Democrats need to use fear tactics like Republicans do.

[tecelote]

It's great to tout Biden's successes but voters on the cusp, especially those that are independent but tend to vote Republican, respond to Republican fear tactics.

A Republican win is scary.

If Republicans win...

- Abortion will be banned nationwide
- Gay marriage and LGBTQ rights will be rolled back
- Social Security and Medicare will be cut or even abolished
- Religion in our schools and government
- Do away with efforts to reduce global warming
- more book bans and increased regulations on free speech
- More guns and more crime
- Support for Ukraine ends
- National debt will increase
- Corporations and the rich will continue to pay few, if any, taxes
- Impeach, investigate and waste our tax dollars on revenge
- much more

There's enough here to scare the crap out of most Americans but we're being nice and saying, "look at what we have done."

It's time to say, "Here's what you lose if you vote Republican... The American way of life".

Don't let the fascists win.

[Wounded Bear]

1. I've actually seen a little bit of that recently in local ads...

Not enough yet, but I do live in a blue state, where it's not needed as much.

[SuperCoder]

2. You forgot about the...

...continued erosion of the separation of church and state everywhere. Not just religion in our schools and government.

[musclecar6]

3. I agree

Those are excellent talking points. Very direct and nothing more lengthy or complicated. Straight forward and to the point.

[betsuni]

4. But in the past Democrats have been accused of being the "I'm not as bad as Republicans, vote

for me" party when they go negative. Far as I can tell, it's mostly Democratic voters taking what Republicans want to do seriously.

The Lincoln Project did lots of negative ads against Republicans but I don't know if it made any Republican or Independent voters change their minds. More people voted for Trump in 2020 than in 2016.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. THIS ☝️

I have seen/heard the PACs buying ads here (TV and radio) in PA (and specifically in the Philly market) do the "negative" - and when it comes to people like the RW lunatic Christo-fascist Mastriano, you can imagine the wealth of material - and in the mix, you have the candidate campaigns show the policy differences and what they plan to do for their constituents.

So for every one of these (Pennsylvania Works) -

you have this (Republican Accountability Project) -

and this (Shapiro for PA)

[BeyondGeography]

13. Biden won on the strength of ticket splitters aka never Trumpers

Exactly the Lincoln Project’s target.

Biden outperformed Democrats in 2020, Trump fared worse than Republicans. Biden called Steve Schmidt after the election to thank him for his help.

Rather than question the efficacy of the Lincoln Project, we too should thank them and then try to learn something from them.

[betsuni]

18. Don't think so.

[Sympthsical]

20. Except a study by Democrats found TLP made no difference

What the Lincoln Project did was make ads that appealed to partisans on social media so they'd donate.

It had no effect on anyone else.

The salient quote:

"Our takeaway is that we as political operatives or people online on Twitter a lot, aren’t necessarily a good judge of what is persuasive."

https://www.thewrap.com/lincoln-project-ads-priorities-usa-experiment/

All that happened was people who heard what they wanted to hear loved it and swore they were the most amazing thing they'd ever seen. It preached to the bubble. It didn't work on actual undecideds or non-partisans.

TLP made some bucks, though. And that was the important thing as show in the recent documentary.

[BeyondGeography]

21. Gee, a study by people who are obviously threatened by changes in their landscape

Found that said no changes had no effect. Shocking.

[Sympthsical]

23. Bubbles are hard to puncture

But they do kill us when they create an environment where we stop understanding how people outside of them think.

It's hard to punch out of them. I get it. But it's politically perilous to remain in them so steadfastly.

[Buns_of_Fire]

5. I hesitate to use the term "fear tactic" -- it's really

just telling the truth and calling them out on their BS in no uncertain terms. Naming names, using their own Faux News clips in commercials, and calling them damned liars to their face when appropriate.

It helps that most of their "fear tactics" tend to be made-up crap. Time to start calling it what it is.

[calimary]

6. Damn Freakin' RIGHT!!!

We have to go negative. Focus on WHAT WE’LL LOSE!!!

[modrepub]

7. At This Point In The Game

it's all about turnout. All of the fears you listed will only work on Dems and open-minded Independents (maybe Greens). At least it will motivate Dems and like minded Independents to actually show up and vote.

I'm sorry, but die-hard Repubs are more scared of Democrats than they are of these issues actually affecting them. They've been trained for a long time that all Democrats are bad and nothing will change their mind.

[vercetti2021]

8. This isn't a scare tactic

Its cold hard truths.

[LenaBaby61]

9. Dems also MUST, MUST, MUST tell people NOW that the GQP .....

IS GOING TO CONTEST EVERY RACE THEY LOOSE VS A DEEM, AND TAKE IT TO COURT AND WASTE MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO DO THIS.

Dems have to do this like yesterday ......

Look at that crazy witch Go jump in a Lake in Arizona saying for a long time now that she will NOT accept a loss, and if she loses, her race was stolen by the Democrat party ....there are many Taliban members who are saying if they lose, they were cheated out of their given race by the "Democrat" party

[Roy Rolling]

10. Republicans are treacherous

But using the same tactics or being the anti-Republican is a weaker response than promoting the positive attributes of the Democratic Party—or rather—run-of-the-mill members and good people.

Republicans have no counter to Democrats wanting SSI and Medicare, etc. maintained.

The GOP is the party of selfish changes, everything they propose benefits them first and primarily, not America or every citizen.

Brand them with that label, they earned it and it’s what people fear about greedy political bosses. Make them own it.

[Aaeia]

12. Media

How do you get through when all American media talks about is a "red wave"? Your media from television to newspapers NEVER talk about how much good the Dems are doing. They give way tooooo much time to repug talking heads & not any to dems. Just turned Morning Joe off again because of the repug blather.

[peppertree]

14. Not only will the national debt increase - they'll DEFAULT on it

That could destroy America's greatest strategic asset: global faith in the dollar.

The dollar - and the euro - are the only two currencies on earth that are accepted on sight anywhere you go in the world. In fact, in most places in the 3rd world they prefer them.

This allows the U.S. (and Europe) to 'print' nearly unlimited amounts to cover just about any contingency.

Loss of global faith in the dollar would bring that power crashing down. And with it, the economy.

With millions of people armed to the teeth, a Mad Max situation would soon ensue. Life would become practically unlivable, save for those wealthy enough to leave.

That's what Repugs want - and that's why Putin backs them.

[no_hypocrisy]

15. Here's the thing:

Republican MAGAts won't believe the scare tactics of the Democrats.

Independents might consider them, but ultimately decide Republicans won't go through with all their threats.

[betsuni]

17. +1

[bucolic_frolic]

16. Own the libs is a sell for Republicans, they use it piecemeal to scare Independents

If we win in November it will be because of our excellent candidate selection process and our local, local, local messaging and door-to-door GOTV canvassing.

Mid-terms are fought on the ground. Airwaves not as much.

[Kaleva]

19. As fascists murder those who oppose them, Dems could highlight that

They wouldn't be fascists if they didn't kill or "disappear" folks

[Emile]

22. Republicans lie in their fear tactics. Just telling the truth

about the real republican agenda is not the same as what republicans do.

[werdna]

24. No we don't.

The fear tactics the R's use are based in lies, disinfo, misinfo, exaggerations, 'alternative' facts, etc. targeted to stimulate the fear/anxiety/anger centers of the brain and manipulating the fight/fight instinct to fight. Nobody needs more of that. What will work more effectively at motivating middle ground voters is moving the frame ala George Lakoff's research. Describing what R's are actually saying and doing, as you have outlined is not a scare tactic because, as you have pointed out, their reality is sufficiently scary unto itself.

[Johnny2X2X]

25. Define them by their most extreme

Dems always have to answer for the most extreme liberal, Republicans never have to.

There are Republicans running for office this cycle who literally have said women shouldn’t be allowed to work or vote. There are others who have explicitly said LGTBQ folks should be put to death. There are Republicans calling for the death penalty for abortions. And ending social security, Medicare, and Medicare are mainstream Republican ideas.

Make them answer for the Taliban like members in their party.

[Johonny]

26. They do, it's just that the corporate media is owned by Conservatives

They have to fight an expensive up hill battle as the narrative is set by a media that is bought and sold.