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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 21h

Remember kids: if you have to explain what it means you’ve already lost. 😊

mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 2d

But, how does that translate to national politics? It works in NYC, where your opponents are traditional dems with muddled or no messages. Against Republicans, they pick it apart idea by idea and it turns muddled.

mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 2d

I generally think that’s the case with further left politicians. So many ideas, and so much intellectual dynamism that it all gets muddled and no one can follow.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 2d

1.) it’s a reflection of the electorate, people don’t want to hear about ideas. 2.) Republicans are better at the mindless debating of people than the Dems. To be expected, I suppose, by a party that consists of little more than social media influencers and reality TV stars.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 2d

Yes. The alternative we’ve seen: treating him as some sort Lex Luthor evil genius has only made him more appealing to a large segment of voters who A.) aren’t living in reality anyways and B.) want a strongman to do their cultural bidding.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 2d

“Look, having nuclear — my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart — you know, if you're a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal…”

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 2d

That’s where the sane washing begins. I’d be curious to run an experiment on this. Have people listen to a Trump speech and give them a test on what he said. I’d be willing to bet the tested audience, even those on the left, would deliver results that are more coherent than what he actually said.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 2d

The big problem was, post-2020, the Biden admin viewed the objective as paying off the various groups in the Dem coalition through BBB. I don’t think they grasped the possibility of a Trump comeback, and thought we had turned the page.

mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 2d

Not to mention, there’s a wealth of polling data that shows that increased exposure to Trump turns off voters. I can’t imagine why that would be?

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 3d

The fuck your feelings crowd actually has bigly feelings!

mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 5d

I’ve often thought that Dems haven’t highlighted how weird MAGA is, in response to comments like this.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 5d

I find it odd how laissez faire management styles, which were thoroughly discredited in the late 90’s and 2000’s, keep making a comeback, as though the results will be different.

mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

Agreed, but I also think everyone just forgot. His campaign acted as if he was president only from 2017-2019. And the dems, with their well meaning democracy focus, happily obliged his talking point.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

McCain pasted away years ago and isn’t at all representative of the modern conservative movement. Ditto for McConnell. I also don’t really see where he complains about extremism. And Massie complains that the republicans aren’t far enough right, particularly on spending.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

There’s no debates like this on the right. On the right, intellectual freedom means you have the right to fully agree with Trump, or the right to fully agree with Trump. Who’s the right wing equivalent of Jeffries refusing to back their more extreme candidates? There isn’t one. Come on.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

Considering Biden and Kamala are both fairly moderate by your standards, seemingly, I’m not sure why that would matter. I think other factors: inflation, the awfulness of 2020, and Trump voter suppression efforts played larger roles.

mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

It does. The fact that we’re having this debate shows it to be true. The ideological gap in the Dem Party between someone like myself & you, seems fairly wide. I’d never vote for Mamdani if there was a moderate Dem alternative. But these debates don’t exist on the right. The parties aren’t the same.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

Totally understand that Mamdani better reflects where a lot of NYC voters are. Problem is, that’s not where a lot of Dems in PA or Michigan are at.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

Because the voters you’re talking about don’t exist.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

Yes, stop getting into the weeds. Every time MAGA wants to talk culture war Dems should view it as a trap. They want to keep talking about this stuff because it’s been so beneficial politically. Need to watch the framing of issues too.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

I mean the Dems won pluralities in pretty much every election since 1988 so….

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

Freedom is a great message. Wish it was framed that way more frequently. I saw a meme going around on social media a little while back that said “we the people” means all of us. That’s great framing. Not seeing nearly enough of it. Patriotic, positive, freedom oriented.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

I don’t think you’re trying to appeal to anti-rights voters. I just don’t the more recent messaging is right. I think we are getting suckered into discussing the culture war way too much and I think it sounds divisive and I think it’s turning off the sliver of voters in the middle.

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mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

Shifting your messaging, what you choose to emphasize/talk about, and not getting sucked down MAGA culture war rabbit holes is not the same as abandoning your values.

mikeilikemike.bsky.social @mikeilikemike.bsky.social · 6d

Just because abortion rights are popular doesn’t mean people want 36 weeks abortion or access without some regulation is my point. Most people support Roe as it was, not some major expansion of it, which is how some of the messaging sounds.

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