The Barr Coverup

[Luka Boyd]

I don't understand why every Democrat, when speaking about the Barr report doesn't refer to it as the "Barr coverup". We need to learn a lesson about messaging from the Cons. Just like they said, "crooked Hillary" every time they mentioned her, we need to say "the Barr Coverup" each time we mention this "report" fiasco.

[Bettie]

1. Messaging is the biggest area our side can improve

we need to hammer this one home every time there is a mic in front of any Democrat.

[NewJeffCT]

3. agreed on messaging

Democrats are almost always terrible at it, while Republicans are great at repeating the daily talking points.

[Bettie]

6. I think it is because our side doesn't generally include authoritarians

and thus, we're not in lock-step on everything.

Their side demands and receives absolute, unquestioning obedience, because the majority of them are authoritarians at heart.

I guess it is the price we pay for a diverse set of viewpoints.

[watoos]

20. The real reason is that the M$M

is complicit with the far right. American oligarchs own the M$M and they get to control the message.

If the M$M were really fair and balanced Trump would be impeached by now, instead we are condemning 2 Democrats who had the guts to try to pass a bill to impeach Trump. We are going along with right wing talking points that Medicare for all is too expensive, we are going along with right wing talking points that the Green New Deal is unrealistic.

We need to look at the log in our own eye before we condemn the splinter in others.

It's hard to buck Republicans because they control the M$M.

[happy feet]

26. Thank-you

Every time the media mentions the Mueller report said - they should correctly say Bob Barr's interpretation of the Mueller report.

[Bettie]

28. That is huge as well

but our side isn't great with talking points either.

[KPN]

35. The M$M part of it, but I don't think its the "real reason" personally. I just think we suck at it

compared to the GOP. We tend to forget "it's not what you say, but how they hear it" as Frank Luntz says. On the whole, we tend to use intellectual as opposed to emotional triggers. Can't we do both better?

I do agree that we need to see the plank in our own eye ... we do have too many who acquiesce in the face of and, as a result, end up validating M$M messaging on issues and proposals. We don't consistently push the one message that the majority of Democrats support -- and that includes majority of elected Democrats, majority of Democratic voters.

[renate]

43. "... we tend to use intellectual as opposed to emotional triggers"

YES.

This is SUCH an important distinction. And it’s one that comes naturally to most Democrats, for better or worse, but you can’t use reason to argue somebody out of a position that they didn’t use reason to get into.

[NewJeffCT]

41. if the MSM was fair and balanced

Trump's campaign would have died when he announced that Mexico was sending rapists and criminals to the US - you know, the day he announced.

[FiveGoodMen]

44. "I guess it is the price we pay for a diverse set of viewpoints"

Or, losing elections is the price we pay for not having a clear message.

And the price we pay for losing is ... Trump.

[Bettie]

46. Probably a little of both

we do have diverse viewpoints and our messages tend to be more nuanced than a one phrase sound bite (byte?).

[DownriverDem]

33. Marketing

repubs are the party of corps and business. They have always been masters of marketing. We need folks that have this marketing skill too.

[KPN]

36. Yup. It's all about communication and appeal. The GOP appeals to people's feelings. Meanwhile,

we try to appeal to intellect forgetting that most of us act on the basis of our feelings most of the time.

[Harker]

14. Dull, hammering repetition

Last edited Thu Mar 28, 2019, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

is a republican oratorical trait... and they know it works. Their target audience laps it up while we roll our eyes at the inanity of it.

[Ferrets are Cool]

24. This

It is our weakness

[Auggie]

27. YES!!!

[awesomerwb1]

31. I agree. It's disappointing how horrible Dems are at messaging

We need to get rid of the circular firing squad as well.

Let's defeat trump first. Purity tests can wait.

[KPN]

32. And we've been saying it forever. At least since Frank Luntz became chief message crafter for

Gingrich in the early 90s. Luntz is the guy who coined "death tax", "climate change" as opposed to global warming (that one goes back to the early 2000s when GW realized that the science of global warming was close to foreclosing the current argument about the "science&quot , and a gazillion pejoratives about Democrats and liberals we now hear daily from the GOP and right-wingers generally.

We do have some folks who are good at messaging, but we're definitely not as consistent with it as the GOP. And I'm dumbfounded that after all these years, we haven't been able to duplicate what the GOP does. Why is that?

And to top things off, because we can't, because we tend to use intellectual instead of emotional arguments, we get labeled "elite"!

[berni_mccoy]

2. It's simple. If Mueller disagreed with Barr's assessment, do you think he would...

A) Remain silent, or
B) Contact ranking members of Congress to subpoena either him or the report

I have a suspicion that Mueller has no problem with Barr's assessment, which means that even if Barr has covered up some things in the report, it is not material to getting rid of Trump et. al.

[NewJeffCT]

4. I doubt Mueller would disagree with his boss in public

He's said he is willing to testify, so I think that is a signal right there.

[uponit7771]

5. Yes, seeing people are already calling it a cover up Mueller can do just opposite & declare Barr ...

... related the gist and substance of his report accurately.

He hasn't and it would be in the public best interest that Mueller way in one way or the other and he hasn't.

So yes, Mueller would stay silent either way

[JI7]

8. he said he would testify to congress

[uponit7771]

9. True, I'm talking about right now ... Mueller is silent while Moscow Mitch et al bury the report

... and we don't know if Barr's summary is what he is portraying.

Mueller can end that right now and say Barr's accounting does or doesn't relay his report accurately.

[watoos]

21. Mueller bashing is a right wing talking point.

I intend to wait to see the Mueller report, so far all we have seen is the Barr report.

[JI7]

7. what's imporant is the report be released. Mueller being public won't do much

at this point. and trump and his shit followers will just do to him as they have done with romney McCabe and others.

the media will follow and Mueller will just be seen as a partisan type

[RAB910]

10. They should

but getting the Democrats to do anything as a group is like herding cats

[KPN]

37. Where's Lyndon Johnson when we need him?

[swimboy]

11. Or the Barr Obstruction

even though that sounds vaguely anatomical

[KPN]

38. Sounds intellectual. Coverup is plain language that people respond to.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

47. Maybe we should call it the Barr Boo-boo?

[barbtries]

12. that's a good idea.

I will.

[Stuart G]

13. K and R nt.

[samnsara]

15. hashtag it

[California_Republic]

16. Barr coverup

Barr suppresses the report.

Deep sixed the report

[ProudProgressiveNow]

17. KR NT

[bigbrother05]

18. The Barr Coverup to protect the Trump Junta

They show wear the labels that tell us who they are.

El Jefe and his cadre are dragging our Nation through a dystopian nightmare.

[2naSalit]

19. Excellent point!

[PatrickforO]

22. You got me! The Barr coverup it is!

Barr is nothing but a party hack, and this is clearly a coverup.

[CrispyQ]

23. We conceded the narrative to the GOP decades ago. -nt

[watoos]

25. I guarantee that the use of "Barr coverup"

will never see the light of day in the M$M, including msnbc.

It's not that Democrats don't stick together, that's a part of the problem, it's that the M$M will go to an all out attack on Democrats who stray from the right wing narratives, and Democrats know this.

Face the facts, corporate America controls the narrative, it takes people like AOC who have the ability to change the far right message, yet there are plenty of people here who don't support AOC. IMO she is the best thing that happened to the Democratic party, someone who can change the narrative. Speaker Pelosi can do it because the M$M must cover her. Al Franken could do it, it's why they got rid of him.

It may not be the right time to impeach Trump, but it also isn't the right time to bash 2 Democrats who introduced a bill to do so. Anyone disagree that there is enough out there right now to impeach Trump? Yeah, yeah I know the Senate, there will never be enough votes in the Senate to convict Trump so I guess that impeachment is off the table.

[humbled_opinion]

29. He needs to be in front

of the House Judiciary Committee NOW!!!

[Dr. T]

30. I've said it before and I'll say it again ....

The right bludgeons us with the term "radical left wing liberal socialist" whenever they can work it in to the conversation. We need to begin half of our sentences with "radical right wing conservative fascist". Taking it a step further, those on the right have managed to turn the term "liberal" into a disgusting epithet. We need to bring that same attitude to the term "conservative".

[California_Republic]

34. Just a bunch of BARRSHIT

[KPN]

39. I agree. Great idea! Plain and simple language that expresses exactly what we want the public to

hear is always better. The "Barr Report" doesn't do that. It only differntiates it from the Mueller Report leaving the listener to discern on his/her own what the meaning of the difference is. Say what we mean for crying out loud!

[lagomorph777]

40. +1 That's a nice simple and accurate term.

[Sneederbunk]

42. I prefer the Barr Shut Down.

[trueblue2007]

45. The Barr Coverup Crooked Barr

[Lifelong Protester]

48. K&R

Barr cover up.