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Stephanie G Wilson, PhD's avatar

Agree that we need more media infrastructure, which I know Dan is involved in creating. Absent that (because it is a multiyear/decade process that may take way too long), we need to make sure that the people most likely to carry the message (the base/activists) have the tools to do so. Anat Shenker-Osorio (between Dan and Anat, I think we've got messaging covered), contends that while it might be true that we have to convince the swing voter, no swing voter is going to hear a message in the current environment. So we need to empower the base with strong and consistent messaging to carry that message. By that she means (and I concur), that the choir needs to be empowered to run with the message and pass it on over social media, in real life, and any other creative way possible. She, Mike Podhorzer (AFL/CIO) and Dr. Jiggy Geronimo hold biweekly briefings for the activist base on messaging to keep it simple, consistent, and powerful. It's now up to us to get out there and hammer the hell out of it. My organization creates content using this messaging strategy (moreperfectdemocracy.org) as do DemCast, DemocracyLabs, DemVoice1, and many others. People need to pick one or more of the orgs and amplify the hell out of the messaging, preferably among all the people they know in real life. We're on FB and Twitter and welcome other channels. We're obviously not going to get the major media on board (except for a select few individuals) so we're going to have to make something of nothing before we can rely on the big money to create massive media channels (again, besides crooked), to do this. Rant over for now. Thank you, Dan, for these newsletters. Your voice forms a large part of More Perfect Democracy messaging strategy.

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Sally in NM's avatar

If cultural issues drove some low-information swing voters into the Republican party, and outrage-inducing cultural issues drives online traffic, gaining traction via Facebook algorithms, part of a new approach to messaging would seem to be truthful, catchy, sharp, fear-inducing negative campaigning. "Senator "Cancun" Cruz,, the Ivy League Wacko Bird, yakked for 21 hours against basic health insurance while a million uninsured Texans face dying alone." "Chuck "No Dementia" Grassley promoted mass shootings by mentally-impaired; who dies next?"

Also part of a new approach might be a focus on the outcomes, not the means, of the benefits from BBB; instead of "lowers housing costs" say "homeless vets finally helped with the rehab and construction of millions of homes."

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