A Step by Step Guide to Winning Hearts and Minds---and Making Trump Lose
I posted these in another thread but I figured I ought to put them together in their own thread for easy reference. These are some suggestions about how to kick start the recount.
We have to win hearts as well as minds so how do we pull the heart strings of the average (math challenged) Americans?
First---make them understand that the hack happened and that it very likely came from outside the country. When a sitting president was selected for a second time due to an exit poll/tabulated vote discrepancy in Ohio in 2004, the average voter said to himself "Everything is fair in American politics." However, he would have been a little bit more alarmed (as in hopping mad) if he thought that another country--say China--had hacked the election. Because the average math challenged American has something analogous to white privilege. Call it U.S. Citizen privilege. He or she knows that if he or she is kidnapped by a foreign power and held hostage, the whole world will take notice. Because we are Americans. Duh.
No American wants to think that he or she has a puppet president. Because then we lose our American privilege.
Second: Talk about how the hackers are calling Americans "dumb" and how we've been "cheated."
It's true. In 2004, the Bush administration at least did the American voter the courtesy of trying to prevent tell-tale exit polls by trying to make pollsters stay far away from the polls. It happened early on election day in Ohio. The reliability of exit polls is inversely proportional to distance from polling places (and yes, I know I just waded into deep waters that will make math challenged Americans scream and swim for shore but bear with me, I am getting there). The news media wasn't having any of it. They went to court, got an injunction, did their exit polls--and then made a devil's bargain with the Bush administration in exchange for suppressing the polls--but not before the cow got out of the barn and we learned about them.
Recall that on election night, the Bush family was terrified that the nation would notice the exit poll/tabulated vote discrepancy. The whole family got together on television in a show of mock bravery and they looked like deers caught in a headlight. The fear was palpable. They attacked Fallujah in an attempt to divert the nation. They "came together" over the Tsunami. It was touch and go there for a while.
Did you notice Trump's scared expression on election night? He knew what Poppy Bush knew--that the exit polls would not match the tabulated vote in some key areas. He too was afraid that someone would notice.
So far, the members of the press are acting like penguins at the edge of a cliff. The water below is full of fish and the penguins are hungry. But each of them is afraid to be the first for fear that there are orcas or sharks in the water. They are waiting for someone else to go first.
Who will go first? Won't be KO this time. He does not have a network. I suggest someone who has down home credentials. Like Garrison Keeler. Someone who can talk "plain talk." And he or she needs to explain to Americans that they have just been slapped on the face by a foreign power that thinks that we will not notice that there are discrepancies in the tabulated vote that can not be explained by chance. Use gambling analogies, sports analogies---many American who consider themselves bad at math are pretty good at math when it comes to making a bet. For example---
What would Americans say if the winner of a big lottery turned out to be the second cousin of one of the software programmers? What would they say if certain online poker players seemed to be able to read their opponents cards? What about if a quarterback fumbles the crucial catch in the Superbowl, causing an upset win by the other player? Howe many Americans would sit still for that? Or if the umpire made a stupid call that made the underdogs win the World Series?
Third: the press is mad as hell. Use their anger. Massage their egos at the same time.
From what I hear, Trump just took a dump all over some media celebrities who think they are pretty hot. Media celebrities do not like that. In addition, the press' finest moment in recent memory was Watergate, when the press took down a president whom they hated and who mocked them and threatened to put a media moguls "tits in a ringer" (John Mitchell actually but close enough and they got him, too).
They are probably anticipating more Deep Throat and Watergate action this, time, too. However with Congress in Republican hands, they won't get too far with that. Therefore, if they want to flex their muscles and show that they are important, they need to do it now.
All we have to do is heap massive praise on the first one or two media news penguins to leap into those dangerous, icy fish and shark filled waters. The other side will haver a cross and nails ready, but we can exploit that. A martyr is good for the cause too--and look what martyrdom did for the career of Bill Maher.
Four: characterize the recount as the "Challenge". Americans love to Challenge.
"Recount" sounds like math. I love math. But I'm weird. The average American hates math, but loves a challenge. They like excitement. They like action. They like to think of themselves as mavericks---
And while we are at it, why aren't self described mavericks like John McCain challenging the vote? Anyone who wants to show that they have political "balls" should be all over this. One on one against Trump in the ring of public opinion. That's a battle arena many Americans would be happy to enter.
"Challenge the election!" Don't "recount the vote."
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