Democrats are their own worst enemy
They shoot at their own feet
They let GOP set the narrative,
are slow to respond and get beat

Unlike GOP, which became a party of Whites
Democratic party is highly diverse –
race, religion, sexual orientation, education, wealth …..
Sadly, diversity is both a blessing and a curse

Marketing presidential candidate is not
that different from marketing a product
Democrats must convince potential customers
that they should endow in the product their full trust

Sadly, Democrats are weak as marketeers
a slogan has to be catchy, memorable and short *
Trump’s Make America Great Again passed this test
Hillary’s Make America Whole again did not
(* see a list of great slogans at the end of the document)

Democrats are like Boy Scouts – virtuous
Republicans, on the other hand act like goons
They lie, cheat, insult, spread conspiracy theories
Still they win, often acting like buffoons

Democrats have to learn to fight, a fight
now waged on social media such as Facebook
Fighting “brick for brick”, “eye for eye”,
“toe to toe”, “mano to mano” is not in their playbook

Democrats don’t think and act strategically
they wasted precious energy on impeachment –
knowing fully well its fate in the Senate
and not having a solution for this impediment

It only emboldened Trump to abuse his position
He became ruthless, bellicose and belligerent
He flaunted his power and authority
His behavior became even more repugnant

Democrats like to give gift to the opposition
“Defund” police, come on, what are they thinking
Trump will milk  “Defund” police agenda to the hilt
His torpedoes will cause Democratic ship’s sinking

America is a center right country, “progressive”/
extreme liberal ideas are not a winning proposition
To succeed, Democrats have to win battleground states
Where, politically,  they are in a weak position

Americans are not looking for revolution
They will support incremental progress
Healthcare for all is acceptable
Medicare for all causes them stress

Hillary lost a close election in 2016
Due to blacks and young choosing to sit out
Both groups suffered from enthusiasm gap
Others wise, her win was never in doubt

By not showing up, they essentially voted for Trump,
and indirectly contributed to his victory
Had they voted for Hillary, instead of sitting out
Trump would have been relegated to history

It’s OK to be disappointed if your choice loses the primary
But it is not OK to not vote; consider it a moral duty
By sitting out, you enable Republican’s win
For this, you can’t be absolved of your responsibility

A Democrat has to first get elected
before he/she can make any change
Sitting out doesn’t advance the cause
Washington chairs he/she has to rearrange

No matter who is the Democratic nominee
He/she is going to be better for the Democrats
Trump, on the other hand, as we have seen,
has been a disaster,  acting as one of the autocrats

The campaign needs to talk about the danger to
the safety net programs,* if Trump wins again
He will try to cut or starve these programs
A ground once ceded will be hard to regain
(*Social security, Medicare, SNAP, Living Wage laws, ….)

Republican agenda is not friendly to working class,
it caters to the rich, powerful and greedy corporations
Tax cuts, deregulation, big business SOPs and more
Labor gets shafted and beaten into subjugations

Republican leaders in key states
will use every trick, legal or otherwise
to suppress large chunk of Democratic votes
That they will do this should come as no surprise!

Democrats have to make a vow to not be
cowed by voting roadblocks put in their way
Be it ballot by mail, or ballot in person
Only by voting can we send Trump away

To the no shows, I have only one thing to say –
think about the Supreme Court nominations
Trump’s appointee will mean 6 right wingers on the bench –
a stifling majority that will last for several generations

A conservative Supreme Court is not a friend of
minorities, disadvantaged or the working poor
It caters to its right wing benefactors
Doing their bidding, acting as a kind of saboteur

Biden’s pick of Kamala Harris is a 2-edge sword
She surely will draw Black votes
But, Bernie bros and Warren wonks may sit out
The campaign may once again end on sad notes

This election, just like the 2016 election
is for Trump to lose, if Democrats act smartly
If they don’t, they will see history repeat it self
and they will go down meekly

Democrats, let’s make a vow to vote at all costs
Sitting out this time is not an option
We can’t take four more years of Trump
Treat the vow to vote as an admonition.

We can do it but only if we show up.
Let’s just do it.
Do it for the country.
Do it for civility.
Do it for the next generation.
Do it for humanity.

God bless America

—-
Examples of Memorable slogans
Nike – Just Do It, Apple – Think Different, Wendy’s – Where’s the Beef?, L’Oreal – Because You’re Worth It, M&Ms – Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands, De Beers – A Diamond is Forever, Wheaties – The Breakfast of Champions.

Penned prior to the 2020 Presidential Election