Do not cause people to visualize a level of success Trump has not yet achieved, and probably won't.

[summer_in_TX]

That's the urgent advice from Antonia Scatton in a recent edition of her Reframing America newsletter. She is an expert in political messaging and framing. She studied cognitive linguistics with messaging guru and best-selling author, George Lakoff.

https://open.substack.com/pub/reframingamerica/p/restoring-sanity

Restoring Sanity
We will prevail. We need to talk like it.
ANTONIA SCATTON

snip…
Trump claims success he does not have, and when he fails, he just changes the subject. Trump is not a “fascist” or a “dictator,” as much as he might like to be. Power is decentralized in the United States. We have leaders in state governments who do not answer to the White House. The presidency has very limited powers, even with a compliant Congress.

TRUMP IS ALREADY BEING STOPPED. Many of Trump’s executive orders have already been overturned by court order. Even Musk has met with roadblocks. A federal judge just limited DOGE’s access to Treasury Dept. financial systems.

snip…
Do cause people to visualize us standing up to them and winning.

Stop saying that “nobody is doing anything.” Stop feeding their narrative about “Democrats in disarray.” People did see this coming, and they did prepare, and that is why we’re getting court orders in days instead of months.

Our message should be this: “Patriotic Americans will stand up to Trump and Musk in defense of our laws and our Constitution. Many of us already have, and have won.”

The newsletter has many gems, and I regularly use her language (yeah, straight up plagiarizing) in making an argument because hers is so good. I subscribe to Reframing America and recommend it for those of us working to change hearts and minds, and who see a huge gap in our party's messaging.

[Girard442]

1. Bravo! Trump lies like he breathes. So does Musk. Don't let them grind you down with their bullshit.

[Ocelot II]

2. This is excellent! Thanks for posting.

[BootinUp]

3. k&r

[vapor2]

4. Man, thanks for the positive post!!

With your words I might be able to sleep better. I always think the worst and cringe when I hear he is ignoring court orders. However, it does seem like a bunch of bozos on different pages. Vance lecturing Europe on democracy and Hegseth saying Ukraine will belong to Russia? Clearly some repugs are becoming annoyed with the BS

[MadameButterfly]

9. This helped me too and I think it helps all of us create

the result we seek. If we keep predicting the worst we may help it happen. So far all we know for sure is what Trump/Musk are trying to do which is not the same as what they'll succeed in doing.

Our country is full of strong, brilliant, decent, compassionate beings and this is more powerful than a handful of narrowminded greedy narcissists.

[yaesu]

5. I love pipedreams and wishful thinking but I'm not seeing any real roadblocks stopping the fascist tRump train

it is beyond a constitutional crisis at this point. When fascists start being arrested for the numerous crimes they are committing then we can talk about hope.

[MadameButterfly]

10. There are steps to be taken before the arrests.

Since we are doing this legally it will take time.
i'm envisioning a bunch of them in jail and the end of a lot of RW careers. A Democratic Congress for decades like after the Great Depression and FDR, eyes opened nationwide and the end to the stalemate that has prevented us from progress on climate, guns, healtcare and poverty in recent decades.

[summer_in_TX]

14. It is certainly an abuse of power and corruption.

But many organizations were prepared to bring suit, knowing what is at stake. So far they have won many cases, at least in initial temporary rulings.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/02/14/here-are-all-the-major-lawsuits-against-trump-and-musk-judge-orders-temporary-restoration-of-foreign-aid-funding/

[Pinback]

6. Thank you! Subscribed. (nt)

[Skittles]

7. tell that to the Fed workers

[MadameButterfly]

11. It will be hell for awhile

but that doesn't mean Dems aren't doing anything or Trump will prevail in the end.

It does mean a lot of pain. It's apparently what is required to wake up the voters who sleepwalked into this. I wish it didn't have to happen this way. (Experiencing my own piece of hell through this).

But what I cannot do is despair and think it's all over or claim the people who are dedicating their time and risking their safety aren't doing anything, or enough, or fast enough.

[Skittles]

12. Dems have long had to clean up repuke mess

the difference this time is the damage may just be catastrophic - and they are just getting started

hell yes we can fight, but acting like the usual checks and balances are in place is pretty naive

[MadameButterfly]

13. Nothing is usual and yes it will be catastrophic

but we have a more entrenched democaracy and more educated people than the Weimar Republic that succumbed to Hitler.

We have to find the balance between facing the intensity of the threat and maintaining a determination to win.
Fear is understandable but brave is not fearlessness but doing what one has to in the face of fear.
Hopelessness is not an option. Too much is at stake.

[CaptainTruth]

8. As I said recently, the war isn't over, its just begun.

We have only begun to fight.