Stay on target

In spite of the hackneyed Star Wars reference in the title, today's post is all about staying on message.

One of the major pushes that We Are Ohio is encouraging us to stay with is maintaining a clear, concise message throughout this campaign. To that end, there are three major tenants of that message that each of us needs to learn, remember, and repeat ad nauseum.

Say it with me...Issue 2 is Unfair, Unsafe, and Hurts the Middle Class.

Breaking that down a little further.

• Issue 2 is Unfair - We need to ask people to stop pro-SB5 politicians who only want to look out for themselves and their special interest friends - not the people that they were elected to serve. Politicians make special exceptions for themselves and upper management while stripping the rights of middle class Ohioans. It's not Ohio values to let firefighters, police, and teachers lose their rights and see their wages and benefits gutted while insiders and people at the top get big pay increases and bonuses.
• Issue 2 is Unsafe - We need to ask people to stop the politicians who are willing to put our safety at risk. SB5 puts the safety of all our families at risk by making it illegal for nurses,teachers,and emergency responders to fight for safer staffing levels, critical safety equipment and training that protects them and our communities.
• Issue 2 Hurts the Middle Class - We need to make politicians start serving us - the people - and stop blaming us. SB5 hurts Ohio families and blames public employees for a mess caused by Wall Street's greed. Instead of serving We the People and working to create jobs, some politicians work harder for big corporate donors by offering them tax breaks and selling off our parks, prisons, and turnpikes. That doesn't create anything but a bigger hole in the budget.

When we're discussing Issue 2 with people (and remember, the push now is to get people to Vote NO on Issue 2...we're sticking with NO on Issue 2, not SB5 anymore.), we have to remember a few do's and don'ts of our message:

• DO maintain message discipline.
• DO stay proactive and aggressive in pushing our message.
• DO talk about the broader impact on the public and Ohio communities.
• DO make this a fight about protecting the middle class families of Ohio.
• DO make the call to action to turn out and vote every time.
• DO use all three components to layer our message - exemption for those at the top, protecting the safety of families, protecting the middle class.
• DO stay focused on the proactive message about protecting families.
• DO stay focused on the proactive message about protecting the middle class.
• DO say public employees or frontline public employees.

• DON'T waste time responding directly to opponent attacks and giving their message any airtime. Re-focus to our message.
• DON'T talk about the impact on unions.
• DON'T make this fight about protecting unions.
• DON'T state the problem without also giving the solution - turn out to vote.
• DON'T use one component alone because it doesn't make the most effective case.
• DON'T go on the attack against Kasich directly. Instead, lump him in with politicians.
• DON'T make your tone too angry or partisan.
• DON'T say government employees,public service unions, or labor unions.

There are even some phrases that We Are Ohio is suggesting that you practice using:

• "Makes a special exception for upper management and politicians"
• "Takes away the rights of middle class Ohioans"
• "Our friends and neighbors who are teachers, nurses, firefighters and other public employees"
• "Hurts the middle class"
• "The wrong thing to do"
• "Safe staffing levels for nurses"
• "Flawed"
• "Unintended consequences"
• "We the People"
• "Corporate special interests and their high-paid lobbyists"
• "School safety"
• "Turns our backs on the people who watch ours - like teachers, nurses, and firefighters"
• "Hold Wall Street and CEOs accountable"
• "Unfair"
• "Unsafe"
• "Politicians should keep their promises to Ohio's public employees"
• "Tax breaks for big corporations"
• "Critical safety equipment for firefighters"

It seems almost Machiavellian to think in these terms, but one of the things that is most convincing is a disciplined, consistent argument.

Say it with me again and say it every chance you get...Issue 2 is Unfair, Unsafe, and Hurts the Middle Class.