Annamaria on Monday
To be honest, I am a little trepidatious about taking up this topic today. After all, I am not a political scientist. But I need to find my way to some level of understanding, at least for myself. So I am using this blog to try to make sense of the situation. I fear, readers will think I am being jejune. Or facetious. But I believe in my conclusion is true.
For the past few weeks, I have had to turn off the news because Democrats have ben doing what, I am sorry to say, we too often do best: blaming each other for our loss in an recent election. That amounts to shooting ourselves in the foot.
Too many people have been playing this blame game. They have been dwelling on specific acts that so-and-so shouldn't have done. Or he/she did not do XYZ when it would have cured the whole situation. I cannot imagine why anyone would think engaging in such self-flagellation, especially when it will be broadcast worldwide, would be helpful.
That said, I am going to throw my chapeau into the ring. My analysis, amateurish as it may seem, I hope will add some salt to the soup.
First, I need to get us past the rumor that Trump won by a landslide. He won, but by a margin of less than 2%. (Aside: after all his lies about the American election system being rife with fraud, he now believes in this result.) In truth, when all the votes were counted, more Americans voted for somebody other than Trump. But he did win.
Although the Democratic Party won the votes of their own members and of many well–informed Republicans, they did not win because of, in the words of Cool–hand Luke, a failure to communicate. The Democrat’s messages were progressive, but they required explanation and thought to be convincing. And generally speaking, they weren't amusing. "Women deserve the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies." "America under Biden came out of the pandemic stronger than any other country in the developed world."
The MAGA message on the other hand was tailored to the addicts of social media "They eat their neighbors pets." "Immigrants are taking your jobs."
The Democrats messages were aimed at getting the voter to think.
The MAGA messages were aimed at amusing and rialing up the voters
The Democrat's messages required, for example, an elementary knowledge of economics.
The MAGA messages could be easily expressed in 140 characters, or 280 at the very most.
In the end, when it comes to attracting those voters who listen to influencers rather than experts, I am afraid it boiled down to this:
Seems as good as any of the other analyses I've read. The problem is that if you're right it means that the Democrats must become more like the MAGA Republicans. Is that a solution?
ReplyDeleteFrom AA. I don’t think that is really the only path, Michael. The Dems have to find spokesmen who can compete on that level. Our best hope is not a pretty one. Trump will do what did last time—make a dog’s dinner of his.administration. I fear for the people who will suffer miserably. Those loosely allied voters who put him over the top will fade into the resulting fog. And the competent will move back in. Who ever leads the cleanup will need a LOT of brooms. .
DeleteIt's not the only reason, Annamaria, since sexism and racism played a part, as you know, but everything you said is very important. The Left tends to deny that politics and social issues are black and white, and we agree with that complexity. But how do you write those messages in a way that grabs people?
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kim. It’s not the only reason. But I think it was a factor because it got him that marginal group who responded to wanting to be some of the cool guys.
DeleteHe did what Hitler did. What Mussolini did. The tried and true path to power of fascists. He did it in 2016 too. But not so blatantly then as he has now. I harken back again to Gandhi: Love always wins. The trouble is we have to endure, and it won’t be easy.
Thanks for that reminder. I will think about love winning again when I'm in despair about Trump's way of governing and the world at war.
DeleteI hope you can avoid despair, Kim. I have many friends who are there on that brink with you. And, as I said in my blog, I know that many will call me jejune. But.. I hold to my optimism because, as I have reported here in the past few weeks, Trump is not the first to try to force the USA backwards. Reagan and Nixon, for instance, won by much larger margins, Nixon was a whole lot smarter, even Reagan was smarter than Trump. He will slow us down, and many many people will suffer. But I believe Americans will join together and save our country in the end. Blame my body chemistry for my optimism. I just cannot give up hope.
DeleteI think you're right. But I still don't understand.
ReplyDeleteIt isn’t easy to understand, and even harder to accept, Ovidia. Democracy is a very messy business. And American democracy is under threat, which makes it even less comprehensible. I pray my country‘s sacred constitution will survive. It has survived and evolved for almost 250 years now. There’s no guarantee. But my soul remains hopeful, which is a blessing for me.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans are more corrupt, dumber, and less competent.
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