The Democratic National Committee (DNC), the governing committee and voice of the Democratic Party, has a video up at its website, as well as on YouTube, which shows the party’s “mission” and “message.” Here is the video:
Not surprisingly, the DNC video stands in stark contrast to the mission and message expressed by Donald Trump and the Republicans:
1. The DNC video begins with the image of the Statue of Liberty. Within the first 15 seconds, the narrator states, “we’re the party of the American Dream, and America’s DREAMers,” while showing someone holding a “DACA = LIVES” sign. “DACA” refers to the Obama administration policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival, a temporary stay of deportation for undocumented immigrants who came to America before age 16. The DREAM Act is a related legislative proposal that seeks to grant a path to citizenship for youth who arrived in America as undocumented children. This is the opposite of how Donald Trump began his 2016 presidential campaign and how he has governed ever since, with cruel anti-immigrant policies. Indeed, Trump’s most anti-immigrant political advisor, Stephen Miller, even attacked the Statue of Liberty itself. Having the statue as the opening image of the DNC video is likely, therefore, an anti-Trump message without mentioning Trump. That theme is carried through the video.
2. The DNC video is narrated by a woman who sounds young, and is filled with images of women, people of color and other minorities, including gay people. The video celebrates Democrats who, “from Selma to Stonewall, … have taken to the streets for the cause of equal rights.” It also contains the Spanish phrase “si, se puede” (“yes, we can”), which was effectively used by Barack Obama during his first presidential campaign. The diversity shown in the video is a good representation of the different groups who make up much of the Democratic Party’s base.
3. The video contains pro-environmental messages and imagery, with the narrator saying, “we’re never going to stop fighting to protect the world we leave our kids.” That appears to be an obvious reference to fighting climate change, which, in a recent poll, was listed as the number one issue for registered Democrats. Again, this stands in sharp contrast to Republican policies, without specifically going negative against Republicans in the ad.
4. The video states, “we’re the party of commonsense gun violence solutions.” This is one of the many reasonable ways to describe popular Democratic policies to reduce gun violence, such as universal background checks and reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban.
5. The video talks about “reproductive health,” which frames the abortion issue as a health issue.
6. The video highlights that Democrats “are the party of Medicare and Social Security,” and brings Democrats’ efforts forward to the present, stating that “we’re fighting for the Affordable Care Act.”
7. The video touts the Obama “economic recovery,” and states that Democrats favor “an economy … that gives regular folks a chance to succeed.”
All in all, the Democratic Party’s video very effectively and reasonably states the good things that the Democrats are for, many of which are very popular in America, while subtly reminding viewers that Donald Trump and Republicans are working against all of them. It is a good framework for the 2020 elections.
