Politicians are Like Cockroaches

    I recently sent the following message to every political organization that sends me mass emails:

    “ Here is the problem with the mass email strategy followed by Moveon.org, Daily Kos, Diane Ravitch et al.  You are preaching to your choir and wearing them out.  Although many of the issues you cover are important to me I find myself deleting before I read because it is too much.  The conservative portion of the political divide has been winning for over two decades for two simple reasons.  They control access and they control the message.  Like conservatives, progressive operatives suffer from the same malady because they believe the electorate to be simpletons.  Here’s a proposal:  Quit spending valuable time and money filling up the inboxes of other progressives.  Begin developing a campaign of making the electorate aware of whom the politicians are.   You don’t even have to take a side.   Simply send mass emails that introduce local and state representatives, what they do for a living and who contributes the most to their campaigns.  Put billboards up that tell the electorate who their state representatives are.  This by itself would create doubt among these politicians and cause them to move much more cautiously with legislation.  Simply bring them into the light.  Stop sending me mass emails about the evils of the political opposition.  These mass emails will not change the political momentum.  Provide information.

Paul Bonner”

            Politicians can be like cock roaches.  When the light comes on they scatter.  There are two ways they keep the electorate in the dark:  1. Politicians act to control and limit information. 2. They send out so much information that it all becomes noise.

            The current Republican mastery of local politics around the country is based on an ingenious, yet simple, concept: Breed distrust through simple messaging.   US citizens are very busy.  They don’t take the time to delve into the minutiae of government policy.  Those who do vote tend to base selections on negatives and fears.  The Republican focus on state and local governments is effective because citizens are the least educated about the representatives and voter turn out is typically light.  The media doesn’t focus on it because advertisers believe it makes no money.  Lobbying groups such as ALEC do focus on state representatives because they can influence policy with efficient investment.  Republicans learned a long time ago that emotional issues like abortion, same sex marriage, the 2^nd amendment and immigration get a much stronger turn out than articulate perspectives on policy.

            Democrats, on the other hand, haven’t identified emotional issues that have an impact.  Citizens United: "Of course we want citizens united, who doesn’t?"  Income Inequality: "I know I live pay check to pay check. "  What democrats haven’t figured out is that it is not reasoned argument that wins the day, just exposure. 

If you want to bring balance to citizen influence versus special interest, corporate or otherwise, simply share information on politicians.  This information does not have to be damning, just factual.    Billboards revealing the district representative would be a good start.  I love to read about politics and discuss ideas, yet even I don’t know who my state representative is, much less where he or she stands on issues.  This billboard should have what the representative does for a living, the length of time served and major political contributors.  Political philosophy or voting history wouldn’t be necessary.  If a non-profit simply put this information out there it would make politicians nervous.  Remember, many behave like cockroaches.  They might hesitate to be so welcoming to the lobbying special interests that want to be anonymous.  The electorate would know the name and possibly ask questions.  Career politicians would become particularly nervous.  This is all public information.  No one would be able to stifle it, unless politicians began to make laws to do so, a behavior that just might get the attention of voters.

At first this might benefit progressives, but I have numerous conservative friends who would like to see government work rather than divide.  This isn’t about party.  There are numerous Republicans and Democrats behaving badly.  If we simply provided billboards in every district, political behavior might change.  Remember, politicians run away from the light: Like cockroaches.