Outgunned, Outposted, and Out of Touch:

What Democrats Must Do Differently on Political Communication

Democrats didn’t just lose control of the message in recent years - we lost the medium, the momentum, and the muscle memory for how to fight a long campaign in a shifting media war. In 2024, the Right didn’t win with better policies, stronger candidates, or more money. They won with something far more powerful: a decentralized, relentless, 24/7 communication machine that knows how to make people feel something, every single day.

We can’t afford to keep responding to this with press releases, sporadic ad buys, and message-tested “talking points” dropped into the void. If we want to win again - not just elections but the future - we have to build different, speak different, and listen different.

"Culture crushes credentials. Every. Single. Time."

It’s not just our candidates who failed. It’s our campaigns - and how we communicate.

The Right’s Asymmetric Advantage

The conservative movement has built a sprawling, always-on communications ecosystem. It’s not just Fox News and talk radio anymore - it’s a web of Facebook groups, hyperlocal influencers, YouTube rage-podcasters, TikTok conspiracy loops, Telegram channels, Spanish-language disinformation, and AI-generated propaganda running 24/7. They’ve overtaken not only the mainstream media - but the mental bandwidth of millions.

Their strength isn’t just repetition. It’s immersion.

They've mastered a feedback loop that goes top-down and bottom-up: disinformation is seeded by influencers or bots, echoed by talk radio or fringe outlets, and then laundered through trusted local voices—pastors, sheriffs, coaches, county chairs, Spanish-language radio, even fake hometown newspapers. The result? What starts as a lie on a fringe site becomes gospel truth in your uncle’s WhatsApp group.

“Flood the zone with shit.” - Steve Bannon

By contrast, Democrats still treat communication like a campaign accessory. We rely on mainstream press hits and paid ads. We speak at voters, not with them. And we too often equate communication with branding—when it should be organizing.

As Tony Schwartz taught us:

“Resonance, not reason, is what gets through.”

If you want to change what people think, start with how they feel.

The Collapse of the Middle and the Rise of the Void

The media landscape has fractured beyond recognition. Since 2005, over a quarter of American newspapers have shut down. Thousands of communities now live in news deserts, with no local watchdogs or trusted reporters. Meanwhile, local TV news has shifted toward sensationalism, and network news is bleeding viewers thanks to cord-cutting.

This collapse has eliminated the referees of public life. In the vacuum, disinformation metastasizes. Facebook groups, YouTube channels, right-wing talk radio, and algorithm-fed influencers rush in to fill the void.

This has created asymmetrical information environments:

• Democratic voters still engage with a broad, fact-based media diet: NPR, CNN, The New York Times, and local news (where it exists).

• Republican voters, by contrast, often rely on a narrow band of partisan, misleading sources. Over 60% cite Fox News as their top source. Far more consume news from conservative influencers than any traditional outlet.

Worse, trust has collapsed. In 2023, only 11% of Republicans said they trusted the media - compared to 58% of Democrats. The result is that one side is debating policy, while the other is living in a parallel reality.

Democratic campaigns often try to push facts into this void - but facts don’t land in voids. They get lost.

Maya Angelou Had It Right

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

This isn’t just wisdom. It’s strategy.

We bombard voters with charts, stats, rebuttals, and policy explainers. But voters aren’t spreadsheets. They’re people. If our content doesn’t make them feel seen, understood, or valued, then we’re not persuading. We’re performing.

In an emotionally saturated world, attention is emotional first, informational second. We must design our communications to stir emotion - not just deliver facts.

“What do people need to feel in order to believe us, trust us, and act with us?”

Clayton Christensen Warned Us

Clayton Christensen’s Innovator’s Dilemma explains why powerful institutions often fail to adapt:

“The reason why it is so difficult for existing firms to capitalize on disruptive innovations is that their processes and their business model... render them incapable of doing the things that are required to succeed in the new market.”

That’s the Democratic Party today. Our communications infrastructure was built for a broadcast world - and we’re now living in an interactive, decentralized, rapid-response media battlefield.

The GOP responded to this disruption with invention: they built a new ecosystem from scratch - talk radio, cable, online propaganda, digital influencers. Democrats, meanwhile, kept hoping the old media would hold.

Now we’re losing the war, not because we lack talent or values, but because we’re using outdated weapons.

Paul Tully Understood the Stakes

Paul Tully, the visionary DNC political director I worked alongside for over a decade, used to say:

“You can’t beat something with nothing. And you can’t win hearts with a memo.”

He believed politics was not a contest of bullet points - it was a fight for narrative and belonging. Tully knew that stories persuade better than statistics. That communities are moved by voices they trust. And that organizing and messaging are not separate - they’re two sides of the same coin.

It’s time to remember his wisdom.

So What Do We Do?

We keep trying to win 21st-century elections with 20th-century tools: TV ads, poll-tested talking points, and campaigns that vanish after Election Day. But the truth is, this isn’t about spending more money on ads.

It’s about rebuilding how we communicate - by combining organizing and communications into one continuous, bottom-up, emotionally resonant infrastructure.

From Ads to Ecosystems

The right has built a permanent media machine that’s always on. Democrats need the same.

That means:

• Investing in platform-native content - TikToks, YouTube shows, Discord chats, Instagram reels.

• Building community media capacity: local newsletters, Spanish-language podcasts, union TikTok creators.

• Supporting influencers and creators, not just consultants.

• Funding year-round teams that keep messaging alive during off years.

“If we want to shape public opinion, we need to be part of the public conversation - every day.”

From Information to Connection

Policy doesn’t move people. Stories do.

Instead of fixating on what we want to say, we must focus on how people need to feel.

That means:

• Leading with real voices - workers, parents, veterans, teachers.

• Using formats people trust: short video, testimonials, memes, lives.

• Prioritizing emotional clarity over policy complexity.

“People will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou
“Resonance, not reason, is what gets through.” -Tony Schwartz

From Talking At to Listening With

Communication today is participatory.

We must:

• Engage through DMs, livestreams, and comment threads.

• Lift up local validators - faith leaders, small business owners, coaches.

• Build feedback loops where audience insights shape strategy.

“The future belongs to the campaigns that listen best.”

We don’t just need more storytellers. We need better listeners.

From Campaign Mode to Movement Mode

Democratic campaigns often go dark after Election Day - while the right’s machine keeps pumping out memes, lies, rage-bait, and talking points.

This leaves a void. And voids get filled by the loudest voices - usually theirs.

We must:

• Build year-round messaging teams, not just campaign consultants.

• Train organizers to be communicators.

• Create hyperlocal content for neighborhoods and towns.

“They might as well have set the cash on fire.” —Dem organizer on 2024 ad blitzes that vanished after the election.

Embrace Innovation: AI, Formats, and Local Stories

The GOP is experimenting - with deepfakes, AI-generated junk news, influencer pipelines, and message bots.

We don’t need to mimic the lies. But we do need to modernize:

• Use AI tools to scale translation, localize messaging, and generate content faster.

• Invest in non-English outlets, ethnic media, and platforms that culturally resonate.

• Flood the zone with content across formats - memes for X, reels for Instagram, heartfelt explainers on YouTube.

Build an Audience-First Strategy

Too often, Democrats start with the message and look for an audience. That’s backwards.

We must:

• Start with the audience’s needs, fears, habits, and hopes.

• Tailor messenger, message, and medium to each community.

• Create segmented media plans - what works for Gen Z won’t work for rural union retirees or bilingual Latinos.

When people feel seen and spoken to in their own language - they trust us more.

Make the Message Local

Republicans win the culture war by nationalizing fear. Democrats can win trust by localizing hope.

That means:

• Talking about what actually matters in each community - schools, jobs, housing, roads.

• Supporting local content creators and media channels.

• Making sure the message connects the dots - from policies to kitchen tables.

Conclusion: This Isn’t Optional

We’re not just losing elections. We’re losing our ability to shape reality.

The right has built an immersive media culture. We keep responding with spreadsheets.

We need to stop reacting and start building.

“The ability to tell the truth persuasively is one of the most powerful tools we must sharpen.”

This is how we fight back:

• Year-round infrastructure

• Localized, emotionally resonant content

• Audience-first strategy

• Decentralized storytellers

It’s time to act like we’re in a permanent information war - because we are.

Let’s build the media infrastructure we wish we had. Let’s stop outsourcing persuasion. Let’s start winning hearts and shifting narratives.

The time to begin is now.