Winning takes superior messaging, money, organization
For Minnesota movement conservatives, now isn’t the time for pointing fingers and recriminations. Yes, we suffered a major defeat Tuesday night, partially because we put the marriage amendment on the ballot at the end of the 2011 legislative session but mostly because we haven’t invested in the messaging and organization that the DFL has. Let me explain.
ABM is a despicable, deceitful organization filled with people committed to lying if that’s what it takes to win elections. That said, they set the DFL’s agenda with their communications. I’m not suggesting we sell our souls like ABM and other DFL parasite organizations have done. I’m suggesting that we get more involved in proactive messaging that shapes issues, puts the DFL on the defensive and questions the DFL’s thinking and policies.
The first thing we need to do now that we’re stuck with a DFL legislature and governor for the next 2 years is figure out what their plan is. That’s pretty simple. The DFL will raise taxes, increase environmental regulations and spend money recklessly. The next thing that conservatives need to prepare for is highlighting the DFL catastrophic failures.
The DFL’s tax increases will slow the economy. The environmental regulations that DFL activist organizations will insist on will cripple the Iron Range because they’ll cripple the mining, logging and shipping industries.
The DFL will spend tons of money on education. They’ll spend tons of money on MNSCU with little regard for whether MNSCU will spend the taxpayers’ money wisely. (HINT: It won’t be spent wisely.)
It isn’t enough for conservatives to say that education is a good thing and that they support education. It’s time to highlight the appalling flaws with government schools, MnSCU and the U of M.
It’s time to highlight how much of the taxpayers’ money these institutions spend on lobbying. It’s time for K-12 activists to highlight the counterproductive programs that don’t prepare students for life after graduation. It’s time to highlight how much money is spent on administrators that don’t enhance educational outcomes.
Next, we need a party of evangelists, people that know the issues and reach out to communities that we’ve ignored. That means staying in constant contact with minority communities. That means trashing the GOP model of approaching the minority communities 6 months before an election, then asking for their support.
Remind everyone that we’re the only political party in Minnesota that celebrates the entrepreneurial movement, that praises achievers and that thinks innovators should be rewarded with tax simplification, streamlined regulations and constantly growing profits.
The DFL certainly doesn’t fit that description. In fact, they’ve spent the last 3 years villainizing entrepreneurs, faintly praising innovators, voting against a streamlined permitting process and collecting support from environmental organizations that are destroying the Iron Range.
Finally, it’s time we put in place the organization that will get conservatives moving in the right direction simultaneously while highlighting Alida Messinger’s deceitful machine. That means highlighting her funding of ABM’s smear tactics and Conservation Minnesota’s anti-mining, anti-freedom agenda.
This is doable. It’s been done in other states, most notably in Wisconsin. Let’s get started winning the future. We know that the DFL isn’t the future. It’s time to start working towards making them the Party of the failed past.
Comments welcome at Let Freedom Ring.