Improving political messaging

Minoosh said:
It seems to me like the last few posters are just saying, don't bother, Democrats are going to lose.
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To be clear, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying there's a significant portion of the population that are immune to Democratic messaging. There's absolutely nothing you can say to win them over (which, in hindsight, is probably obvious).

But like you said (I think), if Democrats are going to change their messaging campaign, the targets should be independents. Don't bother targeting Republicans (at least not the die hard ones).
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
Your sentence make little sense. :boggled:
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I understood what he meant.

Let me add something. There is so much animosity in the USA towards Big Pharma so why is everyone (obviously not literally everyone) so OK with Big Insurance. Why are people happy to pay exorbitant amounts to insurance companies for substandard care knowing perfectly well they are being ripped off? People in the US are fighting to keep that system alive. While at the same time complaining and fighting on all levels about the pharmaceutical companies doing the same thing? I can not figure this out. They would rather pay more money to receive less care because_____ . Because I have no idea.
 
elemental said:
I understood what he meant.

Let me add something. There is so much animosity in the USA towards Big Pharma so why is everyone (obviously not literally everyone) so OK with Big Insurance. Why are people happy to pay exorbitant amounts to insurance companies for substandard care knowing perfectly well they are being ripped off? People in the US are fighting to keep that system alive. While at the same time complaining and fighting on all levels about the pharmaceutical companies doing the same thing? I can not figure this out. They would rather pay more money to receive less care because_____ . Because I have no idea.
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And even if health insurance were run beautifully, for minimal profit, and delivered the best of care...why does it have to hinge on our employment? So many people are stuck in jobs they loathe because they don't dare make a move elsewhere, try starting their own business, whatever, because they need the health insurance. It's horrible because if you get too sick to work that's when you need health insurance the most...and it's when you lose it because you're too sick to work! And when you do have a job with health insurance, how free are you really to use it? I've had jobs where I couldn't take time off to go to the doctor, so I was paying for insurance I couldn't even use! Argh!!
 
I think what the last few years has shown is that no improvements in political messaging have been made since "call it mean names and impugn its character" was invented.
 
elemental said:
I understood what he meant.

Let me add something. There is so much animosity in the USA towards Big Pharma so why is everyone (obviously not literally everyone) so OK with Big Insurance. Why are people happy to pay exorbitant amounts to insurance companies for substandard care knowing perfectly well they are being ripped off? People in the US are fighting to keep that system alive. While at the same time complaining and fighting on all levels about the pharmaceutical companies doing the same thing? I can not figure this out. They would rather pay more money to receive less care because_____ . Because I have no idea.
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The thing is, most people aren't fighting to keep the status quo, as far as healthcare is concerned. Most Americans hate the current system, and depending on which poll you look at, about 70% of the country supports medicare-for-all. Sure, some people will be against it no matter what, but they're a small, probably uniformed minority (think of the people who hated Obamacare, but loved the ACA), and the biggest reason I've seen for opposition to healthcare reform is fear that it will make the country worse off because... reasons. Don't forget that Trump kept promising he would fix the entire healthcare system right after taking office. Everyone knows the system is broken; the issue isn't with branding, it's with the lawmakers who refuse to listen to what the American people actually want and chose to tell their voters having access to healthcare will destroy the country because lobbyists are paying them to say that.
 
Minoosh said:
One: At least this way you have something to counter personal attacks with.
Two: It might mobilize young and independent voters not in the right-wing bubble.
Three: There's a chance people in the right-wing bubble could be reached - not in
great numbers, surely, but enough to understand there's a plan and a strategy,
not just mindless bashing of Trump supporters.
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One, Alas, it will not the personal attacks in the least.
Two, Not much change there. Such a small group.
Three, Mindless bashing? Why the hell not?

Firstly, you can burn off calories whacking away at them all day with a baseball bat.
Secondly, they can take a beating without the slightest change in disposition.
They're like zombies. Thump-a-Trumper!

Seriously, I cannot see how telling the truth about Trump supporters can be a bad thing.
If you call out a Klansman as racist, you really don't hurt his feelings - he'll agree with a smile.


Minoosh said:
Then what the hell should Democrats be doing?

There are more Democrats than Republicans and more Independents than either.
The messaging could target Democrats/Independents without too much concern about
reaching Trump voters. Medicare for all is a pretty simple message; what others
can be pressed into service?
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Don't count on the Independents. I estimate 95% of those who call themselves
independent vote reliably either Democrats or Republican reliably election after
election. The other 5%, the swingers, don't add up enough to change anything.


It seems to me like the last few posters are just saying, don't bother,
Democrats are going to lose.
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Yes. Experience a few elections and you start to see the pattern.
If the election goes polar then Colorado, Main, Minnesota, Nevada,
New Hampshire, and New Mexico will go for Trump. Bad, very bad.


A week or so before the 2016 election Republicans were running help-wanted
ads for people to go door-to-door to targeted (I think) voters. Probably
a lot of people just don't know where their polling place is. Dems weren't
doing that as far as I could tell. I live in a red state that could easily
go purple or blue, but probably not if Dems just play dead.
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I'm not seeing any Democrats going door to door, signing people up, talking
to them, or anything. I suspect they'll run a good old campaign and concentrate
only on a few battleground states and ignore everywhere else.

Meanwhile, I get to see MAGA hats and Re-elect Trump In 2020 Blue flag on one
side and the other the Confederate flag on the other side of pick-ups going down
the road. Bad, very bad.
 
I'm not the biggest fan of Mayor Pete, but I do think this kind of language is a huge improvement in messaging:

"Speaking at a small-donor fundraiser in Detroit ahead of this week's presidential debate, the South Bend mayor stressed the importance of winning back voters in Michigan and other industrial Midwest states who helped send GOP President Donald Trump to the White House in 2016.

The message to them is, ‘The president of the United States thinks you’re a sucker,’ Buttigieg said. 'He thinks he can get you to think the biggest problem in your life is political correctness, when the biggest problem in your life is you’re not getting paid enough.'” And "Trump wants voters to be 'distracted by his racism' because Democrats are stronger on the issues."

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/n...-voters-trump-thinks-youre-sucker/1853649001/
 
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First rule of good messenging is contained in the old saying:

"It's not what you say but how you say it that makes or breaks a case".
 
theprestige said:
Serious question: Does the DNC not already have marketing and PR agencies on retainer, just as a basic part of their role in party affairs?
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They might have some incompetent agencies. They certainly aren't getting good advice for campaigns.
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
They might have some incompetent agencies. They certainly aren't getting good advice for campaigns.
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How do you know the agencies are the problem? Maybe the agencies are competent, but the DNC is handing them a **** sandwich to work with.

With which to work.

I mean, you don't even know what agencies they are. A minute ago, you were assuming the DNC was handling their own marketing themselves.
 
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