As we speak the House Democratic caucus is meeting at a hotel in Baltimore, Maryland in their Annual Issues Conference. And it basically to plot a messaging strategy for retaking the House in 2024. Basically, the messaging battle lines are already being drawn. I wholeheartedly approve. Set the message early, and then stick with all the way home.
According to new reporting in The Hill, the early indications are that the Democrats are going to be going with a two pronged approach. The first prong is to continue to hammer home on the accomplishments of the last two years, when the Democrats actually held the House. This can be extremely effective, since many of the benefits to be reaped from the bipartisan infrastructure bill will not begin to be felt until this year, and going into next year.
The second prong will be to continue at the issues that led to unexpected gains by the Democrats in 2022 in terms of seat losses. This means hammering kitchen table issues like Social Security and Medicare, drug costs, education, abortion, and LGBTQ rights. South Carolina Democrat James Clyburn summed it up nicely;
“We had unexpected results last November because we put people over politics and explained time and time again exactly what we were doing,”
This can be very effective, since the Democrats can use it to draw contrasts between themselves and the GOP led House. Perfect example. They can tout Biden’s leadership in getting the GOP to take Medicare and Social Security off the table in his SOTU. Then they can hammer any rogue MAGA member trying to tinker with them for breaking his SOTU pledge. Even in the minority they can continue to bring popular kitchen table issue bills to the floor, and then point out GOP obstruction in getting it done.
This messaging enclave will be front-and-center in the House’s annual retreat, which takes place this week as well. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries set the table in remarks today;
“That’s an agenda that puts people over politics,” he added, referring to the retreat’s theme. “It’s an agenda that we will stand behind, continue to bring to life as we move it forward this year and throughout the balance of this Congress.”
I cannot tell you how pleased I am by this development. Since 2017 the Democrats have shown an admirable, and heretofore unheard of discipline when it comes to their messaging. They finally got the memo. take a manageable number of red meat issues, and hammer the shit out of it. And it’s working.
Here’s why this early start is so critical. It’s not like the Democrats aren’t going to get an unintended assist from the MAGAt’s in the House, and the earlier they start, the more benefit they reap. Other than faux inquisitions in House committees, the only things the GOP are going to introduce are red meat bones for the base that are doomed to fail. Especially when Senate Minority Leader Moscow Mitch McConnell will gleefully pronounce such lane shit as DOA, even in the GOP senate caucus as he tries to chart a narrow path back to the majority in 2024.
And there are also going to be several must pass votes coming up this term where the Democrats can rub McCarthy and his MAGA caucus’ nose in it. There is the June debt ceiling crisis coming, and there are more than enough moderate GOP members to join the Democrats in a discharge petition to get it passed. McCarthy would be smart to grow a pair, and tell the Freedom Caucus to just STFU, and pass it bipartisan style, and skip the hit with the voters for threatening a global collapse.
And then there’s the federal budget. That got booted to the scheduled expiration date of September 30th, 2023. Thanks to McConnell’s wily assistance, this hamstrung McCarthy from any serious mischief. After all, it’s the party that initiates a government shutdown who always takes it in the shorts for it. The last thing the GOP needs is a government shutdown taking center stage in the GOP 2024 presidential primary debates. And even if the Freedom Caucus tries any mischief with Social Security and Medicare, McConnell has already publicly notified Squeaker McCarthy that it would be DOA on arrival in the Senate. And all along the way, the Democrats can use their messaging discipline to draw a nice contrast for 2024 swing voters.
SO yes, I’m thrilled that the Democrats are getting out of the gate early, and running. Ten years ago I would have taken this as nothing but a Democratic publicity stunt, forgotten before the ink was dry. But this Democratic party is a different breed of cat, and they’ve discovered a will for the fight. Let the games begin.
And so the torch passes to the next generation, as it should be. I am glad that the younger reps are keeping (and learning from) the institutional knowledge the older reps have. I’ll bet Ms. Pelosi enjoys a bit of input now and again—-you know, an idea on wording, a minor twist to a plan that will have a larger impact.
There should be a statue of her in front of the building…maybe showing her finger in fascism’s(trump), face. Love that photo.