When President Biden told us that we could decide the country’s direction, he meant that it would require all hands on deck to make Kamala Harris our President.
Did you know that no other presidential candidate has ever received more votes than Joe Biden? That was 81,283,501 votes. Did you know that the presidential candidate who has received the second-largest number of votes is Donald Trump? That was 74,223,975 votes. Donald Trump found an additional 11,239,147 million votes between 2016 and 2020. Their metrics told them they were getting those votes, so they were sure they would win. They did not count on Biden’s team finding an additional 15,429,987 over Hillary Clinton’s 65,853,514 votes.
Grassroots action is essential to encouraging and mobilizing people to vote. Republicans’ policies are terrible. Most Americans know that is the one reason they cannot win the popular vote. If people knew what they were voting for, we would win outright every time.
The problem is Republicans have the billionaire money, the Wall Street money, the Evangelical money, and a larger share of the corporate money to work with. While money rarely buys the vote outright, it can be used to create alternate states of realities, misinformation, distortions, and more. And they use it effectively to seed bloggers, radio, TV, online media outlets, influencers, direct mail, and more. Most importantly, the ubiquity of their consistent messaging across all platforms breeds a level of trust. And with that, lies, misinformation, and disinformation create an alternate state of reality that morphs into a plausible truth they are predisposed to believe.
The old paradigm does not work anymore, but the oldest paradigm still holds. And what is that “oldest paradigm?” TRUST & RELATIONSHIPS. Many ask, ‘How can one be MAGA?’ I find the answer easy because I frequently engage with MAGA on my program Politics Done Right and in person throughout my community.
While I won’t pretend that I will change all of their minds, I guarantee you that I will plant seeds and change a few. I got used to hearing, ‘I will vote for your guy this time because mine is an idiot, but I am no damn Democrat.’
My KPFT show has brought substantial numbers of MAGA donors to my program, including a few who purchased “Coffee with Egberto,” where they contributed a substantial donation to the station. We sat in person for a few hours and talked over coffee. I learned a lot, and so did they. We built a certain level of trust and respect, and they heard and listened to me because of that trust. Disclaimer: My work/hosting at KPFT is entirely voluntary, and 100% of the donations raised there go to the station.
Supporters on the Right have institutions closer to the people than those on the Left. In speaking with many of my MAGA and Right-Wing friends, it is clear that they are comforted by that sense of belonging to something, even if they are never sure what that something is. But it feels safe. Our engagement and giving people a place to land with respect presents the best opportunity to turn our animus around.
I do not compromise my ultra-progressive voice on my platforms. I maintain nearly 100% inclusivity and respect, letting everyone know the floor is open to all, irrespective of ideology. This is not a short-term strategy but a long-term one I have committed to going forward. If candidates like Kamala Harris and progressives are to win continuously to get real systemic change, proving to all that we want and need similar things is imperative.
I watched as the Kamala Harris campaign raised over $100 million in two days. I am very happy with that response. But at the same time, I wondered how much more powerful a fraction of that money would be if instead of going to consultants who know little about grassroots action, it came to those of us, bloggers, and independent media, who touch and reach people on a closer level. While the statement is self-serving, it is true. We don’t poll people. We feel them talk to them directly and see trends before polls pick them up.
Let’s pull out all the stops to make Kamala Harris our president. But more importantly, let’s keep ALL our resources funded, including grassroots, independent media, and, yes, the high-priced consultants.
And this is where I respectfully and kindly ask you to keep our platform funded as well. You can do so by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter, which comes with many perks, or you can choose one of the many options we offer for your support here. Thank you in advance.
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