BILLBOARD News Now
Winning Is Work
A three-alarm fire was set off when a small number of Democratic Socialists of America experienced electoral success in New York & elsewhere. Various levels of the Democratic party have reacted with concern. Is not the Democratic party big enough to encompass some Socialist Americans? President Trump immediately jumped into the picture…seeing an opportunity to use his “scare tactics” claiming there was a “resurgence of the communist menace in our land.” He doesn’t know that Communism and Socialism are quite different.
Communism, as envisioned by Marx, is a future classless, stateless society where resources are held in common and goods are distributed according to need. Socialism is a political philosophy that allows some form of government and may permit varying degrees of markets and private property.
Rather than worrying about Communism taking over the country the real lesson from these few NY elections should be a wake-up call for both parties. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) pointed out only 18% to 25% of registered Democrats voted in each of the closed primaries for the three contested NY house nominations. Turnout not viewpoint is a critical factor. If you want to win don’t let huge numbers of voters sit at home.
The campaign lesson of New York Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani could be used by Republican or Democratic candidates for any office anywhere. His campaign generally points to a combination of organizing, messaging and campaign strategy rather than a single factor.
Mamdani built a large grassroots volunteer operation. Volunteers knocked on more that one million doors, made phone calls, sent texts and used “relational organizing” – encouraging friends and family to vote. A strong outreach to younger voters making extensive use of social media, short videos and events that appealed to younger New York voters which helped attract many first-time volunteers and voters. They didn’t rely on television advertising but instead, the campaign emphasized face-to- face conversations and candidate appearances. Another important strategy was to contrast himself with establishment figures and focus on change.
2026 candidates need to use new get-out-the vote organizations to tackle the majority of voters sitting at home. For those who have been involve in politics for years…don’t think for a minute that the old ways of winning will work in today’s environment…look at the New York elections. New people with new ideas need to be brought into the campaign. Candidates from Congress to city council and state legislature need to realize manpower always take the place of money.
These are different times…many are turned off by the chaos of the last two years. Citizens are disgusted with the “you can buy me” approach to governing taken by President Trump…and that Congress has stood aside allowing him to take their powers. What that says is…this is the time for new ideas and new people at the grassroots to do what New York Democratic Socialists did…work their butts off.
Use icons and envelope above to forward this post to your friends.
Follow us on Twitter (X), Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook or Threads.
Stable vs Chaos
Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican pollster and moderator of the New York Times Opinion focus group series, took a usual look at the 2016 presidential race vs the 2024 one in progress. Below are excerpts from Ms. Anderson piece “How Trump is Running Differently...
A Solution
Since posting Robert Kagan opinion piece about a Trump dictatorship he has written a second. Some of his readers were unhappy he did not offer a solution. Below are excerpts from his response. “Can a Trump dictatorship still be prevented? Yes. It does not require a...
Apology
Posted on this blog earlier was an article from The Washington Post. I failed to point out those without a subscription to The Post would be required to enter their email address to read the entire piece. Our apologies
Stop Pretending
Since reading an opinion piece last month “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending.” The points made by the author are worth considering and worth my time to read. After much thought and a couple re-reads, I decided to post on...
Political Tidbits
…history in my home WV county…Randolph now has more registered Republicans than Democrats…Mary Heineman…who guided my political career must be smiling from Maplewood Cemetery…congratulations to Carolyn Jackson GOP Chair in Randolph. Looks like FL Congressman Matt...
Democracy
Democracy is at stake in the 2024 election at all levels. One of the greatest threats is the loss of local newspapers. As a native West Virginian and advocate for rural America my immediate concern is how rural areas are being impacted. A report “The State of Local...
Where Are You Going?
MAGA is the Republican Party. The remnants sit on Capitol Hill masquerading as the Republican National Committee in a building dedicated by President Nixon in 1971. The building has not been abandoned. However, Republicans are leaving the party. The party structure...
Political Tidbits
Is Kamala Harris…Biden’s No. 2 Problem…WSJ columnist thinks so & wrote about it last week. Read it here. A key FL GOP legislator Randy Fine…dropped his support of DeSantis for President…Florida Playbook was told by Fine…he received messages from colleagues that...
Rights Do In The Right
(Editors Note: Received this personal email from a longtime friend – Robert L. Harris. He is an experienced and keen observer of government, politics & history. I telephoned and asked if he would allow me to publish as a guest commentary on PhilipsBillBoard. He...
To Be Determined
The New York Times/Siene College poll paints a dark picture for President Biden who trails former President Trump in five of the six most important battleground states one year before the 2024 election. Axios reported last week Democratic governors and senators were...
Change
After fourteen years of Phillipsbillboard it’s time to expand. Our blog will continue to be sent as a newsletter. However, our expansion will allow us to post the blog directly to the Internet. To access it via the Internet just type in Phillipsbillboard.com. A...
Politically Risky
Tonight, our country finds itself with a Congress that cannot function. The House Republican Caucus has been taken hostage by former President Trump. The duly elected Republican Members of the House of Representatives are at each other throats. All the while America...
BILLBOARD Archives
Breaking News
Maybe a better headline would be our breaking our system of government. Many readers of PHILLIPSBILLBOARD are likely interested in more details about the Speakers “mess” than TV news can cover. Therefore, we are posting an update from Politico just issued. Read the...
Be Aware
There is a direct connection between the broken Republican conference in the U. S. House of Representatives and the 12th Amendment to the Constitution. The warfare taking place there will likely cost the Republicans seats in the election. As you will see in reading...
Turn The Lights On
Republicans cannot find a way to turn on the lights as the U. S. House of Representatives chamber sits dark and silent. Let’s really light up the House and form a “congressional coalition government.” Tonight, it is obvious the fight in the broken GOP conference...
Good Olde Days
Watching this week’s collapse of the U. S. House of Representatives was devastating. It started me thinking about how it was 48 years ago when I worked there. How it was and what brought on today’s environment. Politics, like everything else, is built on...
Political Tidbits
Appears WV Republicans are getting another political party…extreme right-wingers in the state’s legislative body have formed a WV Freedom Caucus...though 89 of the 100 House seats are Republican…31 of 34 in the Senate…why? Even though the state’s Democratic party is...
Senator DeSantis
Governor Ron DeSantis route to the oval office is closing quickly. He could be a lame-duck governor even before the Iowa caucus. There are several signs he will face the lame-duck status if his campaign does not take off soon. Overwhelmingly the GOP state party...
DeSantis Set-Back
Florida Republican Party has turned against Governor Ron DeSantis. It said no to his supporters who wanted to keep a loyalty pledge passed earlier this year. That pledge would have required GOP presidential candidates to agree they would support the eventual party...
Waiting & Guessing
There is no way to know the private thoughts of Senator Joe Manchin. However, he has made it clear his political path will not be decided until the end of the year. West Virginia waits and Washington guesses. No doubt he has his sights on being the next President of...
Powerful
Readers send me articles, editorials & commentaries I might otherwise never see. Here is a powerful editorial from The Philadelphia Inquirer. The writer takes on the U. S. media saying pollsters and political strategists are not the only ones we should be hearing...
Balance the Numbers
While waiting for the arrival of Hurricane Idalia started thinking about how politics had changed. When I got interested, the Democrats were totally in charge at home (West Virginia). Today the opposite is the case with Republicans in control of every level of state...
Last Night
The first 2024 Republican presidential debate is now history. It certainly gave anyone interested a firsthand look at the current offering of candidates. Opinion writers at the New York Times pulled together a special feature after the debate offering a perspective...
Florida Constitution Abused
The Constitution needs changed as officials elected “by the people” are being removed from office. Why It Matters: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has removed elected officials at a rate greater than precious governors. Not all have committed a crime. But DeSantis...