Repetition is key. Why does the public believe that the Mueller investigation arises from the Steele document, even though it does not? Because the Trumpers keep repeating that claim. Worse, the public believes that the Steele dossier has been disproven, even though nothing in it is demonstrably wrong and much has been verified.
Trump has won the war on the dossier simply by shouting "FAKE FAKE FAKE" ad infinitum. He has never cited examples to prove his point. He doesn't need to.
Unfortunately, Democrats don't do the "tape loop" thing. Democrats annoy other Democrats if a phrase or idea becomes too familiar, so they keep trying to surprise each other.
On the other side of the aisle, conservatives love familiar messages. They're comforting. They're like tunes you recall from childhood. Conservatives remind me of Lenny in Of Mice and Men:
"Tell me about the rabbits again, George."
"C'mon, Lenny. I already told you a million times."
"But I like the way you say it, George. Tell me about the rabbits again, George."
As ever, liberals stay in their own world, talking only to themselves, a generation of Georges who refuse to engage with the Lennys. Anti-Trumpers do not realize that, across America, they are losing the fight. It's 2016 all over again: Trump ominously rises in the polls while Clinton supporters bicker over the color of the new drapes for the Oval Office.
As a corrective, I suggest this CNN analysis, which reminds us of how brazenly Trump and his supporters have lied.
When Russian officials claimed their "experts" and "specialists on the US" had been in contact with people from both the Trump and Clinton camps, former Trump spokeswoman and erstwhile White House communications director Hope Hicks rejected the reports outright.
"It never happened," she told the Associated Press. "There was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign."
Even after it was revealed that his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had misled the White House about his post-election contacts with the Russian ambassador, Trump at a press conference told reporters, "I have nothing to do with Russia," adding: "To the best of my knowledge, no person that I deal with does."One could cite a zillion other examples of outright lying. So why aren't the Dems mounting a LIAR LIAR campaign? Why aren't the Dems using Trumpian tactics to fight Trump?
Simplify the message to two, three, four words. Then repeat and repeat and repeat. Repeat until even Philip Glass screams "ENOUGH ALREADY!" Then keep repeating it. On a routine basis, buttress the message with longer articles which mount intellectually respectable arguments -- but keep returning to those simple phrases.
Repetition is key. I've already said that, haven't I? And that's the point.
Unless the anti-Trump forces learn how to wage an information war, Mueller is doomed.
2 comments:
Repetition IS key and the democrats have done a great job with Russia, Russia, Russia, but its just not getting enough traction. Russia fatigue?
Unfortunately, Democrats don't do the "tape loop" thing. Democrats annoy other Democrats if a phrase or idea becomes too familiar, so they keep trying to surprise each other.
On the other side of the aisle, conservatives love familiar messages. They're comforting. They're like tunes you recall from childhood. Conservatives remind me of Lenny in Of Mice and Men:
This is all to do with the personality difference between liberals and conservatives. Conservatives have a strong "us vs them" mentality, so they like having clear, simple directives repeated. OTOH, liberals like to challenge authority and constantly seek out other viewpoints so they bristle at a simple, repeated message. It's the old Bill Clinton (I think) line about how liberals have to fall in love but conservatives just fall in line.
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