PoliticsGirl: Virgina has lessons to teach if we're willing to learn.

[demmiblue]

Link to tweet

[lapfog_1]

1. yes... and lets stop with the unforced errors

CRT - trying to explain it or even saying "it's not being taught in K-12" is a losing message.

Defund the police - loser message. Stop it. We should say "we want to INCREASE police funding by REDUCING the number of incidents that police respond to..." like unruly child in a classroom, not a police function... most domestic disputes... not a police function... minor complaint about homeless or illegal selling of loose cigarettes... probable mental illness... not a police function. All of these sorts of issues need a public service response but with a different unit than the typical police response. They need mental health / social worker response units.

I think even the police unions would get behind that message. At least they would not oppose it.

Talk about rolling back the massive tax increase passed on the middle class by the Trump administration. The inability to deduct state and local taxes on your federal return. That was a massive tax increase on middle class Americans and we Democrats are trying to undo that.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

3. Thank you and I could not agree more

CRT and Defund the Police are losing messages. I said this yesterday and had 2 posts removed and threatened to have me kicked off DU. There are about 2 or 3 other wedge issues that need to be dropped completely and immediately.

I agree on rolling back the massive tax increase for the middle class only, not the wealthy. For the wealthy, I think the Alternative Minimum Tax limits the amount of state taxes they can deduct...I think.

[Trekologer]

5. The way that the attacks are responded to needs a lot of work

CRT was in the background but the attack in Virginia really became that McAuliffe/Democrats don't think that parents should have a say in education. We need to take that and throw it back: "Of course parents should be involved in their kids' education. Teachers everywhere wish parents would be more involved. That's why we're going to do X, Y, and Z to make sure that parents are able to be involved as much as possible."

[lagomorph777]

10. Jeez - I wish you had been working for Terry.

I don't mean that sarcastically. You said in two sentences, the words that might have kept him from flushing his campaign down the crapper.

[Klaralven]

12. Specifically, parents want a say in what materials are used in education

It's more than just a "say" in education.

[RobinA]

15. I Can't Even Imagine

how this would work. Well, other than badly.

[Klaralven]

16. A majority may want R-rated novels not used in classes, for example

I have never read Beloved, but it was made into an R-rated movie. From descriptions of the book, it appears to be R-rated as well.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120603/

[maxrandb]

17. Mcauliffe's campaign should have an ad like this rolling within seconds of the Trumpkin ad

I would have shown video clip after video clip of unhinged dipshits screaming at School Board meetings and videos of them threatening school board members with remarks like; " we know where you live", "we're coming for you and your kids"...

Maybe interspersed with the Q Viking Dipshit and footage of January 6.

Then I would have had Terry look directly into the camera and say; "Youngkins absolutely right, I will not allow these so-called parents to come into our schools and decide what your children should be taught"

Sorry, but in today's politics with White Suburban Karen's, you need to make them more scared of your opponent than he makes them of you.

You have to reach them in their guts. Emotion gets people motivated.

Make them realize that the fuckers screaming like banshees at School Boards are the ones "coming after their children".

[lagomorph777]

7. "massive tax increase passed on the middle class by the Trump administration"

Yes, please. Pretty hard for Reptilians to argue against a tax cut for the middle class! (nonetheless, they will find some way to twist it).

[JustAnotherGen]

13. They made up CRT

It's a non issue.

But it tapped into Tribalism.

My race, religion, background, geographic area . . .

That's why I say - the Black Democratic Voter - we absolutely NEED to hear: This will be your last vote ever if they win. They are trying to force your children to pretend Jim Crow never happened.

I need to hear this. It will spark tribal instincts on the left. I think it could be used for Latinos and Asians too. Let's face it -

The GOP only likes the white folk - unless the black folks are in the 'Sunken Place' - I'm looking at Youngkin's Lt. Gov.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

4. Please continue posting this

demmiblue - we need to get this out there everyday and often. Thank you so much for this post.

[ananda]

6. CRT was a created message with a lot of misinformation attached.

It's not the Dems fault that the Reeps used this effectively.

I blame it on the media.

[lagomorph777]

8. CRT is not a Dem issue, Reptilians invented it.

We can't just drop it - now we have to turn it against them.

[ananda]

9. Yes, but it's not the Dems fault that it hurt them. I blame the media.

nt

[lagomorph777]

11. The media are idiots and evil, but can be manipulated, if you know how.

We need to get some smarter consultants in the Dem fold. They could recruit many good people right here at DU.

[peggysue2]

14. Whoosh!

We need a Democratic ear worm to counteract the constant propaganda the GOP has perfected, particularly in the Age of the Big Lie. Republicans are using classic and effective propaganda/marketing techniques: endless repetition; making sure the message is word for word consistent, top to bottom within the group; amplifying the message on every platform, every TV/radio appearance; appealing to emotional reactions of their audience with triggering language and always, always keeping the message short, relevant and potent.

Several people have suggested using fire to fight fire. This is one of the ways we do that--pushing back, calling out, making our own voices just as strong and effective.

What Republicans did with the Critical Race Theory gambit is a case in point. Doesn't have to be true. The very fact that it's linked to race gives it traction and appeals to the fear of shifting demographics within the hearts and minds of a large swath of white Americans, people who instinctively want to return to a mythical Golden Age of the past. That's what Republicans are selling; that's their product as they tear down American values left and right and ensure their own power base for the future.

Same was true for Defund the Police which conjured up riots, violence, vulnerability for many Americans, linked itself to all the other perceived dangers of a changing, diversified America. M-13, Muslim terrorists, immigrant caravans. It's all the same shit-fest based on fear, anger, vulnerability.

And though we're loathe to admit it, this approach is working.

So yes, we need to admit the problem, develop our own ear worms, stop explaining and fight fire with fire.

Democracy depends on it! Politics Girl is on the money.

[ARPad95]

18. +1000