TIme for me to tell people things they really don’t want to hear again, I guess.
Now because I think this will get me in trouble, it won’t.
But it is my truth to speak, and so I am speaking it, and I will be glad I did so no matter how it’s received.
In fact, I already am.
Anyhow, here it is :
I will admit, I think I did good work in this one. The more of these I do, the better I get at expressing how I truly feel in a clear, eloquent, and above all sincere voice.
And this is something I feel strongly about. I know, the voice of wrath is hard to ignore and the urge to scream at the people you deem responsible for the horrible state of America right now is very strong, and venting it feels very good.
Well go ahead and vent. Get it out of your system. Scream to the high heavens about the horror and the injustice and the evil of it all.
Shout. Shout. Let it all out.
And I don’t expect everyone to be able to follow me on this journey. If you’re just too damned angry about the whole thing to even think about forgiveness at a time like this, I understand. You have your own journey. I do not judge you harshly for it.
But if you can move past all that – and I know that’s not easy – you might just be able to join the movement that stands the best chance of actually defeating Trump.
Because like I said in the video, if we can be superior shepherds to these people – and the bar is very low – we could lead them away from Trump and leave him utterly abandoned and alone and suffering the consequences of his own sociopathy at long fucking last as even Fox News and the others abandon him.
And you know what? If they want to pivot and say they were never all that into him, go ahead and let them save face that way.
Above all, we must not give in to the urge to say “I told you so!” or try to force them to admit that they were wrong.
That will just drive them back into Trump’s lumpy disgusting arms.
Instead, we need to extend all the mercy and forgiveness and understanding we can to them so they can feel safe – safer than they do with Trump in particular.
Give them every reason to think that you can protect them from both him and his cronies and all the chaos and ruin they have unleashed, and that you can and will make things normal again.
These people are big on normalcy. They see the world as a hostile and dangerous and treacherous place and they need everything they can to combat that.
It’s like they have a collective panic disorder. I can relate.
A very delicate part of my stratagem is needed to not attack Trump directly. Don’t even say his name. If you attack him while he is still their shepherd in their minds, they will close ranks to protect him and their minds will slam shut.
Instead, talk about principles. Nice, warm, safe, normal, mainstream principles like loyalty to country, freedom of speech, equality (not diversity), and so on.
Trust that this will highlight how badly Trump fails every single one of them.
Then offer his adherents a wholesome, feel-good, normalizing way out. Talk about things going back to the way they were before and how wonderful it will be to have a government for the people again, one you can rely on.
They will eat that stuff up with a spoon, and we’ll mean every word.
You just have to put the message into language they can understand and accept.
And remember that appealing to their emotions is more important than being exactly accurate in everything you say.
This is politics, not a fucking exam.
More after the break.
Not an exam
Picking up where we left off… the dude at the beginning of this song gets it.
You’ve got to talk to people in language they not only understand but that makes them feel comfortable and safe and understood.
And to hell with whether your fellow liberal intellectuals think you sound smart. You’re not talking to them, they’re already on the same side as you.
That’s the giant leap we leftie types have to make. We have to stop thinking about what brings us status and acclaim in our circles and worry instead about what kind of thing actually appeals to our MAGA friend.
And, most importantly, we have to love and respect them. We have to throw away our middle class bourgeoisie prejudices that make us look down on those people and consider them laughably inferior, again, by our standards and look upon these people as our friends and neighbors and equals with whom we wish to connect.
That’s what true liberalism teaches.
They are not the enemy. Trump is the enemy. And he does not own these people. They can be brought back to the side of the angels if we can just shed out prejudices, refuse to act like Fox News says we act, and instead reach out a helping heart and head and hands to truly help these people in ways they can see and understand.
And be direct. Don’t say “we’ll guarantee a living wage”. Say, “We will raise the minimum wage by $2.50 an hour. ”
Don’t say, “We believe in universal daycare”. Say, “We will bring you free daycare so that you can go to work and earn a living. ”
Don’t say, “We want medicare for all!”. Say “We want you to never have to see another doctor’s bill or hospital bill ever again!”.
Give them something concrete and directly applicable to their lives to look forward to and you will win their support.
And the Republicans are completely unable to follow suit.
With people like AOC and Bernie at the forefront, we could usher in a new blue era.
But we have to get over our bullshit first.
I will talk to you nice people again tomorrow.