Dems Fighting Fascism Must Ask WWLBJD—or What Would LBJ do?

Today’s Amped Up kicked off with Cliff giving a proper smackdown to washed-up Superman impersonator, and right-wing doofus-recruit, Dean Cain. Cain, who once played the Man of Steel—quite horrifically to be honest, he was easily the sh*ttiest Superman by a distance of here to Krypton—announced a new gig with ICE.

Yes, that ICE. On Instagram with Superman theme music blaring in the background. He should be charged with aggravated assault on our senses for that last part.

Cliff let him have it, tearing apart Cain’s hypocrisy from every angle: his role as an immigrant alien superhero, his alleged Christian values that would include—if he chose to read the book he claims to follow—“The Parable of the Stranger,” and his own family’s history of internment during World War II (he is part Japanese).

Not to mention his throwing in, in general, with the predator class.

Cliff finished him off with a few points that aren’t debatable; 1) Dean Cain’s acting is so Kryptonite-laden he makes Kevin Sorbo seem like Humphrey Bogart 2) George Reeves, who once played the role, would do a better Superman right now and he’s been dead 65 years 3) Dean Cain likely accepted the gig with ICE because it’s the only acting gig that’s been offered to him in the better part of a decade.

But that was just the opening act!

This episode dove into an essential and long-overdue conversation about Democratic campaigns. It was with a giant in the industry of Democratic media consulting-turned-reformer, Will Robinson, about how Democrats have failed to communicate with voters in the digital age.

Will, a self-described recovering TV ad guy, laid it out: the right has built a 24/7 propaganda machine through bots, radio, Facebook groups, and a constant cultural presence in people’s lives. Meanwhile, too many Dem consultants are still burning cash on cable TV ads for reverse mortgage viewers.

We’re showing up in October; the right never stops showing up.

Cliff, David Schuster, and Will broke down:

• Why culture beats credentials and porch talk beats podium talk (even when the porch talk is filled with lies)

• How Democrats are ignoring real-life, everyday messengers in favor of polished infomercial-style ads that don’t resonate

• Why nurses, teachers, bus drivers, and even head lice tips are more politically powerful than a white paper from Harvard

• How Substack, Facebook, and cell phone videos can save democracy if we quit waiting for permission to use ‘em. Embrace the authenticity of regular folks, influencers in a two-way conversation with audiences and creators not controlled by corporations. In other words: independent media!

It’s not just about what we say—it’s how we say it, who says it, and whether we’re even bothering to show up.

By the end of the show, the message was clear: We don’t need a Superman. We need a damn communications revolution where we respond to disinformation and build trust with our people. And we can do this by working with those whom voters already trust, because they know them—local residents, community pillars, and influencers.

It was an important and fascinating conversation with a whistleblower of sorts. Check it out!

Thank you Tom Kudla, Sandy McFarlin, Los Gatos Sin Madrid, Jools, Amy Jackson, and many others for tuning into my live video with Will Robinson and DavidShuster! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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