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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWe can change Republican minds on Trump. Here's how (Pod Save America)
Many Trump supporters dont know the truth because they only listen to rightwing propaganda media like Fox and Limbaugh.
There are things you can say to them that WILL persuade them.
Pod Save America has been running polls and Dan Pfeiffer here has summarized the results. This poll was done in Wisconsin, but it applies to all Republicans.
However, our poll also revealed that despite Trumps dominance of the news the last few years, Wisconsin voters are very unfamiliar with much of his record. Some negative storiesthe Russia investigation, his tweets, and even his plan to repeal the Affordable Care Acthave already broken through, and thus dont move voters away from him in a significant way.
But our poll also indicates that there is a wealth of negative information about Trump that causes Wisconsin voters to say that theyre significantly less likely to vote for him. On top of that, Trumps erratic behavior, constant lying, and checkered past make voters more likely to believe negative information about him than a typical incumbent.
Democrats can thus make gains by:
1. Eroding Trumps strength on the economy;
2. Hitting him on Medicare cuts;
3. Hitting him on his failure to drain the swamp;
https://crooked.com/articles/pollercoaster-2020-wisconsin/
And further, theres one thing that you can always say to Trumper: Fox is lying to you. Did you know Fox is owned by a rightwing billionaire? Rupert Murdochs goal is to use Fox to lie to you so youll vote for tax cuts for him.
Funtatlaguy
(10,856 posts)sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)Hes currently an American citizen because after helping the Republican Party, the party and Reagan allowed him to become a citizen in the 1980s.
Funtatlaguy
(10,856 posts)That his sons arent as evil
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)And Lachlan is the conservative one and the one who is taking over the media side of Fox.
So the sons are just as bad.
ooky
(8,885 posts)vote for him anyway.
I was at a gathering a few weeks ago where I overheard a young Republican telling people that "Obama had increased the deficit". So I asked him "how do you know(?)" and he responded it was "common knowledge". So I asked where is it common (?) and he started driveling out some stuff about "just watching the news"; while meantime, I took out my phone and pulled up a website showing budget deficits each year during the Obama administration, and showed it to him. His response was "well, I hadn't seen that but I need to look at more sources because I can't trust this one", then immediately turned away from me and started a different side conversation with someone else.
It wasn't what he wanted to see, and I had made him look stupid. I highly doubt he will "look for other sources". He could have done that on the spot with his own phone or I would have gladly allowed him to use mine, but all he wanted to do was run from the conversation as fast as possible. And, I'm pretty sure it didn't change his mind about what he WANTS to believe.
Not saying we shouldn't point these things out but I have my doubts as to how effective it will actually be in terms of influencing people who think of themselves as Republicans not to vote for Trump. I think turning out our own voters and particularly the new first time voters is going to be the key to winning this election. I'm just not seeing many people who voted for him before showing much interest in changing their votes.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)Either way.
Educate the ones who can be educated.
Shame the ones who cant.
Remember Republicans desperately want us to avoid shaming trump voters. They want their voters to not think about politics much and just cruise into the voting booth thinking everything is normal and usual.
Our job is to prevent that. The president is a corrupt criminal and if they support him they are helping put kids in cages.
Make them feel uncomfortable. That is key.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)First, hes a young white male Republican. They mostly dont care about facts, and they respond to emotion and anger. (Liberals dont like that, and dont like to do it, but its whats most effective with this personality type.)
Therefore, say this:
Oh, thats a lie. Did you know a rightwing billionaire owns Fox and he uses it to lie to suckers on the right so theyll vote for tax cuts for billionaires? I bet your rightwing media didnt even TELL YOU there was a $2 TRILLION tax cut for billionaires and youre going to pay it back. Republicans are already trying to take your heathcare and your parents Medicare away to pay for that tax cut for billionaires.
You Sucker. You fool. Youre getting screwed by conservative billionaires and you believe their lies. Idiot.
If you can say this in front of his (male) Republican friends, so much the better.
To liberals this approach sounds crazy. But it works.
Response to sharedvalues (Original post)
Joe941 This message was self-deleted by its author.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)Just be aware that your opinion also echoes what Republicans want us to say.
Joe941
(2,848 posts)JI7
(89,174 posts)they know about and have access to many news sources.
they don't care about the truth about trump himself and his own failures and corruption. becsuse they agree with him in what he is doing to minorities. they overlook all that other things becsuse of agreement on his treatment of certain people.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)As someone in a red area, I promise you that almost no trump voter knows that Rupert Murdoch designed Fox to lie to them. They dont even know who Murdoch is.
They believe Fox is real.
Its hard to imagine unless you live it.
I suggest watching Brainwashing of My Dad. And check back in here. I bet you change your mind about how much choice trump voters make about whats true and whats not.
Ilsa
(61,675 posts)and ears. They don't believe Reuters, print, or tv media. They don't believe the reports the govt publishes because they think the media messes with them. They won't believe anything bad about MF45 until it hits them square between the eyes.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)Tell them it is their media that lies to them so its billionaire controllers can fleece them. Try it!
JI7
(89,174 posts)it would be one thing if this was about maybe one issue. let's say trade with China and they felt trump was right.
but when you get to defending things like forcing kids away from their parents and trumps attacking other human beings as infestations it says something about them.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)And Goebbels.
Propaganda works.
Its not our only problem. But it may be the biggest.
JI7
(89,174 posts)antisemitism was the norm in europe foe centuries before the holocaust.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)As Hillary famously said, about half of Trump voters are deplorables that cannot be reached. And another half are fooled by lies.
There are some that can be reached, and in states like Wisconsin which are close and are also saturated by rightwing radio (hello @certainot) it pays off for us to fight rightwing propaganda there.