Jun 196 min read

Winning Not Whining

In This Blog

Winning Not Whining
We Have Proof: Newly Registered Voter Campaign
Granny Caravan Kicks Off To Media Fanfare
The Race For Congressional Districts 4 and 5 Update
Potpourri: Pro Dems Stuff To Share

1. In Defense Of Our President: Winning, Not Whining

Imagine raising a child in a house where the only conversation is an obsession with an evil, corrupt person who inflicts pain and misery on others—and this is all they hear, which means it is all they know. There is no place in this house for stories about good, hope, and a better future, only fear. How do you think that child is going to turn out? What will their view of the world be? Let in stories of good, hope, and a better future, or you will manifest your destiny and theirs.

We kicked off the Pledge: Silence = Death last week, and thank you to the many people who have responded thus far. Now more than ever, our President needs our support, and the best and easiest way we can do this is by promoting pro-Democrat and pro-Biden information. We can no longer allow the media to profit by pandering to the lowest common denominator and glorifying the Republican opponent, MAGA, and its minions. To earn our marketing dollars and respect, they need to publish news that is worthy, reflective of the good work Biden and Democrats are doing, and engage in fair and accurate reporting. We ensure they do this by withholding our attention from scandalous posts, articles, and news programs, and by directing our subscription dollars, likes, comments, and shares to what is strengthening our country and building a future where we all thrive.

Everywhere we turn, we see the need for us to do better in our management of the media. Last Sunday, while on the stairmaster at the gym, I watched Fox, Fox Sunday Edition, and CNN. Fox was defending Biden against the inaccurate portrayal of him in recent social media posts. Fox Sunday Edition criticized the congressional GOP for blocking Democratic-led legislation to bring ethics standards to the Supreme Court. However, CNN was a steady drumbeat of Trump, Trump, Trump...

The Lincoln Project has become well known for their defense of Democratic values, and a person wrote to me saying I should follow their media posts because they "get it right." I looked at the last ten Instagram posts of the Lincoln Project, and every one of them was about Trump, Trump, Trump. Not a good word to be had for the good being done in our great nation by Biden and our Democratic leadership.

Harry Sisson is a name you might know, and if you don't, you should look him up. He is young and was one of the strongest proponents of Democratic action among social media influencers. He's been to the White House and recently received accolades from CNN for his work with the youth vote. When he started, he was all about supporting Democrats, but when Democrats switched from promoting Biden to bashing Trump, so did he. Now his feeds are almost exclusively about Trump, with barely a mention of Biden.

Not even Biden’s well-paid campaign managers can find anything good to say about him. The Biden campaign is spending $50 million to launch advertisements, like this one, about—you guessed it—Trump. The first three seconds of a video are critical, as 50% of viewers drop off, and another 50% after seven seconds. Biden doesn't appear in his own video until thirteen seconds in!

Silence DJT and MAGA Dies — What does it say about us when we have nothing good to say about our President

It is our obligation to help turn this around. If the media remains obsessed with Trump and even the Biden Campaign is at a loss for anything good to say about Biden, then the media can reframe any story so that down is literally up, as seen in polling showing people believe crime is up and the economy is tanking. Sadly, those most consuming this media are Democrats because MAGA supporters are watching media that is pro-Trump and anti-Biden, which looks a lot like too much of the rest of the media right now.

2. We Have Proof: Newly Registered Voter Campaign

Rural Americans United's Newly Registered Voter Campaign is set to launch this month reaching out to over 30,000 potential new voters. Under the excellent guidance of our steering committee, our database of Washington State voter data is built, we have a list of eager volunteers, we have lined up a union printer, contacted every Democratic party in Central and Eastern Washington with the exception of Columbia County (does anyone have contact information for Columbia County Dems?), submitted two grant requests for additional funding, and confirmed our messaging strategy.

Why are we reaching out to newly registered voters? This group is largely composed of youth and new citizens. They have no voting history and will fall outside the boundaries of most campaign strategies. It is strategically imperative that we make first contact, "immunize" them against the far-right and MAGA rhetoric, develop a dialogue with them to offer an alternative and informed option, and include them in the democratic process.

Our messaging strategy is not traditionally issues-based, but broader. We believe, and studies support, that the majority of this group, particularly youth, has low knowledge of issues, low interest in specific issues as a driver of their daily decisions, and will find the specificity of healthcare, education, and party politics too obtuse and unrelatable. Instead, we have approached it from a contextual perspective, relating to life events and emotions. Here is the first proof draft. Language and editing are not confirmed, but this should give a good idea of our direction.

This project will reach over 30,000 newly registered voters in Central and Eastern Washington. Additionally, we are working with local Democratic parties and organizations to further target specific races and build support for our candidates. We need your support. These are union-printed postcards, and all the labor is volunteer, but it still costs money.

3. Granny Caravan Kicks Off To Media Fanfare

The Granny Caravan: Unity Road Tour kicked off to much fanfare. Shirley and Roz were featured on Spokane public radio and in local newspapers like the Newport Miner. Stopping in Deer Park and Newport, they met many people who shared their concerns. This information is being collected and will be later summarized for distribution to all candidates. It is important that our candidates hear from people in small communities they otherwise would not. Follow along on their page to see if they will be stopping in your town soon.

4. The Race For Congressional Districts 4 and 5 Update

The Congressional House races for districts 4 and 5 are well underway. With less than two months until the primary, all eyes are on the candidates to see who can "bring it" and make it through to the primary. Both districts 4 and 5 are crowded with Democrats, making it an exceptional challenge for them to reach the general election.

We have outlined a real path to victory for Democrats in congressional district 5, and with this being an open seat, it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that will determine whether extreme far-right politics continues to strangle rural Washington. However, it appears this is a high-stakes race of personalities rather than party unity, and the future of 1.5 million people living in Central and Eastern Washington is at stake. Below is the FEC reporting of campaign contributions for the first quarter of 2024. What I see as encouraging here is that the top Republican candidate has only raised $400,000, which may suggest they are expecting an easy win. Perhaps an unexpected surprise by Democrats might upset the apple cart. Unfortunately, Democrats are not well known for unexpected surprises..

Congressional District 4 candidates Muchlinski and Baechler have not filed FEC reports according to the FEC online public archive. Next filing deadline is July 15, 2024.

Congressional District 5 WA FEC reporting

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