We also need to come up with compelling ways to demonstrate to people how the rightwing media ecosystem has been lying to them. Billboards and social media ads that explicitly show what's really happening, in ways that resonate with the targeted audience, vs. what they're being told. Just offering a leftwing version of the same thing isn't enough. We must break the hold that these media outlets have over so many people's minds.
I'm pretty sure both sides did some fibbing last election... Didn't the Dems tell us Biden was sharp as a tack - "smartest person at the table"? The truth is now it's coming out... You can read about it below. My point is, if you're so partisan you can't admit your side's lies, calling the other side "liars" is simply an eyeroller. https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/26/media/joe-biden-book-jake-tapper-alex-thompson
We need a Project 2029 playbook. A basic, rational, restrained map to a government that delivers basic services fairly and efficiently, doesn’t meddle in social engineering, that appeals to the majority of Americans from all walks of life. It should be pleasantly boring, a relief from chaos and hyper-partisanism, break the Red-Blue duopoly.
Well said. Anne Applebaum and Peter Pomerantsev are starting a new project at Johns Hopkins Agora Institute to research how pro-democracy advocates can reach a larger demographic. Right now, we (I include myself as a pro-democracy advocate) are "Singing to the Choir". I brought this up with Anne a year ago, she introduced me to Peter, and we are off and running. https://snfagora.jhu.edu/project/arena/
Everyone is soliciting for money, including me, so look it up and donate if you can.
Money in politics is the problem, not the solution. And, by the way, it doesn't matter if it's $10M from 10M people, or $10M from 1 person. Relying on money to communicate with voters and win elections is the problem. If we don't change the system of paid advertising as voter information, elections will always be up for sale to the highest bidder. We have the "tech" right now (today) to change that... I'd be happy to demo.
The way "we protect democracy" is by creating a "level playing field" in election campaigning (the one we all used to talk about) and getting big money/special interests out of elections. It's really that simple.
Thanks for the excellent article! One way or another, we need a new big tent that welcomes and exemplifies perhaps 70% of Americans. When you talk about reforms though, I see the same conundrum we've had since 2016. Trump exploits an entrenched two-party system where his opposition acts differently with different audiences in hopes of holding onto support over a fairly large spectrum. His advantage: a very narrow spectrum along with disaffected voters to his "left". I see you link to reform via proportional representation voting. I still haven't seen how there will be enough reform to facilitate this new Big Tent. Shouldn't that more internal reform be solved first? And what should the major actors (DNC, substack pundits, and other thought leaders) be working on in order to ensure the necessary critical mass for a successful new Big Tent?
Trump gave the media a hit show. It's that simple. In a world where there is no place (no tools) to compare candidates side by side and organize our ballot/vote, it's all about publicity.
We also need to come up with compelling ways to demonstrate to people how the rightwing media ecosystem has been lying to them. Billboards and social media ads that explicitly show what's really happening, in ways that resonate with the targeted audience, vs. what they're being told. Just offering a leftwing version of the same thing isn't enough. We must break the hold that these media outlets have over so many people's minds.
I'm pretty sure both sides did some fibbing last election... Didn't the Dems tell us Biden was sharp as a tack - "smartest person at the table"? The truth is now it's coming out... You can read about it below. My point is, if you're so partisan you can't admit your side's lies, calling the other side "liars" is simply an eyeroller. https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/26/media/joe-biden-book-jake-tapper-alex-thompson
We need a Project 2029 playbook. A basic, rational, restrained map to a government that delivers basic services fairly and efficiently, doesn’t meddle in social engineering, that appeals to the majority of Americans from all walks of life. It should be pleasantly boring, a relief from chaos and hyper-partisanism, break the Red-Blue duopoly.
Well said. Anne Applebaum and Peter Pomerantsev are starting a new project at Johns Hopkins Agora Institute to research how pro-democracy advocates can reach a larger demographic. Right now, we (I include myself as a pro-democracy advocate) are "Singing to the Choir". I brought this up with Anne a year ago, she introduced me to Peter, and we are off and running. https://snfagora.jhu.edu/project/arena/
Everyone is soliciting for money, including me, so look it up and donate if you can.
Money in politics is the problem, not the solution. And, by the way, it doesn't matter if it's $10M from 10M people, or $10M from 1 person. Relying on money to communicate with voters and win elections is the problem. If we don't change the system of paid advertising as voter information, elections will always be up for sale to the highest bidder. We have the "tech" right now (today) to change that... I'd be happy to demo.
The way "we protect democracy" is by creating a "level playing field" in election campaigning (the one we all used to talk about) and getting big money/special interests out of elections. It's really that simple.
Thanks for the excellent article! One way or another, we need a new big tent that welcomes and exemplifies perhaps 70% of Americans. When you talk about reforms though, I see the same conundrum we've had since 2016. Trump exploits an entrenched two-party system where his opposition acts differently with different audiences in hopes of holding onto support over a fairly large spectrum. His advantage: a very narrow spectrum along with disaffected voters to his "left". I see you link to reform via proportional representation voting. I still haven't seen how there will be enough reform to facilitate this new Big Tent. Shouldn't that more internal reform be solved first? And what should the major actors (DNC, substack pundits, and other thought leaders) be working on in order to ensure the necessary critical mass for a successful new Big Tent?
Trump gave the media a hit show. It's that simple. In a world where there is no place (no tools) to compare candidates side by side and organize our ballot/vote, it's all about publicity.