Cassandra, Political Crack

I Smell Ratfuckery

 

I came across a group called The Welcome Party, whose stated aim is to elect moderate Democrats in congressional districts that lean Republican. They describe themselves as:

The path to saving our democracy runs through a big-tent Democratic Party.

Partisan gridlock prevents problem solving. Primary elections reward extremists. Gerrymandered congressional districts disenfranchise voters. The media amplifies only the most polarizing voices. Bad actors undermine our free and fair elections.

There are many pressing challenges facing American democracy today. The Welcome Party is working to make sure more voters participate and exert their political power.

Our past, present, and future efforts center around a core belief: a big-tent Democratic Party has a vital role to play in saving our democracy — and that begins with welcoming those of all backgrounds and perspectives to join us on our mission.

OK, fair enough. I agree with this to some extent.

Then I saw this:

I was intrigued, so I went digging and found this memo from The Welcome Party which offered details of their suggested polling modification:

2) Include biographies of prospective candidates, drawing from their own campaign messaging:

This can allow voters to distinguish between candidates in ways that may better predict the outcome of a campaign. Biographies can surface aspects of a candidate that may affect their success or failure in a presidential campaign.

We recommend that pollsters follow a similar approach and poll hypothetical candidates using these best practices. This can shed essential light on the state of the race in uncertain times.

OK, now I was really curious, and you are too, right? Here is the bio sketch they used for Joe Biden (there are 2 versions but I’m just using 1 of them, they’re both at the link above):

Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, brings decades of legislative and executive experience to the White House. His agenda focuses on economic recovery, emphasizing job creation and support for American manufacturing. As a global leader, Biden works to restore America’s international standing and strengthen international partnerships. He prioritizes unity and bipartisanship in addressing national challenges, including climate change, creating jobs, and strengthening the nation’s infrastructure.

And here’s the one for TFG:

Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, describes himself as an outsider fighting against the political establishment. He advocates for an “America First” agenda, focusing on strict immigration policies, fair trade deals, domestic energy production, and conservative social values. Trump promises to revive the economy, strengthen law enforcement, and combat what he sees as censorship and corruption in government.

What the actual fuck? Well, it turns out that TWP thought the best way to write a campaign bio was to use…campaign materials. You know, because the best way to help people make an informed choice is to use the sources which don’t indicate that TFG led an insurrection, is a felon, an adjudicated rapist, and also has been heavily featured in the release of papers related to a piece of scum who ran a pedophile ring.

It’s ratfuckery, right?

So I went back to their website. They haven’t had any voter activities since 2022. Hmmm. They aren’t hiring at the moment, even though we are in an election season where the entire House is up for reelection. The only activity on their calendar is a get-together where you can listen to Matt Yglesias interview Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Jared Golden.  Yes, that Jared Golden:

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, shared his prediction Tuesday that former President Donald Trump will win reelection in 2024 and won’t have any effect on American democracy.

His comments came in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News. In the piece, the representative explained the election is Trump’s to win after President Joe Biden’s poor showing at the first presidential debate.

“While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that,” he wrote. “Democrats’ post-debate hand-wringing is based on the idea that a Trump victory is not just a political loss, but a unique threat to our democracy. I reject the premise. Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system.”

UPDATE:  Look what Marie Glusenkamp Perez  had to say this afternoon:

Yeah, I definitely smell a rat, which reminds me of a song:

One thought on “I Smell Ratfuckery”

  1. You’re right. In Perez’s TV ads here in Washington, she’s expressly running against Biden on immigration, as though he’s the barrier to reform.

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