| Jack, Donald Trump won. We stepped up and donated, knocked on doors, made phone calls, rallied hard and did everything we were asked to do, and it didn’t matter. Vice President Kamala Harris ran an incredible campaign, Trump did not—and it didn’t matter. For myriad reasons, America decided it preferred the convicted felon instead. The question now isn’t just “what happened?” but “what do we do next?” To move forward, we need to rebuild our movement from the ground up. And that starts with listening to those we disagree with open hearts and curiosity. And then we need to hear what they don’t explicitly tell us, reading between the lines to figure out what’s really driving them. Yes, some of them are hopeless racists and misogynists, and nothing we do would change that. We’re not talking about their 30% fringe. But the other 20%? They aren’t lost. As much we may hate them for foisting a dangerous Trump on us once again, the reality is that we lost the persuasion battle. We have to reengage it. Republicans built an entire media ecosystem to propagandize not just their supporters, but a new generation of radicalized young men. Liberals have thought for too long that everything was fine because there was a “liberal media,” yet it’s now painfully obvious that the Washington Post and The New York Times aren’t our friends. We need real liberal media. No one wants to do this again, but Daily Kos is once again stepping up to keep people informed. We will closely track Trump’s actions, helping find ways to resist his fascist agenda. But we will also work to educate Americans, countering conservative propaganda. It’s hard to win elections if people think crime is at an all-time high (it was the opposite), undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes (they do, and get no benefits back), and the economy is a disaster (it is the envy of the world). Our legacy media failed our nation by normalizing Trump’s bigotry and fascist promises, and it failed extra by failing to counter right-wing lies. Help us be a part of a newly invigorated and well-supported (truly) liberal media ecosystem. I know it’s tough, and everything is awful, but we can’t give up on this country we love so much. Keep fighting,
Markos |