In the upcoming Trump administration, what can opposition voices do? What messaging can work? How can we get those messages across when the MAGA message media silo is so powerful? Would the British opposition technique of a shadow cabinet be a mechanism?
If the pundits and polls are correct, the price of eggs was more than they were before COVID was the ultimate reason Trump won over low-information voters, those voters are doomed to be disappointed. Trump can't deliver. He cannot roll back prices and he does not have the power to do it. In fact, inflation will raise its ugly head again because so many of his policies are inflationary. and prices will rise above those of the Biden administration's handoff to the Trump regime. Mass deportation, tariffs, and loss of tax income to the treasury are all inflationary. Voters will be in shock when there are unintended consequences of unpopular policies they did not know were part of the Trump Project 2025 package plan. A backlash is inevitable. Democrats need to be ready to pounce to win in the 2026 midterms or 2028.
On the horizon is a long list of unpopular public policies that the Trump administration will try to implement. Many of those unpopular policies will be an unpleasant surprise because Project 2025's strategy and activation plans were ignored or because their media sources failed to report them or dismissed them as just jokes or wish lists. When their health care access is reduced, the ACA is defunded, or health care is made more expensive, social security and Medicare are shrunk, retirement ages are raised, food for hungry kids is cut, and access to women's health care access to birth control and abortion pills are blocked, there will be a backlash, especially from those who were unaware. They "didn't know he was going to do that, too." and begin to feel the pain when it is too late to reverse the harmful policies.. Democrats simply saying "I told you so" and "You were conned" are not effective responses, but better could be"This is the pain you are feeling, and we feel it too. Here is how to fix it. Mr. Fixit flubbed it"
We can also blame the right-wing media silo, who directed their focus to two issues. immigration and inflation, and ignored and downplayed many very unpopular policies that came as part of MAGA control of nearly all of the levers of federal government power as laid out in Project 2025.
Here is the real challenge Democrats face. It is also probable that the news cycles will be dominated by Trump's revenge tour he had promised, and what is going on elsewhere in the Trump administration will be overwhelmed by sensational hearings and prosecutions, while backroom dealings will go unreported and unfocused. Buried in the news will be that the reason so many of the services treasured by the middle class and the poor is that "reducing government waste and expense are policies to offset the lack of income from the loss into the treasury income those tax policies favoring the rich will cause." The connection must be made by Democrats that tax policies for the rich is what is causing the cut in programs that made your life easier. It isn't class warfare; it isn't just unfair; it is why and how people are feeling the pain.
One challenge Democrats have in getting their message to Trump voters is that MAGA media is controlled and owned by the US equivalent of Russian oligarchs who have their own agenda, including keeping their corporate and personal taxes low and regulations even lower. Democrats need to get focused on the unintended consequences, cut through the revenge tour noise, and make a case for reasons to vote MAGA out in the next election cycles., including the 2026 midterms and in 2028.
What can Democrats do to break into the MAGA media silo.? Speaking with one voice is essential to keep the focus on their message. Rapid response is also critical as each unpopular consequence is revealed in the same new cycle The voices need to be simple and credible. Pete Buttigieg showed how to do it on FOX but that needs to be multiplied in the many channels, including social media.
Here is a suggestion: take a page from MAGA and other political bodies. The Democrats have got to be ready to promote and ride the backlash with a coordinated message and then get their spokespersons with the same message on all of those media outlets.. The coordination must come from one political source orchestrating the strategy such as the DNC, the Democratic Party Chair. The British use shadow cabinets. Shadow cabinet members are credible heavyweights like standing committees with designated spokespeople and are ready to go at a moment's notice. Members of Congress become the bullhorn, blowing the same tune to magnify and repeat and repeat again and again.
Since most politics are local, on-record votes by Congress people for policies that harm their constituents should also make news in House members' hometown media, print, radio talk, or social contacts. Federal administrative action harm can also be brought down to the state, district, and local levels. Trump is going to force GOP Congressional representatives to take votes that are unpopular in their districts under the threat of primaring the disloyal. Democrats should not let them off the hook with silence the time the harm is done, and again at the next campaign cycle, too. For example, if the tariff policy results in retaliatory action by, say, China that causes massive layoffs with local impact in certain congressional districts, the state or local Democratic party could make sure constituents know who was to blame at the time and again at the next election. If cutting Medicaid causes the local hospital to fold, that too is fair game. Loss of workforce because of wide-reaching immigration sweeps is another local opportunity. A local issue for my county is federal antitrust action against a merger of Kroger and Albertson. If that DOJ action is dropped under orders of Trump or his compliant AG, and the state suit approves the merger, our county will see a lot of pain.
https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/if-its-economy-stupid-magas-rise-is-its.html
Millions at Risk of Losing Health Insurance at the end of 2025 - Newsweek
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/6-things-expected-to-get-more-expensive-if-trump-s-trade-plans-are-enacted/ar-AA1u870X?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=1c9fdc085ff54ebba73fbb6d32e491ef&ei=25
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