Why Left-Leaning People Are Awful When it Comes to Political Messaging
Don't start in with the momentum killing, "Well, actually..." arguments
Hello Friends,
Look, here's something that needs to be fixed. As we work towards implementing strategies to ensure the health, happiness, and prosperity of ourselves and our children, we have to stop making the arguments of authoritarians for them.
We have devastating arguments at our disposal. For example, the simple fact is that the current president promised to lower egg prices and he failed to do so.
Your support means everything! Upgrade at 30% off
He failed. He lied. He has proven to be incompetent again and again.
We should be winning this narrative.
The problem is that when you say, “The president could have lowered the price of eggs and didn't.”
People who identify as “left leaning” come out of the woodwork to say, “Well, actually...”
Then they treat you to a dissertation about what determines the price of eggs. But where were these people when the felon candidate who reportedly won the election promised he could lower the price of eggs?
Instead of getting overrun by a mob of people bleating, “Well, actually...” He was allowed to speak his nonsense at length without pause or interruption.
Why do we have that dynamic? Why is the right allowed to say absurd things without any blowback, but the left is instantly attacked for holding them accountable?
I'm so exhausted by these “Well, actually...” people who seem to feel it's their life mission to make the arguments for authoritarians for them. They're like the annoying kid in a classroom that constantly attacks the teacher no matter what point she's trying to make.
“Well, actually...”
Just be quiet and listen to the arguments before you disrespectfully interrupt.
He promised he'd lower the price of eggs.
He didn't even take one action to even try to lower the price of eggs.
The left-leaning people who spend hours dithering about how there's “nothing a president can do” are wrong, they're misrepresenting the argument, and they're working against us.
Come to think of it, many of the people who argue this are probably nothing more than a sophisticated Russian bot. Don't think that left-leaning people are “too sophisticated” to be caught up in that kind of influence because they're not. I've met enough people who fall into the “Well, actually...” category in real life to know this is a problem.
If you still think I’m wrong about the president’s ability to do anything, let's just pause and look at what kind of actions this administration routinely takes.
Another campaign promise was to “revoke birthright citizenship.” It was a disgusting promise that puts everybody's freedom at risk. The very idea is completely unconstitutional. The only thing that provides us any protection at all is our status as citizens. If we start allowing the government to strip anyone of their citizenship, we're sprinting in the direction of authoritarianism.
But again, the “Well, actually...” people never speak up about that.
Anyway, revoking birthright citizenship is not something the president of the United States has the power to do. Nevertheless, he tried to do it with an executive order. Whoever typed up that order had to know full well it would be challenged in court and likely (if any of the judges has ever read the Constitution) be overturned.
But the president signed it anyway and his base ate it up.
Why?
Because that's how they think. They don't care about long-term solutions. They just want the moment when the frat boy belches into the microphone and then raises his arms in triumph. The rest of us just have to wait for the disgusting display to be over.
Incidentally, nobody cheers harder at the prospect of revoking birthright citizenship than white supremacists. White supremacists love that. This is something the “Well, actually...” people could mention if they were actually on the side of truth and progress.
The president signed this executive order to make it appear as if he were delivering on a campaign promise, even though the action he took isn't likely to achieve his goal.
That's something we can work with, because it shows how indifferent the president is to the actual needs of the people.
I feel the same liberal elites that simply can't conceive of how poor folk in rural areas could vote for the guy, need to pay more attention to the price of eggs. I realize that if you live in an East coast mansion with a view of the ocean, you think that the price of eggs is pretty inconsequential.
I would contend that the price of eggs probably tipped the election in favor of the would-be dictator.
So, instead of giving me the “Well, actually...” treatment, I suggest that you pay attention.
It's an irrefutable fact that the president does have the power to attempt to do something about the price of eggs. He absolutely has the power to sign some performative executive action just like he did with birthright citizenship.
That he hasn't done so, is irrefutable proof of the contempt he holds for working class people.
THAT’S OUR ARGUMENT!
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL!
We have to convey to working class people in simple terms that this president DOESN’T CARE!
At this point, the “Well, actually...” people want to interrupt me with a pompous lecture about how the price of eggs is determined. They'll talk about supply. They'll talk about bird flu. They accuse me of being “simple” and “uneducated.”
But then they'll disregard the fact that the largest egg supplier in the United States just recorded record profits.
Friends, follow the money. The answer is always to follow the money. If there was an actual shortage, there could be no record profits because even with the increased pricing, the revenue would be the same (because there is less product).
But, if they show a record profit, it demonstrates that there was no shortage because they were able to sell just as many eggs at the inflated prices. This is PRICE GOUGING! We have anti-trust laws in place to prevent that.
Consider this:
Where do you think these eggs came from? There's no chicken shortage. Hmmmmm.
But this whole conversation is a non-starter because the moment you bring it up, the “Well, actually...” people, who identify as “left leaning” (though I have my doubts), want to put the whole world to sleep with their snooty and condescending comments on marketplace dynamics.
The sad part is, all of this leads me to believe that Biden could have lowered egg prices. Our population has become so brainwashed to the mythology of capitalism, that it simply can't see all the government subsidies (AKA free government money), that make our society work.
Biden or the current guy could have called up the largest egg supplier and said, “Lower prices, and we'll use government money to make it up to you.”
I can feel the “Well, actually...” people ripping the needle off the record because they just don't want to accept this reality. But you guys have to remember that we live in a society where there was an organized attack on the Capitol that didn't lead to any consequences. Many of the things you assume are true... aren't.
The government absolutely has the power to do something about high prices.
If eggs become a symbol of inflation, the president can exert his influence if he wants and lower those prices. Will that solve inflation as a whole? No, but it will give the administration a talking point that they can use to win an election!
People will spend endless energy arguing with me that the president couldn't have done anything.
They refuse to spend any energy even considering the extent to which they're being lied to.
The worst part, is that these “Well, actually...” people end up becoming advocates for the rise of authoritarianism.
It's critical that left-leaning people take control of the narrative. Look around at the landscape of our country. Can't you recognize that social media and cell phone culture requires you to convey a message using impactful catch phrases?
It's a completely valid argument to ask right-wing voters why the president hasn't acted on their behalf.
“Why aren't egg prices lower?”
The left, has no obligation to go off on some boring tangent on some no longer relevant economic theory.
That's not what we're talking about.
We're talking about a president who can't even be bothered to make a pretense of caring about anyone. “Why didn't he sign an executive order to bring down egg prices?”
Would that have been effective? Of course not, but that's not relevant.
The point is, you have to plant the seed of doubt in the voter base that is showing a steadfast commitment to destroying our country.
If every time we come up with a strong argument that might get through to them, it doesn't help us when the boring know-it-alls come along with their “Well, actually...” statements.
This is politics, not a college classroom.
Don't be a momentum killer. Don't declaw a devastating argument for the sake of proving how smart you are. You don't win any friends that way. You certainly don't win any elections.
We've got to change hearts, not minds. Always pivot to the truth of our need for universal help, kindness, responsibility, respect, and prosperity. Let’s talk about helping out our fellow human beings, not dither endlessly with nonsensical justifications about why it’s not possible.
It is possible!
We deserve a president who will take action to ensure that all Americans can feed their families. Our current guy isn't doing that. What's so hard about sticking to that narrative?
IT’S THE TRUTH!
“I'd rather Be Writing” exists because of your generous support. If you have the means please consider upgrading to a paid sponsorship. I have payment tiers starting at as little as twenty dollars a year. I'm so happy you're here, and I'm looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.
My CoSchedule referral link
Here’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).
The price of eggs is pretty consequential for people running out of groceries before their next check. Telling them that this doesn’t matter is the epitome of privilege. People do get the condescension, and they don’t like it.Price gouging is a direct attack on the majority of the population, ignoring that for abstractions is pretty foolish.
Tie the price of everything to oligarchical control and you have a chance to win. Connect the security of affordable food, housing and medical care to the ability for EVERYONE to enjoy their personal liberty and participate fully in their democracy, instead of playing Whac-A-Mole with laws that can be undermined or undone by a corrupt system as with RoeV.Wade.
Having strong laws against price gouging ready with messaging that explains it emotionally and intellectually, especially to nonvoters, would be a good start.
I agree, Walter. The following sentences are from my latest post:
________________________________________________________
Time for some updates:
Price of eggs: Still high. The Lying Liar currently in office said he would bring grocery prices down on “Day One”. He didn’t. Prices have gone up on his watch. It’s important that he is held accountable for his lies.
War in Ukraine: Still raging. The Lying Liar said he would end the war on “Day One” if not before. He didn’t. His influence over his buddy, Vlad, is apparently zero. He is pathetic.
The stock market: Crashing. In August 2024 the Lying Liar said, “When I win the election, we will immediately begin a brand new economic boom.”
Not even close.
___________________________________________________________
The argument I've been making is not whether the President of the United States has the power or ability to do these things. It's that he said he would, and didn't. To me, that's the issue. And, I'm going to keep calling him out on his braggy bullshit as often as I can.