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James Trout's avatar

That's irrelevant. Rightly or wrongly fear sells. We do ourselves and the American people no favors by pretending that the electorate is rational.

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benamery21's avatar

It’s not irrelevant, recognizing this is the first logical step in counter-acting it. Unanswered propaganda is very effective, yes. That doesn’t mean it’s a natural, unavoidable state of affairs.

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benamery21's avatar

Appeals to lizard brain are not limited to the current slate.

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James Trout's avatar

It also doesn't help when some on the left insist and insist and insist that Democrats embrace words and phrases that THEY like.......but nobody else does. This is precisely what happened with the "Defund" nonsense. Many of us rational Democrats - those of us who accept that the USA is not Vermont or NYC politically or demographically - said "reform the police" in response. We were told "Republican lite" or "not good enough." Never mind the fact to most Americans, defund = abolish/eliminate. And all the "explaining" in the world is NOT going to change that simple fact.

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Oceanblaze17's avatar

You’re 100% correct.

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benamery21's avatar

Did you know that the majority of people killed by strangers in this country are killed by cops?

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James Trout's avatar

Good luck with telling that to the American electorate. "Democrats don't care about your safety!"

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benamery21's avatar

The fact that every adult in the country doesn’t know this is part of the gaping hole in messaging that’s not being filled by the idiots backing messengers like Eric Adams.

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James Trout's avatar

Nope. It's because the police are a sacred cow in this country. In the eyes of the majority, to insult or trash one police officer is to insult or trash ALL police officers. There's a word for politicians who bank on the rationality of votes: losers.

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benamery21's avatar

Trust in cops is neither monolithic nor immutable, as we saw in 2020. There’s more than enough police misconduct to run a story every minute of every day.

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James Trout's avatar

That doesn't mean Democrats can afford to be seen as "anti police" or "anti safety." I'm not going to pretend that the electorate is rational. Had to learn that lesson the hard way back in 2004.

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Oceanblaze17's avatar

Yeah exactly. Being anti-cop is a political loser.

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