One of the things I hear expressed most often from other conservatives including fellow conservative writers and commentators is the frustration about getting “the message” out, whether it be over proposed legislation/policy ideas or countering false media narratives about conservatives in general.
Although conservatives tend to do better when pitching their message in local media outlets, they historically have struggled with selling the message in those same venues. NationalLevel. The reason for this is because, unlike the local media outlets who are more closely connected to the people reading/watching their coverage, the national media doesn’t feel a similar responsibility to get things right the first time around, and have few if any compunctions about knowingly running off half-cocked on a story as long as the story “proves” a political/social narrative they want to push.
Even worse, these media outlets seldom feel any obligation towards their readers to rectify the situation after it has happened. And even if they do eventually get around to doing so, the damage has already been done – which was the entire point. Mission achieved.
Although it is frustrating, I believe that the tide is changing in favor of conservatives being capable to counter liberal narratives about hot-button issues. We’ve seen it with Critical Race Theory. It’s amazing, just think about it. Democrats, like Terry McAuliffe (Va. gubernatorial candidate), are trying to run away as quickly as possible from this idea. NBC News “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd has also shown a desperation to clamp down on the movement against CRT by lying and saying, as McAuliffe has, that it’s not taught in public schools.
CRT has become so toxic now for Democrats thanks to the conservative pushback against it that even the most entrenched and “woke” among them – and their national media allies – are retreating from it in fear. Doesn’t mean the battle has been won; it just means that so far the counter-message to Democrats on this issue has been effective.
The same can be said, in my opinion, on all the hubbub over President Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda. To be sure, Biden’s a poor seller of his agenda no matter what it is, but try as they might, Democrats are losing the messaging war on it which is why, in part, they can’t get any traction with Sens. Manchin, Sinema.
During a presser with Democratic Leaders from the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, including Rep. Ted Lieu today, the California Congressman and co-chair of that committee made a quite eye-opening admission/plea. This would confirm my theory that the messaging wars for key national issues are being won by conservatives.
During the presser, Lieu admitted to the reporters in attendance that Democrats “rely on you” to get out “the truth” about their legislation, and implored them to do so on the Build Back Better agenda so they would have a better chance of selling it:
“And we do, in part, rely on all of you to convey the truth and actual facts,” he added. “And if you all want to write about this amazing tax cut for families and children that’s really transformative, that would be really helpful.”
A similar message was sent by Joe Neguse, a Colorado member of the same committee.
“Most of the coverage right now and the better part of the last few months has been on process, which of course, makes sense because we are engaged in a complex legislative process to get these bills across the finish line,” he said. “But that, in some respects obfuscates away from the substance of these incredibly important, consequential pieces of legislation that will have lasting impact on the American people and American families.”
What about translations? Come on, media – do what you normally do for us and sell the phony bill of goods to the American people that we have so far been unable to.
If I’m right on this (and y’all know I am – heh), where are conservatives finding the most success in getting out the message?
Fox News, of course, helps to a certain extent – especially when Tucker Carlson gets going on something. But I think the shaming campaigns against fact-checkers and national media reporters have had an impact, forcing some of them to dig a little deeper into the things they report because they know they’re going to get ripped new ones on social media (and at conservative websites like this one) if they don’t.
While that’s actually been the case for years now, over the last couple of years in particular conservatives have fine-tuned things a bit and learned how to better band together to in so many ways force media outlets and fact-checkers to do what they’re supposed to do rather than what their left-wing political leanings (and woke senior editors) urge them to.
Is it possible for conservatives to succeed in such efforts? It is not. We’ve still got a long way to go and no matter how successful we become, the media is always going to do their thing – and we need to be prepared for it. But we’re getting better at countering the left by using their own tools against them (the media, fact-checkers, social media and the like).
Ted Lieu and the other Dems on that committee know they’re losing their grip on the BBB messaging and have now taken to directly imploring the media to step in and play their traditional clean-up role. As far as I’m concerned, that’s as good of a signal as any that conservatives can win messaging battles on a national level as long as they keep their foot on the gas and don’t cede any ground with the media. For some, putting pressure on is all they will do to learn.
See also:Joe Biden has just revealed the most shocking and sobering commentary ever.
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