The big picture as Trump returns to power, plus some silver linings from the world of civic tech, and first thoughts on the Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal. And much more!
Re the Pittsburgh summary of calls for Harris. I WROTE THE EXACT SAME THING AFTER GOING IN A BUS FROM DC TO CLEVELAND IN 2004 FOR KERRY. IT IS WHY I STARTED THE NATIONAL POLITICAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY. COLD CALLING VOTERS IS A FORM OF TERRORISM AND WHAT IS WORSE? NOTHING HAS CHANGED IN 20 YEARS. NOTHING.
Why, specifically, do you write that grassroots opposition to Trump is weaker than in 2017?
Not because he won? We know from cognitive science that he got votes simply from the repetition of his name—people voted for him but couldn’t say why, or even when they were somewhat uncomfortable with him.
What other observations would you make about the relative weakness of the grassroots? Genuinely curious as from my vantage point the Dem grassroots is more organized, active, and raising more money than I’ve seen in my lifetime. The top of the party may not have done a good job with the money, but that doesn’t make the grassroots weak.
If you are seeing a surge in organizing and funding, it's possible--it's a big country after all. But in late 2016/early 2017 the evidence for that surge was evident everywhere -- huge spikes in donations to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, thousands of local groups forming (mostly under the Indivisible banner), etc. Even before the airport protests of Trump's Muslim ban. Now, I just don't see it. Yes, there were 140,000 people on a mass zoom led by the WFP, Indivisible, Public Citizen and MoveOn two days after the election, but attendance at those calls has dwindled. Less than 500 views on YouTube of the last meeting which was Tuesday night.
In fact, there is a recognition among my grassroots colleagues that traditional electoral work was not enough in 2024–Trump won w/ hardly any typical ground game, while Dems had a massive ground game. The contrast is obvious, and we aren’t just going to do even more more more of the same and hope it works better. The end of legacy media supporting Democracy, with little truth-based pro-Democracy media to replace it, left us at the mercy of the MAGA megaphone in 2024. We started in a deep hole every day because of MAGA dominating what voters heard and believed, such as that the best economy for working people since the 60’s was a failure. So why would we repeat the tactics or donations of 2016? Things have fundamentally changed. We understand we need to fund pro-Democracy media and network ourselves to amplify. I share multiple ideas of good places to give money with all the newbies coming to us since the election based on all we’ve learned since 2016–and the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and $8.3 M to Jon Ossoff for a House race are not on the list.
I agree that a shift in strategy and tactics makes sense. But I'm sticking with my current judgment that grassroots opposition to Trump is weaker than in 2017. Maybe that will suddenly change starting next week but I'm not holding my breath.
Nearly every conversation I’ve had with Democrats this year has veered into something they can’t fix: The new world of constant media distraction. Whether they think Joe Biden blew it, or whether they think a sterling Biden legacy got lied about on TikTok, they are thinking hard about something they hoped they could ignore. The new book by Chris Hayes, “The Siren’s Call,” is loaded with deep thinking about these problems from the perspective of a progressive who’s watched his own audience shrink, grow, and morph rapidly. It arrives in 11 days and it’s very worth reading.
Re the Pittsburgh summary of calls for Harris. I WROTE THE EXACT SAME THING AFTER GOING IN A BUS FROM DC TO CLEVELAND IN 2004 FOR KERRY. IT IS WHY I STARTED THE NATIONAL POLITICAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY. COLD CALLING VOTERS IS A FORM OF TERRORISM AND WHAT IS WORSE? NOTHING HAS CHANGED IN 20 YEARS. NOTHING.
We hear you. No need to SHOUT! ;>)
I never shout but had to here 😎
Why, specifically, do you write that grassroots opposition to Trump is weaker than in 2017?
Not because he won? We know from cognitive science that he got votes simply from the repetition of his name—people voted for him but couldn’t say why, or even when they were somewhat uncomfortable with him.
What other observations would you make about the relative weakness of the grassroots? Genuinely curious as from my vantage point the Dem grassroots is more organized, active, and raising more money than I’ve seen in my lifetime. The top of the party may not have done a good job with the money, but that doesn’t make the grassroots weak.
If you are seeing a surge in organizing and funding, it's possible--it's a big country after all. But in late 2016/early 2017 the evidence for that surge was evident everywhere -- huge spikes in donations to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, thousands of local groups forming (mostly under the Indivisible banner), etc. Even before the airport protests of Trump's Muslim ban. Now, I just don't see it. Yes, there were 140,000 people on a mass zoom led by the WFP, Indivisible, Public Citizen and MoveOn two days after the election, but attendance at those calls has dwindled. Less than 500 views on YouTube of the last meeting which was Tuesday night.
In fact, there is a recognition among my grassroots colleagues that traditional electoral work was not enough in 2024–Trump won w/ hardly any typical ground game, while Dems had a massive ground game. The contrast is obvious, and we aren’t just going to do even more more more of the same and hope it works better. The end of legacy media supporting Democracy, with little truth-based pro-Democracy media to replace it, left us at the mercy of the MAGA megaphone in 2024. We started in a deep hole every day because of MAGA dominating what voters heard and believed, such as that the best economy for working people since the 60’s was a failure. So why would we repeat the tactics or donations of 2016? Things have fundamentally changed. We understand we need to fund pro-Democracy media and network ourselves to amplify. I share multiple ideas of good places to give money with all the newbies coming to us since the election based on all we’ve learned since 2016–and the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and $8.3 M to Jon Ossoff for a House race are not on the list.
I agree that a shift in strategy and tactics makes sense. But I'm sticking with my current judgment that grassroots opposition to Trump is weaker than in 2017. Maybe that will suddenly change starting next week but I'm not holding my breath.
Agree... Personally client pages I run saw significant unfollows right after the election. People are giving up.
David Recommends
Nearly every conversation I’ve had with Democrats this year has veered into something they can’t fix: The new world of constant media distraction. Whether they think Joe Biden blew it, or whether they think a sterling Biden legacy got lied about on TikTok, they are thinking hard about something they hoped they could ignore. The new book by Chris Hayes, “The Siren’s Call,” is loaded with deep thinking about these problems from the perspective of a progressive who’s watched his own audience shrink, grow, and morph rapidly. It arrives in 11 days and it’s very worth reading.
Via semafor