the virtues of inflammation

Kos

Rock>Knife>Gun>Morgue, Mssrs Dean and Krugman, RKGM.

Dean IS doing the right thing. Krugman, likewise. They're fighting. Now where's the rest of the bench?

The key to republican success in message-trafficking is message overload. They have so many pitches--sliders, curves, fast- and spitballs--and they keep em coming with the ferocity of a pitching machine. Brush em back, repeat.

Unlike the bunting Leiberman or the inconsistent Biden or the windmilling Kerry, Dean & Krugman aren't attempting to bat, because they understand the game. They're throwing ROCKS back at them. They're changing the game and you can tell somebody's doing that well when the opposition starts squalling or giving you "advice." Media included, for all intents.

Anyone familiar with OODA loops and military strategy can see the play. Unbalance your opponent; keep them rocked back on their heels, shift their frequency and plan--get INSIDE their loop, and cut it. Yes, shock them, awe them, make veins pop out of their heads. Tilt the machine. Cheney knows this, Rove knows this, hell, Ali knew this. Biden & Co? One finger wet, and up in the air, the other paw elbow deep in the shrimp cocktail.

Rock>Knife>Gun>Morgue, Messrs Krugman and Dean, RKGM. Brush em back, repeat.

fouro on Fri Jun 10th, 2005 at 05:30:10 EST [ Reply to This ]

I agree, to a point

I agree that Democrats need to fight -- I've been consistent about my dislike for the recent "deal" and the need to fight the republican agenda. But Dean is, and has, acted very naively. His heart may be in the right place, but his position calls for a professional appraoch.

I'm not advocating dumping Dean overboard. But if I were Reid and the rest of the Democratic leadership, I would whisper in his ear that the party needs someone in his position that will convince the American public that Democrats are ready to lead again.

Krugman is right about Republicans combatting facts with name calling. But I'm afraid Dean is getting close to doing the same thing. He needs to step back and understand that improvisation is great when playing jazz, terrible when giving political speeches.

by numediaman on Fri Jun 10th, 2005 at 08:55:18 EST

"a professional approach"?

In other words, play to type? Don't take this too personally? Remain at some remove? Yeah, that'll work.

A DNC chair's job in this shock and awe age is to be on point, drawing fire, generating heat that inflames, illuminates and smokes out opponnents. The vanguard behind him should then engage the targets that reveal, with vigor. And keep engaging. You know what? That kind of product demo will raise more bucks and more hearts in one year than McCauliffe's tone deafness and fey-warrior somnolence could spark in 4. Right now, Dean and Krugman are an Army of Two. Everyobdy else has the skills--okay, some everybody elses--but they're creeped out by knives and loud noises: They're waiting for "permission," and precedent... again.

That = paralysis at precisely the worst moments. No, reach and frequency, simple and sharp -- Republican favorites -- forgives a lot of mistakes and gives your competition no rest. It gives you do-overs. It also fortifies your guys because they can see their flag and hear the bugle over all the other noise too. Reach and frequency, simple and sharp. That much of old advertising media theory still has valence, if only in today's multi-channel media ring.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting wild-eyed frothing at the mouth. Chessplayers are needed, too. Reality-based humans do too have a place, otherwise the lightbill wouldn't get paid. I'm saying be a provocateur; discomfort the comortable. And keep it coming.

You know, it's weird how those pesky "chicken" french have all the great words to describe what gets under the skin and makes impact...

Provocateur
Entrepreneur
Bricoleur

Guerilla

All the above words describe a disdain for the status quo and an unwillingness to stand on formality or job description. Pardon me, numediaman, but as a marketer I feel I can say with no small amount of pattern recognition that Democrats dispay the worst of board room-level analysis paralysis, but with none of the leather chair instinct for the jugular.

Our only problem, as noted above is our bench is AWOL - providing no suppressing fire to further disorient and misdirect the opponent. Dean is doing just fine reinventing his job to be a more effective one. The current fingerbiting by our side and advice-tendering and spluttering by the Rove/Mehlman axis is a replay: They knew 36 months ago there was power and visceral appeal, not to mention truth, to his message and passion. So, their knives came out, and early, to pre-condition the marketplace. (Rememeber the infamous "we want Dean" from Rove? Like hell they did.)

Dean has point, and knows the role. His only challenge is his professional Democratic brothers and sisters are acting like Lt. Bush, circa 1970, and claiming they've seen the whites of Republican eyes.