Democrats need to improve the messaging of their policies and goals to both the Republican and Democratic electorate. Democratic strategist James Carville was interviewed by Vox reporter Sean Illing in April 2021 and was quoted as saying, “Democrats are in power for now, but they also only narrowly defeated Donald Trump, “a world-historical buffoon,” and they lost congressional seats and failed to pick up state legislatures. The reason is simple: They’ve got a “messaging problem.” Carville feels Biden is doing a good job but in general he said the Democrats have a ” wokeness” problem. Carville says “we’re off because there’s too much jargon and there’s too much esoterica and it turns people off.” He gave examples of phrases like ” community of color” and ” defund the police” when talking about racial issues and police reform. Carville explains that no one talks like that, and people feel talked down to. Additionally, those types of phrases give Republicans negative messaging opportunities against Democrats.
If you listen to Republican politicians and the right- wing media, they do not talkFto!! about policy, rather they use phraseology to stoke fear, hatred, and mistrust in Democrats and all Republicans who don’t support Trump and his anti- democracy ideology. Why doesn’t the media and the Republican vr to ask them to discuss foreign po!ucy, climate change, healthcare, paying for the Trump tax cuts for the rich that exploded the deficit, COVID recovery as it relates to the economy, infrastructure, social programs. So far, all the media talk about Republicans are set to take the midterms is based on anti- Biden rhetoric and no transparency of their agenda to help the average American. Republicans excel at messaging because use slogans and branding in place of concrete goals and plans on how to achieve those goals. This way, they can run on emotion and promises and not do any of the work ithe n
In addition to the ” wokeness” problem, Democrats are timid compared to Republicans in how they confront serious negative actions of individuals in the congress. For example AOC is consistently eviscerated and slandered by Republican officials and the conservative media over her stance on political issues, while Democrats react with a significantly lower emotional temperature to the dangerous, wacky rhetoric and behaviors of Rep. Marjory Taylor-Greene. Republicans will stand by their members, even those who are suspected of committing or not reporting crimes involving minors, whereas, Democrats forced Senator Al Franken to retire for lesser accusations. Republicans out perform Democrats by presenting their views with a level of histrionics that activates their base. Per Carville, Democrats need to find messaging that excites their base about the issues most important to their daily lives instead of speaking to them from”the political weeds” and creating disconnectedness.
Biden’s low approval ratings are not a reflection of substandard policies, or breaking promises, or unlikeability. Republican media and political figures use the strategy of repeating either negative or false statements over and over again to attack and demonize Biden as a person and as a president. Repetition is an effective influence on peoples beliefs and temperament. Unfortunately, the Democrats have adopted this strategy against it’s own president. MSNBC continuously quotes low poll numbers, how long it’s taking his infrastructure bill to pass, how voting rights legislation is stalled, and how no progress has been made with immigration and police reform. Why isn’t their mantra, “PRESIDENT BIDEN IS FIGHTING FOR EVERY PROMISE HE MADE, AND DESPITE INTENSE OBSTRUCTION FROM REPUBLICANS AND LACK OF SOLIDARITY FROM DEMOCRATS, HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED MUCH MORE THAN OTHER PRESIDENTS AT THIS POINT IN HIS TERM.”
President Biden’s accomplishments:
The economy:
- October jobs report added 531,000 jobs into the economy
- The stock market substantially up since he took office
- Raising the debt limit to repay old US debt , which ballooned under the Trump administration
- Successful vaccination programs and the COVID surge reversing leading to Americans returning to work, companies reopening, travel industry recovery, and renewed confidence in investing
- Passed the bipartisan $1.2 trillion Infrastructure bill which will put millions of Americans back to work
Climate change/ the environment
- Rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement
- Included $47 billion for climate change
- Prioritized correction of environmental inequities in disadvantaged communities
- Rolled back Trump’s harmful environmental rules
Foreign policy
- Ended the Afghanistan War
- Repairing foreign alliances damaged by the Trump Administration
- Recommitted to the U.S. Alliance with Nato and collective security
- International cooperation to combat foreign-sponsored cyberattacks
- Kept Sanctions against China in place
- Commitment to aid in strengthening the coalition of democracies around the world.
Pandemic Recovery Accomplishments
- 430 million doses of vaccines given, 193 million Americans totally vaccinated
- Death rates decrease by 50% since Biden took office
- Vaccine mandates causing the decline in the Delta surge
- Schools reopened due to mask, testing and vaccine protocols supported by the federal government
- Economy stimulated by decrease in COVID infection, death and hospitalization
MSNBC and CNN are horrible messengers for the Biden Administration’s accomplishments. They echo Fox News attacks on Biden, underplay Biden’s accomplishments and the obstacles he faces due to the corrupt opposition from Republicans. They should;
STOP REPEATING BIDEN’S LOW POLL NUMBERS, STOP TALKING ABOUT THE VIRGINIA ELECTION, STOP PREDICTING HOW BAD THE MIDTERMS LOOK FOR DEMOCRATS, STOP TOUTING HOW SHREWD REPUBLICANS ARE AT WINNING, STOP COVERING MAGA MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, GIVING THEM CREDIBILITY AND SPREADING THEIR RHETORIC.
The Democratic media should remind Americans daily that members of the Republican party tweet death fantasies towards Democratic members of Congress, they call the attack on the Capitol a patriotic act, they support a violation of the Constitution by a president, they spread disinformation, use the ” stop the steal” to grift money from constituents, and to deflect from Trump’s now heavily investigated effort to steal the Georgia election when he asked the Secretary of State Brad Rathensberger to find him just enough votes to overturn Georgia’s election in favor of him. Republicans wrongly brand Democrats as socialists; Democrats need to fight fire with fire and call Trump and his congressional enablers dangerous traitors and criminals.
