Thanks to everyone in our online community who offered suggestions for taglines for Unity08. We provided five suggestions in our original poll, and that generated a number of great suggestions from members of our community. So we took the four of your suggestions that generated lots of support on the site and ran them by a professional copywriter to make sure they would serve all our needs (bumper stickers, signs, positioning with the news media, etc.). And we came up with these final five options:
- Common Sense Politics. This is based on a suggestion from Nobles, “Common Sense Politics for the Common Good.” Does it lose its power when shortened, or become even stronger?
- Giving America a Voice. This is based on “Giving America a Voice and a Choice,” suggested by Tony in Texas. We need something a little shorter, but think we captured the essence of what Tony was saying. Would you agree?
- The Moderate Majority. This was suggested by Robert. Some of us at “campaign headquarters” love this one, and some don’t. Does it sound too much like “Moral Majority”? Is it a good idea to be create a clever twist on a phrase already in the common vernacular, or not so good?
- Stronger Together. We offer this one up exactly as jcluchey suggested it.
- Taking Our Country Back. One of our founders Doug Bailey loves this one. And it received the most votes in our original poll.
Thanks to everyone who has participated in this discussion. Please take a moment to vote for the final Unity08 tagline here. We’re going to close voting at 6pm Eastern Time on Friday, December 15. So vote now, and thank you.
Tell your friends to vote too!
Shane Kinkennon, Unity08 Communications Director
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Common Sense Politics. This sounds the least like a marketing buzz phrase and best describes what is most needing in politics today.
Taking Our Country Back is good as a secondary phrase.
I'm new to the discussion and to Unity '08, but I do have some background in political and marketing campaigns, and this one is easy to remember and really seems to speak to the essence of the "brand" you're trying to build.
I remember reading in the history books that JFK had made an American Goal. To put a man on the moon. In my opinion this helped bring America together, focusing on a common interest.
What is America's goal today? Would it not be a good idea to have something that now, so all American's can have a clear focus on where we want to drive America towards? How about gasoline free transportation?
Just an idea and a thought.
Nathan Ward
To: Uo8 Moderator, I just tried to sign in to be a part of the online convention, but was denied access. Would you tell me what I am doing wrong. Sincerely
A Sooner Independent
Boomer,
Please send me an email at web@unity08.com and elaborate on the steps you took that resulted in a denied access message. We'd like to get this resolved as soon as possible.
Thanks!
I sent an email to your above address, but it was unable to be delivered. I sent another and I have not heard anything. I do not know if it reached you or not. Would you please contact me? thanks.
A Sooner Independent
I know it's late in the game, but I really don't love any of the suggested taglines. Perhaps what we are choosing is really the slogan of the organization. I think a tagline (website slogan) should be wittier (not sure if that's a word) and catchy. Anyway, with that as the reasoning, I'd like to suggest another tagline:
"Somewhere in the middle, like the Truth"
I know this could be shortened to "Somewhere in the middle", but aren't we just playing the stupid game that we hate and that led to very formation of this party by shortening good tagline suggestions to make them "market buzz-worthy". Anyway, there is my suggestion, perhaps it's not too late to get another one on the poll. While typing, I just thought of a couple more:
"The best from both parties"
"The Un-happy Medium"
"Creating Equalibriate Compromise" (yes, made-up word, but cathy)
I could really go on all day, but I'll leave it there. At least think about re-opening the poll options. We still have plenty of time to pick one.
Peace,
Matt Weber
Chicago, IL
If the "Taking it back" meme is what resonates with folks, I'd like to suggest that maybe we can tweak it a little bit to make it more Unity-friendly than it is...
Taking Our Country Back - for All of Us
Making America OUR Country Again - for All Americans
or something similar. English doesn't make it easy to say something like "taking back the country of 'all-of-us'..." which is kinda what I'm trying to get at. ("Making America All of Our Country Again" doesn't work, for example)
How about the old AWB hit, "Pick Up the Pieces"?
PrezCandNYC
Creator of dos22 - a new Democracy Operating System for the 22nd century
FIVE TAGLINE OPTIONS. For convenience of reference, I have copy/pasted the five options of tag lines for unity08 below. Scroll past the list for my comments. Scroll to the end for my suggestion of a sixth alternative to the five so far submitted: “bipartisan unity for a common sustainable future.” I don’t like any of the other five. The following briefly explains why I believe each is a poor choice:
COMMON SENSE POLITICS. This is based on a suggestion from Nobles, “Common Sense Politics for the Common Good.” Does it lose its power when shortened, or become even stronger?
GIVING AMERICA A VOICE. This is based on “Giving America a Voice and a Choice,” suggested by Tony in Texas. We need something a little shorter, but think we captured the essence of what Tony was saying. Would you agree?
THE MODERATE MAJORITY. This was suggested by Robert. Some of us at “campaign headquarters” love this one, and some don’t. Does it sound too much like “Moral Majority”? Is it a good idea to be create a clever twist on a phrase already in the common vernacular, or not so good?
STRONGER TOGETHER. We offer this one up exactly as jcluchey suggested it.
TAKING OUR COUNTRY BACK. One of our founders Doug Bailey loves this one. And it received the most votes in our original poll.
Let’s take them one by one.
COMMON SENSE POLITICS is hopelessly and uselessly non-distinctive. Any number of widely varying political viewpoints seem, to their possessors, to be “common sense.”
COMMON CLAIM. To a Libertarian, for example, anything else other than Libertarianism makes no sense at all. To the Neoconservatives, who had a vision of a US invasion of Iraq leading to a democratizing revolution in the Middle East, this too was “common sense” at the time, no matter how nutty it appeared to more cautious scholars of the region and its history.
LIKE MOTHER AND APPLE PIE. If you define yourself as a forthright proponent of “common sense,” you are then left with the task of defining what, exactly, you mean by the term. Coming out in favor of it is like declaring oneself to be a staunch supporter of motherhood and apple pie. Even if true, how does this distinguish you from anyone else with the same worthy values? Whose mothers are you in support of, in what way? And how do you propose to slice America’s Pie, to everyone’s presumed benefit? In essence, “common sense politics” doesn’t convey much useful information, if any.
SUBNOTES. There may also be a subnote in the phrase “common sense politics” possibly suggestive that “we’re the only rational ones in the room, everyone else isn’t.” I’m not sure that this kind of subnote is helpful, if your goal is political unity.
FIVE CLICHED BROMIDES. All five tag lines are essentially clichéd bromides, that could have been used at any time by any political party or interest group, at any time in the last fifty years or more. I don’t think unity08 would accomplish much of anything useful in using any of them.
GIVING AMERICA A VOICE. To say what? If we “Give America A Voice,” do we then sit back and await the sweet dulcet tones of Reason? Or might we hear Something Else instead?
EXAMPLE. Do we give the Voice to illegal immigrants and their advocates, for example? Or do we give it instead to those who wish to silence them? To some, “common sense” means “securing our borders,” and “giving Voice” means only My Voice, and the Voices of People who Think Like Me.
I am simply left with this empty and unsatisfying image of America, having been “Given A Voice,” that the Voice that is now heard is no different from the same Voices we’ve heard before, that have lead us to precisely the point of crisis we are now in.
THE MODERATE MAJORITY. Of these five lukewarm non-starters, “The Moderate Majority” is the only one that, to me, conveys a minimally plausible hint of what unity08 is all about.
MODERATION AND COMPROMISE. Certainly, unity08 is about moderation and compromise. And certainly it is our calculation that a majority of Americans are fed up with partisan bickering, and are seeking some form of unity that enables us to reach decisions that take us forward as a nation in a constructive way.
RALLYING CRY. As a rallying cry, however, “The Moderate Majority” fails miserably. Who exactly is going to storm the barricades on behalf of the placid and compromising “Moderate Majority?”
IMAGE. The image I have of the “Moderate Majority” is of middle-aged, white bread fuddy duddies with pocket protectors, quietly caucusing on behalf of the suburban Haves. Not exactly a stirring call to attract a broad-based movement.
LIKE “SILENT MAJORITY”? Some of us old enough to remember the term “the Silent Majority” from the Vietnam War era may be rather nonplussed and unenthusiastic about a slogan not that much different in tone.
STRONGER TOGETHER. True enough, as far as it goes. Everyone claims that we’d all be better off if we worked together. But this tag is too short to convey any kind of distinctive branding for unity08. Another forthright endorsement of “Mom and Apple Pie.”
TAKING OUR COUNTRY BACK. As a rallying cry, this one is inherently divisive. The image I have in mind from this is of two squabbling boys fighting over a toy, and the one who doesn’t possess it is determined to “take it back” from the other one. This image, rather than putting an end to partisan conflict, institutionalizes it. An odd choice for an organization standing for “unity.”
ALTERNATIVE? So I don’t like any of the five tag lines so far. What then? It is my thesis that the best way to arrive at the most functional and useful tag line for unity08 is to choose one word at a time as “essential definitive words.” And assemble the resulting tag line out of these single words, used as building blocks.
BIPARTISAN. If there is any one word that defines unity08 it is “bipartisan.” If the whole premise of unity08, in terms of goals, is to choose a bipartisan presidential ticket, then there is simply no substitute for it. “Moderate,” by comparison, is much more imprecise and wishy-washy. Any other comparable word you can imagine runs into the same problem of vagueness. If “bipartisan” is the single most accurately descriptive word defining unity08, then it ought to be in the tag line, whatever other words are used in its construction.
PROCESS OF ELIMINATION. Once you have chosen one or more key words as “essential words” defining unity08, then organizing them into a coherent phrase is a relatively simple process of elimination.
NEXT STEP. Having settled on the word “bipartisan” as an essential word, the logical next question is “bipartisan what”? To which one easy and natural answer is “bipartisan unity.” By contrast, “bipartisan politics” would be redundant. Everyone already knows that bipartisanship takes place in a political context.
OBVIOUS CHOICE. Alright, so we have “bipartisan unity,” now what? The next logical question is “bipartisan unity” for what? Or, to what end? Or, meaning what? To my mind, “bipartisan unity” with “for a common sustainable future” as the second part is a fairly obvious choice. Perhaps not the only plausible rallying cry as a goal. But something like “for a common sustainable future” should be on the short list of major contenders.
PROVEN VOTE GETTERS. Political imagery suggestive of “hope for the future” has been a proven vote getting strategy in political campaigns as diverse as those of John F. Kennedy (“getting America moving again”) and Ronald Reagan (“morning in America”).
“CHANGE TO WIN.” So I do think that “future,” “change,” or words of similar import could be the way to go for unity08 too. A good example of this kind of hopeful, forward-looking wording is “change to win,” recently selected by dissidents in the Labor Movement. The phrase works, explaining succinctly, and with punch, what their move in leaving the AFL-CIO was all about.
WORDS OF HOPE. The words “future” and “sustainable” are both key to attracting young people (and important other groups too obvious to mention) to unity08. And when you have the youth vote involved, you have the battering ram for everything else.
YOUTH VOTE. In my view, unity08 cannot succeed without the energy and enthusiasm of the youth vote to propel it forward. (Think Gene McCarthy in 1968, at a similar time of a nation at war and in crisis.)
LEVERAGING OUR ADVANTAGES. The two major parties have all the money. What do we have, other than the passion of our convictions? Unity08 cannot succeed with the youth vote alone. But it must attract it as an essential constituency if it is to succeed at all.
CLEAR MESSAGE. We have to leverage, magnify and bring into a coherent functioning force, whatever inherent advantages we do in fact have. Having a clear and compelling message ought to be one of our most consciously and carefully chosen tools.
TAG LINE RULES.
As I see it, any kind of tag line unity08 chooses should follow these simple rules. A meaningful, useful tag line should:
1. Be something other than a generalized cliché other parties or groups could plausibly use.
2. Define the “product” (unity08) in a meaningful and distinctive way.
3. Stand for something that will attract support of critical groups.
4. Have enough essential words in it to actually say something, without being too long and wordy.
By these standards, the five tag lines under consideration do not, in my view, accomplish much of anything.
KEY WORD ANALYSIS. By contrast, I think a useful way to proceed is through using what I term keyword analysis. This builds a functional tag line through a step by step process of verbal analysis and synthesis. This is how I assembled my preferred tag line “bipartisan unity for a common sustainable future.”
WEIGHING EACH WORD. The process of step by step keyword analysis could be used to assemble tag lines other than this one. If you are going to have any one set of words that is the flagship for a cause, those words should be chosen very carefully. Weighing and testing each single word in the phrase, as well as the overall effect, is essential.
"Uncommon Sense in Uncertain Times" was a thought I had.
We need to think outside the box...so to speak...that's UNcommon in either of the major parties. For them, it is business as usual. Today is indeed Uncertain Times. However, there are many good men and women in this nation. We all want the same things. Security, healthcare, jobs, a place to live, truth in goverment.
Uo8Moderator: Would you tell me how I can sign on to your online convention.? I tried but was denied access. I contacted you once before and you said to email you telling of how I had tried. I did that but received no response from you. Thanks
A Sooner Independent
With the popularity of John McCain and Joe Lieberman here, how about...
... "A Repubocrat that looks and sounds like a Demlican"?
But I'd rather see... "There is no D or R in We The People".
I have asked three times how one can sign up for the on line convention. unity08.com has on its front page a place to do so. I have tried that numerous times and a you are not authorized to access this page keeps coming up. I will ask one more time if you don't answer I will quit trying and move on. I hope you are listening this time.
A Sooner Independent
I just tried to sign up, and got the same message. I had already signed on earlier this summer, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. The Moderator did respond earlier, but I assume they never wrote to you? There is not an e-mail listed under your profile... Try sending me an e-mail and see if that works.
ke_frye_98@yahoo.com
Putting myself out there, but I will look for it in the next few days. After that, I won't open any e-mails that I don't recognize.
Good luck!
-Keely
Hi Boomer and Keely,
I had requested that Boomer email me at web@unity08.com, but I haven't received an email yet. Undoubtedly, my response got lost among all the others on the site.
Nonetheless, I think I know the problem. Are you clicking on the "Join" button in the header? If so, people who are already members and signed in get that annoying "Access Denied" message. It's one of the quirks of Drupal. We are working on a fix to this so if you're already signed in you'll view your user profile when you click on "Join" rather than "Access Denied".
If you've already signed up (and you have if you can post comments), you will be contacted via email when we open up the official delegate registration for the online convention.
I hope that helps! If you have any additional questions, please email me at web@unity08.com.
I did email you at the address you listed but it would not go through. In my situation I logged into unity08.com and then under 3 goals I clicked on online convention, a second page came up of questions and answers. I clicked on sign on today and the access denied came up. But you answered my question anyway. Thank you.
A Sooner Independent
Hi Boomer,
Thanks for the explanation of the steps you took to receive the "Access Denied" message. That is very helpful.
Like I mentioned earlier, we're working on making sure already signed in users don't receive that message when they click on a "sign up" or "join" link.
I'm sorry to hear the email didn't go through. Would you mind trying again if you get the chance - web@unity08.com.
Thanks for your involvement and bringing any and all issues to our attention.
Thanks for your help keely. The Uo8 moderator answered my question. Boomer
A Sooner Independent
To : Preserve The American Dream For All Who Seek It !!
What about "Restoring Political Power to the American People" or "Returning Power to the People"
I know the "poll is closed" :-)
but I'd like to make 2 suggestions anyway...
Dignity, Civility, Common Sense
-- and --
United for America's Future
Americans United for America's Future
UNITY 08 (VOTE)?? (X) WE THE PEOPLE POWER::::::::::::::::::::::::DEMOCRAT=====VOTE=(0) CORPORATE INTREST & LIBERAL AGENDA::: REPUBLICAN===VOTE=(0) CORPORATE INTREST & CONSERVATIVE AGENDA :::: SEE WHY WE NEED TO TAKE BACK OUR BELOVED COUNTRY|||| WWW.UNITY 08.ORG
With all of the diversity of "the melting pot" each of us has something to contribute to the final product of the "stew".
That is the essence of participation in a true Democratic Republic.
Senators, Congressmen, the President, and the Supreme Court all serve the PEOPLE! We, the People do NOT serve the SERVANTS OF THE PEOPLE.
The beautiful idea of Unity08 presupposes that each of us as citizens truly do control the consensus of the whole of our nation.
Will the outcome be perfect? Of course not! Any one of us is not perfect, so we need not expect that the outcome will be perfect. However, the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts (votes).
The outcome of this "stew" will be, in my opinion, the true collective will of what "The Great Experiment" is all about.
I happen to be a Democrat, but democracy cannot work without input from all political suasion, whether it be Democrat, Republican, Independant, or Libertarian, etc.
Each of us as Americans, need to at least read and understand The Preamble, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and to understand that we are a nation of laws as set out in the Constitution. Each of us, from the President along with the people are bound by those laws. If a particular law is unfair, then we should amend it, since this, our Democracy is based on papers that are alive and amendable.
The experiment goes on, but as Ben Franklin related "Sir, you have a Republic if you have the will to maintain it!" (paraphrased)
DEMOCRACY 101