Dayton Press Conference sponsored by the Lifetime Movie Network
Today was Governor Mark Dayton’s first press conference regarding Medicare expansion in Minnesota. Regardless of your political persuasion, it was a masterful performance and political theater. No one should be surprised that Governor Mark Dayton can craft a political message, squash protesters by their own weight and come out looking like the most reasonable person in the room. Sheila Kihne at The Activist Next Door wrote an article months ago about the activities’ of Governor Mark Dayton in his youth which highlighted the years he spent as a political protester and being squashed by the “man”. You see, if you are protesting in a gallery, Governor Dayton has been there, done that, and skipped school to perfect the technique.
Today was the moment he dreamt of all of his life. He had the stage. The moment was his. He hand- picked the “speakers” and it was a message he had perfected throughout his political life. He had the sympathetic farmer’s wife who literally sold the cows to provide for the family. He had the dutiful sister who was fighting the good fight for her brother, who is fighting brain cancer. (My dad died 5 years ago of lung/brain cancer after a long, brave battle. After he died, we had to sell his 30 yr + small business and many good employees lost their jobs. My heartfelt prayers go out to the dairy mom, the sister/brother and both families.)
Both women had their life stories well-stated, weren’t overly-emotional, and were straight out of a weekend Lifetime movie. All across Minnesota, rural and suburban women could relate to both of these ladies because they could be our friend, sister, or mom. The bottom line is: they were well-coached in the “art of storytelling”, and it showed.
To the amazement of Minnesota press, activists watching online, and, probably, the protesters in the room, Governor Dayton invited his detractors to the podium. The protestors spoke with passion but were clearly unprepared for this important political moment. There were no prepared talking points, no storytelling, and no clear action item to their message. Watching from home, I wondered: where was one leader in the group who could concisely sum up the message in 2 minutes, with an action item for the people at home watching? Why wasn’t this person speaking on behalf of the cause? On this day, there was no coherent message. As a result, our side lost the moment because we were not prepared, not because we were wrong about the matter at hand. Their incoherent message detracted from the prepared remarks of our elected leaders who planned a concise message regarding the economic damage that Dayton’s signature would yield.
Going forward, the Conservative Movement needs to see that we are not dealing with an ordinary political figure. Governor Dayton has trained for this moment his entire life, he is a professional protester with a taste for the dramatic. This is the capstone of his “political career” and he will use his skills to his advantage. We cannot be caught flat-footed, and hope that “Minnesota will see through the political theater”.
Being right, while important, is not always enough on its own. You must be able to effectively communicate why you are right in a convincing manner and understand you have less than a minute to explain it.
Governor Dayton won the day because he turned Minnesota politics into a made-for-tv Lifetime Movie. He told the better story today. He proved his point that he would be magnanimous and reasonable (when it was to his advantage) and that our side wasn’t prepared to debate him.
May we resolve to not make this mistake again and next time to be better prepared to demonstrate why we are right and tell a good story to boot.
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