Fantastic. Absolutely the right way to talk about freedom, Biden’s campaign, and the difference between Democrats and Maga Republicans.
But, this will all crash and burn if we don’t get better about talking about the debt ceiling. Every time we mention how bad Republican cuts are, we’re negotiating. We can’t negotiate with terrorists.
Just say: “America pays its bills. We’ll talk about the budget during budget talks.”
FWIW, Pete (Buttigieg) has been talking about liberals/progressives reclaiming freedom as one of our values for several years now. Glad to see other Dems catch on.
I’m definitely seeing more Dems and liberals talking about taking back the flag and that our values actually more closely align with American values than conservative values. It’s good to see us leaning into the fight rather than conceding the ground.
Great message, Dan. Here in red, rural Minnesota we can use FREEDOM as our overarching value in touting the policies enacted because of our Democratic Farmer Labor Party trifecta. It’s parade season with handmade signs in communities in our county--blue dots.
All true, but we need to address the way MAGA's and extremismitsts are persuading people to sacrifice freedom. By ginning up a lawless society, they get people ( as what happened in Pre-war Germany) to say, I'll give in to a reduction in my freedoms if it will help control a lawless society. We must work on fighting the notion that we have such havoc in this country, that we are best off sacrificing our freedoms for safety and stability.
As I was watching that video, I was sort of wishing he went beyond book bans and into academic freedom, but I thought about Youngkin and how he rode the wave of angry parents into office. There were other problems, but it's such a fraught issue. I wish Crooked would do some kind of special pod or something about the takeover of school boards and the corporatization of higher ed. I read an interesting article about teaching in DeSantis' Florida, and it is deeply troubling because the trend isn't just limited to Florida. Here's the link if you are interested. https://thebaffler.com/latest/the-desantis-school-royles
I need to credit Lyz Lenz for listing it in her Sunday Reads Substack (Men Yell At Me).
I love the idea if reclaiming Freedom! It will be fed by continuing efforts by Republicans to ban books restrict women’s rights , voting rights, and level playing field economically. And if Dems can tie economic issues with freedom , that could be a big winner. And
the great thing is that Republicans will continue to feed this with their hypocritical “culture wars”. And keep it optimistic, aspiration, expansive, buoyant and with humor ( a quality Republicans totally lack).
"I am referring to cultural values like — patriotism, hard work, and freedom, which polls show have traditionally been more associated with the Republican Party. This cultural skepticism is one reason that Democrats struggle to connect with voters who agree with them on the vast majority of issues. This is why we must treat our policies as proof points of our values and not final objectives. They are a way to show voters who we are and what we represent."
Always a good idea to advocate for progressive policy goals using “conservative” language. Clinton, Obama, Biden do this so well. George W. Bush, in 2000, did the opposite on the issue of education--used sort of progressive language to achieve a conservative policy goal. Anat is spot on about reclaiming freedom -- freedom from fear, violence, bigotry, etc.
I was really hopeful in Biden’s ad that he used “freedom from” rights like FDR did back in his era. I feel like that framing ought to be really powerful. Freedom from hunger, freedom from losing your home, freedom from having to work 3 jobs to keep the lights on.
Hopefully the DNC & Biden campaign keep running with stuff like this.
Thank you for putting this to words. The word “freedom” belongs to those who share freedom with others around us, not those who greedily keep it for themselves and deny it to others. We made sure our campaign messages in 2020 and 2022 led with the word “freedom” for voting, for choosing, for learning, for loving, for living. Freedom is one of the three values (with justice and opportunity, equally for all) of the DEMOCRATIC CREED promoted in “Democrats 101” by J.M. Purvis.
YES, Dan, 1000 times yes. And while we're at it, we can take the word "liberty" and make it our own too. For practical purposes (as opposed to academic ones) it is interchangeable with "freedom". I'm convinced that Liberals proudly reclaiming the freedom theme—and both words—will absolutely short circuit Fox-addled minds and create an opening for our ideas to seep in.
Good article in the Washington Post today about people's lives changing due to the voting "police" in Florida. Job losses, expenses, etc. If we don't have the freedom to vote, what good is our democracy?
Somewhat off topic BUT I seriously hope Biden & company can navigate the storm of the debt ceiling fight. And I hope he is prepared on how to run if a default becomes a reality....
Fantastic. Absolutely the right way to talk about freedom, Biden’s campaign, and the difference between Democrats and Maga Republicans.
But, this will all crash and burn if we don’t get better about talking about the debt ceiling. Every time we mention how bad Republican cuts are, we’re negotiating. We can’t negotiate with terrorists.
Just say: “America pays its bills. We’ll talk about the budget during budget talks.”
FWIW, Pete (Buttigieg) has been talking about liberals/progressives reclaiming freedom as one of our values for several years now. Glad to see other Dems catch on.
Someone with some influence needs to whisper in Biden's ear: "You should hire Dan Pfeiffer for your reelection campaign..."
I’m definitely seeing more Dems and liberals talking about taking back the flag and that our values actually more closely align with American values than conservative values. It’s good to see us leaning into the fight rather than conceding the ground.
Great message, Dan. Here in red, rural Minnesota we can use FREEDOM as our overarching value in touting the policies enacted because of our Democratic Farmer Labor Party trifecta. It’s parade season with handmade signs in communities in our county--blue dots.
All true, but we need to address the way MAGA's and extremismitsts are persuading people to sacrifice freedom. By ginning up a lawless society, they get people ( as what happened in Pre-war Germany) to say, I'll give in to a reduction in my freedoms if it will help control a lawless society. We must work on fighting the notion that we have such havoc in this country, that we are best off sacrificing our freedoms for safety and stability.
As I was watching that video, I was sort of wishing he went beyond book bans and into academic freedom, but I thought about Youngkin and how he rode the wave of angry parents into office. There were other problems, but it's such a fraught issue. I wish Crooked would do some kind of special pod or something about the takeover of school boards and the corporatization of higher ed. I read an interesting article about teaching in DeSantis' Florida, and it is deeply troubling because the trend isn't just limited to Florida. Here's the link if you are interested. https://thebaffler.com/latest/the-desantis-school-royles
I need to credit Lyz Lenz for listing it in her Sunday Reads Substack (Men Yell At Me).
I love the idea if reclaiming Freedom! It will be fed by continuing efforts by Republicans to ban books restrict women’s rights , voting rights, and level playing field economically. And if Dems can tie economic issues with freedom , that could be a big winner. And
the great thing is that Republicans will continue to feed this with their hypocritical “culture wars”. And keep it optimistic, aspiration, expansive, buoyant and with humor ( a quality Republicans totally lack).
Just yes to all of this. Thanks Dan.
"I am referring to cultural values like — patriotism, hard work, and freedom, which polls show have traditionally been more associated with the Republican Party. This cultural skepticism is one reason that Democrats struggle to connect with voters who agree with them on the vast majority of issues. This is why we must treat our policies as proof points of our values and not final objectives. They are a way to show voters who we are and what we represent."
Exactly.
Always a good idea to advocate for progressive policy goals using “conservative” language. Clinton, Obama, Biden do this so well. George W. Bush, in 2000, did the opposite on the issue of education--used sort of progressive language to achieve a conservative policy goal. Anat is spot on about reclaiming freedom -- freedom from fear, violence, bigotry, etc.
I was really hopeful in Biden’s ad that he used “freedom from” rights like FDR did back in his era. I feel like that framing ought to be really powerful. Freedom from hunger, freedom from losing your home, freedom from having to work 3 jobs to keep the lights on.
Hopefully the DNC & Biden campaign keep running with stuff like this.
Thank you for putting this to words. The word “freedom” belongs to those who share freedom with others around us, not those who greedily keep it for themselves and deny it to others. We made sure our campaign messages in 2020 and 2022 led with the word “freedom” for voting, for choosing, for learning, for loving, for living. Freedom is one of the three values (with justice and opportunity, equally for all) of the DEMOCRATIC CREED promoted in “Democrats 101” by J.M. Purvis.
YES, Dan, 1000 times yes. And while we're at it, we can take the word "liberty" and make it our own too. For practical purposes (as opposed to academic ones) it is interchangeable with "freedom". I'm convinced that Liberals proudly reclaiming the freedom theme—and both words—will absolutely short circuit Fox-addled minds and create an opening for our ideas to seep in.
Need a few tips? A Lefty's Guide to Liberty:
https://medium.com/p/764b4ffe388a
Good article in the Washington Post today about people's lives changing due to the voting "police" in Florida. Job losses, expenses, etc. If we don't have the freedom to vote, what good is our democracy?
Somewhat off topic BUT I seriously hope Biden & company can navigate the storm of the debt ceiling fight. And I hope he is prepared on how to run if a default becomes a reality....