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Democratic lawmakers took to Twitter to once again condemn President Trump's tweeting habits after he spent seven consecutive days using his account to criticize media outlets.

On Sunday, President Trump tweeted a video of himself tackling WWE owner Vince McMahon with a CNN logo superimposed over McMahon's head.

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., an outspoken critic of Trump, said the president is encouraging violence and the tweet was "beyond unacceptable.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., called on all House GOP members to condemn his behavior, saying they were put in place to do just that and if they don't, they are condoning it.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised journalists as "guardians to our democracy" and called for a rejection to violence against them.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D- Calif., joined his colleagues by calling the president's behavior "beneath the dignity of the office."

Trump blasted the "fake media" just 12 hours prior to his Sunday morning tweet during a Saturday speech honoring veterans at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

While Trump has been sparring with the media for months, the rhetoric has ramped up in recent days, including a personal attack on MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski on Thursday about a supposed "face-lift" she had before seeing him at Mar-a-Lago in December.

That attack quickly spiraled out of control and Trump has been sparring with the "Morning Joe" host and her fiance and co-host Joe Scarborough on Twitter ever since.

However, Trump pivoted back to attacking CNN over the weekend, which was reportedly a concerted strategy on the part of the White House.

Read the original here:
Democrats unleash on Trump after CNN clothesline video: 'He has violence and blood in his mind' - Washington Examiner

Former President Barack Obama is conducting select meetings to begin a process of rebuilding the Democratic Party as leaders and elected officials in both Washington and across the country are still debating how to go forward.

After the 2016 elections, besides losing the White House and not having control of either chamber of Congress, Democrats were faced with new lows of seats they held in state legislatures.

A report by The Hill says Obama has been making regular calls with Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez. According to an anonymous source in the DNC, Obama jokingly told Perez, "Hey man, it's only the future of the world in your hands."

Working out of his D.C. office, Obama is said to be conducting one-on-one meetings with other legislators, like Maryland's freshman Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Still, sources that spoke to The Hill stopped short of divulging a more complete list of the meetings Obama has had.

The meetings come as the party is still scoreless in a series of contested special elections between Republicans and Democrats to replace members of the House of Representatives who were selected to serve in President Trump's administration. The most recent of those losses even cast doubt on the future of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's ability to continue in that leadership role.

Citing several anonymous sources, The Hill story says Obama doesn't want to be the face of the changes, and so will try to keep a low profile, but also said the former president "will begin emerging on the fundraising circuit and on the stump for candidates including Ralph Northam, the Democrat running for governor of Virginia, in the fall."

Obama kept a relatively low profile in the first two months of the Trump administration, but has crept back into the debate, especially as the healthcare battle has progressed in Congress.

Just two weeks ago, Obama put out a statement that slammed the GOP health bill under consideration in the Senate, saying, "Simply put, if there's a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family this bill will do you harm."

Read the original post:
Obama working behind the scenes to rebuild Democratic Party - Washington Examiner

It's been nearly 8 months since the Democrats propped up a losing presidential candidate and still have not learned anything about the temperature of middle America. In fact, Democrats have gone 0-4 in special elections for House seats which were left vacant after Republicans were selected to be in Trump's cabinet.

In continuation of how the Democrats ran the presidential campaign, the drum beat of bashing Trump and blaming Russia for every problem under the sun still doesn't seem to be working for the Dems. Their elections continue to be lost and out of touch Democratic leadership sticks to the same losing strategy. Even just announced today, a group of 25 House Democrats, including disgraced former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, have been working for the last few months on a bill that would remove Trump from office. Perhaps instead of spending a substantial amount of time writing a useless bill, maybe they could've been writing a progressive policy platform that could excite millions of Americans. But that's crazy talk if you suggest this to any Democratic official.

The worst part about watching the Democratic party repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot is how simple it is to point the gun away from themselves. As we've witnessed in the presidential election and special elections, pushing blame upon Trump simply won't win elections. Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio might be onto something as he recently stated "Our brand is worse than Trump. We can't just run against Trump." If the Democrats want to start winning elections, they have to present progressive ideas to the American people. Frankly, stop the blaming and announce bold, progressive party platforms which will get people excited about much needed change. However, with the 'politics as usual' leadership with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi in charge, its hard to see the strategy changing from a top-down perspective. But there is still hope!

Changing the Democratic strategy to focusing on progressive policy ideas seems to be bubbling up from some of the candidates in the base of the Democratic party. Candidates like union iron worker Randy Bryce, who is running to unseat Paul Ryan in Wisconsin, has taken the state and nation by storm by running on platforms like single-payer health care and a $15 minimum wage. Or Cathy Glasson, a union leader who is running for Governor of Iowa, has based her platform on a $15 minimum wage, universal healthcare, and improving the public school system. These types of unapologetic candidates who state bold, progressive ideals, stand behind the issues, and present an attractive alternative are exactly what the Democratic party needs if they want to start winning elections. Until the Democratic leadership wakes up and starts taking clues from candidates like Bryce and Glasson who are presenting progressive ideas, count on Trump and the GOP to keep raking in the wins.

The Morning Email

Wake up to the day's most important news.

Read more:
Democrats (0-4) Still Don't Have A Message Beyond Yelling At Trump - HuffPost

Im not sure that voters could be easily fooled by candidates who pretend to be what they are not. People may hear a politicians words, but most need to see evidence before casting their vote. That has never been more true than today, as people of faith see and are saddened that secularism is promoted in our schools and society. We want our leaders to truly represent us and our values.

BONNIE ONEIL NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.

To the Editor:

The Democrats do not have a religion problem. Religion as practiced by the Republican Party is the problem. It has reduced religion to the primary issue of abortion. If you are against abortion or claim to be, as Donald Trump conveniently proclaimed during the campaign, that is enough to claim the mantle of religion. True, it also helps to be against selling wedding cakes to homosexuals and contraceptives to women.

The Republican Party cant seriously claim the mantle of social conservatism when its current standard-bearer, never known to be a churchgoer, publicly lived the playboy life and extolled the values of greed, rather than charity. Has the Republican Party heeded Pope Francis call for social justice, to care for the poor and the disabled, refugees and the environment? The answer is no. The Republican Party is, to be sure, pro life, but it is against the living.

ALAN KUSINITZ, NEW YORK

To the Editor:

Daniel K. Williams errs in criticizing Jon Ossoff for his reluctance to advance his religious beliefs during his campaign. Mr. Ossoff is an adherent of Reform Judaism, perhaps the most progressive faith in the United States. The Sixth District has a strong conservative Christian orientation, which is at odds with core tenets of Reform Judaism. The Sixth District includes Cobb County, where in 2002 high schools placed stickers saying evolution is a theory not a fact on biology textbooks.

Mr. Ossoffs opponents questioned his legitimacy because he lived outside the district and had an ethnic-sounding name. He rightly assumed that proclaiming his Jewish heritage might further undermine his viability.

ELLEN G. RAFSHOON BROOKHAVEN, GA.

To the Editor:

Daniel K. Williams accurately maps out the Democrats problem with religion, except for one thing: They do have a religion. Its called liberal-progressivism. Increasingly, modern, college-educated white Democrats worship at the altar of historical grievance, political correctness, censorship and seeking any evidence (no matter how remote) of having been oppressed. They even seek to identify with others oppression when they themselves have suffered little. (Talk about cultural appropriation.)

Their liturgy is stigmatizing the unconverted by calling them nasty names: Youre sexist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic. The Democrats cant win elections because most people reject the core values of liberal-progressivism. Why? Because at the heart of any great religion is a core belief in our common God-given humanity. The Democratic Party has become the party of division, name-calling and alienation.

THOMAS OHARE, BOSTON

To the Editor:

While I agree with Daniel K. Williamss assessment of the Democrats religious problem as a rhetorical device, I wonder when the vast majority of Americans are going to wake up to the fact that the Democratic Party and its candidates are actually living up to the tenets of every religious faith by caring for the poor and the destitute, pushing for health care for all, promoting a living wage, and advocating for civil rights and a clean environment. Its all too easy to spout religious platitudes, but by their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:16).

JOANN D. CLAPS, RANDOLPH, N.J.

To the Editor:

Re Democrats Fume as Georgia Loss Deepens Discord (front page, June 22):

I understand the frustration in Democratic ranks after a disheartening eight months, but I disagree about the partys near-term prospects. A badly damaged Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by almost three million. Her losing the presidency hinged on only about 80,000 votes in three key states. Since then, motivated Democrats have outperformed the norm in congressional races in deep red territory, which bodes well for 2018.

My biggest concern in the next few years isnt the partys brand, although that needs work. Its the deepening rift between the partys left flank and the partys mainstream. Lets try to remember, Democrats, that were all in this together.

CASEY CONLEY, DOVER, N.H.

To the Editor:

There is a disheartening reality to the Democrats special election defeat in Georgia: There is seemingly nothing that can move President Trumps rabid base away from him and his Republican surrogates. It is simply unrealistic (and wishful thinking) to believe that people who were duped by Mr. Trumps false promises, oblivious to his ignorance and willing to overlook his glaring personal shortcomings will suddenly wake from their stupor and realize what they have done.

And the hope that there were at least a few Republicans in the House and the Senate principled and courageous enough to resist this disastrous presidency fades with each passing day.

One cant blame Democrats for desperately reaching in all directions, from changing their leadership to trying to relate to the fears of working men and women, to crystallizing their message on jobs, whatever that entails. The answer to the Democrats problems is elusive, but one thing should remain clear: The attacks on Mr. Trumps agenda, his ethics and his lack of fitness for the office of the presidency must be intense and unrelenting.

JAY ADOLF, NEW YORK

A version of this letter appears in print on July 2, 2017, on Page SR10 of the New York edition with the headline: Are the Democrats Too Secular?.

Link:
Are the Democrats Too Secular? - New York Times

WASHINGTON What do Democrats have in common with bars of soap?

For the purposes of developing their brands, plenty, according to David Srere.

As the co-CEO and chief strategy officer at the global brand agency firm Siegel+Gale, Srere says any entitys credibility, likability and staying power boils down to the same things: What do you stand for? How are you different? And why should anybody care?

It might be food for thought for Democrats around the country who are stuck in limbo trying to get back on top after a series of demoralizing defeats.

South Carolina Democrats, whose candidate Archie Parnell lost to Republican Ralph Norman in the 5th Congressional District special election by a mere 3.2 percentage points, are among those reeling.

But in South Carolina, there are obstacles as old as 30 years. The state is as conservative as ever. Through gerrymandering, Democratic voters are concentrated in a single congressional district represented by the state's only Democrat in Washington, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn. All of state government is in GOP hands.

Pair this with years of financial neglect from the national Democratic Party and the faithful have been left to their own devices.

South Carolina Democrats have never, ever, relied on or waited for the national party to come in and help us, said S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson. Weve got the ability to organize, weve got the ability to train and teach and, most important, we have a message that, if we localize, well move voters in this state.

But South Carolina Democrats might be up against a bigger problem: Their party, at the national level, needs a better brand.

Bruce Newman, professor of marketing at DePaul University College of Business in Illinois, said the reinvention of any organization, including political parties, typically happens in four parts.

Step one: find good leaders, Newman said. Step two: find the right message. Step three: communicate that message effectively. And step four: Who is your competition? What are they talking about? How do you respond and how do you differentiate your message from theirs?

Heres a look at how Democrats in South Carolina are working to reverse their party's fortunes ahead of the midterm elections, and how they might take a page from a branding strategist's playbook.

Theres more to winning than just the messenger. But sometimes, when people dont have time to delve into the facts, a figurehead is the only thing that matters, said Craig Johnson, president of the Atlanta-based Matchstic branding agency.

At a certain point, someone makes a judgment call on which side theyre going to believe, and who do they trust, Johnson said. And really, thats what brands are. ... When its too much to break down and understand, do I trust Donald Trump? Or do I trust Hillary Clinton?

To the extent that all politics is local, Newman said any rebranding effort for Democrats must involve identifying leaders nationally but also locally.

Others, though, say little will change locally until theres a change in leadership nationally. They say House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi should step aside, arguing the liberal Californian represents a brand thats out of touch with moderate-to-conservative districts around the country, especially in the South.

In South Carolinas 1st Congressional District, just hours after announcing his bid to unseat Republican Mark Sanford, Democrat Joe Cunningham promised he would not support Pelosi for party leader, if elected.

Its kind of like a sports team and a head coach. Its not the head coachs fault, but when the team starts losing, they ultimately look for a new coach, Cunningham said. If a company experiences losses quarter after quarter ... the buck stops at the CEO.

Clyburn, the third-ranking member of House Democratic leadership, flatly dismissed Cunninghams strategy of disassociating himself with Pelosi. "That's stupid stuff," he said. "That's not going to connect with South Carolina Democratic voters.

Robertson said it is up to every individual campaign whether they wanted to wade into a national conversation about the sustainability of Pelosis tenure.

I think that weve got plenty other issues facing the citizens of South Carolina than to give a damn right now who the minority leader is in the United States Congress, he said. We have people who are going to die if Republicans get their way as it relates to health care.

As South Carolina Republicans succeed in nationalizing issues, Robertson said Democrats have to do better at localizing them. When Trump vilified German manufacturing at the expense of American production, for instance, Democrats needed to point to the business BMW has brought to the state.

And next year, Robertson continued, while were talking about rebranding something, we have to talk about how the Democrats are the ones who put in a middle class tax cut for people in this state.

In his campaign, Parnells message was that he would go to Washington to help simplify the tax code to make life easier for middle-class families.

The Democrats cant brand themselves as the anti-Trump, its just not going to work, Newman said. It has no positive message; it has no real meaning.

Democrats have a message, said Jaime Harrison, former S.C. Democratic Party chairman and now an associate chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The problem is, they aren't as disciplined as Republicans at communicating it.

"Say it, repeat; say it, repeat; say it, repeat," Harrison said of the GOP.

AJ Lenar, vice president for political campaigns at GMMB Communications, said Parnell ran a successful campaign because he found his message helping constituents through economic insecurity and doubled down.

Local brands are different than national brands, said Lenar, who is based in Greenville and oversaw all of Parnells digital advertising. Archie was an example of that when he was talking about local issues, keeping the national brand out of it.

Though Parnells background as a tax attorney was a good starting point, selling that to voters presented a challenge. Ultimately, his strategists settled on portraying Parnell as a non-politician, an awkward policy wonk with little natural charisma but an earnest desire to do good by voters.

In all four of his digital ads, Parnell said the following two lines: I know enough about the tax code to bore you to tears, and I dont have all the answers, but I will work every day to make your life better.

Lenar said that on Election Day, Republicans said they voted for Parnell because they "loved his ads."

"'Differentiation' is not a strategy that can be achieved by saying, 'I'm different,'" Srere stressed. "Differentiation really is finding something that sells really well and selling it every single day."

Harrison suggested Democrats need to "show, not tell," how they're different from Republicans.

One answer, Harrison said, would be for local parties, elected officials and political candidates to pool resources and host workshops to help voters learn job and resume-writing skills. In a nod to improving education opportunities, Sumter County Democrats host a yearly school supplies drive.

"This is how you start to change the brand, the perception," Harrison said. "It's not about changing our slogan, or even changing the things we fight for. People understand that. People have to start trusting that the image they see is the real thing before they believe it."

Harrison said it would take time. Marketing experts agree.

"Democrats need to find their story," Srere said. "And that's only the end of the beginning."

Read more from the original source:
The art of the rebrand: Can South Carolina Democrats change their image? - Charleston Post Courier