ONE’S SQUABBLING; ONE’S SCATTERED
Blame fragmented message if party’s momentum fails
Public relations doesn’t have the best reputation in politics. Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks was criticized for having a background in PR, which is often linked to spinning falsehoods or cleaning up after scandals.
However, a viable public relations strategy is essential for winning elections and passing key policies. The primary runoffs in Texas are the perfect time for the Democratic Party to reconsider its strategy for the upcoming midterm elections.
There’s no doubt anti-Trump sentiment provides a foundation for electoral success, but it’s not enough on its own to win elections. Not only have Democrats made frequent PR missteps that could cost them dearly at the polls, but they have no overarching strategy or cohesive narrative to sell. But not all hope is lost — there are concrete steps leadership can take to gain considerable seats this November.
A basic tenet of public relations is creating a communications game plan that links to an overarching narrative. Right now, Democrats’ talking points jump all over the place, from immigration to Russia to guns and back again, with the only common refrain being “Donald Trump is terrible.” The different strands don’t fit together in any cohesive way. These issues are important, but they don’t flow into any larger framework, and candidates aren’t making connections between issues. Each idea is forgotten as soon as it leaves the news cycle, with the exception being gun control, a debate driven mainly by students, not political leaders.
A better strategy would be for Democrats to focus on the underlying ideas that drive the platform in order to build a narrative of an ideal society. An inspiring narrative is essential to motivating voters, coordinating grassroots campaigns and linking those campaigns across a state. Ideally, this will foster voters who, when they develop positive feelings about one Democratic candidate, will transfer those feelings to other party candidates.
Democrats also must learn how to create authenticity across social media. Currently, too many sound like they have spent far too much time in focus groups. Every speech or tweet sounds like it was created by a speechwriter and vetted by at least five staff members. This slickness can make potential voters feel like their lives
aren’t understood and that no one is listening to them. Authenticity inspires passion and is hard to fake. But politicians misunderstand social media and its goal, which is not messaging, but rather authentic interactions.
That’s why the party must embrace social media. Politicians must control their own Twitter accounts. Some, like Sens. Cory Booker and Chris Murphy, clearly run their twitter accounts, letting followers see their values and personalities, as well as their sense of humor. Politicians must also develop a personal brand. They should feel free to be themselves, but with an understanding of their audience.
Democrats must engage with the activists in their base. In Texas, grassroots excitement has created a vocal opposition to the re-election of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, allowing opponent Rep. Beto O’Rourke to raise $6.7 million in the first quarter of 2018. Yet outside Texas, Democratic politicians are leaving activists out of policy and political decisions. A primary goal of political communication motivation of the base, but in this case, the base is ready for action. It’s a missed opportunity and suggests that leaders do not really care about what their supporters think, which is a particularly risky message to send as the party moves from primaries to the general election.
The Democratic Party, although out of power, isn’t pow- erless. There are several opportunities for political leaders to seize the moment, but PR mistakes could stand in their way. While these problems may seem small now, it may seriously damage odds of an electoral victory in 2018.