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J Stanley's avatar

I'm going to be a grumpy contrarian here and say that this entire idea of political messaging seems pointless. I've started to talk openly to friends around me — here in my dark-red Appalachian state — and absolutely no one is arguing about what word to use, or what rhetoric to adopt, or how to talk to a sports fan, or how American/un-American anyone is.

The friend who is a manager at a Starbucks tells me how incredibly afraid they are of their student loan payments coming due. The friend who is an independent musician with an autistic son tells me how goddamn angry they are at RFK's anti-autism plans. The friend who worked for over 20 years at the FDA tells me how terrifying it felt to see the DOGE kids walking the campus, aloof in their sadistic and nonsensical cost-cutting. The friend who fled to Canada is petrified that the Fed will be taken over by Trump and weaponized.

We don't need more words. Just tell the goddamn truth.

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Micah L. Sifry's avatar

Awesome! Thanks for that info.

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Allison Gustavson's avatar

Love it and couldn’t agree more! I laughed out loud at “have you no beer?” But it would have been positively epic if that was followed by another Kavanaugh sign: “Have you no calendars?” 😂

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Eudoxia's avatar

totally agree with you on this. there are lots of anecdotes about people being put off by the use of the word 'fascism'. Those damn focus groups again! I fear that they only represent 'people who make some extra money by joining (lots of) focus groups.' And did the Democrats' messaging work in the last election? NO it didn't. So I'm not convinced this time around either. For some other viewpoints on messaging, see https://www.theframelab.org/what-weird-reveals-about-the-democrats-messaging-crisis/ and there's the person whose name I can't find at present who warns that even using certain words in the same sentence can unintentionally reinforce those words because people react emotionally even if the meaning of the sentence is AGAINST (say) fascism.

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Eudoxia's avatar

It's https://reframingamerica.substack.com/p/do-not-associate

that I was thinking of: Antonia Scatton.

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Bob Fertik's avatar

One reason "fascism" is so widely (if vaguely) understood is because the Right has been baselessly calling Democrats "fascist" for decades. During the 2020 campaign, Trump himself accused Biden of pushing “far-left fascism.” https://link.motherjones.com/public/28967589

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Ellen Mee's avatar

This is frm Chat GPT re Avelo Airline which is working with D H S in the efforts to disappear US residents. Morgan Stanley and others identified as major investors. All enablers of these lawless acts need to be identified.

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Ellen Mee's avatar

Here is the m

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Ellen Mee's avatar

Having trouble getting the link posted. Trying again. Avelo Airlines is currently a privately held company and is not publicly traded. While there have been discussions about a potential initial public offering (IPO) in the future, no specific timeline has been announced.

Major Shareholders

The largest shareholder of Avelo Airlines is Morgan Stanley Tactical Value (MSTV), a private equity fund managed by Morgan Stanley. MSTV significantly increased its investment in the airline, making it the dominant stakeholder .  

Andrew Levy, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Avelo Airlines, also holds a substantial ownership stake in the company. With a background as the former CFO of United Airlines and president of Allegiant Air, Levy has been instrumental in shaping Avelo’s strategic direction .  

Other notable investors include JAWS Estates Capital, Blue Investment Group, GPS Investment Partners, and Longmont Capital . 

For a more in-depth look at Avelo Airlines’ ownership and management, you might find the following video informative:

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