Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

“But what about the lurkers?”

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Petty moves from a petty man.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Monday Evening Open Thread: Getting Our Voters Ready

Monday Evening Open Thread: Getting Our Voters Ready

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Message from Jaime Harrison - STOCKPILE

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Interesting info, despite the anti-Dem bias. From Semafor, “Democrats built an influencer economy. Can it save Joe Biden?”:

When the Environmental Protection Agency opened public comments this month, they were flooded with more than 60,000 comments from people who support Joe Biden’s new power plant regulations — and had learned about the issue from micro-celebrities they follow on Instagram.

“So join me and let’s get LOUD!” one influencer, Ariana Jasmine Afshar, exhorted her 46,000 Instagram followers. “Let’s show them that we are serious about the young generation’s future.”

This was not a spontaneous outpouring of digital passion for energy regulations, however. Some of the social media celebs, including Afshar, were being paid to speak out by political influencer marketing firm atAdvocacy, which was working with environmental awareness client Evergreen Action to push the president to the left on climate issues. Afshar speaks regularly on social issues to a following that also includes 200,000 people on TikTok, and her posts about the regulations helped inspire some of them to write to the EPA.

Influencer marketing, pioneered years ago by the culture industries and fashion and beauty brands, is now big business. And 2024 is shaping up as the first serious influencer election. Both parties have cultivated networks of informal spokespeople who can reach younger voters or supporters who may not see or be moved by traditional television advertising. An ecosystem of companies on the left including Vocal, atAdvocacy, and Social Currant have emerged to connect candidates to influencers and help those influencers get paid for speaking out on behalf of causes and candidates.

“The young people under 35 that watched the [Republican] debate is in the tens of thousands,” Stuart Perelmuter, the CEO of the influencer network atAdvocacy told Semafor. “We’re reaching them by the 10s of millions every single day.”…

… [H]arnessing influencer and creator voices is clearly on the minds of top national Democrats involved in the biggest race. President Joe Biden’s digital team has openly discussed at length its strategy for wooing influencers in an unpaid capacity. Last month, the White House hosted its first ever creator holiday party, inviting influencers to the White House to post. (Donald Trump did more or less the same in 2019.) Since taking office, Biden’s team has regularly invited its loose network of political supporters online to the White House for briefings, and granted interviews to supportive Substackers and YouTubers. Last year, Biden granted a rare one-on-one sitdown interview to Brian Tyler Cohen, a popular YouTuber who helped launch atAdvocacy.

In addition to convening influencers, the White House and Biden teams have also built strong relationships with the leaders of the organizations that will deploy them. The Biden digital teams have privately hosted atAdvocacy and Social Currant at the White House to discuss influencer messaging and learn about the digital information ecosystem.

The networks have also developed close ties to each other. Last week, the Center for American Progress, one of the most well-known liberal institutions, hosted an event on the importance that independent digital voices will have on the election next year. Ellie Langford, the senior director of strategic partnerships for CAP’s digital advocacy team, is an alum of Vocal during the 2020 cycle (Vocal itself is led by an alum of the Center for American Progress). Social Currant has partnered with AtAdvocacy on several issue campaigns. Many key players from all companies were in attendance at CAP’s event last week, hosted by Langford…..

When I spoke with Biden deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty last summer, he acknowledged that conservatives had scaled up their influencer ecosystem. But he stipulated that the Biden campaign was focused not just on cultivating established political influencers, but figuring out how to boost voices that can persuade undecided voters rather than simply get the message out.

“What they’re starting to build out is the digital version of what they’ve always had,” he said, comparing the outspoken right wing digital influencers to angry, impassioned Fox News pundits. “They’re slower on the ‘persuasion influencers.’ They’re building an influencer ecosystem and we’re trying to talk to people where they are.”…

Reader Interactions

61Comments

  1. 1.

    S Cerevisiae

    The coach may be old, but the team is full of young all stars. Let’s go Blue! 🇺🇸

  2. 2.

    Leto

    Just a question: how will these digital platform reach a lot of the communities that still rely on traditional media platforms? Just thinking about, for example, Latinos who still listen to a lot of radio. Or is this mainly a campaign to engage the youth vote? Like the 25 and under crowd? But it’s def good that we’re spending more at the state level. Have to contest everything from dog catcher and up.

  4. 4.

    Anne Laurie

    @Baud: Why am I not getting paid to influence?

    I don’t think YouTube or TikTok permit pantless performances…

  11. 11.

    geg6

    Speaking of influencers, MAGA world is all butthurt and whining about Green Day changing the lyrics to “American Idiot” from “I’m not part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda” during last night’s New Year’s Rocking Eve show.  You’d think they’d be aware of the band’s politics at this point, since “American Idiot” was originally a protest against W and his minions.

  12. 12.

    Another Scott

    Few people are independently wealthy, and time is money. If someone is spending a lot of time (e.g. hours a day) on something, it’s reasonable to assume that they’re getting paid somehow. Doesn’t it go without saying that an “influencer” is getting paid somehow?

    Good for Team Blue!

    Also, Happy 2024.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  14. 14.

    bbleh

    @Baud: because you are not famous influencer.  First you must become famous, ideally as an influencer, but at a minimum for being famous.  One way to become famous might be as an influencer, but of course that’s just one way.

  15. 15.

    Leto

    @dmsilev: you combine Twitch and Onlyfans. At least that’s what several of the highest paid “performers” have done over the years here.

  16. 16.

    bbleh

    Two other, actual things:

    1. All praise once again to Howard Dean.  Hillary was fked over mercilessly by Teh Media, but it happened to him earlier, and fkin a he was right.

    2. As to young influencers, two words, the second beginning with a syllable that means “fast.”

  23. 23.

    Geminid

    I am glad to see that the Biden campaign is getting a head start on social media outreach . I remember how in 2020 people warned that Trump had been exploiting social media for a year, including Spanish-language media in Florida. Democrats hadn’t countered, in part because Biden’s campaign was basically run on a shoe string before August.

    Democrats had to play catch-up then, but now it’s a very different story

  25. 25.

    Burnspbesq

    ICYMI and were following this morning’s conversation …

    final score Oregon 45, Liberty 6

  26. 26.

    SpaceUnit

    I resent the suggestion that Biden is on the ropes and needs to be “saved” by some newfangled intervention on the intertubes.  All we need is for voters to turn out like they did last time and we’ll take trump out with the trash.  Again.

    Saved my ass.

  30. 30.

    lowtechcyclist

    @SpaceUnit:

    All we need is for voters to turn out like they did last time and we’ll take trump out with the trash (again).

    And this is part of that.  Social media are changing very rapidly, and if you’re going to get the turnout you want from the youngest voters, you’re got to meet them where they are. Which means keeping up with the changes.

  32. 32.

    eclare

    @geg6:

    I watched the Ryan Seacrest NYE show and loved that.  Plus he had Joe and Dr. Jill on in a live interview, and he referred to Dr. Jill as Dr. Jill.  No Jill.

  34. 34.

    gwangung

    @SpaceUnit:

    All we need is for voters to turn out like they did last time and we’ll take trump out with the trash (again).

    Ahh, well that’s the rub, then. Our side is very much afflicted with the face-it-once-and-we’re-done-with-it syndrome. A little complacency and a little lack of focus is going to make it harder this year, while the right wing doesn’t have that problem…

    (On the other hand…Dobbs is one sure complacency destroyer….)

  35. 35.

    bbleh

    @SpaceUnit: @lowtechcyclist: And this is part of that.  Absolutely concur. Just for example, look at how successful the Fetterman campaign was in using social media.  And young voters both skew Dem and are heavily involved with (and yes, “influenced” by) social media.

    And let’s not kid ourselves.  I remain optimistic, but we can’t afford to take any chances — not for the sake of the election, and even more importantly for the sake of the democratic Constitutional order.  I don’t care if Joe has to promise to make Taylor Swift the new Secretary of Entertainment: we’ll take whatever anyone can offer.

  37. 37.

    SpaceUnit

    @bbleh:

    Agree.  I’m just suggesting that the real question isn’t whether social media influencers can save Biden but rather if enough BS media stories claiming that Biden is losing can save trump.

  38. 38.

    Mousebumples

    @tam1MI: Meanwhile, on the GOP side of the aisle…

    Mutiny Erupts in a Michigan GOP Overtaken by Chaos

    Thanks for the link. Rooting for injuries!

  39. 39.

    Kay

    @tam1MI:

    Thank you. Great story.

    Many of Karamo’s former allies, meanwhile, feel disillusioned. “Ladies and gentlemen, there is no way that we can observe the happenings of the last nine months and defend this administration by using comments like ‘inexperience,’ or ‘incompetence,’” Forton wrote in his letter. “Simply put, we have been had.”

    Now if they could just figure that out as to Trump….

    It’s (seriously) good news for Democrats the state party imploded, though. They won’t be able to put it back together in 11 months. Trump is going to have to start from scratch in Michigan.

  40. 40.

    lowtechcyclist

    @SpaceUnit:

    Of course. I just resent the implication that Biden is losing and that his campaign needs to OMG DO SOMETHING.

    I didn’t see a hint of that in the article itself, just the headline.

    I know: “other than that, Mrs. Lincoln,” but still, the header struck me as a too-blatant attempt to take a piece that was a quite positive presentation of what the Biden team is doing, and present it as some sort of desperation move.

  41. 41.

    satby

    Good article by Timothy Snyder on “The Pitchfork Ruling” (on tfg’s eligibility under the 14th Amd)

    In a regime change towards authoritarianism, the executive mocks the courts.  So it does not help when the courts make themselves laughable.  The Supreme Court, in its consideration of Anderson vs. Griswold, risks making a mockery of itself.  And ridicule can be an element of an overall political transformation.

    The point of sketching out this scenario is not to say that it is inevitable.  It is not.  The justices of the Supreme Court have choices to make.  And our actions matter, no matter what the justices do.  But our actions are informed by our concepts.

  43. 43.

    bbleh

    @SpaceUnit: Two thoughts about that.

    First, what Teh Mediaz are blathering about today will not matter one scrap of a scintilla of an iota come next November.  It won’t matter much next week if they start saying something different.  And mega-ditto (remember those?) the polls.

    And second, insofar as it does matter, a little fear of losing isn’t at all a bad thing at this point.  Remember how confident everyone was (arguably entirely justifiably) about Hillary beating TIFG?  I would argue (and have done) that Dems were badly overconfident.  I don’t think that will happen again — I think people are properly scared of him and his followers now — but a little edginess will keep things sharp.

  45. 45.

    Mousebumples

    @Kay: Trump is going to have to start from scratch in Michigan.

    No idea who will be on his staff, but I’m half expecting Rallies!! to be a lot of the GOTV efforts on their part. Though I might not be giving the paid political operatives their due credit.

  48. 48.

    SpaceUnit

    @bbleh:

    No argument.  I agree that the above article amounts to a fart in the wind.  And also the person who wrote the article probably didn’t write the headline.

    It was some butthole editor higher up on the food chain who wanted to make Biden needs saving the subtext of the whole story.  That’s what chaps my ass.

  55. 55.

    bbleh

    @SpaceUnit: It’s The Narrative right now, for the usual collection of reasons: Must Attack Power (except when Republican), Must Be Neutral (even when Republicans go beyond the pale), Must Maintain Sources And Avoid Criticism (from Republicans — oh no, did I say that out loud?)

    Not saying they can’t hurt.  When they pound on “issues” (oh, the irony) like “economy bad! bad Bad BAD!!”, then it can stick.  But the horse-race stuff, meh, at least for now.  Come September, that’s different, but not now.

    Donate!  Volunteer! (yes now) Organize! (if you can afford the time). Don’t fret; act!

  57. 57.

    SpaceUnit

    @bbleh:

    Not really fretting.  Mostly just rolling my eyes and shaking my head because these media jerks can’t seem to help themselves.

  58. 58.

    Another Scott

    @NotMax: Of course they’re doing that.  I mean, of course!

    Max Headroom was way, way ahead of his time.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  59. 59.

    karen marie

    @Kay:  I laughed when Karamo was quoted as saying that the ouster was “illegitimate.”  It must be wonderful to live in a world where there is a rule against holding her accountable.

  60. 60.

    Another Scott

    @tam1MI: Thanks for the pointer.

    “They also disrupt the determination of the Republican men and women who are working tirelessly to win the spiritual war being fought on a cultural battlefield.”

    She’s saying it out loud – they’ve taken over a political party to service their cult’s fighting a religious war.

    I hope the good people of Michigan are paying attention…

    Grr…,
    Scott.

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