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Thomas Friedman did a disservice with a false narrative recently on MSNBC as Democrats are about to take over the government.
Thomas Friedman wrong again as he dings Democrats
The message, the mostly hot-air-that-must-be-ignored emanating from Thomas Friedman is unwarranted and unneeded. In fact, he plays directly into the hands of Republicans and those who want gridlock.
What is most dangerous about his statements, is that it gives Republican lying narratives an air of plausibility. We must not allow that and push back with force.
Friedman talks about Progressives and the cancel culture. I will humor him by using his “cancel culture” words, which the Right-Wing has adopted as the superset of political correctness.
Progressives’ policies have been so maligned that we have developed a certain aversion to allowing liars and misinformers into platforms we feel we have more control over. We saw that at Berkeley and other places where we deny misinformers and liars to speak. The thing is, I believe it is more helpful to the cause if we have some control of the platform where they speak as well. Why? Because we can refute in real-time and also show how evil and non-sensical they are generally.
I explain in detail in the video clip from Politics Done Right why his attack on “defund the police,” Democratic Socialism, and the false description of Capitalism is not only wrong but misleading to all Americans. Please, please, listen to the entire clip.
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Thank you! I was very uneasy by his cancel culture and defund the police comments and reference to the things he agrees on with 45.
You’re missing the point. He was talking about RHETORIC. It is absolutely insane for progressives to ever have used the terms “defund the police” or “democratic socialism” because they open the door immediately to reactionary attacks. Instead of stopping using those terms, you suggest explaining what they mean. Why don’t use the right rhetoric to begin with? If you ask Americans if they support rethinking policing and community social services most support those. And the term “socialism” is an almost immediate turnoff. Talk in terms of the responsibility of government to provide for the people what they cannot provide for themselves, “government of, by and for the people” or “reducing income inequality.” Words matter.
Actually I am not missing the point my friend. We have allowed every policy and phrase we used to get a negative connotation. They do it because we cower so easily. We watch all our words for fear of how the Right will spin it. In our elitism we think our constituents are stupid. You know what? They are not. We need to get down to them and talk to them. You know what the Right does? They go where the people are and paste the false narratives to them until it becomes a reality.
We must show spine. We must lean into our ideas and repeat them ad nauseam as we talk to ALL Americans. Our policies are real, just, and moral. We should start leaning into them as opposed to a timidity that comes across to all justifiably as weakness.
Concur. If you have to use a paragraph to explain a slogan, you are missing the point.
I agree that education is urgently needed but it takes time and energy and we aren’t very good at it.
One of the strengths of the Republican Party is its message discipline. When it finds an issue that works, it beats that issue to death. Flogging it long after it stops working.
The Republicans have done an excellent job of weaponizing both “Defund the Police” and any kind of “Socialism”. They have made the police and public believe that “Defund the Police” means getting rid of the police. People know that they need police, often supporting their increased funding and policemen fear for their jobs. If you research “Socialism” in America you will find that it was weaponized and vilified by the Federal Government, the Ad Council, rich capitalists and some of the country’s largest corporations since at least the early 1900’s. The cat is out of the bag as far as “Defund the Police” and “Socialism” is concerned. As part of the education process we need new terms to help redefine and market our message, to help undo some of the damage already done and to advance our cause.