No More Half Measures
Mike Ehrmantraut is probably my favorite TV character of all time. Probably because his philosophy in this clip is something I have always related to. It’s also incredibly instructive.
(If you have no idea who Mike Ehrmantraut is, devote some time to Breaking Bad on Netflix immediately, between phone calls to your representatives)
The trump party understands this concept quite well. They put it into practice every day as they aggressively eviscerate every institution and moral principle that has defined this country for 100 years. They are daring someone to stop them and thus far, the response from a meek, wildly disorganized and seemingly helpless opposition has been the definition of a half measure.
This must stop today. Here’s how it does:
1) The anti-trump coalition and everyone in it must forget MAGA voters exist. You have MAGA friends? They are dead to you. You have MAGA people you do business with? They are dead to you. If you want to argue with them for the hell of it, that’s fine, but invest the most minimal effort and time possible.
Recognize that these people are 100% irrelevant to saving this country. They are cooked in every way possible and are intellectually braindead. They will never listen to any logic or reason that you may present, and the sooner you and everyone else understands this, the better. We do not need their votes. There should be zero resources devoted to them, zero ad spending on trying to reach them, and zero care to what they think or want.
It is a cult and the only way a cult dies is its own implosion from within. That may happen at some point, but you and I will have nothing to do with it.
2) From a strategic perspective, the DNC and all other non-trumpian political organizations should effectively ignore the lunatic left the same way they ignore MAGA. Let them vote for ridiculous third-party candidates if they so choose. An appropriate, well-executed tactical strategy targeting the 40% of voting-eligible people in this country who did not vote in 2024 will render this completely irrelevant. We have to understand that catering to these people does far more harm than good. The evidence is in the 2024 election result for everyone to see.
3) Start the biggest political media blitz in American history right now. Social Media. TV Networks outside of the Maga cult. Influencers. Podcasts. All of it. Hire the best marketing strategists from the private sector and pay them whatever they want. Lay off every single person that has been involved in the pathetically inept media efforts at the DNC and affiliated organizations in this past election cycle. Target every dollar for swing states and areas with potentially competitive house races in 2026. Not a penny should be spent anywhere else. And start the messaging drumbeat as soon as humanly possible. You need to build that drumbeat over time and then amplify it around the mid-terms.
This is honestly so basic and obvious that you should all be incensed that it isn’t happening. Instead, I am still getting emails from the “Harris Fight Fund” and Kamalaharris.com. Is this some kind of fucking joke?
It took me, a literal nobody, 15 minutes to come up with the below templates for 2 ads that would strongly resonate with most centrist people across the U.S.:
Ad #1: This is Not America
Strong, Bold Text: This is not America
Followed by Clips of:
-Malnourished, desperate children on the brink of death paired with U.S. aid Boxes sitting idle in warehouse
[Strong, Bold Text: This is not America]
-Worst scenes of Russian invasion of Ukraine paired with Putin smiling and shaking Trump’s hand, flashing images of news reports of Trump seeking to deport Ukrainian Refugees, quotes of him praising Putin and dangling $5 million golden visas to Russian oligarchs
[Strong, Bold Text: This is not America]
-Clearcutting of temperate forest with images of dead animals native to forests in North America, images of trump’s proclamations of cutting down trees in federal lands, parks, etc.
[Strong, Bold Text: Don’t Let Donald Trump Turn America into this. VOTE in 2026.]
Ad #2: Promises Made, Promises Broken
Text of Promise 1: “I will bring prices down”
-Visuals of egg prices up XXX%, inflation rising, inflation expectations skyrocketing
Text of Promise 2: “I will strengthen the economy”
-Visuals of GDP estimates plunging, stock market plummeting, TRUMP and MELANIA meme coins down 90%+, job report coming in far lower than expectations, unemployment going up
Text of Promise 3: “I will fight for veterans”
-Visuals of Musk seeking to cut funding for the VA with elderly veterans suffering as a result, visuals of Musk and Trump trying to fire federal workforce with emphasis that 30% of federal employees are veterans.
Closing text: Donald Trump thinks you’re too stupid to pay attention. Prove him wrong. Vote in 2026.
This is literally just common sense but it is not happening. Instead, you have a bunch of paddles being waved by out of touch democrat politicians with passive messages like “False” and “Musk Steals” on them. Some Dems didn’t attend, some waved these stupid paddles, one waved a cane. To what end?
It is time for the democratic establishment to wake the fuck up but they need our help. YOU need to demand that they completely abandon the existing lack of a coherent strategy. YOU need to demand that they move quickly and decisively. And most importantly, YOU need to do everything possible to help them “get it”.
If you agree with what I’m writing about, why not send it to your representative? Why not blast it across every prominent dem rep’s social media? Don’t like it? That’s fine, find someone else’s work that you do like and do the same.
Understand, there is no monetization attempt here and there never will be. The only reason I want people to read this is that I actually believe it can make a difference if the right people see it.
Shareable link: https://substack.com/home/post/p-157591297?source=queue