MoveOn.org was established in the heat of the Clinton impeachment, pioneering online organizing and fundraising tactics. But they’ve become foolish.
Old example: organizing against layoffs at the Tribune Co. newspapers late last year. See Jonathan Weber’s recounting here. (Disclosure: I’ve worked for Weber in the past.)
New example: They’ve mounted TV ads against a slate of Republican house members, including the an R representing a D seat in Connecticut. See them here. (link is to a contribution page– click on “ad” in the upper right quadrant of the page. These ads are a classic example of where liberals (and their consultants) go wrong– being shrill, over-the-top, and downright wrongheaded about symbolism (a red hand really has to do with stealing, and none of the incumbents are accused of theft!). Design Observer has a detailed deconstruction here.
This is the kind of stuff that makes people hate politics. And liberals getting symbolism wrong–over and over– makes me hate liberals.
UPDATE: Great book on the topic: Danny Goldberg’s “How the Democrats Lost Teen Spirit.”
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