It's not that there are more of "them". It's not the policies. "It's the propaganda, stupid"!

[NRaleighLiberal]

No, I am not calling out any DUers - or any Dems. Just wanted to get your attention!

We can't tie ourselves up in knots doubting how our party approaches issues (of course, we are a big tent and tweaks are always helpful). We can't tie ourselves up in all of these pleas to "build a bridge, reach out to them, try to understand".

Fuck that. Why is it ALWAYS we who is supposed to reach out and be understanding? Again...FUCK THAT.

We are seeing what happens when a party is in lockstep mode - where they crave authoritarian rule. We are seeing when a party boils every issue down to a two or three word meme, which completely avoids the complexity and nuance of just about all issues.

Mostly, we are seeing what happens when a hugely well funded and organized right wing noise machine, via TV and radio - and for the last four years, the white house (I will capitalize it again once Joe and Kamala move in) pushes lies and misinformation, repeated again and again and again and again and again and again.

Add the echo chamber to all of this - twitter, facebook et al - and we have what we now have....lots of low info voters, stupid voters, ignorant voters, scared voters, non voters, one issue voters (did I forget to add the factor of preaching from the pulpit from so many screwed up organized religions - focused on money and power?)

I don't have the answer, but unless some of the above is fixed, the majority of Americans - and I do believe most Americans have a liberal bias (the truth certainly does) - will end up being screwed by the current minority. They will not relinquish power easily.

It is a harder road, we who think and feel and process - we who are inclusive - travel. we engage our brains and our feelings.

But it is worth it - it MUST be solved, for our future (those pesky things called COVID and Climate Change)

[Shermann]

1. Well I imagine that "minority" party has been doing some hand-wringing of their own

They've only won the presidential popular vote once in the last 20 years.

They've always resisted mail-in voting, but the cat appears to be out of the bag on that.

Losing the youth vote is never a good thing for the long-term viability of your party.

Their former presidents and presidential candidates are no longer highly regarded by Republicans themselves unless you go all the way back to Reagan. Trump's not quite disgraced yet but he'll get there. This is in stark contrast with the Democratic view of their elders. Hell even Jimmy Carter has made a comeback.

Voters notice these things.

[luv2fly]

2. It's not ALL, but is largely radio

We have no presence on the airwaves but for a mere smattering here and there, and very little in red country. Until the Dems reverse this and level the radio playing field, we will be fighting uphill.

[Bettie]

3. I hear people say "Radio isn't important anymore"

but it is. In rural areas, AM talk radio is on all the time and it makes a mark.

A good long-term strategy would be to find some wealthy Democrat who is willing to do what the right wing did: invest in radio and ensure total, constant coverage, and understand that it isn't for a profit, it is for a longer term goal.

Won't happen, but it would help.

[The Genealogist]

7. "find some wealthy Democrat who is willing to do what the right wing did..."

This, exactly! The RW propaganda machine is not going to neutralize itself.

[Bettie]

9. And it really does mean losing money for a good long time

that is why we have right wing talk radio.

They lost money for years, probably still do, but the people with the money care more about the long term goal than the profits, because the hate they generate makes more money than the losses in the radio networks. In many markets, they are the ONLY message out there.

[The Genealogist]

13. I think the country's quite worth it for a a few well off folks to loose a little money.

If I had any money, I'd do it. Fighting fascism is worth it.

[Bettie]

15. Agreed

I just wish I had that kind of cash because it is an investment that would pay off, even if it took a while.

[Trueblue Texan]

4. I used to believe it was possible to bridge the divide...

...I've tried dozens, hundreds of times. The best I ever got was being accused of not being the liberal I professed to be because...
1. you're not crazy
2. You make too much sense to be a liberal
3. You only think you're a liberal but you're more like me than any liberal.

You cannot bridge the gap to those devoted to their willful ignorance.

My position now is to snub those morons. They simply are not good enough human beings to be worthy of my friendship or company. They need to stay away from me. I will not tolerate their ignorance and stupidity any more than I would tolerate someone who was willfully evil...for willful ignorance simply is evil. This means I have walked away from many, many friends. So be it. I am better for it.

[gulliver]

5. If it helps, don't think of reaching out as reaching out. Think of it as "fixing" them.

They're equivalent concepts, but it might be more emotionally satisfying to some to think of changing minds in the latter way. I want to fix them. I don't see it as swallowing my pride and the righteousness of the Dem cause, and don't see it as compromising. They've got a bunch of wrong ideas, their media feeds them crap, and they're struggling like we all are with modernity. We want them to operate correctly for our own good, not just for theirs.

In "fixing" them, we're not really fixing them, either. That is also an imperfect analogy and one that many would find offensive. We just need to listen for what can be done at any given moment, independent of how it might feel. If it feels right, think again. If it feels wrong, think again.

Rescuing them. Deprogramming them. Reaching out to them. Same thing.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. yes, it will be as difficult as deprogramming cult members...

which is really, really difficult.

[mr_lebowski]

10. Unfortunately a great many of them are legitimately defective people ...

Or perhaps more accurately ... less evolved. Still largely possessing the mindset of simpler creatures like reptiles or perhaps to be generous Bears and similar more solitary mammals. They think they're a world unto themselves, all that matters is 'themselves and what they perceive to be theirs'. Everyone and everything else, including nature/wild animals ... is not be trusted, nor cared about.

The larger concepts of society, humanity, life on planet earth ... is just not something they understand 'caring about'. They can grasp the concept of caring for 'country', but that's mainly because it triggers their instinct to protect their personal, physical territory. Like pretty much all animals do.

They're just different, genetically, their brains are wired different. And for a great many of them, it cannot be fixed.

And perhaps it's how it's meant to be, that it's best for species survival as a whole to have it consist of half-them, half-us, roughly.

If you look at it at another basic level ... they are the males, and we are the females of the species.

[lettucebe]

11. Been waiting for someone to notice it's a propaganda machine we are fighting

How to fight propaganda? Don't know but I sure hope there are smarter people who do.

[NRaleighLiberal]

18. we can tune it out and turn it off, but "they" won't.

[lame54]

12. It's the turnout

[Demsrule86]

16. We will either learn how to win voters in rural areas and red or purple states or we will be in the

permanent minority. We have an electoral college to deal with and the GOP has been very successful with state legislatures too...We will win with a 50 states strategy...tailoring candidates to the areas they run in and trying to make all politics local. It is the only way at the moment. We are in serious danger of losing the House in 22. I hope and pray we win Georgia.

[NRaleighLiberal]

17. we cannot learn how to win those voters as long as they are tuned in to right wing hate media.

that is the point.

[Demsrule86]

19. Sure we can. All politics are local. We won since Trump was elected. And Biden managed to

win convincingly. Look this is a moderate left at best country and we have frame our issue and pick our candidates accordingly for now. I think in time we will move left but not yet.