Without reading your article what the headline screams to me, and what I have been screaming to anyone, anywhere within earshot is MESSAGING. The American people don't fucking know who we are; they don't fucking know who the Republicans are.
I just now read it and double-down on my comment. All these things Republicans "believe" are there because of the rw echo-chamber in which they live. We Democrats need an "echo chamber" of sorts, of our own. A LOUD one. With many tendrils, like theirs. This is where the left needs to be spending money. IOW "It's the messaging, stupid". (no one in particular being called "stupid" here. It's an expression. I would never talk down to a wonker, let alone to RP).
Thank you for this. I know I'm going to appreciate the smart analysis, but I'm STILL too sad to read it. I'm in awe of you for the unflinching way you appear to be handling this. I promise I will dig into it when I recover my ability to read serious things.🕊️
A lot of far-righters aren't stupid, though, and a lot aren't poorly educated. What they *are* is psychologically damaged such that they can't accept verifiable reality. (By "psychologically damaged," I don't mean unable to function or in need of hospitalization; I mean deeply neurotic. vance, hawley, cruz, rubio, and many other bright, well-educated GOPs fall into this category -- as do many who are neither bright nor well-educated.)
Deeply neurotic people can't tolerate the massive uncertainty that is life, so the easy promises made by a demagogue please them and attract them. Deeply neurotic people can't tap into empathy bc doing so threatens the internal fortress that protects them from facing their rage and pain about their screwed-up family of origin (empathy = being sensitive to someone else's pain, and that necessarily prompts unconscious, and then conscious, stirring of one's own pain).
One solution, which we'll probably never have in the US, is universal healthcare that includes psychotherapy, with a big expansion of the number of psychotherapists in the nation. I can't speculate about other solutions -- but I can say that until we correctly diagnose the problem, we can't hope to solve it. And stupidity is a far smaller factor than is psychological damage.
Remember, every time something good happens as a direct result of a Democratic policy that the local Republican voted against, they claim credit for it. For example, every project funded by the Infrastructure Act in a red district.
Why do voters like democratic policies but vote for republican politicians? Because democrats spend their limited time in a biased media environment telling voters what they think they want to hear instead of what they believe. Stop dumbing things down, stop poll testing messages. Be authentic, spend more time on the goal and less on the policy. No one cares about 30k of tax credits for small business owners.
// There are a few reasons for this. For one, Republicans will brag their faces off about everything they do whether it is good or not and just tell people “this is good and you love it.” Democrats will do good things for people, but they won’t brag because bragging is gauche. //
Oliver Willis on Threads:
"let us be brutally honest: only one of the two political parties in america understands the value of branding outside of an election year. and it isnt the democrats."
Obummer said that "signing" the stimulus checks would have been an egotistical thing to do. Biden admitted he should have "signed" them. "Going high"; and too little too late.
Ta, Robyn. Here in the East Village, we returned Dan Goldman to Congress. Josh Riley defeated MAGA Marc Molinaro for District 19. We canvassed for him, as well as attending a fundraiser. I don't know how many really tall Congresscritters there are; it would not surprise me if he's the tallest.
Pretty clear that there is a solid majority of Americans who want left wing economics and right wing culture. So some kind of mix of socialism and some kind of nationalism. Shit, did I just reinvent the Nazis?
I think the fight for the future is centered on a shared set of facts. We can't begin to work on any problem if we start with myths and strawmen as foundational elements.
Without reading your article what the headline screams to me, and what I have been screaming to anyone, anywhere within earshot is MESSAGING. The American people don't fucking know who we are; they don't fucking know who the Republicans are.
I just now read it and double-down on my comment. All these things Republicans "believe" are there because of the rw echo-chamber in which they live. We Democrats need an "echo chamber" of sorts, of our own. A LOUD one. With many tendrils, like theirs. This is where the left needs to be spending money. IOW "It's the messaging, stupid". (no one in particular being called "stupid" here. It's an expression. I would never talk down to a wonker, let alone to RP).
One month post election and this is the best summation so far
Not much for it but to let the repukeliklans that they voted for burn everything down until all the stupid people either learn or die.
Thank you for this. I know I'm going to appreciate the smart analysis, but I'm STILL too sad to read it. I'm in awe of you for the unflinching way you appear to be handling this. I promise I will dig into it when I recover my ability to read serious things.🕊️
Took me a month before I could read it
You can't fix stupid. This is going to get much worse when Mango Mussolini and his thugs eliminate the Department of Education.
A lot of far-righters aren't stupid, though, and a lot aren't poorly educated. What they *are* is psychologically damaged such that they can't accept verifiable reality. (By "psychologically damaged," I don't mean unable to function or in need of hospitalization; I mean deeply neurotic. vance, hawley, cruz, rubio, and many other bright, well-educated GOPs fall into this category -- as do many who are neither bright nor well-educated.)
Deeply neurotic people can't tolerate the massive uncertainty that is life, so the easy promises made by a demagogue please them and attract them. Deeply neurotic people can't tap into empathy bc doing so threatens the internal fortress that protects them from facing their rage and pain about their screwed-up family of origin (empathy = being sensitive to someone else's pain, and that necessarily prompts unconscious, and then conscious, stirring of one's own pain).
One solution, which we'll probably never have in the US, is universal healthcare that includes psychotherapy, with a big expansion of the number of psychotherapists in the nation. I can't speculate about other solutions -- but I can say that until we correctly diagnose the problem, we can't hope to solve it. And stupidity is a far smaller factor than is psychological damage.
I had a shitty FOO experience, and I have always been for the underdog. Guess that makes me "spayshul".
Remember, every time something good happens as a direct result of a Democratic policy that the local Republican voted against, they claim credit for it. For example, every project funded by the Infrastructure Act in a red district.
Why do voters like democratic policies but vote for republican politicians? Because democrats spend their limited time in a biased media environment telling voters what they think they want to hear instead of what they believe. Stop dumbing things down, stop poll testing messages. Be authentic, spend more time on the goal and less on the policy. No one cares about 30k of tax credits for small business owners.
I know. I was so frustrated with her for constantly espousing that. Also her frigging "pledges".
Excellent, Robyn.
// There are a few reasons for this. For one, Republicans will brag their faces off about everything they do whether it is good or not and just tell people “this is good and you love it.” Democrats will do good things for people, but they won’t brag because bragging is gauche. //
Oliver Willis on Threads:
"let us be brutally honest: only one of the two political parties in america understands the value of branding outside of an election year. and it isnt the democrats."
https://www.threads.net/@owillis1977/post/DCFbQw8RWGH
Obummer said that "signing" the stimulus checks would have been an egotistical thing to do. Biden admitted he should have "signed" them. "Going high"; and too little too late.
All of that. I have lost faith in my fellow citizens, and I don't really know how to process that.
Are the missing votes or voters for the Democrats because they left the Pres/Vice Pres choice blank?
Ta, Robyn. Here in the East Village, we returned Dan Goldman to Congress. Josh Riley defeated MAGA Marc Molinaro for District 19. We canvassed for him, as well as attending a fundraiser. I don't know how many really tall Congresscritters there are; it would not surprise me if he's the tallest.
Pretty clear that there is a solid majority of Americans who want left wing economics and right wing culture. So some kind of mix of socialism and some kind of nationalism. Shit, did I just reinvent the Nazis?
No, they are.
Thanks for some good perspective because I am wandering around feeling absolutely baffled over how any sane person could have voted for l'orange.
I think the fight for the future is centered on a shared set of facts. We can't begin to work on any problem if we start with myths and strawmen as foundational elements.
Why are people so obsessed with baby eating? Babies are probably disgusting as food.
"Why do we want equality and fair treatment for all? To make straight white men feel like they didn’t earn their privileged status."
Well look. I gotta give them that one.