A New Democratic Slogan? Your Choices – New York Times
TED PERLE, LAKE FOREST, CALIF.
The writer is a member of the executive board of the California Democratic Party.
The Real Deal
A Better Deal rests on a case of one-upmanship: What we offer doesnt have to be good, just better. Thats dancing to someone elses tune.
The Real Deal reminds voters that Democrats are serious about governance; it isnt all hyperbole and empty rhetoric. It suggests that Democrats know how to deliver on health care, job growth, banking protections, equality under the law. It showcases reality and the task of finding real solutions to Americas problems. The president will continue to whine about fake news, while doing his best to gaslight the nation. This leaves Democrats with the great opportunity to define themselves as the enemies of unreality: We are the real deal.
DAVID HAVEN BLAKE HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J.
The writer is the author of Liking Ike: Eisenhower, Advertising, and the Rise of Celebrity Politics.
Make America America Again
This slogan addresses the fact that we have gotten away from the values that make America great inclusiveness, the rule of law, opportunity for everyone, innovation, our can-do attitude, our work ethic and our faith in democracy. The Democrats would do well to inspire us to embrace these values again, and they could show how every program they propose would further these values.
ROBERT W. BAKER MANHASSET, N.Y.
Its My Party, and Ill Cry if I Want To
I think that this slogan sums up my general frustration with the Democrats (with apologies to Lesley Gore).
CARLA RECZEK, OAK PARK, MICH.
Make America Work Again!
I like it because it can refer to jobs and the economy and is also a commentary on the Republican Partys inability to get anything done. It is also a play on President Trumps slogan and can imply that he has not been successful in achieving his goals.
NANCY T. ROCKWELL, BROOKLYN
Stop the Madness
As much as I love my states senior senator, Chuck Schumer, A Better Deal just doesnt do it for me. Democrats, the last nine months have been rough. But stop trying so hard. Speak from the heart, and say what we are all thinking. Stop this reality show. The kids have thrown their party, but now the parents must come home before the house burns down. Stop the madness.
MARK KAPLOWITZ, ALBANY
The Party of Yes
For the entire Obama presidency, the Republicans reveled in being the Party of No. Now that they are the governing party, they continue to be purely negative, accomplishing nothing, excluding nearly everyone. Their only core belief is that government is not the answer, another negative, and to mindlessly cut taxes simply to starve the beast. They do not have a single yes idea, as their failure on health care vividly displayed. Building on the Obama slogan, Yes We Can, the Democrats need to become the Party of Yes with constructive, positive answers to address the concerns of those who have been driven out, left out and left behind.
CLAUDE SHOSTAL, NEW YORK
You Deserve Better
This slogan points out that the public certainly deserves better political representation than it is getting but it also requires the Democrats to admit that they need to do better as well. It is an admission that they somehow managed to miss the anger and anxiety of a large swath of America and, in the process, disaffected millions to the degree that many were willing to look to Donald Trump as an acceptable alternative.
MARILYN J. BELLOCK, NEW YORK
Make America Great Again
How about if the Democrats turn the tables on President Trump and make their new slogan Make America Great Again. Wait, what?
Heres why its genius: 1) It gives Democrats a golden opportunity to highlight Mr. Trumps broken promises and present their better solutions. 2) It will generate plenty of free media exposure. 3) It co-opts Trump followers into being unwitting Democratic proponents. 4) Bonus: It will make Trump supporters heads explode. In guerrilla warfare circles, this is known as a false flag attack.
PAUL KRANTZ URBANDALE, IOWA
Make Reading the Newspaper Relaxing Again
PETER GORDON GREAT NECK, N.Y.
Were By Your Side
This can be easily worked into broader messages. For example: When you need help with your medical bills, were by your side. When youre worrying whether your child can afford to go to college, were by your side. And when youre discriminated against for any reason, were by you side. Not government on your back. Government by your side. The Democrats need a message that shows they care. And they need to drop their we know better (even if it is true) attitude.
JEFF LOWELL, NEW YORK
For the Many, Not the Few
I was going to suggest a slogan along the lines of the British Labour Partys widely popular For the Many, Not the Few, but that would require that the Democrats actually embrace that ethos.
WILLIAM BURSTEIN NEW YORK
The New American Dream
The basic middle-class promise if you work hard, you can have a decent home, a good job, affordable health care, quality education for your kids and a secure retirement has been steadily eroding for decades. Democrats need to embrace a set of policies to bring back these five core elements for anyone willing to work hard not by bringing back the jobs of yesterday but by growing the jobs of tomorrow and extending them to more and more people: millennials, minorities, women and, yes, white working-class men. The American dream still resonates, but in the 21st century its different. Its new.
PETER CUNNINGHAM, CHICAGO
BetterTogether
BetterTogether strikes at the heart of the deep divisions in our country that have inhibited our ability to govern our country effectively, and makes the point that we can do better only if we unite and do it together. This is what the Democratic Party must convey in order to succeed.
MICHAEL D. BUTTERMAN STAMFORD, CONN.
Draw the Circle Wide
I cant claim it as mine. Its part of a hymn: Draw the circle, draw the circle wide. No one stands alone, well stand side by side. I believe it to be a simple statement of what our national attitude and priorities should be, and what it will take to make this country work for everybody.
DIANNE JACKSON RICHMOND, VA.
Justice, Compassion and Jobs!
It speaks to the core values and, in the end, its the economy, stupid!
WYNN SCHWARTZ, BOSTON
Restore Our Dignity!
President Trump has trampled the dignity of the presidency, embarrassed the United States internationally and violated basic human decency by demeaning women, immigrants and minorities. Thats why I suggest Restore Our Dignity! as a slogan for the Democrats. Making America truly great again requires reaffirming and protecting the basic human dignity of all people, a core American value.
ANDREW VOGEL NEWTON CENTER, MASS.
An America That Works
My slogan works on a couple of levels putting Americans back to work (as President Trump has pledged but so far has failed to do), and making government work for all people.
And unlike A Better Deal, with its too-cute-by-half Trump reference, my slogan ignores the current administration entirely, and also eschews the wishy-washiness of better. Were not trying to make a good country better. Were trying to take a broken country and make it work.
JAKE ALRICH, NEW YORK
Integrity. Opportunity. Prosperity.
The first word reminds us how important, and how currently lacking, is the element of trust in our elected officials.
The second word calls to mind the very American ideals of social mobility and the possibility of achieving a better future.
The final word underscores the goal of a higher standard of living and economic growth.
In the end, most Americans arent expecting to build a Utopian paradise. What most of us want is a level playing field and a shot at greatness.
PERRY B. NEWMAN DORCHESTER, MASS.
Together, Wherever We Go!
Because it is inclusive as well as uplifting, I like the title of the song that Ethel Merman belted out in Gypsy. It refers to our past, as it looks to the future.
MICHELLE ROBINSON GERSTEN, MIAMI
Were Listening Now
I think the Democrats should adopt Were Listening Now as their slogan, and then actually do it over two or three months. This slogan addresses much of what people who essentially turned against the party have said that the party became tone-deaf to the things that really matter outside the well-heeled circles of political elites.
To this end, the Democrats could establish listening posts online sites where people could send their ideas and concerns, and receive actual replies rather than form letters. They could also conduct town hall-style meetings where representatives are there only to listen. Then the party should convene to read and discuss all the things their constituents have written and said, and devise a plan that meets the needs and desires of the citizens.
ALISON DIDIER, ST. PAUL
By the People and For the People
No party is perfect. Far from it. But in recent times it has become overwhelmingly apparent that one party represents lobbyist groups and the wealthy. The other party represents what is in the best interests of all people and the environment. The Democratic Party would do well to remind Americans (and itself) of this mission. Therefore, By the People and For the People should be its slogan.
STEVEN SEIGEL, NEW MILFORD, N.J.
Americas Party
What the Democrats need more than a slogan is a strategy. I say this as someone who has spent a career writing slogans. I did some thinking about a new branding strategy last spring and arrived at nearly the same place as Thomas J. Lee, who in his July 31 to the editor suggested Truth, Justice and the American Way. Id go big, stealing all the thunder the Republicans have abandoned. The Democrats are Americas Party.
CARMICHAEL LYNCH MINNEAPOLIS
We are on your side.
But then theyd have to prove it.
DIANNE OLSEN NORTH ADAMS, MASS.
Hope and Change
If a slogan is worth anything, it should endure longer than just the next election. Barack Obamas Hope and Change says it all and could become the mantra for all future political parties.
DANE S. FABER SAUSALITO, CALIF.
No slogan.
Its better because people want action, not slogans.
THOMAS JAVORCIC BERWYN, ILL.
A version of this letter appears in print on August 6, 2017, on Page SR8 of the New York edition with the headline: Democratic Slogan: Your Choices.
Go here to read the rest:
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