A recent episode covering pay gaps between CEOs and regular workers made me think of just how much agreement there is among Americans for so many issues. This led me to think of potential ways that we as a community could amplify these as a way to create some momentum and make them impossible to ignore by mainstream media and congress.
Here are some ideas that I think could help accomplish this goal:
Cover stories about things we agree on more regularly in the main show, TDR, Indisputable, etc.
Interview law makers (including MAGA), celebrities, and mainstream media pundits specifically about these topics.
Go on other shows like Cenk and Ana have been doing (but extend this to other hosts too), and make it a priority to bring up these points of agreement.
Also, just to point out some of these topics:
Paid family leave
Reduced CEO pay
Common sense background checks for firearm sales
Regulating corporation price gauging, especially for food
Regulating pharmaceutical prices. Bring them down to the prices in comparable countries
Regulating corporation’s meddling with the housing market (Blackrock, etc.)
Making election day a holiday
And the biggest of them all… getting money out of politics!
Being a “Progressive” here in Kentucky; I can tell you that we agree on a lot of stuff here. If I am talking to a neighbor about a political issue and leave out party politics we can come to an agreement on about 75% of them. BUT; the second I say “Bernie thinks” or “AOC is for” or even “Biden is in favor” the discussion devolves into a “Them vs Us” argument and nothing is accomplished.
Fascinating. I have a friend and even though we agree on many things, apparently we don’t agree on some very substantial issues and very often find ourselves deep in some argument. She describes herself as “Progressive” but she’s actually much more a “neo-liberal.” I’m a socialist and she prefers some sort of regulated capitalism. She believes change will take longer than her life and it’s ok. I’m in a hurry and unwilling to take only baby steps. She is a staunch supporter of Israel no matter what form its government takes (though she would not be sad if Bibi was gone). As we are both Jews, this one can lead to much distress on both our parts.
I guess it depends on how deeply we want to look at agreements and differences.
Yeah, I often talk to Republican voters who recognize that the Republican establishment is screwing them over in favor of their donors. I always point out the Democratic establishment does the same to Dems. That tends to build a connection, Then, just when I think I’m making headway, they utter one of those right wing talking points about the Left. Even if the talking point runs counter to to a point they and I just agreed upon.
Yes to all of this! It sounds like the “Common Corner” idea we’ve been discussing during the Wednesday Town Hall Zoom meetings. I love this strategy so much!
I’ve been thinking that another commonality is people affiliated with both parties wish that there were more options for candidates in lieu of the heavily entrenched two-party system we currently have.
That experience (not specifically about donor money) is one that I’ve found repeated in my daily life, and usually spirals down to ending the conversation or turning it into an argument. In a different thread I had suggested that we try to have a collection of talking points that help us talk to people who have bought into the gaslighting.
It’s difficult to have a conversation with someone who isn’t bringing truth into the talks, but it would make things a little easier for anyone who doesn’t want to give in or give up during a face to face conversation with someone if we had collective phrases and responses. Much like the maga movement has ridiculous buzz word laden statements to try to shut down a debate or forum, I think it would benefit everyone if we had more disarming and factual statements to keep the discussion going.
If TYT ends up doing this like they do the Operation Hope Tuesdays every week; we can create a thread in here and over in the Discord for people to post in for the segments like we did for it
I think it is also important to differentiate between hard core MAGA and more casual Trump supporters. My niece’s father-in-law is a Trump supporter, but not really in the cult. I see him 2 or 3 times a year, and have been able to engage him by pointing out the differences between Trump’s promises and his actions. This is where the facts and talking points you refer to come into play. The facts I use with him are different than those I use with my Trump-loving pizza delivery guy. Having an on-going relationship allows me to individualize. Of course, it is tougher when I am dealing with one-time encounters, but I ask them questions to ascertain what is most likely to resonate with them.
I totally agree. My dad voted for tRump in 2016 but I wouldn’t call him a MAGAt. There are a ton of people out there that are just choosing who they think is not the worst; not who is the best. Engaging with them would be a huge thing.
I was an educator by trade, so I am pretty good at providing facts, information and analysis. My Achilles heel is that I loathe misinformation. So when I hear one of those bogus talking points, my impulse is to immediately debunk it. It was s-o-o-o hard learning to listen to respectfully, then ask them why they believe what they believe. It usually pays off, though. My father-in-law is a never Trumper, but he still gets talking points from right wing media. My first breakthrough was when he accused Biden of reducing oil production. I asked him how much oil was produced under Trump, and how much under Biden. He didn’t know of course, so I asked, “then how do you know who drilled more?” He was stumped. The next day, I showed him figures from the US Energy Information Administration, which has been tracking US monthly oil production since the 1800s. We did an Excel spreadsheet that gave a side-by-side comparison of the monthly average number of barrels produced during Trump’s first 3 years, vs Biden’s he was stunned to see that Biden beat Trump every month, except for one. Then I reminded him that I am no fan of Biden or Trump either, and that I hate the drilling, but facts are facts. My credibility with him increased tremendously on that topic. But there are still the topic of labor unions, student loan debt forgiveness, etc. It is a slow, steady process, but worth it. He thinks he achieves a balanced perspective by watching CNN and NewsMaxx, so I have to fight that battle as well.
@bpbruno02 is definitely on to something here. Plenty of the shows on TYT cover these topics, but I don’t see a lot of focus on how much maga and progressive agree. It is definitely mentioned, but if it was something brought up more frequently it could have a double positive effect. More show = more clips, more views = more awareness. Could even lead to some more members joining who otherwise wouldn’t have ever stomached a little taste of Cenk rage or a sprinkling of Ana salt.