What happens to the Democratic Party now? (3 Viewers)

[Heathen]

I’m sure much of us are having 2016 flashbacks this morning with a sick feeling to our stomachs..

2 of the last 3 elections Democrats have lost to a far right demagogue

Harris didn’t get close in many states to even Biden’s performance. We could very well lose the Presidency, Senate AND House depending on results the next few days…..

What went wrong?
What could’ve been done better?
What can we change in the future to ensure voters are motivated like they were when Obama was elected?

Democrats have no choice but to admit there’s a huge problem with some aspect of their platform— and to do a deep introspection of what’s going wrong..

 

[Booker]

Part of the problem was that, despite the accomplishments, Biden didn't (or wasn't capable of) using the "bully pulpit" to trumpet them as he should have.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Part of the problem was that, despite the accomplishments, Biden didn't (or wasn't capable of) using the "bully pulpit" to trumpet them as he should have.

Goes to the messaging problem Dems have

Do a thing then move on to the next thing

Or, at best, “we did a thing and it was a good thing” then move on to the next thing

GOP crows non stop about how the thing they did is the greatest thing in the history of things

And when it clearly not the greatest thing that doesn’t stop them from claiming it is

 

[Dragon]

It's a troubling reflection of the current state of the U.S. that a corrupt TV show host can gain more support than individuals with honesty and integrity—people who let their actions speak louder than empty promises. Sadly, the widespread lack of education among many voters makes them especially vulnerable to con men and those who peddle quick, simplistic solutions to complex problems.

 

[Heathen]

It's a troubling reflection of the current state of the U.S. that a corrupt TV show host can gain more support than individuals with honesty and integrity—people who let their actions speak louder than empty promises. Sadly, the widespread lack of education among many voters makes them especially vulnerable to con men and those who peddle quick, simplistic solutions to complex problems.

And social media echo chambers absolutely exacerbate it to no end

 

[Optimus Prime]

Democrats have blown millions of dollars on efforts to appeal to “American Men,” who turned to President Donald Trump in droves on election day, in the hopes of winning back the working class, according to a report.

Democrats have spent $20 million on their efforts, with donors and strategists holing up in luxury hotel rooms brainstorming how to convince working-class men to return to the party, according to a New York Times report.

The plan, code-named SAM, or “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan,” promises to use the funds to “study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces,” according to the report.

As the Times described it, the reports “can read like anthropological studies of people from faraway places.”

The effort also recommends Democrats buy advertisements in video games, among other things, the Times reported.

“Above all, we must shift from a moralizing tone,” the plan urges.

While the Democratic Party has struggled in recent years to maintain voters, the party hopes to be rejuvenated by the fact that Trump’s popularity has been on the decline since he was elected last fall.

Still, the party has been scrambling to find both messaging and a messenger since losing the White House, and Senate while Republicans held the House of Representatives in the November election.……

Democrats blow millions to study ‘American Men’ in bid to win back working class

Party leaders are holing up in luxury hotel rooms on a strategy codenamed SAM, or “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan” to try and convince working-class to vote their way again, according to a report.

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Optimus Prime]

Democratic centrists are arguing again about what words the party’s representatives should use when speaking to voters.

Some Democrats say “oligarchs” instead of referring to rich people. Some say that people are “experiencing food insecurity” when they mean that they’re going hungry. Some use the word “equity” when others use “equality” or refer to “justice-involved populations” when speaking about prisoners.

Centrists argue that progressives often use language adopted by elite, highly educated people, which indicates that speakers view themselves as intelligent and virtuous while implying judgment on those who are more plainspoken. They argue that this isn’t the best way to win voters, according to The Washington Post.

“Some words are just too Ivy League-tested terms,” Democratic Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego told the paper. “I’m going to piss some people off by saying this, but ‘social equity’ — why do we say that? Why don’t we say, ‘We want you to have an even chance’?”

Similarly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshearnoted: “I believe that, over time, and probably for well-meaning reasons, Democrats have begun to speak like professors and started using advocacy-speak that was meant to reduce stigma, but also removed the meaning and emotion behind words.”

He pointed to the use of “substance abuse disorder” to refer to addiction.

“It makes Democrats or candidates using this speech sound like they’re not normal,” he said. “It sounds simple, but what the Democratic Party needs to do is be normal and sound normal.”…….

Democratsaiming to win by using less ‘elite, highly educated’ catchphrases

‘Democrats have begun to speak like professors and started using advocacy-speak that was meant to reduce stigma,’ Kentucky governor says

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Heathen]

Democrats have blown millions of dollars on efforts to appeal to “American Men,” who turned to President Donald Trump in droves on election day, in the hopes of winning back the working class, according to a report.

Democrats have spent $20 million on their efforts, with donors and strategists holing up in luxury hotel rooms brainstorming how to convince working-class men to return to the party, according to a New York Times report.

The plan, code-named SAM, or “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan,” promises to use the funds to “study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces,” according to the report.

As the Times described it, the reports “can read like anthropological studies of people from faraway places.”

The effort also recommends Democrats buy advertisements in video games, among other things, the Times reported.

“Above all, we must shift from a moralizing tone,” the plan urges.

While the Democratic Party has struggled in recent years to maintain voters, the party hopes to be rejuvenated by the fact that Trump’s popularity has been on the decline since he was elected last fall.

Still, the party has been scrambling to find both messaging and a messenger since losing the White House, and Senate while Republicans held the House of Representatives in the November election.……

Democrats blow millions to study ‘American Men’ in bid to win back working class

Party leaders are holing up in luxury hotel rooms on a strategy codenamed SAM, or “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan” to try and convince working-class to vote their way again, according to a report.

www.independent.co.uk

I find this incredibly sad

 

[bird]

Democratic centrists are arguing again about what words the party’s representatives should use when speaking to voters.

Some Democrats say “oligarchs” instead of referring to rich people. Some say that people are “experiencing food insecurity” when they mean that they’re going hungry. Some use the word “equity” when others use “equality” or refer to “justice-involved populations” when speaking about prisoners.

Centrists argue that progressives often use language adopted by elite, highly educated people, which indicates that speakers view themselves as intelligent and virtuous while implying judgment on those who are more plainspoken. They argue that this isn’t the best way to win voters, according to The Washington Post.

“Some words are just too Ivy League-tested terms,” Democratic Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego told the paper. “I’m going to piss some people off by saying this, but ‘social equity’ — why do we say that? Why don’t we say, ‘We want you to have an even chance’?”

Similarly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshearnoted: “I believe that, over time, and probably for well-meaning reasons, Democrats have begun to speak like professors and started using advocacy-speak that was meant to reduce stigma, but also removed the meaning and emotion behind words.”

He pointed to the use of “substance abuse disorder” to refer to addiction.

“It makes Democrats or candidates using this speech sound like they’re not normal,” he said. “It sounds simple, but what the Democratic Party needs to do is be normal and sound normal.”…….

Democratsaiming to win by using less ‘elite, highly educated’ catchphrases

‘Democrats have begun to speak like professors and started using advocacy-speak that was meant to reduce stigma,’ Kentucky governor says

www.independent.co.uk

Don’t know what to say about that. Know your audience. Speak to them as they wish to be spoken to. Cripes, there are companies that deal with how to talk to people.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I find this incredibly sad

I know GOP did the same during 2012 about how to talk to women

 

[Optimus Prime]

Don’t know what to say about that. Know your audience. Speak to them as they wish to be spoken to. Cripes, there are companies that deal with how to talk to people.

I've read that part of Trump's appeal is that he speaks at a 5th or 6th grade level

I think the key of speaking to people the way the want to be spoken to is authenticity

People know when they are being spoken down to, and people know when you're 'dumbing it down'

And people resent both

and this also gets into the class divide we've talked about before "those high falutin' fancy talkin' elites vs regular salt of the earth folk"

A few years ago when the term "thought leader" was being used a lot I asked it that was just another word for expert

I was told they are similar but different

An expert is someone who knows a lot of information about a topic

A thought leader is someone who knows that same information but can also explain it so people can understand it

and the trick/talent is to be able to do that without coming across as condescending

 

[Dragon]

I've read that part of Trump's appeal is that he speaks at a 5th or 6th grade level

I think the key of speaking to people the way the want to be spoken to is authenticity

People know when they are being spoken down to, and people know when you're 'dumbing it down'

And people resent both

and this also gets into the class divide we've talked about before "those high falutin' fancy talkin' elites vs regular salt of the earth folk"

A few years ago when the term "thought leader" was being used a lot I asked it that was just another word for expert

I was told they are similar but different

An expert is someone who knows a lot of information about a topic

A thought leader is someone who knows that same information but can also explain it so people can understand it

and the trick/talent is to be able to do that without coming across as condescending

One of the greatest prime ministers Denmark has ever had was just such a man.

Born to a coachman and a cleaning lady, he lost both parents at a young age and was raised by his aunt, a tobacco factory worker. From those humble beginnings, he became an active member of the Danish resistance during the war. Afterward, he devoted himself to labor rights, first as a union activist, then rising steadily through the ranks of the Social Democratic Party — from local council to county leadership, and eventually all the way to national politics.

In 1972, he became Denmark’s prime minister, a role he held (in two periods) until 1982. But despite the office, he remained one of the most grounded and approachable people I have ever met.

He lived with his wife in a modest apartment in a working-class neighborhood. No limousines, no bodyguards — just him, walking or biking to work like everyone else. You’d often spot him doing his own grocery shopping on the way home from Christiansborg.

I’ll never forget one summer evening in 1982. I was sitting on a bench in Copenhagen with some fellow college students, just enjoying the evening, when he and his wife strolled by with their dog. He stopped, sat down next to us, and spent the next hour just talking — and, more importantly, listening. His wife continued walking the dog, giving him space to connect.

That conversation left a lasting impression. He treated us — young students decades his junior — as equals. He had a rare gift for making people feel seen and heard, and in that hour, he made us feel like he was one of us.

He truly was.