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Democrats, Lose these Five Phrases
(and Win Hearts, Minds, and Elections)
Democrats, Independents, and Democracy Lovers, Republicans are already trying to put into effect “He who counts the ballots wins the election.” While that’s dangerous, and we need to do everything we can to keep that from happening (I’m talking to you, my Progressive and alienated friends) there’s something else that’s more dangerous. “He who defines the terms, wins the debate.” Republicans have been fashioning the talking points for decades, and talking points are more salient than facts. They win elections because they implant ideas and images in the public mind that often aren’t true, but which touch emotions and gain validity by repetition.
They can be catchy. They can be scary. They can be silly. They can be evocative. They can be lies. Whatever they are, they work. They work so well that many Democrats, who should know better, unthinkingly repeat them. When we cede the terms of discussion to the other party, then we have already lost the argument. While we are arguing, as logically as we can, we are still repeating and reinforcing the labels they have crafted.
We need to stop.
Although there are many terms we need to drop immediately, I’m going to concentrate on just five. If you look at any one of these and wonder what the problem is, then the other…
