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Populist Reform of the Democratic Party

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sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
Wed Jan 7, 2015, 02:39 PM Jan 2015

Billionaires for Bush! Beautiful Trouble! [View all]

We have been discussing strategies to educate voters whose only sources of information is the Corporate Media, about important issues

Does anyone remember how Billionaires For Bush used Opera Singing, Costumes, Street Theater, Satire and Acting to talk about eg, Healthcare, which they called 'Wealthcare', reform in a fun way??



A not too with it Republican actually thought they were FOR Bush but didn't like the way they were 'making him look bad':

“Shut up! You are not helping the President get re-elected. You are making the Republican Party look like a bunch of out-of-touch elitists! Assholes!”
Email from an exasperated Republican


Which was the point! Lol!

Here's some video of them interrupting an AHIP conference. AHIP was spending 5 million dollars a week trying to kill health care reform. Billionaires for Wealthcare is a grassroots network looking to stop them - with song.



They did lots of stuff like this during the Bush era, 'praising' Bush and Billionaire friends etc.

Since any attempt to get Progressive Dems elected is going to be up against huge amounts of Corporate money, I was wondering about ways to overcome that to some extent, using whatever tools are available to help get the message.

Billionaires for Bush operated in several states during the Health Care debate, (and during the Bush years).

On this site there are suggestions about how to conduct successful campaigns. They use Billionaires for Bush as an example of how to get a message across using all the techniques they used.

Billionaires for Bush: Beautiful Trouble

“Some people call you the elite,” George W. Bush joked to his wealthy funders, “I call you my base.” Whether candidate Bush meant it as a joke or not, the Billionaires for Bush (B4B) campaign used humor, street theater and creative media actions to show the country how true the quip was. Working to expose how the Republican Party serves the interests of the super-rich, the Billionaires also addressed the broader issues of economic inequality and corporate greed.

An early version of the campaign in 2000, “Billionaires for Bush (or Gore),” had spread virally via the internet and mainstream media exposure. It rebranded itself for the 2004 election, taking as its crusade the defeat of Bush. The New York City chapter took the lead, assembling talented volunteers, among them professional designers, media producers, and actors. It then put the campaign pieces in place. A stylish logo swapped the Republican elephant with a piggy bank stuffed with bills. Satirical slogans — “Repeal the First Amendment,” “Free the Forbes 400,” “Corporations are people too” — adorned bumper stickers, buttons, and a slick website, mimicking the look of Bush-Cheney propaganda. A songwriter produced tuneful renditions of what the super-wealthy really think, performed by meticulously rehearsed singers. The members themselves adopted personae, with names and
costumes to match, spoofing iconic versions of the .01 percent: the Monopoly-style robber baron (Phil T. Rich), the dim-witted heiress (Alexis Anna Rolls), the trust-fund fuck-up (Monet Oliver D’Place), and so on.

Soon, the Billionaires could be found talking down to “the little people” at Bush-Cheney campaign events, left-wing rallies, and street corners. They could also be found all over the mainstream media, garnering thousands of hits, including multiple features in the New York Times and on network and cable TV. Even the chant “Watch more Fox News, then you’ll share our right-wing views!” made it to air… on Fox News.

Media coverage was generated by carefully planned hoaxes, such as the appearance, to a throng of adoring billionaires, of a Karl Rove impostor at a GOP fundraiser. Other times, the campaign outsmarted the authorities to attract the media glare, such as when it held a croquet match on Central Park’s “Great Lawn,” from which a half-million anti-Bush demonstrators had been banned by New York’s mayor. The media was smitten by the Billionaires’ glamour and charmed by their say-the-opposite-of-what-you-believe theatrics.


The site has lots of suggestions on how to use various techniques to get a message across.

A few, with links on how to do it:

Make it funny
Brand or be branded
Know your cultural terrain
Do the media's work for them
Enable, don’t command
Delegate
Show, don't tell
Think narratively
Create levels of participation
Balance art and message
Don't dress like a protester
Make the invisible visible

Just thought it might be something that could be used IF we find some candidates who need help fighting the Corporate money that will be used against them.

The Billionaires for Bush managed to get on the Media without having to pay for ads.

Anyhow, just something to think about ...
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While a staffer for John Kerry, they came to one of my events in Florida! They were great!! TheNutcracker Jan 2015 #1
I remember them well. SheilaT Jan 2015 #2
Those rules are great. Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #3
Lol, they ARE great. There is an ad on TV that made me think of them. sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #6
Not just candidates, imho. I'd put the major focus on causes Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #7
You're right, and I love that idea! sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #9
Something like this would fly right under the radar of the Guardians. Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #10
Yes, exactly! That's why I love it! Lol! sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #17
It's difficult to get people's attention... Blanks Jan 2015 #4
Yes, Social Media is definitely a great tool we have now, that we didn't have even back sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #5
Ahah! Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #8
I was especially taken by your comment on Colbert & the Morans. Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #11
Robert Reich said that a conservative came up to him after his appearance on Colbert... Blanks Jan 2015 #19
I was a member rpannier Jan 2015 #12
That must have been so much fun! sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #18
This reminds me of "The Yes Men" geardaddy Jan 2015 #13
That is hilarious! I don't think I ever saw them but what a great routine: sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #22
This is great TNNurse Jan 2015 #14
Oh yes I remember them well...glad to see they are still active. zeemike Jan 2015 #15
The problem pointing out that the repuKKKes are corporate and big money funded... Hulk Jan 2015 #16
You're correct, and that's why I suggested somewhere above that Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #20
I agree with that. Eg, the B4B did some about Healthcare. sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #21
I remember B4B - they were great, very inventive nt LiberalElite Jan 2015 #23
I did sound for them a few times and loved thier attitude olddots Jan 2015 #24
That must have been fun! I agree we do need more humor to attract people to politics. sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #25
I hope they get started here Warpy Jan 2015 #26
Bush announced early to lock up the GOP donor base Gothmog Jan 2015 #27
I remember seeing angry crowds of McCain supporters on one side of the street jeepers Jan 2015 #28
Yes, humor is a far better way to deal with that kind of hatred. It confuses them also. See the sabrina 1 Jan 2015 #29
Message auto-removed Name removed Jan 2015 #30
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