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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 4h

whoa

CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · 4h

spectacular

Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 7h

..the impending loss of so many necessary services.

there's more ppl who can be animated by fighting for these than those who disengage bc of lies.

3. I feel like you're looking for a dunk, when I want to discuss specific criticisms, that are not just "hur durr dems bad". So where am I lying? /4

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 7h

Less than 42% of US hospitals have OBs & you want me to believe that the dems talk about that enough?

when have dems talked about it? There is a serious doctor shortage & the national conversation is about subsidies. I think it's reasonable to say that national politics should at least discuss../3

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 7h

In the coming years, at least 300 hospitals are set to close (www.protectourcare.org/hospital-cri...). & this is aside from the specific units that have been downsized (OBGYN/peds - www.healthcare-brew.com/stories/2024...).
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Study: Over 500 hospitals have closed obstetrics units since 2010

Rural communities have the least access to birthing care, according to a new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

www.healthcare-brew.com

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 7h

I don't think you're engaging with my point, so I'll be clear:

1. Not talking about hospitals, is what I'm specifically talking about. Dems aren't talking about it, advocacy groups are.
Since the ACA was established, in 2010, 130 rural hospitals have closed pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... /1

Causes & Consequences of Rural Hospital Closures

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 8h

Just as old as the racism narratives are the stories of communities coming together to protect themselves from profiteers who wish them harm. It's about redefining that narrative and harnessing it for the modern day that is the new challenge.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 8h

Yes & this is a force that can create narratives for either political side, good & for bad. I'm sure some already claim it's some minority causing this. But while we don't have the same economy & ecosystem, someone could construct a narrative about how they're being sold out.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

I think bc you and I have different backgrounds we will have a similar perspective here but slightly different takeaways. I think it's political economy + political geography.

Elaborate more on the entrenchment, bc KY was more historically republican up until the past decade.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

I actually explicitly spoke abt those that sit out elections somewhere in the thread. And yes, those votes aren't available to dems. Otoh, the Ds aren't really discussing the constraints on healthcare. Up until shutdown, they haven't put out any narratives on why healthcare is not working for ppl.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

Even before plants are built they do impact the economy bc when the communities improve their infrastructure/amenities in anticipation, that is a massive visible impact.

But I agree with that partially. Before the standard of life increased, the investment was stopped. That makes things worse.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

The concept of people building a business off of lying to people & creating lies that are easier to engage with than reality? What am I overcomplicating?

I disagree strongly. I think when people believe that minorities are the source of problems, those carry massive political implications.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

What makes a swing state? Do you think just some states are up for grabs or are there things happening that can be harnessed in one direction or another? Fl was a swing state, now it's solidly red, that isn't by chance.

Imo the issue is more fundamental than messaging for the dems.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

I think I'm saying the same thing when I talk about the catharsis of spewing hatred over discussing solutions. I could be wrong, but I think we're on the same page about that?

bsky.app/profile/exia...

Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 10h

But it's a lie they want to believe for a multitude of reasons (probably bc it's much more immediately cathartic to spew hatred than to actually discuss nuts and bolts solutions). But there is a whole model where people pay their rents off of convincing other people that minorities are the problem.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

You can find a story that motivates people to vote for the more progressive candidate, even if the people themselves aren't progressive. Otherwise there wouldn't be a democratic gov of KY, or PA, or a dem senator in Montana, etc. You just need to motivate people in your direction.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

I don't think they need to be disproportionately progressive? I think you should dive into the numbers a bit more aggressively. The non-voters just need to vote for the less shitty candidate. Trump's coalition was driven by first time voters. That isn't unique to him, it can be replicated.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

I'm saying that these lies are constructed well, and it would behoove us to understand why & how these narratives are hard to combat and are so prevalent. I'm not talking about solutions or policy. I'm ultimately talking about media & messaging. Which maybe is tied to policy for some, but not for me

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

Which straightforward emotional concept?

My concise point: "these ppl tell themselves a hateful story & pin their real struggles on it. Opposing this requires an understanding of how they make the fake stories attach to real & visceral feelings."

What does that have to do with policy?

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

You should look at the numbers then. 90 million people didn't vote. That's about 1/3 of the population. You don't even need a majority of that group, just moving 10% of these people will rebalance the electorate.

Also encouraging people to register is HUGE.

www.usnews.com/news/nationa...

www.usnews.com

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

It's about easy catharsis & easy feelings. It's about getting good feelings for them to soothe the pain from the real problems. & some of these problems are limited in scope. For a trans person, it's life or death, for these ppl it's an amorphous athletic achievement that wasn't guaranteed at all.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 9h

Imo they use hate to escape actually confronting their problems. I think it's easier to claim the gifted athlete in your daughter's division is trans than actually confront the limitations of your child. Easier to hate a minority, real or imagined, than work harder & actually get better results.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 10h

If a bunch of bigots would rather be against healthcare for everyone bc a minority gets it, there's ten cancer patients/chronic pain sufferers/ppl who get injured working who are just looking for a reason to be activated. A significant amount of Americans don't vote, the goal is to activate *them*.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 10h

They are. Some people are cruel & selfish. What's great is that the selfishness isn't limited to only hating minorities.

Don't diffuse the feelings. That's the job of a mental health expert. The solution is to find a stickier narrative that appeals to a group of ppl that drown them out.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 10h

Well, I don't think all their problems are material. I think most of their problems are more social-emotional & have more to do with how they feel about their lives more than specific factors, which is why I'm talking about narrative crafting & emotional beats & not policy solutions

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 10h

Yes! this is the actual point I'm getting at. I'm not talking about solutions or anything. I'm trying to talk about there's a science to this narrative crafting for reactionaries & people pay their bills crafting these narratives. Understanding the phenomenon better leads to more effective counters.

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Tim (Exia) Ross @exiaross.bsky.social · 10h

I don't think they care about the actual problems being fixed at all, lol. I just think these people have real problems and real anger. Those real emotions and real stakes are then transferred onto any minority group as an excuse to exact hurt on them. Lol, I have an entire separate theory on that

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