Blog

My Approach to Discouraging Biden's Candidacy

I've heard a lot of attacks on Biden, "He should get out," with harsh lists of everything he's ever done wrong and nothing he's done right.

Imagine you liked Biden and had half a mind to vote for him in the primary. People are trying to convince you to change your vote, and also stay energized after the primaries. How well does the comment below work; what would you change? [Cognitive Politics is about communications approaches, not about particular candidates.]

I swallowed some propganda

I swallowed some propaganda. For many years, I've said that eating cattle causes methane. https://www.facebook.com/SustainableDish/photos/a.169058819794862/2772522009448517/?type=3&theater&ifg=1 This blog is about communications, not meat eating. If you are conversing with people across partisan divides, in these days of heavy propaganda and few gatekeepers, I wonder if it would help to share when swallow propaganda?

1-2-3: How racist trolling wins votes from people who don't want to be racist

I watched good folks start to tear into each other when this window decal made its way to a political facebook group.

I'm guessing: this image is seen as wildly racist to some, and a silly joke about lousy ex-boyfriends to others.

And there is a big danger: when people don't think they're sharing something racist, and then get accused of it, they tend to feel pushed out, not called in. This is creating, over and over, a feeling of rejection among a large part of the country.


This provocation is done very much on purpose:

Outrage and Solidarity: Example with Anne Frank quote

Cognitive Politics is about communications techniques. This blog looks at how we share outrage on social media, an exercise intended to be shared with the Smarter Politics community.


My friends are asking "When is the President going to be held accountable?"

Trump's America isn't what I ever thought America would be.

I'm angry in solidarity with you. SMART started because anger wasn't winning us elections, wasn't keeping people like Trump out of office.

Mueller Report: Clearest Observation

The spin on the Mueller Report is overwhelming: not just whether Trump is guilty, but even simply what did Mueller find: a lot of us are watching only soundbites. What communication techniques can help? What should progressives be sharing?

Question: what is the best short video, article and tweet (one of each) to share about the Mueller Report, that will help politically disinclined TV watchers say "that's not what I saw" when Mueller is described as having found nothing?

Techniques: