IdeaLog
A blitzkrieg of lawlessness
Posted on May 1, 2025
We are missing the forest for the trees. Nearly everything Trump and his administration have done is illegal, and that is the whole point. It is an all-out attack on the rule of law...
Push back on the media’s normalizing of Trump
Posted on April 16, 2025
The media has been normalizing Trump for the past decade. They do this, in part, by inventing semi-rational policy explanations for irrational proposals. We should push back. Here are three examples: Tariffs and other...
MAGA’s Musk mistake
Posted on April 2, 2025
Tuesday’s elections brought good news. MAGA candidates ran at least 10 points behind 2024 Trump votes and, perhaps best of all, Elon Musk dragged them all down. How should you use this in messaging?...
How to deal with a bully in the White House
Posted on March 18, 2025
Trump is doing horrible things. But, like any bully, much of his perceived power is based on threats that he doesn’t carry out. By reacting to every threat, no matter how absurd, Democrats are...
Trump is pushing us toward a Republican recession
Posted on March 5, 2025
“It seems almost unavoidable that we are headed for a deep, deep recession,” says Jesse Rothstein, former Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor. Whether or not the situation is that bad, it’s time...
To respond to Trump, simplify your messages
Posted on February 18, 2025
There is too much going on and people are overwhelmed by it. If you want to have any impact at all, don’t try to answer everything. Group issues together and respond broadly. Keep in...
States and localities shouldn’t cooperate with ICE detainers
Posted on February 4, 2025
Right now, some Democrats are trying to “move to the right” on immigration. Some are supporting legislation to undo “sanctuary” policies that have blocked state or local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE detainers....
Lessons of the 2024 election, part three
Posted on January 21, 2025
The fundamental reason why our side lost in November is that a small but decisive percentage of Americans never heard our arguments – specifically, people who normally would support Democrats but rely on social...
Lessons of the 2024 election, part two
Posted on January 9, 2025
If we don’t understand the November election defeat, then we can’t know what to fix. Yet, our side does not understand. The Democrats’ two month blamefest has focused almost entirely on messaging. But the...
Lessons of the 2024 election, part one
Posted on December 10, 2024
There were two major problems in the 2024 election, the overall message and the overall communications strategy. Today, let’s talk about the failure of Democrats to win the most important issue—the economy. As James...