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Beth M's avatar

“ It’s part of a plan to institute a feeling of learned-helplessness among Democrats”

I would argue that the plan isn’t to institute a feeling of learned helplessness among Democrats. It’s to institute that feeling among the politically apathetic and uninvolved of both parties. Or those who have no party affiliation because they think all politics/politicians are bad.

Dems have seen that engagement and information make a difference. The GOP can only pull off whataboutism and bothsidesism with low information people who haven’t been paying attention.

I will once again say that loud, consistent public education campaigns that have concise, impactful, elegant messages and actions to back them up will go a long way to pique the interest of those who have, until now, decided that they “don’t like to talk about politics”.

Additionally, empowering those of us in the cheap seats with these messages and removing the shame we sometimes feel at our political interest, views and voice, will also help both keep us feeling useful and also start changing the conversation.

For instance, the second the media story isn’t about the cost of the Biden rescue plan and starts being more about the benefits, it’s a win. But to make that happen, the rest of us have to help make it a story. And it would be helpful if we had consistent messaging to do it.

I’m hoping that someone, somewhere is gathering the leaders of all these grassroots organizations and working with them on a messaging plan that they can all work from. Grassroots should mean how they started, not necessarily how they continue.

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Eugene Wong's avatar

Dan, here’s any idea for readers eligible to vote in Arizona and West Virginia: call the offices of Senators Sinema and Manchin respectively and let them know that you want HR.1 passed and if that means abolishing the filibuster, so be it

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