I really enjoyed this article! You gave solid steps as well as brought a really great point to the conversation. I have been arguing with anyone I can since 2012 that the entire Republican platform is purely fear based and their supporters are so gripped by fear that they cannot think logically.
I do believe that Walz ran on and addressed the emotional needs of supporters & MAGA alike. The conversations he had with farmers were great! We definitely needed much more of that.
Harris is a prosecutor and a woman and I believe she may not have that emotionality and charisma due to being a woman of color in a male/(masculine characteristic) dominated field and in order to be taken seriously she couldn’t lean into it.
Democrats need to appeal to those without critical thinking skills, because the Republicans can just say anything and people believe them, it’s disheartening and sick.
This gave a lot to think about. I have to say I partially agree. I don’t think it’s because the democrats clung to just facts and statistics. I think that the democratic platform was just wildly out of touch with what matters to most Americans right now. Dems also did very little to address bigotry and racism tied to her opponents’s platform in a way that would rally people behind her. Neither did Biden. I’m sure these things were talked about in debates.. but let’s be real, the debates aren’t what got people to vote for trump either.
Totally agree! There’s definitely more to it than what I wrote about, but I think this facts vs feelings aspect is a major factor. The Democrats also need to get aligned on what their message actually is and what they stand for/how they relate to voters beyond “Trump is bad.” Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I read your article. I agree with some of it. I don’t think you’re conveying the fact that the Republicans are a racist party. They didn’t vote for her because she was black. That was the main reason. It doesn’t matter what Democrats do from here out. The MAGA maggots are justified with their racism through Trump. I think you really didn’t address that. And to me that’s a little bit of ignorance. sometimes when people write articles like this, and they try to justify the behavior of a Republicans, it seems downright disrespectful. At this point in life, there’s never gonna be another fair election. And I don’t think there’s many Republicans here. We have literally lost America to fascism and oligarchy. Bernie Sanders is absolutely correct. Maybe someday you could get a message out there to the Republicans and maybe they’ll listen.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Christina. I’m not at all justifying anything Trump/the Republican Party has done. It’s more of an analysis of their messaging strategy and why it’s working. Whether we like it or not, it’s worked twice.
I also recognize that part of the reason Harris lost is because of racism and sexism, but I disagree that it’s over. I personally think everything is thisclose to boiling over and we’re approaching a massive turning point in our country’s history. It depends on the week, tbh, but this week I see people putting up boundaries and pushing back (like with ICE raids), and preparing to stand up against the administration. We may be watching the crumbling of the country as we know it, but it’s definitely not over.
"Democrats rely on facts while the Republicans rely on feelings. Ironic, isn’t it?"
Very much so! I remember a conversation I had in college with some conservative minded faculty and coming from a Democrat minded family, I flat out asked what they had against the Democratic party. One of the responses of got, was akin to, "There is a saying: liberals have no brains, but conservatives have no heart."
I think it's safe to say that, we have found that more liberal minded folks like myself tend to be more highly educated and open minded. While, apparently, conservative minded citizens do you have hearts that their leaders are able to pull the strings on. Conservative leaders, however, I still question if they have hearts. And if they do, they must be so blackened.
For a comprehensive treatment about why behavior does not follow rationality see Daniel Kahnemans “ thinking, fast and slow“. Kahneman received a Nobel prize for his work on behavioral economics. His recent book is enormously enlightening.
Did you watch the convention? Lots of personal stories (reproductive health, financial difficulties, etc.), emotion, inspiring Democratic party leaders, diversity, people saying "I used to think this way, but now I think..." (Kinzinger, Cheney, etc.). The Democrats are always criticized for not saying what they stand for, but I disagree---they have a platform that they share, while the GOP doesn't, just obstruction & destruction. I thought it was a good campaign for the little time allowed (I wish Joe would have made his decision earlier, darn it...love you, Uncle Joe, sigh...), but I believe voter suppression (fact), targeted disinformation/misinformation (fact), corporate media "sane-washing", and possibly Musk-aided election fraud (I have absolutely no proof of this, but it feels "hinky" to me that we lost ALL swings states) landed us in this mess. Just my 2 cents.
I love a lot of y'all's posts, but this one is not it. We don’t need the Democrats to “be better at marketing”, we need an actual party for the working class people.
Hey Sarah, thanks for your comment and glad to hear you enjoy the content (for the most part 😉)! That being said, please don’t mistake this for me supporting either party: The two-party system is broken. Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin. The point is that so many people wonder how the Democrats lost/continue to lose momentum and an analysis with a marketing lens shows a stark difference between how the two approach campaigning.
Ah I love this additional brain context and your shit sandwich method lol I use something similar called the compliment sandwich if I have to deliver bad news 😂
So it sounds like you’re connecting with them, which kind of lowers their defenses, and then you share information in a non-threatening way. I like it!
Apparently! But I’m not suggesting that the Democrats start fear mongering and lying, they just need to start connecting to people on an emotional level because emotions drive action and connection.
But also! Obama won twice on a message of hope so it doesn’t have to be stirring up fear and anger, there just has to be some sort of emotional connection with people
Fixk that high road bullshit. Isn't that the same thing Chamberlin did when he tried to reason with Hitler. To meet someone where they are at, works in phycology 101, but in mass cults, not so much.
Peaceful protesting is allways preferred but just remember they are the ones who are going to shoot first. The MAGTs see all democratics as being less than human. There is no way in hell you're going reason with someone who sees you as the enemy.
We need to wake up and face reality. And be prepare to defend ourselves.
I don't think we will have to opportunity to Take the high road again unless we make some good trouble.
I really enjoyed this article! You gave solid steps as well as brought a really great point to the conversation. I have been arguing with anyone I can since 2012 that the entire Republican platform is purely fear based and their supporters are so gripped by fear that they cannot think logically.
I do believe that Walz ran on and addressed the emotional needs of supporters & MAGA alike. The conversations he had with farmers were great! We definitely needed much more of that.
Harris is a prosecutor and a woman and I believe she may not have that emotionality and charisma due to being a woman of color in a male/(masculine characteristic) dominated field and in order to be taken seriously she couldn’t lean into it.
Democrats need to appeal to those without critical thinking skills, because the Republicans can just say anything and people believe them, it’s disheartening and sick.
Yes! More Walz energy for sure! I’m glad you enjoyed the article and found the steps helpful :)
This gave a lot to think about. I have to say I partially agree. I don’t think it’s because the democrats clung to just facts and statistics. I think that the democratic platform was just wildly out of touch with what matters to most Americans right now. Dems also did very little to address bigotry and racism tied to her opponents’s platform in a way that would rally people behind her. Neither did Biden. I’m sure these things were talked about in debates.. but let’s be real, the debates aren’t what got people to vote for trump either.
Totally agree! There’s definitely more to it than what I wrote about, but I think this facts vs feelings aspect is a major factor. The Democrats also need to get aligned on what their message actually is and what they stand for/how they relate to voters beyond “Trump is bad.” Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
This is the best explanation I’ve heard so far to explain why people voted for Trump and Dems lost.
Thanks, Colleen! That’s a huge compliment!
I read your article. I agree with some of it. I don’t think you’re conveying the fact that the Republicans are a racist party. They didn’t vote for her because she was black. That was the main reason. It doesn’t matter what Democrats do from here out. The MAGA maggots are justified with their racism through Trump. I think you really didn’t address that. And to me that’s a little bit of ignorance. sometimes when people write articles like this, and they try to justify the behavior of a Republicans, it seems downright disrespectful. At this point in life, there’s never gonna be another fair election. And I don’t think there’s many Republicans here. We have literally lost America to fascism and oligarchy. Bernie Sanders is absolutely correct. Maybe someday you could get a message out there to the Republicans and maybe they’ll listen.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Christina. I’m not at all justifying anything Trump/the Republican Party has done. It’s more of an analysis of their messaging strategy and why it’s working. Whether we like it or not, it’s worked twice.
I also recognize that part of the reason Harris lost is because of racism and sexism, but I disagree that it’s over. I personally think everything is thisclose to boiling over and we’re approaching a massive turning point in our country’s history. It depends on the week, tbh, but this week I see people putting up boundaries and pushing back (like with ICE raids), and preparing to stand up against the administration. We may be watching the crumbling of the country as we know it, but it’s definitely not over.
"Democrats rely on facts while the Republicans rely on feelings. Ironic, isn’t it?"
Very much so! I remember a conversation I had in college with some conservative minded faculty and coming from a Democrat minded family, I flat out asked what they had against the Democratic party. One of the responses of got, was akin to, "There is a saying: liberals have no brains, but conservatives have no heart."
I think it's safe to say that, we have found that more liberal minded folks like myself tend to be more highly educated and open minded. While, apparently, conservative minded citizens do you have hearts that their leaders are able to pull the strings on. Conservative leaders, however, I still question if they have hearts. And if they do, they must be so blackened.
For a comprehensive treatment about why behavior does not follow rationality see Daniel Kahnemans “ thinking, fast and slow“. Kahneman received a Nobel prize for his work on behavioral economics. His recent book is enormously enlightening.
Sounds interesting! Thanks for the recommendation!
Makes me think of George Lakeoff's Little Blue Book
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Book-Essential-Democratic/dp/147670001X
I haven’t sent that one, but it seems interesting. I’ll check it out! Thanks!
Great piece Abbie! 🙌
Did you watch the convention? Lots of personal stories (reproductive health, financial difficulties, etc.), emotion, inspiring Democratic party leaders, diversity, people saying "I used to think this way, but now I think..." (Kinzinger, Cheney, etc.). The Democrats are always criticized for not saying what they stand for, but I disagree---they have a platform that they share, while the GOP doesn't, just obstruction & destruction. I thought it was a good campaign for the little time allowed (I wish Joe would have made his decision earlier, darn it...love you, Uncle Joe, sigh...), but I believe voter suppression (fact), targeted disinformation/misinformation (fact), corporate media "sane-washing", and possibly Musk-aided election fraud (I have absolutely no proof of this, but it feels "hinky" to me that we lost ALL swings states) landed us in this mess. Just my 2 cents.
I love a lot of y'all's posts, but this one is not it. We don’t need the Democrats to “be better at marketing”, we need an actual party for the working class people.
Hey Sarah, thanks for your comment and glad to hear you enjoy the content (for the most part 😉)! That being said, please don’t mistake this for me supporting either party: The two-party system is broken. Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin. The point is that so many people wonder how the Democrats lost/continue to lose momentum and an analysis with a marketing lens shows a stark difference between how the two approach campaigning.
Ah I love this additional brain context and your shit sandwich method lol I use something similar called the compliment sandwich if I have to deliver bad news 😂
How do you approach these conversations? What have you found that works in changing their thinking?
I'd love to know the answer to that, too. Great question!
So it sounds like you’re connecting with them, which kind of lowers their defenses, and then you share information in a non-threatening way. I like it!
Apparently! But I’m not suggesting that the Democrats start fear mongering and lying, they just need to start connecting to people on an emotional level because emotions drive action and connection.
But also! Obama won twice on a message of hope so it doesn’t have to be stirring up fear and anger, there just has to be some sort of emotional connection with people
What does that look like from your perspective?
This is what it looks like!
Dear Democratic Leaders,
Have you started Project 2029 yet? It should contain at least:
• Eliminating Citizens United and Gerrymandering
• Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill
• Double the Federal Minimum Wage
• Removing Presidential Immunity and perhaps Pardon Power
• Breaking up Massive Corporations
• Regulating Social Media platforms to protect Americans and the truth
• SCOTUS Term Limits and Expanding SCOTUS to 13
• Taxing Mega Churches
• Women’s Healthcare Rights
• Banning Right-to-Work laws
• Amendment for Marriage Right and the ERA
• Reversing Global Warming
• Medicare for all
• Assault Weapons Ban and Common-Sense Gun Control laws
Get To Work!
Thank you,
America
Amen
Fixk that high road bullshit. Isn't that the same thing Chamberlin did when he tried to reason with Hitler. To meet someone where they are at, works in phycology 101, but in mass cults, not so much.
Peaceful protesting is allways preferred but just remember they are the ones who are going to shoot first. The MAGTs see all democratics as being less than human. There is no way in hell you're going reason with someone who sees you as the enemy.
We need to wake up and face reality. And be prepare to defend ourselves.
I don't think we will have to opportunity to Take the high road again unless we make some good trouble.