Mainstream Media Convince Dem Leaders to Bash Their Voters, to Try to Attract Swing Voters
I’ve written a lot about how — despite Right Wing propaganda claiming otherwise — mainstream media are Right Wing biased.
Mainstream media repeat Right Wing talking points constantly through Right Wing opinion writers. Reporters also often show preference for Right Wing views and interviewees. Often an interviewee — or a close relative — is a high ranking official in a Right Wing organization — but the reporter doesn’t disclose that — at least not until some other journalist catches the error and lets everyone know.
Some of the most common Right Wing ideas in mainstream media are written as bad faith advice from Right Wingers to Democrats. The bad faith advice tells Democrats all their losses come from “going too far Left.” The bad advice says the secret to winning elections for Dems is to “go to the Center” — that is, Rightward — to attract swing voters.
This advice has been repeated thousands of times over decades — so much that most people believe the lie — including journalists, Democratic leaders and consultants — maybe you too. If you yourself believe that all Dem losses come from “going too far Left”, please hear me out and read what I have observed and concluded about this situation and why.
Propagandists often spread lies that are true under some conditions. There’s a grain of truth to this idea. It’s certainly possible for a candidate to be too far Left for a particular district or state or even for the nation as a whole. The lie is the idea that this is true in every district — and that this is the primary determining factor in elections.
Belief in the “too far Left” meme is very destructive. It can and sometimes does lead to Democrats’ hopes being dashed and the fondest desires of Right Wingers being fulfilled.
One way Dem dreams are bashed is that the Democratic party too often supports centrist candidates over progressives who are enthusiastically supported by Democratic voters — even when the centrists are running behind in the polls.
Another problem is that Democrats may win the election but end up with a “centrist” candidate who consistently blocks important parts of the Dem agenda, as Manchin and Sinema do. That makes it harder for Dems to win elections afterward — because Dems fail to fulfill their promises — due to centrists blocking promised legislation.
When that happens, some voters think “Democrats control both Houses of Congress and the presidency but still haven’t passed this legislation they promised. Why vote for them?”
As a result of believing the “too far Left” propaganda, some Democrats appear on TV and say “I’m not too far Left like other Dems.”
We don’t hear Republicans bashing their own party this way. Republicans know it hurts a party to do this. Democrats need to learn that.
Democratic leaders who believe all Dem losses are due to Leftists feel free to bash the Left constantly — believing that there is nothing to lose by treating Leftist Dem voters badly. It seems to them that bashing the Left can only do good — by attracting Swing voters, by making it clear to them that the Dem party has not “gone too far Left.” This seems unlikely. Dem leaders seem to have forgotten how important it is to keep the voters they already have.
Swing voters or independent voters are not well understood. Here is an article about some common false beliefs about them.
People who believe the “too far Left” meme think Dems should become “GOP Lite.” It doesn’t occur to them that voters may may not want GOP Lite — that if they want a conservative party like the GOP, then they are likely to vote for the standard version.
It’s also likely that voters hearing a candidate bash their own party will think less of the party — and less of the disloyal candidate.
The “Don’t go too far Left” advice also assumes that people who swung from Obama to Trump, did so because of Trump’s favored policies — and that if only Dems will start to “go to the Center” — that is, Rightward — then those voters will come back to voting Democrat.
Few, if any, Obama to Trump voters seem likely to be that kind of voter. Some have been charmed by Trump’s snake oil salesman strategies —greatly magnified in potency by Right Wing media’s glorifying of Trump and by mainstream media’s fascination with Trump as a source of entertainment. Others may have been swayed by mainstream media’s incessant bashing of Hillary Clinton.
Also, many Obama to Trump voters are likely low information voters who choose their candidate without careful consideration. Maybe they hear some random comment that sounds good about a candidate one day when they happen to turn on their car radio and by chance they land on a Right Wing station.
Also, at some point before the 2016 election, many Obama to Trump voters likely began listening to Right Wing media — which constantly glorify Republicans and demonize Dems. The Right Wing network is vast, ever expanding and always looking to rope in new audience members.
TVs in public areas are often tuned to such stations — in hospitals, doctor’s offices, hotels, sports bars, health clubs etc. People become familiar with such stations and assume they are real news stations that broadcast are facts. Few viewers know about legal arguments being made to the contrary.
Democrats who believe the “too far Left” propaganda proceed to Divide and Conquer themselves — without the Right Wing needing to do anything at all — except to sow the initial seeds of propaganda.
Many of Democrats’ trusted consultants seem to totally believe the “too far Left” Right Wing propaganda meme. They have advised for decades to “go to the Center” i.e. Rightward — and that election losses and all Dem problems are due to Leftist activists. They portray bashing the Left as the road to winning.
Consultants believe this because this Right Wing advice is given in bad faith as Right Wing talking points in mainstream media. It’s repeated incessantly until most people believe it as unquestioned “conventional wisdom.” Dems don’t use repeated talking points. So there is usually no counter narrative to the Right Wing one, even in mainstream media.
Dems should start using repeated talking points on important issues. As I say in my essay below, “to get adequate media coverage, Dems need to have talking points…Republicans constantly repeat themselves in talking points. Dems do not. What’s repeated is…remembered and believed.”
Right Wing propaganda also extends to social media — which is close to drowning in it.
The Mueller Report said that Russians infiltrated Bernie Sanders’ social media feed, impersonating Bernie fans, to try to Divide and Conquer the Democratic party, by splintering off Leftist Dems from centrist Dems.
As people on social media know, there are plenty of bots and trolls. There are people claiming to be Leftists and bashing centrist or establishment Democrats — claiming there is no difference between Republican and Dem leaders, for example. “It’s all one big elitist club and you’re not in it” the trolls say. Some fake Leftist trolls spread some of the same arguments that MAGA does — e.g. claiming Nancy Pelosi’s ice cream choices and Kamala Harris’s cookware prove that they are “elitist.”
Most of the people who spread these ideas are not trolls though. They are people influenced by trolls. Trolls do influence people. That’s why they’re paid.
There are also plenty of people who claim to be centrists who are bashing the Left. Some refer to such centrists as “Blue MAGA” — referring to their tendency to follow Democratic leaders unquestioningly and to assume that 100% of criticism of Dem leaders from Leftists is as illegitimate as the absurd Pelosi ice cream criticism.
Again, many of the people who hold these views are real people. People get influenced by the bots and trolls without knowing it. Trolls have to deceive people in order to persuade them. If a person realizes they’re being conned, they won’t let themselves be conned.
Trolls on social media have been very successful at dividing and conquering Dems. Most centrists and Leftists on Twitter can’t stand each other. They’ve been insulted, belittled and lied to by so many Right Wing trolls — trolls that people from each Dem faction believe to be real people from the other Dem faction — that the factions can barely contain their disgust for one another.
On social media that’s okay. If you don’t block lying insulting trolls on social media, you will likely be overwhelmed with them. The problem is that centrists and Leftists in the real world need to come together — to organize, to protest, to Get Out the Vote, and to save local election systems and school boards from being taken over by fascists. Without some measure of respect and consideration for one another, that’s hard to do.
Here’s an example of Democrats believing the “too Far Left” meme, that comes straight from the top — from the White House. The White House Communications Director said “Joe Biden’s goal in responding to Dobbs is not to satisfy some activists who have been consistently out of step with the mainstream of the Democratic Party.”
Many people — who think they are the activists being referred to — are offended. These include Leftists, young voters and pro-choice activists. Here’s an article about young voters feeling alienated from the Democratic party.
So what can you do?
You can contact Biden, Pelosi, Schumer, the DNC etc. and explain this to them, so they know what’s happening and know what we want them to do. My letter to President Biden about this is at the end of this article. Feel free to copy my letter, or to use your own words.
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo asked Biden to say what he’d do with two more Democratic Senate seats. Biden did. Asking Dem leaders directly for what you want from them can work.
Below is my letter to President Biden, which I inserted into this form here.
Please feel free to copy all or part of my message to use as your own, or to use your own words. We need to also contact Vice President Harris on this form and to contact Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and other Democratic leaders — to let them know about this problem, and to let them know what we want them to do.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Dear President Biden
Thanks for doing a good job in many areas. Am writing to you about your approval ratings. Problem:
Please stop listening to consultants who say to bash the Left & act nice to GOP.
People like people who like them — & politicians who like their voters. Please stop attacking your voters & strongly stand up for us against GOP more. Please ask other Dem leaders to, too.
This advice must seem wrong. Your consultants — & “centrist” Right Wingers in media whom people believe — say Dems must “go to the Center”- — Rightward — & attract Swing voters. But if that were true, your approval rating would be skyrocketing.
It’s mistaken. Though your consultants believe it, the idea originates from advice given to Dems in bad faith, by GOP “centrists” who want Dems to lose.
Dems have gone Rightward for decades. It doesn’t work. RWng voters — faced with a choice of GOP vs. GOP Lite- — usually choose GOP. And voters who want a liberal party have no liberal choice.
Your WH Comms Director said “Biden’s goal in responding to Dobbs is not to satisfy some activists who have been consistently out of step w. the mainstream of the Dem Party.”
This is a bad message. While SCOTUS is removing women’s rights, Dem leaders are bashing the Dem voters — pro-choice demonstrators, Left of Center Dems, young people — more than they criticize GOP. Good article on this:
https://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2022/07/lets-watch-david-leonhardt-misinterpret.html
To help Dems in midterms, please stand up for us & fight GOP — not attack your voters & talk about your friendship w. McConnell.
GOP doesn’t attack their voters. GOP attacks Dem voters & encourages Dem leaders to attack Dem base too. Don’t fall for it.
Please let go of any consultants who say to attack your base. Please hire aggressively Dem consultants like Rachel Bitecofer. Thanks.
Julie H. Hotard, Ph.D., psychologist
