America's at War ... But Over "Vibes"?
The media that calls Democrats clueless and failing helps the anti-democrats.
“Democrats risk losing the ‘vibe war’.”
With this negative headline, The Atlantic joins other media in describing the Democrats after the November 2nd elections as weak, failing and clueless.
They make it sound like American democracy is sinking because the Democrats aren’t messaging well enough. Is the war we’re in really a vibe war? Vibe?
Caroline Mimbs Nice writes, “Will [the Democratic Party] be able to accomplish enough to win over voters and avert disaster in the 2022 midterms?”
So the disaster of 2022 is already envisioned, and it’s all because of Democrats’ messaging failures. But why would it be a disaster in the first place?
What about the Republican drive for a one-party government in the United States? We heard Cawthorn say this outright during the primary debates last year. It’s playing out now, in his party’s determination to block voting rights at the federal and state levels.
And today we learn Michael Flynn, of the Republican Party, calls for a one-religion nation.
Are these not the disasters? And they’re not happening because of Democratic messaging.
But Derek Thompson joins Nice. It’s a Democratic vibes problem! He writes,
Democrats [this month] … lost a vibes war. Despite many positive economic trends, Americans are feeling rotten about the state of things—and, understandably, they’re blaming the party in power. … [All Biden and the Democrats have to do is] make things feel better.
I disagree with Thompson’s “Oh, my!” attitude, but the word I want to scribble out is “understandably.” Isn’t it rather amazing for him to be OK with Americans, who just received recovery checks and free vaccines, feeling “rotten”?
But there’s a solution to this media negativity, to the friendly fire. And I’m really, really excited about it.
Eric Levitz at New York Magazine writes about the Democrats’ successful Build Back Better agenda:
[I]f the public is broadly unaware of what’s in the biggest and most transformative legislation in decades, that’s a huge failure by the media as well as the party. Reporting that people don’t see what’s in it for them instead of reporting on what is in it for them might be the problem in a nutshell.
Yes! Levitz has just given messaging instructions to Democrats and to all people who care about democracy in action and not just in slogans. Talk about what our President and his party, and we volunteers in our local parties, are doing to keep respect for our democratic institutions in tact.
Be specific. Ask, “How are Democratic policies helping you? How are Republicans’ NO votes in Congress and in our legislature hurting you?”
This isn’t vibes. It’s real life.
Caroline Mimbs Nice is Senior Associate Editor for The Atlantic; the email newsletter came out on November 8, 2021
Michael Flynn calls for a one-religion nation
Derek Thompson’s article; photo with blue background is by Alessia Pierdomenico / Bloomberg / Getty
Eric Levitz quote
Photo of Biden: Matteo Minnella / A3 / Contrasto / Redux