Much has rightly been said about the destructive influence of money in politics. Less discussed is how the chase for dollars pollutes campaign messaging. 1
Analyses buzzing at the race forward, holistically progressive approaches in #GASEN - talking about human rights issues (grossly mislabeled “identity politics”) not just ok, it’s required. 2
A closer look at Ossoff’s narrative shift, in particular, reveals a telling evolution. In the final sprint, he pivoted toward an *affirmative* solution based message, rooted in having a government that cares for and respects all, no exceptions. 3
My colleague @jillmarcellus noted this shift - away from “ahhhh!!! Be afraid, be very afraid “ - coincided with no longer focusing on fundraising but rather mobilization. 4
Conventional online fundraising assumes you shake people down by scaring them about the horrible consequences of loss. And fear based messaging does evoke “fight” (and $) among the most committed activists/base. 5
But research shows it encourages others - high potential voters especially people of color - to “freeze.” Vote is a verb. An action to take not merely a belief to hold. Motivating voting behavior requires affirmative messaging about world we can create. 6
Fear based messaging also - in the longer term - makes people more conservative. It awakens innate desire all of us hold to some degree for insularity, familiarity and intolerance of ambiguity. 7
In a battle of fear against fear, the right wins. We will never out-terrorize them. Nor should we try. What works to motivate inherently right wing people, and swing middle toward destructive policies, is NOT what works on apolitical but inherently more left wing people.
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How well do you know high potential voters? In RCT of 6000 which reluctant voters did this engage?
a. Cynics (feel burned by system, don't believe change possible)
b. Peace seekers (find politics a whole lotta yelling, prefer to focus on fam and friends)
c. Both
Progressive’s attachment to constantly narrate all we’re confronting frequently renders our target audiences objects, not subjects, in our sentences. Little wonder we have trouble motivating people to sustained action.
Anytime you’re taking about what “they” do to us - you’ve made the opposition the actor and made passive those you’d like to see acting.
One of the proven most effective levers for mobilization is social proof: suggesting or claiming the group to which your audience belongs is already doing the thing you’re hoping to inspire.
Dear Leftie Twitter -
I know you’re freaked. Not sleeping great myself.
But, stop declaring yourselves the losing team; no one’s joining that.
We ran 2018 & delivered in 2019. We know how to organize, persuade & mobilize. Need to keep doing it & inspire others to same.
If the GOP were coming into 2020 with our track record last two years, they’d have “we are the champions” on endless replay.
Voters are attracted to what they think other voters are attracted to. I would say fake it till ya make it but we don’t even have to fake it.
Myths are powerful things. Whole ways of being, of relating to others, of determining right and wrong, come from them.
Stop spreading the story that the GOP is invincible. You’ll render it true.
What really flummoxes the left in messaging (yes, merely one of many problems - I grant) is that we’ve forgotten that at our core, we are storytellers not slogan makers. Of...
course slogans are crucial - simplifications that once repeated become the tattoo of our culture (purportedly) and thus manufacture our common sense.
But, to work, they must anchor back to a story. A story that sets the terms, defines how things work.
The story must make sense of how we got here - our origins.
And it must give us not just a glimpse of our desirable future but an absolute hunger for it.