Repubs spend about 90% of their time on messaging.

[kentuck]

They believe messaging is the most important part of any issue. It is even more important than the facts or the substance of the issue.

They believe perception is stronger than reality. If they can define the issue, they can sell it to their followers. They believe repetition is the key to changing the facts to their favor.

They believe they have the power to spin any disaster into something different and palatable. Just like they have done with the assassination of the Iranian General that was assassinated by Trump. Just like they have done with the extortion of a foreign leader.

On the other hand, Democrats probably spend 10% or less of their time on messaging. They believe that the facts will speak for themselves. They believe in the power of the truth.

Politics is all about propaganda and lies with the Republicans. Democrats tend to look for the good in people and defend their positions from a factual standpoint.

But, we are living in a new political world. Propaganda and lies are winning. How do you fight such an enemy?

[guillaumeb]

1. The Democrats won in 2018.

And won the popular vote in 2016.

Education is the key, which is why the GOP defunds education, and attempts to rewrite history.

[Thomas Hurt]

2. Christofascist Selective Populism

Ur-Fascism is based upon a selective populism, a qualitative populism, one might say. In a democracy, the citizens have individual rights, but the citizens in their entirety have a political impact only from a quantitative point of view – one follows the decisions of the majority. For Ur-Fascism, however, individuals as individuals have no rights, and the People is conceived as a quality, a monolithic entity expressing the Common Will. Since no large quantity of human beings can have a common will, the Leader pretends to be their interpreter. Having lost their power of delegation, citizens do not act; they are only called on to play the role of the People. Thus the People is only a theatrical fiction. To have a good instance of qualitative populism we no longer need the Piazza Venezia in Rome or the Nuremberg Stadium. There is in our future a TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People.

Umberto Eco's Essay on Ur-Fascism (1995)

[kentuck]

3. Not 1984

2084.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. We started down this path in 1980 with the Reagan admin.

The counter culture and liberalism held sway for a awhile.

1984 could still be considered when we started down the path to a modern American christofascism.

Ignorance is Strength
Disagreement is Treason

[kentuck]

6. That's about how I recall the Reagan years...

...preaching taxcuts and running the country deep into debt, as if that would prevent spending on social programs.

The language began to change around that time also, I think. It was very much about messaging.

America has had its share of corruption for a long time, but it's definitely getting ripe right now.

[abqtommy]

5. I translate the word "messaging" as "lying" so that explains that.

[dustyscamp]

7. The facts do speak for themselves, but many people out there don't have the time to listen

Many are too busy with their lives to really care about learning the truth or they just don't care or they only listen to certain people about things. The way news is presented also turns people off from listening to them. So we need to find a way to make it interesting and easier to understand. Maybe make comics depicting your message or maybe put all the facts in a easy flash card form for people to read. Social Media though I think is going to be the best way to get the message across, but many Democrats seem to want to abandon it. Here you don't need a boring talking head to tell people the facts you can just create a quirky cartoon character to tell them or even have people sing the facts to you. There is just so many options to get the message across with it I don't see why the Democrats can't use it to its full potential too.

[hatrack]

8. Of course - what else will they talk about? Their "new policies"?

Two-trick ponies: tax cuts and deregulation.

They haven't had a new policy idea since . . . Eisenhower? Hoover? McKinley?

Hiring "erudite" apologists like William F. Buckley doesn't count, since "trying to tamp down open racism just enough to get the pill down" isn't what I'd call "policy".

[kentuck]

12. Excellent points!

[mwooldri]

9. Propaganda.

There are three types:

White - reveals its sources, doesn't hide who it is from. Can be truthful.

Black - fake sources, lies. Intended to deceive.

Grey - in-between, there's some truth but often it is twisted. Accuracy of information is uncertain.

The Republicans seem to be excellent at grey propaganda. The Democrats are excellent at white propaganda.

In WWII, the British used white and black propaganda to good effect - the BBC being the chief source of white propaganda, and various fake German radio stations as sources for black propaganda.

Ultimately I believe truth will win the day, as all the people can't be fooled all the time. However I believe some fake Republican stuff done by Democratic sympathisers couldn't hurt...

[jcmaine72]

10. I politely disagree.

They spend 90% of their time viciously smearing anyone who even gives the slightest hint of disagreeing with them. The other 10% of their time is spent drooling out of one side of their mouths.

[Poiuyt]

11. Democrats would do well to improve their messaging

It's marketing 101. It's not always the best product that sells, it's the one that does the best job of convincing the buyer that it's the best. (Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle.)

[kentuck]

13. Eventually the sizzle disappears...

...and you have to show the steak.

But you are right about selling. In sales, they teach that you are not selling the product, you are selling yourself. I don't know if that is true, but it makes sense to some degree, I suppose?

I am reminded of some famous propagandist that fashioned his message and his propaganda to the most simple-minded.

We seem to be living in an age of propaganda.