point lead over incoming Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, appointed to fill the unexpired term of Jon Corzine, who resigned after he was elected governor."

This is not what I see...

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/10396

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/New%20Jersey%20Senate%20Dec%208.htm

Unless I am totally blind, I have not seen any polls showing Kean with a 13 point lead..please correct me, if I am wrong and provide an attachment.

Lambro has written nonsense before. Here is the mother of them all, back in 1992...

http://www.worldandi.com/public/1992/june/cr6.cfm

We all know what happened on November 3, 1992.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060103/ap_on_re_us/lobbyist_analysis_2;_ylt=Au4e_MS._nA.E3zjVT.xYAeGbTo C;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl