A Strategy for Trumpistan. Unpublishable Policy Memo.

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The key to changing votes or creating enough dispirit to keep Trump voters home requires dealing with a few essential facts that Democrats never seem to fathom. Here’s a list.

1. We are behind in this game of hearts. There are no minds. Just hearts.

2. Trumpistan watches only Fox, listens only to Limbaugh and Hannity and worse. They have had 20+ years of their memes, fed to them directly and effectively, at their level.

3. We need emotional reach of _every_ kind: into their fears, into anger, into the comedic and the courageous, we need to reach into their primal experiences. Shamelessly, clearly, and without too many words.

4. Simple is the required direct counter to the Republican meme. We need a _language_ of simplicity, and too simple can’t be simple enough. NEVER underestimate the power of low information and under evolved reflection.

5. We need to use effective language that doesn’t rely on policy, facts, counter arguments because it’s not about arguments, it’s about lives and feelings. Trump tells them it’s gonna be great. We need to tell them that it’s coming out of their hide, on their dime, that the con game is on and its real and that HE cheated them, _not_ that they made a mistake.

6. To wit, they will never admit ANY mistake, nor will they regret. We need an alternative narrative that tells them HE cheated them. Use language that counters rather than replies. Don’t reply to them with arguments, much less facts. Answer them with a counter-language that sounds like something familiar. “Social Security protects you and you paid for it.” “Your drinking water needs to be protected from greed.”

7. We need memes that do NOT scare them with our diversity or complexity. They hate women, minorities, religions other than their own, they are afraid of everything that is unfamiliar, complex, nuanced, and less than black and white simple. That is everything that is other, everything. So they need to be shown that WE are THEM too. That they _like_ these people that they hate and are being ripped off NOT by them but by these jokers who are the elites.

8. No allegories, complex metaphors, deal only in “facts” even if they are allegories and metaphors. “Myth” means false to Republicans, and “lies” are what other people tell.

* I could make this list go on all day. Keep it emotional, keep it clear. Use language that counters rather than replies.

***

Also, this:
The Yates/Clapper Senate Hearings, May 8th 2017

Here’s the alternative interpretation, which better reflects the honest implications of these events. First I say, settle down, this may be shocking, appalling, and seemingly beyond the pale. You may love the liberal meme that this is so very important and even game changing. No. It’s not going to be anything but more of the same and there are zero longer term implications.
Republicans are responding to everything in calculated ways to create the appearance that this is a partisan witch hunt. It does not matter that it is not for three reasons. First, they need convince no one, only create a meme for Fox to use. Second, they don’t care if Yates looks brilliant to liberals, it only reinforces their consistent narrative that she is a liberal. Last, they control the power to make this important and since all they want is to make this go away, it’s merely another news cycle.
Nothing will come of this. No votes will change, the media will report that the committee is “sharply divided on partisan lines” and that is precisely what the Republicans want— and will get. The rest is smoke, mirrors, and noise. The only issue is whether more Democrats will vote in the midterms. Don’t hold your breath.

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