WINNING
Newsletter #83 / March, 31 2025
We are facing an assault on basic American values, the very idea of democracy itself. We have to win. We have to win big in 2026, big enough to overcome gerrymandering and every dirty trick in the book. If we don’t do that, if we don’t beat them at their own game, the real nightmare will begin.
We have twenty months to build a nationwide coalition big enough to pull it off. That means we have to create an emotional message that appeals to everyone, from the most Progressive Democratic activist, through unaffiliated and disaffected voters, right down to fed-up Republicans. They all have to buy in. We all have to.
That means a central message, an emotional message that unifies. We have to emphasizes the things we have in common, the ideals of our American heritage .. the very things MAGA is set upon destroying. That means that whatever else we do .. the resistance that is so necessary, the campaigning to come, even just venting .. this central emotional message has to be embedded in it. The emotional foundation is what holds things together, what makes the rest not only effective, but contagious.
The Republican machine put Trump in the White House by endlessly repeating lies and innuendoes. We have to flip the script. We have to begin repeating basic American truths endlessly, the same truths that underly every social and economic issue we have ever stood behind. These same basic truths touch most Americans, the very people we need to win over. Policies and political positions don’t, but underlying truths do. These truths and symbols are the emotional bridge that brings everybody on board. We need to seize on these emotional truths and the icons that represent them, and make them our own. We need to set these things deep in the American psyche as our identity: champions of democracy.
The first, overriding truth is this: “All people are created equal”. This is America’s fundamental ideal. The Declaration of Independence is based upon it, as was Abraham Lincoln’s belief in democracy. Every cause we have ever championed springs from it.
There are few Americans who would publicly disagree with it, even Republicans. This is the kind of basic American truth that unites, and inspires. “All people are created equal” needs to be embedded in everything we say and do moving forward. “All people are created equal” needs to repeated endlessly, over and over until it is set deeply in people’s minds .. and connected directly to us, as Democrats. This is about emotional connection, subconscious imagery. The things MAGA has proven so adept at manipulating. Now it’s our turn!
Then we need to reclaim Lincoln. That means creating an emotional connection between Abraham Lincoln and the Democratic Party in the eyes of the American public. And it’s easy. As crazy as it may sound at first, you’ve always known he was one of us. He stood for everything we stand for. If he was alive today, he’d not only be a Democrat, he’d probably be the President of the United States.
The Lincoln Initiative will begin in Sandusky, Ohio this week. “The Party of Lincoln” is a myth that has lived far too long. On Wednesday, hundreds of Democrats will face off against Vitek Ramaswamy and the local local Republican Lincoln Day Dinner with a message of their own
But one demonstration isn’t enough. We need Lincoln Initiative demonstrations at every Republican Lincoln Day Dinner this year. Signs and reminders that Lincoln was one of us need to be a constant reminder at every protest and demonstrations we hold this summer. In the fall, we need to hold Lincoln Dinners of our own, celebrations of the Gettysburg Address, some of Lincoln’s finest words: “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
But owning Lincoln is only the first step. We have to set the stage for 2026 by reclaiming all of the democracy icons, everything from the Declaration of Independence to the Statue of Liberty. We need to turn the national conversation upside down. We need to do this so thoroughly .. so emotionally .. that Trump, and MAGA, and every Republican fanatic across this country is left explaining and defending. Because once they start explaining, they truly have lost. Lies and innuendoes are only powerful when everyone believes them. Once doubt starts, lies and innuendoes become a house of cards.
We have truth. Embedded in the emotional imagery of Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence and all the rest are the underlying values that drive us as Democrats, and as Americans. And with those underlying values comes the emotional power to not only take back the House in 2026, but to push things forward to a true mandate in 2028, and our rightful supermajority in the years beyond that.
And winning back the government, winning convincingly, is how we set the stage for bringing true social and economic justice to the nation. Winning is the starting point for every issue we champion.
Dems 101
MICHIGAN CORNER
The Michigan Rural Summit is April 10-12th this year (next week!), at the Kewadin Casino, in Sault Saint Marie. DEMS101 will be there! Look for our information table, and visit our hospitality session. Our goal: inspiring and motivating attendees as we work to save our Democracy. Highlights will focus on the Democratic Creed, our beliefs, our values, and our use of the definitions of Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity. Lots of handouts will be available.
DEMS101 has been a fixture at the two previous Michigan Rural Summits. Jim Purvis, the author of “Democrats 101” gave the opening keynote speech at the inaugural Summit in 2023. We are carrying on a tradition.
The Michigan Rural Summit is an increasingly important part of the Michigan Democratic movement. There are many great breakout sessions planned this year, with knowledgeable speakers, which will coincide with our needs and what we must soon do to bring back a strong reputation for the Democratic Party. The Michigan Democratic Party Rural Caucus is the organizer for the Summit – the Caucus provided this description for 2025:
“The theme of this year’s third annual Michigan Rural Summit is The Great Rural Revival, and its purpose is to unify and bring new direction to rural Democrats from all over Michigan, to remind every Democrat what the recent election so powerfully demonstrated, that elections have consequences, that we cannot cede a single rural county or vote in our fight to save democracy, that Democratic political leaders on the ground at the county level are the change makers and that becoming a Candidate and or a supporting advocate for every office from Precinct Delegate to state office is the path to winning back Michigan in the upcoming and future elections. This Summit will focus on the fact that everyone has an issue and needs that are important to them and that need to be heard, that legislative action is important, as is the environment and the education of our children. All these needs and concerns will be addressed at this Summit. Attendees will engage in dynamic work sessions designed to provide the tools every candidate’s successful race to ensure no Republican runs unopposed for any local or state office, to encourage active participation by elected officials in sessions, and to encourage the exchange of ideas between legislators, Union leaders and rural Democrats. This Summit will be this and so much more. I encourage you to attend this year’s Michigan Rural Summit and look forward to seeing you there.”
We urge you to not only be there, but to look us up. We look forward to talking to you about democracy.
Here are links for more info about attending:
MDP Rural Caucus: https://mdpruralcaucus.com
Summit: https://mdpruralcaucus.com/rural-summit/
See you soon!
