244 Comments
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Anat Shenker-Osorio's avatar

Hey all! Thanks for the very kind comments. For those interested, I also have a podcast where every episode is a campaign we won and how we did it.

https://wordstowinby-pod.com/

Also we make all our messaging guides and ads available open source on our site!

Asocommunications.com

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Julie Stacker's avatar

Fabulous insights and practical suggestions. And hope for big positive change if we actively participate. Thank you so much Anat.

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Jean Conley's avatar

You are one terrific lady--great message! Thank you.

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Lone Birgitte Reeslev's avatar

LOVE, love, love your input!

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Steffanie Schwam's avatar

Thank you! What a breath of fresh air this podcast is. I’m sending this and your podcast and guide to folks in my circle.

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Kathy H's avatar

Really helpful!

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Glenda C.'s avatar

I received this message from Indivisible Project ...

Join our mass mobilization on April 5

Americans are fed up with the Musk-Trump power grab and want an end to the lawless raiding of our government. “Hands off!” is a simple rallying cry against an administration that’s dangerously overreaching and throwing our democracy, our economy, and for many -- our private lives -- into chaos.

As of today, you can already register to attend protests in cities across the country, with more being added daily.

That’s just the start. Indivisible leaders and partners are working to confirm protests in every major metro area in the country. And we anticipate hundreds of demonstrations in towns and smaller cities nationwide.

Where should you go?

If you can make it to DC, we want you there.

If you can get to an event in the closest metro area, that’s the next best thing (we’ll keep you updated as events are added).

And if you want to host a smaller demonstration in your town, we’ve got a toolkit to help you do that, too -- we're also holding an informational meeting for hosts on Friday, March 21, at 3pm ET/12pm PT.

The important thing is to show up on April 5, where you can, so that we can make our collective power felt.

Trump and Musk think they can rule like kings while the people they’re stealing from sit back and let them get away with it. On April 5, we’ll show them how very wrong they are.

In solidarity,

Indivisible Team

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Former Bumpkin's avatar

I consider it my patriotic duty to do NOTHING to stimulate the economy. I just weeded my backyard without calling a gardener. I am not buying anything from Amazon, Whole Foods, Target, Walmart. I'm shopping locally and still supporting my local peeps (Pilates studio, body worker, etc.). No longer doing any business with MAGA owned businesses....adios hair colorist and my former Labrador Retreiver breeder. Eating home more too! I'm in the top 2% and would rather live like a monk than see my democratic country taken over by fascists! Join me in this fight!

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Melanie's avatar

Agreed. My biggest expenditure has always been on Amazon. I was spending over $1.5k/month for years but, as of February, that has come to a screeching halt. I would rather go without than give any of my money to the Oligarchs or any corporation that supports Trump.

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Diane J's avatar

Wish I could. At 82 and disabled, living in a rural area with no small owner stores within miles, and transportation difficulties, sometimes people have little to no choice.

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Chris's avatar

Do what you can!

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Anna B's avatar

We can only do our best. I live in a rural area as well. The nearest stores, a 7-11 and post office are 16 miles away and larger stores are 19-20 miles. I'm totally off Amazon now, but the change has not been easy. So yeah, do what you can and don't feel guilty.

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artichoke's avatar

You're starting to live like a conservative! Enjoy it. You pay a lot less in taxes when you do things yourself.

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Former Bumpkin's avatar

I could deduct the portion related to my office and rental property so will not be saving on taxes. I'm a fiscally prudent CPA, but not a conservative since I believe in equality for all American citizens regardless of their race, religion or LGBTQ biology. I have come to realize it is an insult to be labeled a conservative if it confers alliance with the now fascist leaning Republican party.🤮

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Kristin Szwaj's avatar

Amazing conversation. Are you able to help Dems with their messaging

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Douglas's avatar

Ideally yes Kristen....but effing elderly Democratic leaders don't like to be told what to do....even in a constructive way...unless it's the crap advice they get from their corporatist strategists

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Kristin Szwaj's avatar

Well they need to step aside or we are going to continue losing. I think we may end up with a tea party movement within the Democratic Party. What do you think?

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Mary Tirpok's avatar

Amazing conversation, ty 💙

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Lynette Mason's avatar

This was excellent! She is so smart. I love what she has to say. She gives us direction and, dare I say, hope. Thanks for this conversation.

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Carol Mammom's avatar

Shenker-Osario is brilliant. Follow her everywhere folks.

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CJ's avatar

I will!

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Rosemary Filleul's avatar

I'm following from NZ. Her comments and wisdom applies to ALL the countries and governments of the world.

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Orangeshitstain's avatar

Can someone please convince rump and Vance to take a flight on Prigozhin airlines to visit Putin?

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artichoke's avatar

How undemocratic of you. You should run a better candidate and win the election! Isn't that the right way? Or do you have no principles at all?

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Jean Conley's avatar

.....and never come back. Get lost over there............forgot: they need to take muskRAT with them.

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Mar 15
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Anna B's avatar

I prefer to think of it as sewer sludge.

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Elizabeth M Bennett's avatar

Interesting conversation, but I wish it would have addressed the legislation passed during the Biden administration for which the Democrats got no credit. The infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act brought real money and jobs into communities. To get those bills passed were FIGHTS, and she said people need to see Dems fighting. Evidently, victories in governing did no good. What kind of fighting is this woman talking about? Good marketing? Social media memes? God effin help us. What government actually does, the WAY it makes lives better is through legislation. In certain counties, the Inflation Reduction Act brought manufacturing jobs to red counties. The people there got good jobs with good benefits and wages BECAUSE of the Biden administration, and they STILL voted for Trump, the man who accomplished nothing legislatively during his first term but cut taxes, and mostly for the wealthy. It would have been nice if this discussion tackled this perplexing situation. Also, remember that Biden ramped up antitrust litigation (thanks to the brilliant Lina Kahn). If you look at history, the last time the country was run by robber barons, antitrust suits ushered in the progressive era (the Teddy Roosevelt days). The Biden administration was WORKING ON IT. And Biden increased subsidies for the ACA, which lowered health care costs for working people. I know, because my costs got lower. Shouldn't that be absolutely the best kind of message? Lower costs, a concrete accomplishment that puts money in people's pockets? Whatever happened to the old adage "actions speak louder than words." Does it no longer apply? Any discussion that doesn't acknowledge that a lot of Trump voters, and all the non-voters, were acting against their own interests--and how this might be changed--isn't worth much, if you ask me. I would also say that Trump is far beyond just a symptom of a broken system. Sure, any Republican (and even most Dems) would probably not do much to fix the inequalities of late-stage capitalism, but they would not shred the Constitution.

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artichoke's avatar

Seriously, this is along the lines of the right answer, not the continuation of the poisonous word games proposed in the video. Biden did some good things, restarting actual antitrust action is one of them, and Trump could go overboard pro-corporate and should be restrained in that way. It's possible for Democrats to make a positive contribution over this 4 years if they follow advice like this!

But if you continue the rhetorical tricks, nobody on the right will listen to the other stuff. You've lost vast amounts of trust, your games have been figured out. If you stop it with the games, you might help steer the ship. Otherwise you'll just break apart the country, and the Republicans are willing for that to happen.

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Hope Bottini's avatar

Please teach the democrats how to make viral videos my friends.💙

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JayDeeGee47's avatar

This was great - I feel encouraged!

Appreciate the mention of the power of music in protest messaging. I came of age in the 1960's, a time of powerful political change and almost daily scenes of protest on the streets. Music played a huge role in this! Our protest songs often became Top Ten Hits, broadcast on our radios 24/7. The words of many still resonate today, as we face the same challenges of racism, sexism, support for workers, and (once again) Americans' involvements in potential wars. Where are our current protest-song writers and singers? We need them, and when we find them, we must share their works with one another.

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Jean Conley's avatar

I remember those days (makes me feel old--but not too old to fight to keep our democracy! Remember Woodstock? I lived on Long Island (grew up there) but didn't go. I know it was quite an event--I actually didn't know it was happening. My family was going to a reunion near Rochester and we passed though the area whee it was held. I'm embarrassed to say we didn't know what was going on! Wasn't it also a protest about the Vietnam War?

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artichoke's avatar

Yes that time was different. We really had no reason to be in the Vietnam War, and LBJ had lied us into it. And sending young men over there, to risk being maimed or killed, or forced to kill "enemies" they had no reason to hate. Then the hippies latched onto the legitimate antiwar movement with their nonsense.

Now Trump is trying to get us OUT of wars that the Democrats (again, the Democrats) put us into.

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Bob's avatar

Suggest you invite Ezra Klein &/or Leah Greenberg on from Indivisible. There is a lot of synchronicities between them and Anat Shenker-Osorio: go local, pick issues that matter to you, stand up and be heard. They are the folks who helped save the ACA in 2017.

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foofaraw & Chiquita(ARF!)'s avatar

"Show your values proudly—on your shirt, on your lawn, on your lips."

I've done this EVERY DAY for about FIVE YEARS...

"Can wearing progressive messages EVERY DAY for FIVE YEARS (even in the DEEP SOUTH) make a difference? I hope so…"

https://medium.com/@foofaraw/many-more-people-will-die-because-of-trump-i-hope-i-wont-be-one-of-them-41b2f1493036

I'd love to have COMPANY in this effort!!!

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a longer name's avatar

Out of chaos comes creativity. What do we want to happen? Let’s do it!

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a longer name's avatar

Can’t stop Siva

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Debi Ghesquiere's avatar

This is a fantastic interview that really touches on why the Democrats lost the election. People did not want more of the same; they wanted different! Unfortunately, many of these did not really research what the “different” would be. Bernie Sanders and AOC are resonating with people bc they are listening and saying what the real issues are to people. I like using “regime” and “government” the way that Anat suggests and feel emboldened to openly show I’m supporting Ukraine, absolutely not the murderous dictator Putin. Thanks so much, Meidas Touch!

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artichoke's avatar

Yes that works really well. Nobody noticed the Trump hate leading up to the election, calling him a fascist for probably 8 years, and so on. It convinced everyone, and will do even better in 2026 and 2028!

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