Good to see the post and the effort to understand and react to Trump's win.
I think Democrats have a huge uphill climb mostly because of two aspects of Trump's success.
1. His continuous lies about everything, but, especially his refrain that the "economy" was the "worst in history" while it was one of the best in history. Note, this was always delivered without data to confuse his audience or more than one sentence.
2. Fox News and a huge right wing, online echo chamber saying the same simple thing.
NY Times reported today that Americans are already "feeling" better about the economy, likely because Trump has suddenly dropped his "worst in history".
Now? Just like Trump took credit successfully for Obama's good economy, he will take credit for Biden's hugely successful economy. As soon as he is in office he will start crowing about the "best economy in history" and his write wing echo chamber will follow and?
Americans will believe.
I think Democrats need to learn how to communicate with short, one sentence summaries that are untethered from reality (learn to lie and brag).
And, we need an on line echo chamber parroting the same BS in a histrionic tone.
If Democrats continue to talk in paragraphs, tell the truth and have no shrill on line echo chamber they will continue to lose.
We have to deliver what Americans clearly want. Bluster, BS and crap.
Totally agree Mike, except it doesn't have to be bluster, bs and crap.
It can be the truth.
"America, you have been conned! These few people have a lot. And you have a little." Show a picture of Zucks yacht. And the yacht that follows because everyone should have two mega yachts!
Bill, you used two sentences above. I could only focus for 1/2 of the first sentence before I lost concentration and went back to being a zombie on my phone. Plus, you used no profanity and did not make fun of anyone.
They don't need to lie, Mike. Just to toot their own horn. Tell their constituents what they have accomplished. My Congressman, Dr Ami Bera, District 6, California has been elected every 2 years since 2012 because he holds meetings, sometimes only his staff but they are there to answer questions and help Constituents, He sends a periodic newsletter by mail and email telling what he has accomplished, what bills he has written or co-sponsored. Why lie when the truth shared is so much more effective. Trump lies, because he has to, he accomplished nothing of consequence to the average working person in the US during his first term. The only thing he's good at is mugging for the camera and conning and he sure as hell can't admit that even to himself.
"Keep it simple, stupid" has never been so relevant. It's obvious that has worked with Trumph for over a decade now. Tried and true! When will we learn?
Thank you. Personally, I really loved how Harris spoke in speeches, her impromptu conversations and how her outstanding English language usage shined.
But, my fellow men in Murca, whose maturity and reading skill plateaued in the 7th grade, did not agree.
If you and Bill have not watched the blockbuster movie "Idiocracy" now is the time. Best movie of my lifetime. I only regret the color of the skin chosen for the President in that film. A mistake.
Well, Mike, I have been watering a section of my garden with Gatorade and its not working well. I need a really smart farmer from 500 years ago to advise me!
But seriously, that film was so prescient, so spot on. The intelligent, educated people decided to have less (or no) kids. The idiots reproduced at record levels.
And yes, the president in "Idiocracy" should have had orange skin - not black.
A cult classic that should be re-released now - free.
He may be onto something, and it's clear that the Democrats missed the boat. To me, the biggest issues were the economy and immigration, about which trump lied and gaslit continuously lobbing hand grenades, and Dems responded with marshmallows.
I was hoping to hear Carville's stark message this time, but it either never came or was drowned out by other stuff. I got tired of getting pants-on-fire emails purportedly from him demanding "donations" to various candidates. I stopped opening them.
In fact, I believe the incessant emails asking for money were a big part of the problem, and nobody is talking about it. I was getting a dozen or so daily, and it was annoying...
and I was pretty engaged! I'm still getting them (probably a half dozen a day or more).
I'm still trying to get used to the idea that a good part of the rest of my life is going to be significantly impacted by one of the worst assemblages of protoplasm on the planet. I plan to ignore him as much as possible, but I'm not giving up. I'll stay in the fight, but I want to be strategic. We'll see how long that lasts.
"But we will need engagement for the sake of our grandchildren and the planet."
Yes. Agree. But, I am finding harder to care about the massive lack of snow and cold wx in upstate NY (I love snow and cold) since many Americans could care less.
Every time I park my EV in any parking lot it is often right next to a vehicle that wins the largest vehicle/CO2 producer I have ever seen award.
Every time I think "Gas cars cannot get bigger". They do.
There was a lengthy article in the NYT on Murphy and this/his platform BEFORE the election. But...much too late to have any impact. Headline was something that called out the fact that the NYT thought he was a strong contender going forward...wish his messages had gotten out sooner to more people. But that is not the way messages work.
Yes, and they have been painted as "too extreme, too progressive and too radical". Which I understood at the time. Didn't want to scare off the "moderates" - right?
But now, in light of the "extremely radical and regressive" plans that just won the election - such sentiments are in retrospect a HOOT! I think it is time for us to start "howling" about the economic injustice of the super rich suggesting that there be cuts in government programs.
How do the filthy rich "tech bros" DARE to talk about making poor people poorer?
I fully think, though, that Harris ran a great campaign ..I think the bigger issue is with all the disinformation, bots and outright lies..and that Harris was going to continue with Biden's plans pretty much. I don't see her as a neoliberal (I'm no expert though)
What do you think about the 'bullet ballot' issues brought up by data scientist here in Substack??
I'm not a conspiracy minded person. On the other hand, it would be very satisfying to say to MAGATS : what's good for the goose...' etc. I did write to Kamala Harris at WH to beg her to ask for recount in swing states
Ok Bill! Greetings to Bonnie and enjoy your Thanksgiving
I don't have any relevant info on bullet ballots. I do think that voter restrictions, voter rolls being purged and gerrymandering all play a role in corrupting our democracy.
I would make voter registration automatic and voting mandatory. Like in Australia where over 90% participate.
And Thanks for the good wishes. Happy holidays to you and yours from all three of us. WOOF!
I fully agree Bill. What I hear over and over again is 'who cares? they're all on the take' And they're right.
Every one of the thousands of texts and e-mails I received was, Joe then Kamala need your help send money. Every senatorial candidate from California to timbucktoo wanted money. None of the texts or emails, I read said a thing about what Joe had accomplished. If I wasn't a news junkie I would ever have known his achievements.
Even Inequality Media which posted great explanations on TikTok and YouTube begged for more and more money even though I was giving monthly donations.
Why does every damned politician in the Country need more money. What's wrong with knocking on doors. Having monthly meetings in different places in your district? Why is it Presidential candidates of both parties only come to California for $100,000 a plate dinners? Why don't they, the Democrats do the town barbeques like they used to in the 60's and 70's?
It seems it started in the 80's with Ronnie, baby, dreaming up schemes to promote greed. And greed became entrenched in both major parties. the race was on to see who could collect the most money.
And remember, too, that Joe Biden is the first President in many, many years to give a damn about working Americans. In my estimation since 1945 when Franklin Roosevelt died.
Every thing you suggested, Bill, needs to be done, I'd start with firing everyone above the position of secretary in the DNC DCCC, DSCC, and replace them with honest, not greedy, people who are good at winning, not just collecting money.
The "math not working," Americans living paycheck to paycheck and having no (or little) savings for emergencies is not something new. But these people are too busy watching Fox News to understand why that is... and why the new administration is not going to make things better for them.
I still see a lot of letters to the editor and responses to posts about the decline of manufacturing, like it's 1995. Helloooooo? There's been an incredible amount of investment in the manufacturing sector in the last year or two, in part due to Biden's policies. Our local semiconductor manufacturer is slated to receive $1.5 billion in federal funding through the CHIPS Act (which Elise Stefanik voted against, and which Trump dislikes because it came from Biden) to upgrade its facilities and build a second factory. It will create thousands of jobs directly and have a huge economic impact. That's just one example.
Yes to all you have said. But we need to wage a battle that includes really listening to what folks lives are like. And then developing a message around concrete ways to get more MONEY in the hands of the "working poor".
My mother in law asked her home health care worker (who has four kids and doesn't watch any news) if she voted. She replied, that she didn't have time...which is code for "what difference would it make?" WTF?
Would she have made time if she really thought one party or the other actually had a plan to help her meet her responsibilities?
There are indeed, many, many examples of how the Biden administration has moved us in the correct direction. But unless we help people with the essential basics of life, we have lost them.
IMO, the message needs to be that the ultra rich and big corporations are hogging the money. We need to plan a financial revolution that taxes the rich and maybe claws back some wealth. Then we should provide health care for all. Start with all children! Then fill in the middle. And stop the pillaging of public schools by voucher programs. There is so much...to do.
The sad irony is that the ultra rich and representatives of the big corporations hogging the money are the same people that will be in the new administration: the fox guarding the henhouse. IMHO, there's ample opportunity for corruption (remember Trump's Mar-A-Lago get-together with the CEOs?).
Under the leadership of Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission is finally taking action to enforce antitrust laws the way they were originally intended, and has been cracking down on monopolies. Maybe they could make some headway if they had another four years or more, but that's not going to happen. And the average American probably has no idea what the FTC does and how it affects their daily lives.
How can we have a financial revolution with the clown show that is coming into office? It's really hard to be positive right now.
Good ideas, but my concern is how to get this type of message to those disaffected citizens. The corporate media won't be of much help, and I doubt the people Dems need to reach are tuned into Substack.
A big challenge, indeed. Step one is for the message to be spread beyond Sen Murphy and Gallego. They must lead their colleagues in a unified style, that really speaks the public.
I suspect it will require some risk taking and saying some stuff that attracts a reaction on MSM and SM.
History is filled with movements that began with a few loud voices that connect with the peoples needs. We will see.
Remember that extreme views and radical ideas just won the WH and Congress. What do we have to lose?
Bill,
Good to see the post and the effort to understand and react to Trump's win.
I think Democrats have a huge uphill climb mostly because of two aspects of Trump's success.
1. His continuous lies about everything, but, especially his refrain that the "economy" was the "worst in history" while it was one of the best in history. Note, this was always delivered without data to confuse his audience or more than one sentence.
2. Fox News and a huge right wing, online echo chamber saying the same simple thing.
NY Times reported today that Americans are already "feeling" better about the economy, likely because Trump has suddenly dropped his "worst in history".
Now? Just like Trump took credit successfully for Obama's good economy, he will take credit for Biden's hugely successful economy. As soon as he is in office he will start crowing about the "best economy in history" and his write wing echo chamber will follow and?
Americans will believe.
I think Democrats need to learn how to communicate with short, one sentence summaries that are untethered from reality (learn to lie and brag).
And, we need an on line echo chamber parroting the same BS in a histrionic tone.
If Democrats continue to talk in paragraphs, tell the truth and have no shrill on line echo chamber they will continue to lose.
We have to deliver what Americans clearly want. Bluster, BS and crap.
Totally agree Mike, except it doesn't have to be bluster, bs and crap.
It can be the truth.
"America, you have been conned! These few people have a lot. And you have a little." Show a picture of Zucks yacht. And the yacht that follows because everyone should have two mega yachts!
Bill, you used two sentences above. I could only focus for 1/2 of the first sentence before I lost concentration and went back to being a zombie on my phone. Plus, you used no profanity and did not make fun of anyone.
What kind of Murcan are you?
:-)
They don't need to lie, Mike. Just to toot their own horn. Tell their constituents what they have accomplished. My Congressman, Dr Ami Bera, District 6, California has been elected every 2 years since 2012 because he holds meetings, sometimes only his staff but they are there to answer questions and help Constituents, He sends a periodic newsletter by mail and email telling what he has accomplished, what bills he has written or co-sponsored. Why lie when the truth shared is so much more effective. Trump lies, because he has to, he accomplished nothing of consequence to the average working person in the US during his first term. The only thing he's good at is mugging for the camera and conning and he sure as hell can't admit that even to himself.
I agree with all you have just said, sadly. 😔
"Keep it simple, stupid" has never been so relevant. It's obvious that has worked with Trumph for over a decade now. Tried and true! When will we learn?
Bonnie,
Thank you. Personally, I really loved how Harris spoke in speeches, her impromptu conversations and how her outstanding English language usage shined.
But, my fellow men in Murca, whose maturity and reading skill plateaued in the 7th grade, did not agree.
If you and Bill have not watched the blockbuster movie "Idiocracy" now is the time. Best movie of my lifetime. I only regret the color of the skin chosen for the President in that film. A mistake.
Well, Mike, I have been watering a section of my garden with Gatorade and its not working well. I need a really smart farmer from 500 years ago to advise me!
But seriously, that film was so prescient, so spot on. The intelligent, educated people decided to have less (or no) kids. The idiots reproduced at record levels.
And yes, the president in "Idiocracy" should have had orange skin - not black.
A cult classic that should be re-released now - free.
https://youtu.be/6lai9QhBibk
He may be onto something, and it's clear that the Democrats missed the boat. To me, the biggest issues were the economy and immigration, about which trump lied and gaslit continuously lobbing hand grenades, and Dems responded with marshmallows.
I was hoping to hear Carville's stark message this time, but it either never came or was drowned out by other stuff. I got tired of getting pants-on-fire emails purportedly from him demanding "donations" to various candidates. I stopped opening them.
In fact, I believe the incessant emails asking for money were a big part of the problem, and nobody is talking about it. I was getting a dozen or so daily, and it was annoying...
and I was pretty engaged! I'm still getting them (probably a half dozen a day or more).
I'm still trying to get used to the idea that a good part of the rest of my life is going to be significantly impacted by one of the worst assemblages of protoplasm on the planet. I plan to ignore him as much as possible, but I'm not giving up. I'll stay in the fight, but I want to be strategic. We'll see how long that lasts.
I guess we need to ignore a lot to survive emotionally and mentally.
But we will need engagement for the sake of our grandchildren and the planet.
I am still working on that balance. Actually teetering on the beam :)
"But we will need engagement for the sake of our grandchildren and the planet."
Yes. Agree. But, I am finding harder to care about the massive lack of snow and cold wx in upstate NY (I love snow and cold) since many Americans could care less.
Every time I park my EV in any parking lot it is often right next to a vehicle that wins the largest vehicle/CO2 producer I have ever seen award.
Every time I think "Gas cars cannot get bigger". They do.
I also received up to 30 emails a day. It was annoying.
There was a lengthy article in the NYT on Murphy and this/his platform BEFORE the election. But...much too late to have any impact. Headline was something that called out the fact that the NYT thought he was a strong contender going forward...wish his messages had gotten out sooner to more people. But that is not the way messages work.
Thanks. I think it human nature to look for a "leader". That's not why I was promoting him. But he IS young and well spoken...:)
Happy Thanksgiving from B&B&S!
Bill,
As Bernie Sanders and others like AOC have been doing
Yes, and they have been painted as "too extreme, too progressive and too radical". Which I understood at the time. Didn't want to scare off the "moderates" - right?
But now, in light of the "extremely radical and regressive" plans that just won the election - such sentiments are in retrospect a HOOT! I think it is time for us to start "howling" about the economic injustice of the super rich suggesting that there be cuts in government programs.
How do the filthy rich "tech bros" DARE to talk about making poor people poorer?
I fully think, though, that Harris ran a great campaign ..I think the bigger issue is with all the disinformation, bots and outright lies..and that Harris was going to continue with Biden's plans pretty much. I don't see her as a neoliberal (I'm no expert though)
What do you think about the 'bullet ballot' issues brought up by data scientist here in Substack??
I'm not a conspiracy minded person. On the other hand, it would be very satisfying to say to MAGATS : what's good for the goose...' etc. I did write to Kamala Harris at WH to beg her to ask for recount in swing states
Ok Bill! Greetings to Bonnie and enjoy your Thanksgiving
I don't have any relevant info on bullet ballots. I do think that voter restrictions, voter rolls being purged and gerrymandering all play a role in corrupting our democracy.
I would make voter registration automatic and voting mandatory. Like in Australia where over 90% participate.
And Thanks for the good wishes. Happy holidays to you and yours from all three of us. WOOF!
I fully agree Bill. What I hear over and over again is 'who cares? they're all on the take' And they're right.
Every one of the thousands of texts and e-mails I received was, Joe then Kamala need your help send money. Every senatorial candidate from California to timbucktoo wanted money. None of the texts or emails, I read said a thing about what Joe had accomplished. If I wasn't a news junkie I would ever have known his achievements.
Even Inequality Media which posted great explanations on TikTok and YouTube begged for more and more money even though I was giving monthly donations.
Why does every damned politician in the Country need more money. What's wrong with knocking on doors. Having monthly meetings in different places in your district? Why is it Presidential candidates of both parties only come to California for $100,000 a plate dinners? Why don't they, the Democrats do the town barbeques like they used to in the 60's and 70's?
It seems it started in the 80's with Ronnie, baby, dreaming up schemes to promote greed. And greed became entrenched in both major parties. the race was on to see who could collect the most money.
And remember, too, that Joe Biden is the first President in many, many years to give a damn about working Americans. In my estimation since 1945 when Franklin Roosevelt died.
Every thing you suggested, Bill, needs to be done, I'd start with firing everyone above the position of secretary in the DNC DCCC, DSCC, and replace them with honest, not greedy, people who are good at winning, not just collecting money.
The "math not working," Americans living paycheck to paycheck and having no (or little) savings for emergencies is not something new. But these people are too busy watching Fox News to understand why that is... and why the new administration is not going to make things better for them.
I still see a lot of letters to the editor and responses to posts about the decline of manufacturing, like it's 1995. Helloooooo? There's been an incredible amount of investment in the manufacturing sector in the last year or two, in part due to Biden's policies. Our local semiconductor manufacturer is slated to receive $1.5 billion in federal funding through the CHIPS Act (which Elise Stefanik voted against, and which Trump dislikes because it came from Biden) to upgrade its facilities and build a second factory. It will create thousands of jobs directly and have a huge economic impact. That's just one example.
Sorry, I'll have to finish this later...
Ellen, I hear you. Thanks for the comment,
Yes to all you have said. But we need to wage a battle that includes really listening to what folks lives are like. And then developing a message around concrete ways to get more MONEY in the hands of the "working poor".
My mother in law asked her home health care worker (who has four kids and doesn't watch any news) if she voted. She replied, that she didn't have time...which is code for "what difference would it make?" WTF?
Would she have made time if she really thought one party or the other actually had a plan to help her meet her responsibilities?
There are indeed, many, many examples of how the Biden administration has moved us in the correct direction. But unless we help people with the essential basics of life, we have lost them.
IMO, the message needs to be that the ultra rich and big corporations are hogging the money. We need to plan a financial revolution that taxes the rich and maybe claws back some wealth. Then we should provide health care for all. Start with all children! Then fill in the middle. And stop the pillaging of public schools by voucher programs. There is so much...to do.
The sad irony is that the ultra rich and representatives of the big corporations hogging the money are the same people that will be in the new administration: the fox guarding the henhouse. IMHO, there's ample opportunity for corruption (remember Trump's Mar-A-Lago get-together with the CEOs?).
Under the leadership of Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission is finally taking action to enforce antitrust laws the way they were originally intended, and has been cracking down on monopolies. Maybe they could make some headway if they had another four years or more, but that's not going to happen. And the average American probably has no idea what the FTC does and how it affects their daily lives.
How can we have a financial revolution with the clown show that is coming into office? It's really hard to be positive right now.
Good ideas, but my concern is how to get this type of message to those disaffected citizens. The corporate media won't be of much help, and I doubt the people Dems need to reach are tuned into Substack.
A big challenge, indeed. Step one is for the message to be spread beyond Sen Murphy and Gallego. They must lead their colleagues in a unified style, that really speaks the public.
I suspect it will require some risk taking and saying some stuff that attracts a reaction on MSM and SM.
History is filled with movements that began with a few loud voices that connect with the peoples needs. We will see.
Remember that extreme views and radical ideas just won the WH and Congress. What do we have to lose?