RK ARCHIVE - Three Targets for Webb: Youth, yellow dog Dems and Love-and-Service Christians

Roadette is nothing if not adventuresome -- I'm looking at reaching outside the circle. So I'd love to get opinions/ideas on the 3 groups in the title: Youth, yellow dog Dems and love-and-service religious people.
1. Youth: I videoblogged with a group doing a swing-state voter registration drive for the Kerry campaign in 2004. We spent a lot of time in youth-oriented venues in 38 states, especially after making contact with the League of Pissed-Off Voters. Sadly, young people have a very low voting turnout. I will aim some videoblogs towards them, but I worry that this strategy that may not pay off as well as content aimed at the other two groups.

However, one reason it's worth a shot are the mid-line results from the recent encouraging Rasmussen
poll, conducted beginning on 8/18/06, one week after the 'macaca incident.' Allen has lost support across all demographic groups, but in particular, among younger voters: He went from Plus 23 to Minus 17, a swing of 40 points. In Southeastern VA, Allen went from a 2:1 lead to a tie, a 31-point swing.

2. Yellow dog Dems: This is a group close to my heart and Roadette shares a certain love of highways, trucks, trailer parks, honky-tonks, country music, and thin-lipped evangelical relatives with YDDs. I think I can make video that they will relate to. I'm going to run with the "Boots" themes -- These boots are made for leading; George Allen -- Boot him. Bootstrap vs. Bootlicker...Boot. Re-boot...These boots walk the walk. These boots don't. (See the videos 'Roadeo' and 'Dancing in the Desert' on www.roadette.com for example of Roadette videos that have a YDD feel.)

Question: Are there blogs where YDDs hang their @s? Any Truckstoppers Anonymous sites? Give me a clue...if ya have one! :-)

3. Love-and-service Christians: They've been going along with their churches...but I think they might be ready to vote for a kinder, gentler compassionate conservatism. As Jim Webb puts it, they care about social justice issues. Further, I think we might have some success with segmenting the younger portion of this group who may not vote *just* on anti-choice and gay marriage...an intersection of youth and love-and-service Christians (as opposed to the old hell-and-brimstone Christians.)

This video has to have a different flavor. I'm thinking of appropriating the language of the rightwingnuts. They've been doing it to us successfully for the past decade, for ex: Compassionate conservatism...horsepucky.

I found a piece of hiphop music with a good instrumental section, and a lyric fragment...

'we gonna make it right...now make it right'. I took the lyric, edited it to the instrumental, then end the :40 seconds with the lyric again.(Hopefully, you can hear it, if I got the embed tag right.)

It gives me goosebumps: Appropriate the language of the right to take the sting out of voting Dem in areas where, as Mudcat says, "It's socially unacepptable to say you're a Democrat."

Thanks for letting me share my pre-road trip thoughts! I would very much appreciate your evaluation of these ideas and other directions you might map out for me. Roadette

Comments

Good ideas, nice tune. (RayH - 8/25/2006 4:34:48 PM)

I can easily see how you can reach youth with videoblogs, and to YDD and Love-and-Service Christians, too, although the latter two groups are mixed in their use of Internet.

The big deal with youth is to get them to actually register and come out to vote. It's already time for absentee registrations and ballots for college kids. Anything we can do to make it easier for them to understand the steps they need to take to vote for the first time is good.

I like the message that Webb is a patriot, Democrats are patriots, and we're taking our country back. Check out Music Row Democrats for some country music that supports our cause. http://musicrowdemoc...

As you must certainly know, professing Christians aren't limited to the religious right set. In my opinion, progressive folks in mainline denominations have been drowned out in the public arena by extremists. There's plenty of church people that are centrists and further left on the political spectrum. I'm not sure exactly where you'll connect with them online, but it certainly seems possible.

Thanks! (roadette - 8/25/2006 4:48:24 PM)

The music link is very helpful -- appreciate it!

And I certainly agree with your take on the problems with the youth vote and Christians. I think there are some moderate Christians who have been drowned out by the screaming rightwingers in their own denominations, as well as members of churches that are more moderate in their overall outlook.

I think the campaign will reach the latter; so I'm going to try to look for the former.

Again, thanks. Roadette

re: Thanks! (AntennaSwitch - 8/25/2006 6:13:06 PM)

I, too, wish you well in this video endeavor and am looking forward to seeing your dispatches from the front lines on YouTube (or wherever). The Virginia Senate race is definitely a bellwether for the future of Democratic, and Progressive, governance nationally. As you traverse the Virginia landscape, I am hopeful your shared insights and video "takes" on this important political race will illuminate that future.