This Is a Messaging War. Democrats Are Still Asleep.

[newdeal2]

This Is a Messaging War. Democrats Are Still Asleep.
Keith Edwards
Jan 29, 2025

...If single moms are crying into their cameras on social media about how Trump is taking their money away, get them on camera! (Watch that video and compare it to Schumer's remarks. Which do you find more compelling?)

As Democratic strategist Jon Reinish told me, “Use the opportunity to get voters alarmed and mobilized that Trump is hurting their homes, pocketbooks, schools, churches, health care, parents, kids – this isn’t what they voted for.” People are all of a sudden remembering how bad Trump was at this job, so Democrats should be talking about nothing else. As another Democratic communications strategist told me, “sometimes widespread outrage works.”

Democrats must be ready to seize every political opening – these moments are rare, and wasted chances have lasting consequences. Trump and his team will learn and adapt. Capitalizing on their mistakes matters immensely for Democrats’ chances to recapture congressional seats in 2026 and impose some check on Trump. It will also go a long way toward setting the terms of the 2028 campaign.

I do suggest watching the two videos in the link. At least to me, Democrats need to adapt quickly to way people talk and consume news these days, otherwise they stand no chance against Trump and Elon.

[gab13by13]

1. Do town halls

[newdeal2]

5. Totally agree

But if it's a national town hall, it needs to be with elected folks who are media savvy. Sanders, AOC, Crockett-types.

[RAB910]

2. Social Media allows us to become part of the messaging

WE need to take advantage of that, and not just wait for others to do it for us

[Think. Again.]

3. ⬆️⬆️⬆️THIS⬆️⬆️⬆️

Don't listen to the people telling us not to hold Dems feet to the fire, NOW is the time to raise some hell.

[Silent Type]

4. Think this is important. Get people wanting to leave X, FB, etc., but why leave it to white wingers to present their BS

with rebuttal.

[JI7]

6. Why does everything need a politician ?

One reason the bs worked for the right wing is "regular people" would mention the issues and problems and do it in non political spaces.

Democratic officials are mostly opposed to what Trump is doing.

[bigtree]

7. people who write this stuff don't bother to look to see what Democrats are doing and saying are part of the problem

...they just talk out of their own oblivious heads and compound the ineffectiveness of our minority by refusing to do anything to actually find and echo what the leadership and other Democrats have been saying and doing from day one.

This person's complaint is false and a navelgazingly misinforming fail.

Schumer and the leadership is not asleep. They have been out everyday in front of the media, and have spelled out in detail what the challenges are and what they intend to do about them.

Including calling for people who have time to post self-reverential articles to do something, anything, to echo those concerns to the republicans who are in complete control right now, and who will be the ones making the legislation which affects us all.

They've been providing numbers at the Capitol to call for anyone who can fathom the basics of government and can discern who is in control of the agenda and has the votes to advance it in the legislature to the president's desk.

Weird that some people are still selling this nonsense as if Democrats won the House and Senate, telling us they should do this or that which they have absolutely no possible way of achieving with their own votes or initiative.

I'm tired of being punked by misplaced blame and a refusal to actually confront republicans with these complaints all directed at people out of any real power other than their own minority votes.

[ismnotwasm]

12. Thank you. Well said!

[tableturner]

14. I disagree! We don't go hard enough, not enough of us go hard at all, and we aren't unrelenting.

What the Democrats in Congress are doing is okay, but it is not enough! If the roles were reversed, the Republicans, not just office holders, but also surrogates, and LOTS of them, would be furiously and unrelentingly venting on TV, social media, and everywhere there is an opportunity to do so. Yes, Republicans go full throttle to make their points, which usually are total garbage.

We don't take it that far, and while our people are out exposing the horrible truth, not enough of them are, those who are, are not doing it with enough fury, and they are not filling the airwaves like the Republicans do. Can you honestly say that our efforts regarding this or any issue are as intense as what the GOP does to attack an issue? You know that our side does not come close to matching that. We are fighting on this issue the way we have always done it, and the way we have always done it has led to more losses than should be the case, given that we have the facts on our side.

Which is why:

They take a complete nothing and turn it into a big something.

We take a big something and turn it into a complete nothing.

They fight hard non-stop and win...we fight with a lot less intensity, and we get our asses kicked over and over. Even when we win, we win by less than we should for the same reasons.

Democrats should do what Republicans do to attack us with lies (but we can do it with the truth!), which is to have our reps and surrogates unrelentingly spew the truth with the same focus, repetition, and venom that the Republicans use when they spew lies!

Those of us who think the Democrats are doing enough are part of the problem.

[Wounded Bear]

8. It's not the Dems who are "waking up." It's the media...

they are soft balling trump's press secretary and white washing his most egregious actions.

[LeftInTX]

9. The local noon news: Nothing about yesterday's freeze.

Instead:

Number of ICE Detainers in the local jail
Something about a Venezuelan gang member who was apprehended (when I did some digging, he was been in jail since Nov 8th!!, but Trump is taking credit for apprehending him)
Name of a another Venezuelan gang member in the local jail
Stuff about the border
Ticker about stuff at the border

[andym]

10. The Right Wing has an impressive Messaging infrastructure.

Think tanks like the Heritage Foundation work to create and coordinate messaging, then it is broadcast via Fox News, Talk Radio and Social Media.

In the Middle and on the Left there is not nearly such a system. That needs to change. Perhaps start at the grassroots level.

[newdeal2]

13. It exists but is not an interconnected ecosystem

1) There's a lack of a clear and simple message that people can remember and get excited about. People in this country do not do nuance.

2) Get everyone to stick to those talking points.

3) Get the message out across all mediums, not just the cable networks and newspapers.

4) Have media-trained / savvy politicians who also, quite frankly, look and sound good in front of a camera. Rightly or wrongly many people tune out the message if someone like Chuck sits behind a lectern and reads prepared remarks. That doesn't go viral.

[stillcool]

11. its almost as though

all this is brand new, and hasn't been going on for the last 50 years

[MineralMan]

15. Whenever someone refers to Democrats like that,

I wonder if the writer considers himself to be a Democrat. Both you and the author of your quote did just that. So, the question.