In far too many discussions we attack "Republicans" when in fact we mean to attack "Republican leaders."
This is bad because Republican leaders are a very small group, while Republican followers and swing voters are a much larger group who we should avoid alienating, who we need to woo, who we should assiduously cultivate.
We need to open the eyes of Republican followers, and of swing voters, to show them the manifold ways in which the Republican leadership is failing to act in the interests of the public as a whole, while also seeing that the Democratic leadership is much more committed to advancing the interests of the average American.
We have to combat the notions "they're all politicians", "they're all corrupt", "there's no real difference between the two parties", "Washington is totally dysfunctional".
We need to point out with great emphasis the very many good things that the Democratic leadership has given us in so many areas of life during the past 80 years — beginning with FDR, such vitally important things as Social Security, civil rights, consumer protection, workplace protection, environmental protection, repeated efforts at improving health care that have been sabotaged and obstructed by Republicans, improvements in health coverage, improving the social safety net, supporting gay rights, supporting women’s right to choose. And we need to emphasize the improvements we want to provide in the future, if we are given control of the House and the Senate, and in 2020, the Presidency. The short message: Democratic leaders are much more progressive, Republican leaders much less so.
We need to frame it in terms like “Republican leaders are for going back to the bad old days, in a number of areas (voting rights, health care, no social safety net, destroying social security, destroying Medicare and Medicaid). Democrats are for progress.”