Argh you can’t ever win with Trump. Give him Twitter and he dominates the entire discussion and threatens people daily. Ban him and people forget what a dangerous asshole he is and he becomes more popular. Putting him back in social media is not the right answer because he’s very dangerous but I agree we need to amplify and name the threat.
Of course we need to keep talking about Trump / 45 / TFG, but not just as an extremely malevolent individual, and certainly not as an anomaly in U.S. politics. We need to keep connecting him to what's become of the GOP, and to the resurgence of anti-democratic tendencies in this country. This is my problem with much of the so-called mainstream media: too often they manage to amplify Trump without calling attention to just how dangerous the Trump-led GOP has become. Their attempt to be "impartial" is resulting in an infuriating reluctance to acknowledge what's going on. No wonder so many reasonably informed citizens are going around believing that Covid-19 is the only menace we're currently up against.
I so agree with this. We shouldn't be highlighting Trump, the individual, but the GOP that is in lock step with him. How can we elect politicians that don't accept the results of a free and fair (and much audited) election? All politicians should be put on the spot about the Big Lie. I think the publicity surrounding Mike Rounds statement and Trump's reaction has been great. We need more of that. People need to be reminded that while Trump is operating in the background, he and his ideals are still very much a threat.
Yes! I keep seeing the experiments we did in high school (or maybe junior high) science class: scatter iron filings on a piece of paper, then introduce a magnet and watch all the iron filings leap toward the magnet. Trump (of course) is the magnet, but those iron filings have been out there for a long time. Sooner or later someone would have come along to unite them.
Use Trump, sure. But use reminding people of Trump in order to highlight what he stands for: bigotry, stealing from the needy to give to the greedy, dividing Americans. It's not just that Trump is a vile human, it's that he thrives on making the many poorer, less secure, and meaner.
Agreed, but it's also important to emphasize again and again and again that the GOP is standing with him. USians tend to focus too much on individuals and not enough on the social and political context. We do that now at our extreme peril.
I agree with Mandy Grunwald that this doesn't need to be a zero sum game. I felt like Terry McAuliffe was all in on one message that people were tired of hearing. People do need to be reminded that the GOP has become an extension of Trump and that is dangerous for our country. They also need to be reminded about what a government should be doing for them and how Democrats are addressing it. Put GOP candidates on the spot about how they would address inflation, COVID, housing, healthcare, homelessess, etc... They have no ideas or plans and that should be highlighted.
Also Terry McAuliffe was the wrong candidate. My cousin, a liberal in western Va, said she held her nose and voted for him. The fundraising emails I got from his organization GUARANTEED that I would not give that campaign money. Poorly done, all the way around.
2024 is a hundred years off in politics. I’m not worrying. But maybe I should be. Beyond that Democrats need to fire the beltway consultants and hire some Madison Avenue Mad Men. Also open a 24/7 war room to put out a clear and consistent message every day especially on weekends.
For once in their lifetimes, Ds need to coalesce around one message because if they do not, there will be no more Democratic party. Squad, I hope you are listening. PS (personally done with AOC and her trip to the Met gala)
I also think this is a big deal and I take heart from it as well. "While there were some irregularities, there were none of the irregularities which would have risen to the point where they would have changed the vote outcome in a single state," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Sunday on ABC's This Week. "The election was fair, as fair as we have seen. We simply did not win the election, as Republicans, for the presidency. And if we simply look back and tell our people don't vote because there's cheating going on, then we're going to put ourselves in a huge disadvantage." No but, but, buts...take it and hope for more.
So, what does talking about trump look like in moderate or swing districts? Especially if the GOP candidate isn’t Mo Brooks? Like If they’re a run of the mill, maybe new candidate, who can’t be linked directly to trump but there’s a *suspicion* they might be trump-y? Sort of like Glenn? How do you make the link between that candidate and trump? Or is the argument that if that person wins, then trump will be president so that person can’t win so trump won’t? What’s the effective message?
Argh you can’t ever win with Trump. Give him Twitter and he dominates the entire discussion and threatens people daily. Ban him and people forget what a dangerous asshole he is and he becomes more popular. Putting him back in social media is not the right answer because he’s very dangerous but I agree we need to amplify and name the threat.
Of course we need to keep talking about Trump / 45 / TFG, but not just as an extremely malevolent individual, and certainly not as an anomaly in U.S. politics. We need to keep connecting him to what's become of the GOP, and to the resurgence of anti-democratic tendencies in this country. This is my problem with much of the so-called mainstream media: too often they manage to amplify Trump without calling attention to just how dangerous the Trump-led GOP has become. Their attempt to be "impartial" is resulting in an infuriating reluctance to acknowledge what's going on. No wonder so many reasonably informed citizens are going around believing that Covid-19 is the only menace we're currently up against.
I so agree with this. We shouldn't be highlighting Trump, the individual, but the GOP that is in lock step with him. How can we elect politicians that don't accept the results of a free and fair (and much audited) election? All politicians should be put on the spot about the Big Lie. I think the publicity surrounding Mike Rounds statement and Trump's reaction has been great. We need more of that. People need to be reminded that while Trump is operating in the background, he and his ideals are still very much a threat.
Yes! I keep seeing the experiments we did in high school (or maybe junior high) science class: scatter iron filings on a piece of paper, then introduce a magnet and watch all the iron filings leap toward the magnet. Trump (of course) is the magnet, but those iron filings have been out there for a long time. Sooner or later someone would have come along to unite them.
Between that speech and the speech in Atlanta, it's as if Biden finally came out of hypnosis, out of a trance.
Use Trump, sure. But use reminding people of Trump in order to highlight what he stands for: bigotry, stealing from the needy to give to the greedy, dividing Americans. It's not just that Trump is a vile human, it's that he thrives on making the many poorer, less secure, and meaner.
Agreed, but it's also important to emphasize again and again and again that the GOP is standing with him. USians tend to focus too much on individuals and not enough on the social and political context. We do that now at our extreme peril.
I hate this message, but, coming from Dan, I believe it.
You have to believe that TFG is DESPERATE for attention, to be calling Steve Inskeep of NPR for an interview! I mean, seriously.
And then Trump hung up on him!!
I agree with Mandy Grunwald that this doesn't need to be a zero sum game. I felt like Terry McAuliffe was all in on one message that people were tired of hearing. People do need to be reminded that the GOP has become an extension of Trump and that is dangerous for our country. They also need to be reminded about what a government should be doing for them and how Democrats are addressing it. Put GOP candidates on the spot about how they would address inflation, COVID, housing, healthcare, homelessess, etc... They have no ideas or plans and that should be highlighted.
Also Terry McAuliffe was the wrong candidate. My cousin, a liberal in western Va, said she held her nose and voted for him. The fundraising emails I got from his organization GUARANTEED that I would not give that campaign money. Poorly done, all the way around.
2024 is a hundred years off in politics. I’m not worrying. But maybe I should be. Beyond that Democrats need to fire the beltway consultants and hire some Madison Avenue Mad Men. Also open a 24/7 war room to put out a clear and consistent message every day especially on weekends.
For once in their lifetimes, Ds need to coalesce around one message because if they do not, there will be no more Democratic party. Squad, I hope you are listening. PS (personally done with AOC and her trip to the Met gala)
I take heart in the fact that ONLY 44% of Rs want TFG to run again. See: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/10/06/two-thirds-of-republicans-want-trump-to-retain-major-political-role-44-want-him-to-run-again-in-2024/
I also think this is a big deal and I take heart from it as well. "While there were some irregularities, there were none of the irregularities which would have risen to the point where they would have changed the vote outcome in a single state," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Sunday on ABC's This Week. "The election was fair, as fair as we have seen. We simply did not win the election, as Republicans, for the presidency. And if we simply look back and tell our people don't vote because there's cheating going on, then we're going to put ourselves in a huge disadvantage." No but, but, buts...take it and hope for more.
So, what does talking about trump look like in moderate or swing districts? Especially if the GOP candidate isn’t Mo Brooks? Like If they’re a run of the mill, maybe new candidate, who can’t be linked directly to trump but there’s a *suspicion* they might be trump-y? Sort of like Glenn? How do you make the link between that candidate and trump? Or is the argument that if that person wins, then trump will be president so that person can’t win so trump won’t? What’s the effective message?
I dunno but we need to start working on it.