“Why Voters Tune Out Democrats”

 

Tuning Out the Democrats – NYTimes.com.

Click through above to read an interesting op-ed by “Stanley B. Greenberg is the chief executive of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a polling company that works with center-left political parties in the United States and abroad.”

“…voters feel ever more estranged from government — and that they associate Democrats with government. If Democrats are going to be encumbered by that link, they need to change voters’ feelings about government. They can recite their good plans as a mantra and raise their voices as if they had not been heard, but voters will not listen to them if government is disreputable.” … and GOP/Teabaggers have been very busy making government seem disreputable

Voters See Manufacturing Jobs as the Top Priority

New National Poll: Voters See Manufacturing Jobs as the Top Priority for Washington, But Fewer Think Anyone Is Taking Action | Alliance for American Manufacturing.

Some key findings from the poll, include:

•    When given an “either/or” choice, just 29% want Washington to focus on deficit reduction while 67% favor job creation.

•    “Creating manufacturing jobs in the U.S.” and “strengthening manufacturing in this country” are the top voter priorities for the President.

•    Only 50% of voters believe that the President is working to create manufacturing jobs – an 11% drop from 2010. Congress fares even worse – 41% say Democrats in Congress are working to create jobs, and 32% see the GOP working to create jobs.

•    90% have a favorable view of American manufacturing companies – up 22 points from 2010.

•    97% have a favorable view of U.S.-made goods – up 5 points from 2010.

•    94% of voters say creating manufacturing jobs is either “one of the most important” things government can do or “very important.”

•    90% support Buy American policies “to ensure that taxpayer funded government projects use only U.S.-made goods and supplies wherever possible.”

•    95% favor keeping “America’s trade laws strong and strictly enforced to provide a level playing field for our workers and businesses.”

•    59% say we need to “get tough with China and use every possible means to stop their unfair trade practices…” – only 34% say we need to “be careful…because they own such a significant portion of our debt.”
The poll results are available at www.americanmanufacturing.org

Senator Webb “Don’t Destroy the American Economy in Order to Save It”

note: Senator Webb’s most important statement ….

Our nation, as we all know, faces a looming crisis.

The markets have already warned us.  Businesses are already postponing investments.  We know the consequences of inaction; they are predictable:  Borrowing costs for businesses and individuals will escalate. Interest payments on the debt will grow, and already anemic job growth will decline.  Our nation will run the risk of another financial catastrophe and possibly a return to recession.  As Chairman Bernanke recently stated, the outcome would be “calamitous.”

Many Americans are struggling.  Far too many remain out of work.  They cannot be asked to absorb the shockwaves of yet another failure to act.  It is time for both sides and both chambers to find common ground.

DPVA Chair Announces Communications Improvements

Fellow Democrats, The mission of our organization is to constantly strive to provide the best services and resources possible to our grassroots activists, campaigns, and elected officials.  Democrats win when they are educated, trained, and equipped with the right tools.  That’s what the Virginia Summit was all about, and that’s why I’m proud to be unveiling a new tool that will enable us to keep you better informed, and for you to join the conversation by sharing our message with your personal network. Introducing the iPhone and iPad App for the Democratic Party of Virginia.  Search “DPVA” in the App Store or click here to download. This is your party – and with this free app you can react to the latest news and video, post messages to Facebook and Twitter, find events near you, and get involved with your local Democratic Committee.  Together we can fight for equal opportunity and make Virginia a better place to live, work, and raise a family. We would not have been able to take this step forward without the generous help from our partners at Citrrus, a Herndon, VA based mobile application development firm. For questions on developing an app for your candidate or campaign, contactinquiries@citrrus.com or call (202) 556-2637. All resources are a work in progress.  We want to hear from you regarding ideas for how to improve the app – so send your suggestions and feedback toapp@vademocrats.org.  You can also rate the app in the Apple Store. Don’t wait, download the app and help change Virginia today! Sincerely, Brian Moran Chairman,  Democratic Party of Virginia

Virginia Congressman Jim Moran Stands Tall Against GOP Attack On Our Nation’s Future

DPVA Chairman Pushes This Weekend’s Summit

With the first-ever Virginia Summit just three days away, I wanted to make sure you were aware of the unique opportunity this event will present attendees to hear from some of the leading experts in Virginia and national politics on the tools, skills and issues that we need as a party to win and move this Commonwealth forward.

The two-day Virginia Summit will be full of trainings and panel discussions by representatives from key Democratic and progressive institutions, including the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Governor’s Association, numerous winning Virginia campaigns and a host of advocacy organizations and campaign consultants.

In addition to the broad experience and expertise that will define the Summit weekend, we are especially excited to welcome our featured presenter Dr. Drew Westen, who will be sharing his perspective on messaging our Democratic values in a lunchtime address and a hands-on workshop.

Dr. Westen is a clinical, personality, and political psychologist and neuroscientist, and a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Emory University. He is also the founder of Westen Strategies, a strategic messaging firm. As the author of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation (which you can pick up at the summit), Dr. Westen has influenced campaigns, companies and nonprofits around the world. He will share his unique perspective on delivering an emotionally impactful political message and work with Summit attendees to ensure that we talk about our values in a way that resonates best with our audience.

The opportunity to hear from leading experts like Dr. Westen, speak with him directly, and interact with hundreds of other elected officials, candidates, activists and operatives from across the Commonwealth is what the Virginia Summit is all about.

The DPVA, OFA and the VAYD’s are dedicated to giving our activists the tools and skills they need to win elections and advance our values of justice, fairness and equality of opportunity for every Virginian, and this Summit is a large part of our effort to accomplish that mission.

I hope you will click here to view the full Summit schedule and take advantage of the low $25 registration fee for this unprecedented event. With every dedicated activist who signs up to educate, train and win with us this weekend we get closer to building the progressive grassroots operation we need to win in November and turn our shared values into positive change for Virginians.

See you this weekend at the Summit,

Brian Moran

 

Upcoming DPVA Events July 11th, 15th and 16th in Richmond

July 15-16th at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. 

Chairman Brian Moran and the Democratic Party of Virginia, in cooperation with Organizing for America and the Virginia Young Democrats, are pleased to announce the creation of a groundbreaking new event – The Virginia Summit.   The event will be held on July 15th-16th at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.  The Summit will be a unique opportunity for Democrats and progressive activists to come together to:

 

• Engage in high level discussions and briefings with nationally recognized experts on the critical policy issues facing our Commonwealth and our nation incluing jobs and the economy, education, health care, national security and energy and the environment.

• Participate in trainings conducted by top-tier operatives to develop the skills and tools that our local leaders and grassroots organizers need to win elections.

• Play a role in developing winning strategies for candidates and potential candidates to build a bench of prospective public servants that is second to none.

• Network with fellow Democratic professionals and explore career development opportunities.

235 Years of Painful Progress – Happy 4th of July!

Happy 235th Birthday, United States of America!

July 4th each year we celebrate the birth of this country and our Declaration of Independence, including this famous excerpt:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed….”

Like me … you might just take a few minutes today to reread this historic document  .. here’s the link