Panic Button Time
Doomscroll 10.1.23
Hello again and happy Sunday. Was this email forwarded to you? Then be a good neighbor and subscribe! Help is spread. Like jelly on toast. COVID at a wedding. Like an End-of-Quarter fundraising email. You get the idea.
One Question
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s One Question about YouTube’s move to demonetize Russell Brand. Nearly 90% of you (88.9, to be exact) said you did NOT agree with the decision. 11% of you said yes, you think it’s fine for YouTube to be playing judge and jury in this case. Here are some of the comments I got:
Once again big tech are the arbiters of content. It’s a slippery slope. This was a knee jerk reaction and although what Brand “allegedly” did was disgusting, his fans and followers who still want to access his show should he able to. He’s gonna need a good lawyer.
If Brand was a liberal, the left would rightly say to leave it to the courts
This is exactly why conservative channels like Rumble are booming. Google hates the right, and it’s time we quit giving them the time of day.
The tech platforms are treating Russell Brand like he's already been convicted. There hasn't even been any charges, just the drive by media proclaiming "he did this" and we know where that has led us recently (orange man). These platforms are akin to the modern day town square. If people don't want to listen to you it should be up to the individual to make that decision, not the platform. Those nasty folks will naturally be demonetized by the free market. Secondly, these tech companies have people making arbitrary decisions. They are not journalists (not that today's journalists are even journalists anymore) and really are just banning those opinions they don't like. Either they are for free speech or not. From what we've seen they are not unless it's their speech.
Just more of the same, especially when quick to deplatform those who don't fit the usual leftwing narrative before all the facts are in - especially when they wait to react when it hits those who 'do' fit the narrative.
As always, thanks for the comments! This week’s One Question is about - GAH - TikTok. You saw this coming, right? It’s time to settle this debate once and for all. So here’s the question: Are you Team Haley or Team Ramaswamy? Is TikTok the most “dangerous social media app we can have”? Should candidates lead by example and not use the app? OR is TikTok necessary to “reach the next generation of young Americans where they are” in order to win elections? Let’s settle this right here, right now, in the pages of Doomscroll: Team Haley or Team Ramaswamy?
I think you all know where I stand, but Doomscroll is nothing if not a defender of Democracy, so I want to know what the people think.
Who’s Doing What
--Time to Panic
Anti-Trump Republicans are freaking out. Full stop. I’ve written many, many times in Doomscroll about the ads the Club For Growth and other groups have been running, targeting Republican primary voters to try and persuade them to hurl themselves off the Trump Train. Folks: it ain’t working. Per The New York Times:
The political action committee, called Win It Back, has close ties to the influential fiscally conservative group Club for Growth. It has already spent more than $4 million trying to lower Mr. Trump’s support among Republican voters in Iowa and nearly $2 million more trying to damage him in South Carolina.
But in the memo — dated Thursday and obtained by The New York Times — the head of Win It Back PAC, David McIntosh, acknowledges to donors that after extensive testing of more than 40 anti-Trump television ads, “all attempts to undermine his conservative credentials on specific issues were ineffective.”
…
“Even when you show video to Republican primary voters — with complete context — of President Trump saying something otherwise objectionable to primary voters, they find a way to rationalize and dismiss it,” Mr. McIntosh states in the “key learnings” section of the memo.
“Every traditional postproduction ad attacking President Trump either backfired or produced no impact on his ballot support and favorability,” Mr. McIntosh adds. “This includes ads that primarily feature video of him saying liberal or stupid comments from his own mouth.”
Now, you might be wondering: “Why, Amanda? Why are you writing about this in Doomscroll?” Good question. What resonated with me about this piece this week, wasn’t so much the politics of trying to dethrone Donald Trump- it was the familiar, all-consuming, soul-sucking anxiety we can feel as digital operatives when it comes to targeting, ad creative, and messaging. Ya feel?
We’ve all been there. We have the client, we have the desired goals, we have the budget…and then it’s time to talk messaging and creative. Sometimes we throw everything against the wall to see what sticks - and we strike gold. Other times we analyze inside and out and launch with creative we KNOW is just gonna KILL IT - and it flops. No one is immune. Is there a lesson here? You tell me. Maybe there’s no other takeaway than this: shit’s hard and there’s lots of gray area. Or maybe this: when it comes to Trump, the laws of physics just don’t apply. Period.
--Battling for Virginia
Ok, yes, I know I wrote last week about the Virginia legislative races that are coming up this fall, but you guys: this stuff is really heating up. We’ve got it all: scandalous candidates, accusations of lying, yard sign malarkey, Twitter fighting…and yes, spending. For starters, looks like everyone on the Republican side got the memo about going all in on promoting Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s early voting initiative. Several Republicans are going all-in on defending their positions on abortion (or rather, correcting the record against liberal lies and smears) Good for them. I for one, am happy to see candidates on the right not hide from the issue.
Interesting to note that the largest Democrat spender in the last 7 days was the League of Conservation Voters, which is spending to prop up Dem candidates around climate change issues. (ok?) And you know who else is spending money in Virginia? The Courier Newsroom. Yes, THAT Courier Newsroom - the well-funded progressive “journalistic” outfit that sprang up a few years ago to combat conservative misinformation online (or something) with online advertising. They’re running ads in Virginia to “soften the ground,” so to speak with Democrat/progressive messaging. Clever.
--Rage Against the Migrants
The NRCC is out with a new video hitting Democrats for the border crisis and the chaos that’s unfolding in America’s bluest of [sanctuary] cities: New York. I love my friends at the NRCC, but it’s not the strongest video I’ve ever seen on this issue (feel free to torch me in the comments). The video is all about chaos in NYC, but the first Democrat we see talking on screen is Pramila Jayapal…from Washington State. Woof. Still, it’s worth a watch and a RT, if for no other reason than this is absolutely something we should be hitting Dems on. Time for them to bathe in the mess they helped create.
--You Get A Donor, and YOU Get A Donor!
Looks like the RNC debate requirement rules are working! According to a new report, WinRed has logged 1.4 million donors so far this year, and 38% of them are new. Regardless of what you think about the debate requirements, this is great news. The GOP donor pie is growing, and that’s a great thing for everyone.
--Lake. Senator Lake.
Failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake released a new teaser video about her Senate run. You can watch it here. And she also posted this graphic about *something* happening on October 10. I’l give her this: the woman knows how to hype herself on social. I’ll admit - I’ve always liked that about her. Yes, I had to unsubscribe from her SMS list because it got to be TOO MUCH - and that’s saying a lot for me. Yes, I wish she was a little less conspiratorial. Yes, I think she has a shot. Yes, I think it’ll be a tough primary between her and SHERIFF MARK LAMB (sorry - I just feel like his name belongs in ALL CAPS). Yes, I will be paying close attention. We all will.
2024 Roundup
Chris Christie tweeted lots of pics of Donald Duck at Trump after the debate. And Team Trump tweeted back with lots of pics of…Chris Christie. I don’t even know what to say. See example here.
Asa Hutchinson is promising to stay in the fight. See his statement here.
Tim Scott launched some new fundraising ads on Facebook after the debate. See his WinRed page here.
Never Back Down PAC pushed back on reports it was cutting ad spend. See the tweet here.
Ron DeSantis added a “veto pen” to his merch store…as well as an “item not found” Trump Veto Pen for $7.8 trillion. See it here.
Nikki Haley says the Trump campaign sent her a birdcage. See her tweet.
Who’s Spending Where
From September 20-26, AFP Action was once again, the top spender on Facebook ads with $154,884. Proud Patriots spent just shy of $89,000, while PragerU came in at $72,500. Judicial Watch spent just over $42,000 on ads that honestly, are very poorly designed and hard to read. Rounding out the top five is the Associated Republicans of Texas, which spent about $40,000 to support some local candidates.
My Eyes!
AFP Action INC was also the top spender on Google ads, with about $164,000 in ad spend. Prager University Foundation spent $65,000, and MAGA Inc spent about $57,000 on a new ad hitting Biden for the border crisis. Kentucky Values came in fourth place with about $40,000 in spend, while Trust in the Mission PAC came in fifth place with $37,000.
P2P
That Mike Rogers text with the Joe Biden graphic is something else!
Industry Watch
Read this Politico piece about Democrats putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to reaching voters online. Yes, it’s annoying to me that this even gets coverage (see also today’s “from the other side of the aisle”), but aside from that - Yes, HELLO. Where is the GOP version of this? The left takes content seriously. They take relational organizing seriously. Maybe, you could argue, the Right’s content machine is organic and decentralized and that makes it better and me effective. I would love to hear someone make that case. Me? I’m skeptical.
The Grapevine
So, this isn’t necessarily new, but it was just sent to me this week, which is why I’m including it today! It’s the transcript of Gary Coby’s interview with the January 6th Committee and it makes for some interesting reading. Really - It’s a fascinating insight into the vendor-campaign relationship.
Got a tip for The Grapevine? Job announcement? Job opening? Fav fall activity? Email ‘em to me at itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
Last But Not Least
From the other side of the aisle:
Did anyone else catch Politico’s story about the Biden Team’s effort to go viral? ::Attention!! Attention Please! Biden HQ IS SPEAKING. WE WOULD LIKE TO GO VIRAL NOW, PLS AND THANK YOU.” Oooooh goodness.
Basically, some Biden campaign folks launched a new Twitter account and as a result we are being reminded once again, that Democrat digital operatives are NEXT LEVEL.
A couple things: Has the RNC Research account ever gotten this kind of glowing coverage? Yes, yes, I know there was that one article, but it was in West Wing Playbook and it didn’t feature a lengthy interview with an RNC digital honcho. It didn’t talk about how it was going to be “reaching voters by pumping out content,” either (groundbreaking strategy, guys!).
Look, I’m sure Biden dude Patrick Flaherty is a smart guy, but when you’re asked things like “can you talk about the tone of Biden HQ,” it’s hard (for me, anyway) to not throw this in the trash can with all the other puff pieces about how Democrat digital strategists are supposedly so brilliant. Insert shrug emoji. I am who I am!
From the other side of the tracks:
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Consider forwarding to your friends!