Category Archives: Republican Messaging

Republican political hopefuls must gamble for or against Trump

Written on January 11, 2021 by in Republican Messaging

The reality that is splitting Republicans apart

After the tumultuous events of last week, including Donald Trump‘s Mafia phone call to Georgia‘s Secretary of State to try to overturn their 2020 presidential election results, the shocking Democratic U.S. Senate runoff election sweeps in Georgia, the certification in the Congress of the Electoral College victory by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and the deadly right wing terrorist invasion of the U.S. Capitol that temporarily halted such certification, many Republican politicians quickly had to make a choice: is their future political career or legacy safer siding with or against Trump? In other words, do these Republicans follow Donald Trump down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, rejecting and trying to overturn state-certified elections, and even inciting terrorism and sedition against the United States? Or do Republican politicians retain a basic belief in reality, government institutions, the 2020 election results, and democracy itself? Here’s where some of these Republicans have lined up in recent days:

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Republicans run distraction playbook on Trump Georgia phone call

Written on January 5, 2021 by in Media Watch, Republican Messaging

Donald Trump busted acting like a Mob boss on the phone

One of the go-to tactics in the Republican playbook is distraction. In particular, when Republicans are caught doing something wrong, they try to distract the media and the public by focusing not on the substance of their wrongdoing, but on who leaked the story of the wrongdoing. We saw that, for example, in 1997, when Republican U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich was caught on an intercepted cell phone call coordinating his response to ethics charges with Republican House leaders Richard Armey, John Boehner and others, in violation of Gingrich’s ethics case settlement. The Republican distraction by focusing on the interception of the call rather than improper call itself, was a success in that instance.

On Sunday, something similar happened with Donald Trump. The Washington Post released the recording of a recent telephone call from Trump to Georgia‘s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, on which Trump begs, cajoles and even threatens Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” to change the certified result of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

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If you don’t like the COVID relief bill, blame Republicans

Written on December 22, 2020 by in Democratic Messaging, Republican Messaging

Thanks to Republicans, stimulus checks are cut in half and come very late

At long last, Congress is has passed a $900 billion follow-up COVID relief bill. The last such legislation, the CARES Act, was passed and signed into law in March, and totaled $2.2 trillion. The CARES Act featured, among other things, “stimulus” payments to many individuals of up to $1200, loans to “small” businesses (with up to 500 employees), and additional unemployment benefits for three months. By mid-May, House Democrats had already passed a follow-up bill, the HEROES Act, often referred to as a “second stimulus,” to provide more assistance as the initial CARES Act relief was running out for almost everyone. However, as with most House legislation, the HEROES Act has languished on Republican U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s desk all this time.

Finally and very late, McConnell and Republican Senators have decided to move forward with new COVID relief legislation. The agreement between Democrats and Republicans provides for the following:

–direct “stimulus” payment checks of up to $600 per adult and child

–further loans to small businesses

–$300 per week in extra unemployment benefits

–mere one-month extension on eviction moratorium

–funding for COVID vaccine distribution, testing contact tracing

–expanded tax deductibility for business meals, a/k/a the “Three Martini Lunch” provision, sought by Donald Trump and Republicans

What did not make it into the legislation were some things sought by Republicans, such as widespread corporate immunity from legal liability, and some things sought by Democrats, such as a larger ($1200) direct stimulus payment, and aid to state and local governments to offset things like lost tax revenues due to decreased tourism. But note the difference in which party sought what.

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Another Republican narrative: Teachers Bad

Written on December 16, 2020 by in Fox "News" Watch, Republican Messaging

Choose your favorite target of Republicans

We like to identify Republican narratives here, so that voters can see the Matrix that Republicans try to place over policy debates, in order to slant those discussions in their favor and even win them before they begin. Publicly identifying such GOP narratives (“Government Bad/Corporations Good,” “Scary Brown People,” “Oil Good/Clean Energy Bad,” etc.) thus takes much of their power away, as folks can point out that a Republican on Fox “News” or elsewhere is simply running the GOP playbook, rather than responding to their biased frame. With that in mind, here’s another Republican narrative we have heard a lot lately:

“Teachers Bad”

For example, here are two situations, both in the context of the COVID pandemic, where Republicans raised the “Teachers Bad” narrative:

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The Republicans’ California contradiction

Written on December 10, 2020 by in Democratic Messaging, Fox "News" Watch, Republican Messaging

California, target of Republican Culture War bashing

In the Republicans’ 24/7 Culture War seen and heard on Fox “News’ and other right wing media, one of their oft-repeated narratives is “California is Bad.” Maybe that is because California has long been on the forefront of many types of change, including cultural and social mores, media influence, political advancement, and business and technological innovation, all of which are antithetical to conservatism. Or maybe it’s because California is a solidly blue state containing more than one-fifth of the electoral votes needed to win the presidency, and has consistently given those electoral votes to the Democrats since 1992, as well as having Democrats in all statewide offices in recent years.

Not surprisingly, therefore, we are now seeing the Republicans run their “California Bad” narrative regarding the COVID pandemic. In particular, there are stories citing negative Republican reaction to California’s recent three-week Regional Stay at Home Order from the California Department of Public Health. The Order prohibits gatherings between different households, requires residents to work from home unless conducting “critical” activities (a long list including healthcare, food service, financial services, transportation, etc.), limits retail store capacity to 20 percent, and contains other restrictions. The reason for California’s Stay at Home Order was that, due to the nationwide explosion of Coronavirus cases that has also affected California, hospital ICU bed availability has fallen below the 15 percent threshold previously deemed an acceptable minimum. Some Republicans even call the California COVID order “Gestapo tactics.” Likewise, South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Monday, claiming that South Dakota is doing better than Illinois, New York and New Jersey in terms of COVID cases. We say that California and other (mostly blue) state governments are acting out of necessity because too many people have behaved carelessly on their own, and Donald Trump has been asleep at the switch.

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Push back on right wing narratives with your own

Written on December 4, 2020 by in Democratic Messaging, Fox "News" Watch, Good Government, Republican Messaging

COVID precautions are one area of competing political narratives

Republicans, with the help of Fox “News” and the Trump administration, are very good at creating and repeating political narratives. Here are a few that you will hear, in one form or another, over and over again:

–Government Bad/Corporations Good

–California and New York Bad

–Unions Bad (except Police unions)

–Scary Brown People (subsets include Blacks = “Thugs,” Hispanics = “Illegals,” Muslims = “Terrorists”)

–Oil Good/Clean Energy Bad

–“You’re on your own”

Moreover, Republicans love to be the aggressors and bring up these narratives all the time, whether at the dinner table, the supermarket aisle or elsewhere. So what to do when Republicans voice their Fox right wing narratives? Well, Republicans shouldn’t have all the fun. We should respond to their right wing narratives with our own narratives.

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Thanksgiving political discussion Democratic translator

Written on November 24, 2020 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents, Fox "News" Watch, Republican Messaging

Hopefully your Thanksgiving dinner won’t be like this

An ongoing theme here at Messaging Matters is that a good number of Democrats and Republicans either want to, or have to, continue having relationships with each other. This includes, for example, friends and loved ones. However, perhaps nowhere do political differences become more heated, awkward or unpleasant than at the Thanksgiving table. If crazy Uncle Charlie starts spouting his Fox “News” talking points, and you simply respond with talking points from your favorite liberal website, no one is going to achieve understanding or get along. Moreover, this Thanksgiving, with Joe Biden‘s defeat of Donald Trump in the presidential election fresh on everyone’s mind, threatens to be one of the most contentious of them all. Accordingly, rather than simply passing along argumentative talking points, we have created a Democratic Translator that will let Democrats state their positions in a non-confrontational, plausibly deniable way, so that not just fruits but relationships are preserved for Thanksgiving. For example:

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Republicans who concede that Joe Biden won the election

Written on November 18, 2020 by in Democratic Messaging, Republican Messaging

Joe and Jill Biden, soon to be taking the inauguration walk as President and First Lady

Last week, we mentioned four life hacks to help Joe Biden into the White House. Two of the four suggestions were to mention world leaders and business leaders, respectively, who had recognized the results of our presidential election. This brings to mind another, growing list: Republicans who have admitted the reality, or at least the apparent reality, that Biden has defeated Donald Trump. Of course, it’s pathetic that we have to play such mind tricks just to confer legitimacy on Biden’s decisive election victory over Trump. However, as someone once said, “it is what it is.” Therefore, if any Republicans complain to you that the election was somehow “rigged,” the results were somehow “fake,” or that Trump really won, perhaps the best thing to do is merely to show them this growing list:

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Perfect metaphor: Trump leaves supporters stranded in the cold

Written on October 29, 2020 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents, Republican Messaging

How Trump treats his supporters

On Tuesday night, just one week before Election Day, Donald Trump‘s campaign stranded hundreds of supporters in freezing temperatures after a rally in Omaha, Nebraska. The supporters, many of whom were elderly, were required to park approximately three miles away, and take buses to the rally. However, when Trump was finished speaking and took off on Air Force One at approximately 9 p.m., the buses to take the attendees back to their parking lots did not arrive. “By nearly 10:30 p.m.,” the freezing attendees were still waiting in lines for buses. Between the rally itself and the queuing for buses, at least 30 people required medical attention, and seven had to be taken to nearby hospitals.

Trump’s stranding of supporters in the cold is the perfect metaphor for what he and the Republicans have done to most Americans for many years: left us figuratively out in the cold to fend for ourselves, whether it’s COVID, Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession or other crises, with the negative economic and healthcare consequences that flow from such Republican bungling. This week, for example, as Trump’s inaction on the Coronavirus has led to new record-setting increases in cases and deaths across the country, the stock market is tumbling as a result.

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Calling out the Republicans’ nightmare healthcare scenario

Written on October 14, 2020 by in Democratic Messaging, Republican Messaging

Survivors of COVID now have a preexisting condition.

Two years ago, Democrats successfully rode the healthcare issue to victory in the elections for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Specifically, the Democrats ran on protecting and strengthening the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against Republican efforts to repeal it. This year, at the confirmation hearing on Judge Amy Coney Barrett‘s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Democrats are pointing out once again that the Republicans seek to repeal the ACA and take away our healthcare, and that a 6-3 Republican majority Supreme Court, with the addition of Barrett, could easily do so.

Republicans such as Donald Trump and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell keep telling us in response that, no matter what, they would still “protect preexisting conditions,” the coverage of which is a major element of the ACA. But one look at the Republicans’ nightmare healthcare scenario makes it clear that the GOP will offer no such protection.

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