Conservative Leaders Pay Attention to Messaging

The liberals are doing a fantastic job on messaging. There, I did it. I complimented the liberals.

Let's say little Jane gets a new puppy. The puppy is all over the place with its abundance of energy! Distracted, rambunctious, playful would be a few of the applicable descriptives to a dog this age. Well, Mom is calling from the doorway and it is time for Jane and puppy to go inside. It's easy for her to walk herself inside, but how does she convince the free-willed puppy to comply?

1. Stand and look at the puppy, talk about the puppy, complain about the puppy and bemoan the puppy because he's not following Mom's directions or

2. Should she talk to the puppy in a tone of voice he will respond to, present a reward that solicits a dog's attention, using dog format (whatever that looks like) then convince that puppy to follow?

In other words, will she be more successful complaining about why the puppy doesn't follow; or should she try communicating with a puppy in language he might understand?

I'm thinking her projection of frustration toward the puppy will have zilch impact on the puppy and the ability to accomplish the task Mom has asked her to do. But I'm thinking Jane using means of communication for puppy language might help her convey her point and accomplish her goal.

Hello Conservatives!! Republican Party! Ideology purists! I'm talking to you.

In this analogy, the GOP leaders are Jane and her mom. The Millennials, of which I consider myself a member, are the puppy. To the established, and non established GOP, I pose this question: why get frustrated at someone for something they are not doing when they do not understand what you are asking them to do?

You want the Millennials to understand why the 2012 Election was so important, why 2014 victories are imperative, why public policy decisions are detrimental or why a moral decision can have implications. But the questions should address: Are you using the wrong language, in an old paradigm, promising rewards or consequences that do not matter to your audience and attempting to move them towards a goal they do not understand?

You can keep trying to reach us by making the GOP outreach more "diversified", attempting more "cool" meetups and networking opportunities, or promise to give us internships, jobs after college or create the newest "app" for our smart phones.

But deep down inside we are looking for you  to speak to what is in the core of our being. We are like any other constituent base in America: we care about people, causes and money. The longer you deflect your frustration on that which you want to activate, and continue to use ill-placed messages with unclear goals, you simply prove to the young adults that the left, liberals, Democrats, progressives really do have the upper hand.

Hurry Republican party and conservatives of all breeds! Think outside the box. You have the right principles. Just hurry and frame things in a way Millennials can understand!

Jane can hear the thunder in the distance; if she does not get creative quick, she and puppy will get stuck in the storm. And the responsibility of how they will experience the storm does not rest on the unknowing puppy. The full weight of reaction and action rests on Jane. The puppy's safety is dependent on Jane. And we as Millennials are dependent on you.