many of you are pointing out that it shouldn’t matter, that it’s important even if MAGA base doesn’t care, that there are people other than them who should know this, and i’m sorry to inform you that none of you will ever be given a major column in a newspaper or magazine with that kind of thinking.
one of the most cowardly arguments i keep seeing from columnists is that nothing breaks through with trump supporters, so it’s a waste of time reporting on what he believes. this should be seen as a critically damning failure on behalf of the fourth estate. this means you failed. it’s not a pass.
there are only three kinds of american voter who you’re allowed to write about/to:
1. democratic voters who hate the nominee
2. independent/swing voters who represent the ideal american voter and who have no strong pre-existing ideological preferences
3. republicans who cannot be persuaded
It also doesn't need to "break through". Enough FUD repeated often enough breaks resolve. Comedians making jokes about it, talking heads babbling about it, memes being posted about it - at the least it's demoralizing and alarms the true believers by weakening their faith. It matters.
When we talk about what's possible per convincing Trump supporters it's a big "we've tried nothing, and we're all out of ideas!" we still elevate the traditional media seeking the center of the death of the Republic and improving things somewhat. A true left full court press has never been tried.
I'm increasingly convinced that the media believe they have *no influence* over public perceptions-- that their only role is to direct elite decisionmaking based on the unchangeable attitudes already held be ordinary citizens. They call the horse race as if they're not holding the jockey's whip.
I am not sure that political pundits believe their job is bullshit, but they certainly act like their job is bullshit and nothing enrages them more than if you act like their job isn't bullshit.
lot of these people of the media are tepid D or normie R types who may see themselves as speaking for the normies in a sense. when they start doing the 'dance of the weird takes' they seem to be hearing the silent applause of the normies when in fact a lot of those people may be pondering Dobbs.
