Do Dems really suck at messaging?

[mcar]

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=LIlgR6A9CPu9f2mgLPtYUQ

This is why I roll my eyes at all your ridiculous “Dems suck at messaging” nonsense. The media creates a narrative about Outrage/Doom MacGuffin and demand Dems jump through hoops to fix it. If it’s fixable and Dems highlight the achievement, they then get shit for that.

[PortTack]

1. Agree!

[mcar]

4. Who is saying that ridiculous nonsense?

But yes, this kind of thing does happen on the left, as well as people spending more time trashing Democrats than touting our accomplishments.

Still, Pres. Biden, VP Harris, and other electeds are touting our accomplishments. Too bad the media's response is to criticize them for "bragging" - something they never did with Trump.

[BannonsLiver]

6. As far as I'm concerned touting declining gas prices is fair game.

Especially when oxygen thieves like Peter Baker breathlessly announces every increase. He’s just mad because they’re going down which means the narrative is about to expire.

[mcar]

7. That's right

Baker, et al, are so intent on their false "Biden sucks" narrative that they will do anything to keep it going.

And then complain that Dems suck at messaging.

[William769]

3. Democrats keep me on message.

[Bettie]

5. Dems are often far too polite and subdued in their responses to bullshit

from the right.

However, the larger problem is that the right has large media outlets 100% devoted to getting their messages amplified and 90% of the supposed "mainstream" outlets devoted 80% to getting the right's message out.

So, the message of our side gets lost in the enormous flood of amplification of the asshole right.

[Tetrachloride]

10. +1. Way too polite

[mcar]

11. If our side does great things, but the media either

ignores it, or finds a way to make it a negative (Biden is bragging, are gas prices going down too fast?).

How difficult must it be to amplify a positive message when the main (not complete, but main) purveyor of the message is too busy pushing RW talking points?

[Bettie]

14. Precisely

and the only way to get the media to pay attention is to be extra loud and kind of obnoxious about it, which our side doesn't do.

[mcar]

15. True, but I tend to think if we did

the media would make that into a negative.

I believe it was the late Eric Boehlert who said that every morning, political media wake up and say, "what are Republicans pissed off about today?" That's what they base their reporting on.

[GoodRaisin]

17. It's why I have said for a long time that Democrats need our own network.

To push back on all this shit.

[mcar]

19. Yeah, I don't get why so few liberal radio shows

are successful.

[Metaphorical]

28. Because Democrats are not as susceptible to manufactured outrage

They are also far less likely to listen to AM radio - more likely to listen to podcasts or read, and usually tend to be far more critical of the media that they consume.

[betsuni]

30. Because liberals have lives.

People get addicted to right-wing radio and that becomes their lives.

[mcar]

34. Good point

[brer cat]

38. +1

And we are not glued to one-source reporting 24/7.

[JonAndKatePlusABird]

50. +100

Agree 1000%

[Tetrachloride]

8. Team Biden is the best Democratic Presidential Team

and the J 6 Committee is quite good as well.

Some of us are IN the community if not business of communication.

Political communications until recently has been the doghouse of video communication .

ah, and Governor Gavin Newsom, Stacey Abrams , Mr Fetterman are outshining many.

[superpatriotman]

9. Yes.

The Democrats suck at messaging.




See how easy that was? Now try to do better.

[mcar]

12. K

[Beartracks]

13. And my local Okie station is saying gas prices are still going up.

The

The afternoon drive time person made this comment yesterday even though the morning person ran a story about how the national gasoline average is dropping and Oklahoma is even below that.

======

[mcar]

16. SMDH

And a recent poll showed that 70% of people aren't aware that the infrastructure bill has passed.

[LakeArenal]

18. Democrats see shades of color and nuance.

Republicans see black and white with massive group think.

[mcar]

20. That is true

we are too likely to eat our own, which feeds into the "Dems suck" meme.

[LakeArenal]

25. Sometimes getting Dems on one line of reasoning is like herding cats.

We all are sure our own direction is the best but we all agree on the destination.

[JI7]

21. Obsession with messaging and constant criticism

When it is as simple as saying I support candidate x becsuse they would be better than the other candidate.

Stupid people treating politics like a religion and looking for purity or some shit.

We see it with Liz Cheney right now also with idiots bringing up her being a right winger. So you would prefer she be like Mcconnel and not go after Trump ?

And then the ones that treat politics like entertainment and judge everything based on how things are presented in tv.

[Elessar Zappa]

22. I basically agree but

I do think Dems need to up their game as far as social media is concerned. Other than that, it’s the media that’s the problem.

[mcar]

23. I see tons of Dems

and Dem groups on Twitter every day. I don't follow other SM so you may be correct.

[relayerbob]

24. Yep. Part of it is that messaging is not the job. Getting the job done is

The GOP blocks, the media whines, the Democrats roll up their sleeves and work.

[betsuni]

31. +1

[LetMyPeopleVote]

26. This ad blew me away

Link to tweet

[mcar]

35. Gives me chills and makes me so angry

[nakocal]

27. The 90% owned right wing media is what is controlling the messaging

Democrats are trying, but when even PBS is 60% republican guest versus Democratic guest, it is hard to get the message out. And the media is constantly blaming congress or the senate, as opposed to calling out republicans in congress and republicans in the senate. This has led to a large number of people who claim that both sides are the same.

[NewHendoLib]

29. THIS!!!!

[RANDYWILDMAN]

32. The weakness of democracy is Capitalism, profits over people

Democrats have mostly put people over profits and that message does not make the M$M as much money.

They m$m also needs a horse race angle everything has to be close even is the Democrats win.

The messages have been clear, The services that filter the messages have an agenda and they tend to cloud any message that helps more people at the expense of corporations, the truest sad of my life. Corporations are not people but they get to act like in in causing harm to others, but they refuse like actual people to actually be responsible for those actions that caused harm.

[betsuni]

33. See? Yes! Literally whatever Democrats do is bad.

They'll say Biden has to do this or that and when Biden does, that's bad too. And making it all about Biden, as if he doesn't have the most diverse administration in history -- with plenty of young people. Somehow that's invisible, like the VP.

Some of it's the idea that the problem of people voting against their own interest or not voting is because Democrats don't explain things. Democrats could visit every American household and explain things and people would just go back to whatever they were doing, or spend that evening complaining that Democrats came and bugged them and dared to suggest donating to campaigns.

I just read something from 2012 about money in politics. Examples. a Democratic power couple who organize a lot of fundraising and other events. Their sin? They're foodies who go around to local restaurants to carefully choose the menus. Crab cakes and sometimes champagne! But what conversation did the author have with the wife? About the shocking number of Americans on food stamps. Another event that supposedly was all elite and big money was for new green technology. Author mocked Democratic politicians for walking around events too confidently. But at least that sort of silliness wasn't nearly as toxic as the Democrats-are-evil-and-corrupt attacks that started from 2015 on.

[mcar]

36. Unfortunately, even some elected Dems do this

The same congresspeople demanding that Biden "do something" about an issue, when they themselves have done nothing.

[betsuni]

44. That's the worst.

[Me.]

37. Bless You mcar

I'm going to kick this every day

[mcar]

42. Thanks Me.

[Me.]

51. ...

[Me.]

57. ...

[usonian]

39. Destruction and hate are easy, and limbic reactions.

Positivity and kindness seem to be harder and require a working heart and brain.

For whatever reason, I call it western culture, one predominates, basically because it's zero effort.

[Mr.Bill]

40. The problem is the press.

I think the fact is that almost without exception the press wants Trump to be president, or at least run again. Many of them, regardless of which side they are on had double the ratings when he was in office. They are mostly filthy rich which makes them appreciate tax cuts and their wealth can also insulate them from most of the shit Trump will continue to rain down on the country.

Maybe the DNC should just buy the air time and lay this out in front of people.

[Demobrat]

41. Democrats tend to color inside the lines.

Republicans do not. Would a male Democrat ever refer to a female competitor as a nasty woman? No, of course not. Of course Trump is the most obvious example of a Republican who doesn’t respect boundaries, but he’s not the only one.

It’s not messaging that’s the problem, it’s that Democrats don’t fight dirty.

[drumpfsucks]

43. Wow!! Lots of interesting replies!!

Can anyone explain why there is ZERO Democratic noise in Arizona about the Repub crookedness?

NO investigation (not even any "talk&quot about the 11 FAKE electors... some of whom are currently running for political offices.

-Mark Kelly wants my money, but won't reply to the question.

-Sent an email to AZ Democratic Party and got zero.

[AZProgressive]

45. Scapegoating is probably the worst part of Democrats messaging

It doesn’t help win votes while Republicans try to rig elections the Democrats just blame voters for their losses.

[betsuni]

46. How do Democrats "just blame voters for their losses"?

[AZProgressive]

48. After 2000

Nader voters were blamed for that controversial election even though more Democrats in the state voted for Bush. Nader does deserve blame for campaigning in swing states in the run-up to that election. In 2004 LGBT voters were scapegoated for Kerry losing according to members here.

2010 midterms young voters were blamed for not turning out as much as they did in 2008.

In 2016 mostly Russia or Comey was to blame but so were Stein voters & Bernie voters from the primary even though there was over 7 million Obama-Trump voters.

I’m sure if Democrats lose either the House or the Senate in 2022 there will be scapegoats. Even in 2020 which was a successful election there was still scapegoats.

All I know is those that support third party just double down while voters like me that vote for Democrats in general election are blamed along with them.

[H2O Man]

47. Recommended.

I don't think Democrats "suck" at messaging.

I do, however, recognize that among those deciding upon a message, there are degrees of talent. The more talented are able to commnicate with sub-groups of people distinct from their own group. The less talented lack that capacity.

The next factor is who makes the final decision. Be it an individual or group decision, the degree of success will be determined by the ability to communicate with the widest audience.

[LymphocyteLover]

49. Dems don't suck at messaging really, it's the freaking media and boy do we miss the late

great Eric Boehlert.

[mcar]

52. We need more like Eric for sure.

[uponit7771]

53. Biased response by M$M should already be factored into response and confronted. The fact we ...

... are still pointing this out 123432 years later is a part of bad messaging; the listening part.

[Takket]

54. we have good messaging but the M$M would rather hear from nutcases

Crazy MAGAts make for better TV saying their nonsense.

[Samrob]

55. No! The media sucks at reporting our message. nt

[mcar]

56. Well said