The Mind-Muscle Connection
Doomscroll 2.15.2026
Hello, fellow digi people! Welcome to another edition of Doomscroll, your favorite newsletter covering all things digital on the right! Hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day - or Galentine’s Day if that’s more your speed. Let’s get to some scrolling! Xoxo
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s One Question about whether you're Team Rob or Team Stefanie. Quick rehash: Former Biden policy wonk questioned whether meme-posting actually persuades voters and she got DRAGGED on X for simply posing the question by some of her fellow Dems - including digital god Rob Flaherty. Well, you all picked a side and - I’m pleased to say - chose poor Stephanie by a whopping 80% - 20%. Good for you all. Here are a few comments:
It would be typical of unthinking Democrats -- which is most of them -- to not desire a quantifiable metric for success. This is a trait of socialism, and Democrat policies across-the-board. So Stefanie would appear to be an uber-outlier within at least the digital space of Democrat-land.
What is the ultimate goal? To win an election. How is that done? By getting the most votes. How is that done? By motivating enough voters via myriad means to turn out and support your candidate. Why would the digital aspect of a campaign be any different?
Rob probably knows Stefanie made a good point and that’s why he was being a pr*ck
THE MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION
Ok. This week’s One Question is kind of a continuation on the meme-posting theme. We know the left does it, but our side does it too. A lot. From very official government channels, no less. Earlier this week the New York Times ran a report about the 21-year-old lad who was recently hired away from the Department of Labor to do social media for the Department of Homeland Security. Look, I wouldn’t know this guy (Peyton Rollins is his name) if he served me a latte in a cup with a nice, handwritten note on it. But according to the Times, he’s responsible for a lot of content that “has grown increasingly questionable” over the last year, so I guess he’s fair game for the liberal media - which kind of sucks for him. Anyway, it got me thinking it’s perhaps time to gauge how the rest of us feel about the Trump Administration’s constant drumbeat of memes and content that, shall we say… “pushes boundaries.” I mean, there’s a lot of it. I don’t need to list it all here. Some of it is awesome, but some of it I’m even turned off by. Am I out of touch? I mean, Mr. Rollins is 21 years old, which means (I’m just gonna say it) I could ~technically speaking~ be his mom. I can’t help but wonder if the MAGA Gen Z’ers who are being given titles like “digital content manager” are doing what they’re doing because they’re so much more plugged into the online vibes than I could ever hope to be at this stage in my life, or if (as the NYT would have us believe) they’re just immature twerps flirting with QAnon and white nationalism. What am I getting at? Glad you asked.
A few months after I gave birth to my second child in 2024 (I’m going somewhere with this!), I started working with a personal trainer. And now, 16 months later, I still spend 1 hour, 3 days a week, paying money to someone who reminds me constantly to make the mind-muscle connection. Over and over and over again. Seriously. While everyone else spent the last year chanting “6-7,” I was over HERE, flailing my arms and muttering “mind-muscle, mind-muscle…” It’s not enough to “just do” the lat pulldowns if you’re not concentrating on the right muscle group. Going through the motions? Pointless. And here’s why this relates to us: Maybe we need to do a better job of making the mind-muscle connection in digital. Posting for the sake of posting helps you check a box - an important box, sure - but it may not help you achieve what you’re actually aiming for: the ability to do 5 weighted pull-ups in a row. Victory on Election Day. It’s that mind-muscle connection too many are missing - in the gym and on the internet.
Anyway, that’s a long wind-up to asking a simple, One Question: Do you think the right does a better job at the meme-posting (dunking, owning the libs, s**t-posting, whatever) and using it to convert users into GOP voters? Or do both sides struggle to make this “mind-muscle connection”?
Help me out, here.
Have you ever read a more accurate quote? It comes from Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist who talked to the New York Times in that much-discussed (and much passed-around!) piece this week about Republicans’ cash advantage in 2026. I mean, I guess this is good news. But does anyone else not feel great that so much money on our side is concentrated in big checks cut to MAGA world, party committees, and Super PACs? On the individual campaign level, most of our guys are sucking wind compared to their Dem opponents (too harsh?). Enthusiasm. We need some. Just a thought!
—All Hail Susan Collins
The year’s most anticipated re-election announcement finally happened! Yes, Maine. Sen. Susan Collins is running for another term. The rollout did not disappoint. To everyone involved: Nice job. High-fives all-around. From the unboxing video, to the 3 1/2 minute supporter video, to the NRSC video about how trends come and go but Susan Collins’ work ethic stays forever…it was all very nicely coordinated. It’s ALMOST LIKE WE’VE DONE THIS BEFORE. Here’s what else I’ll add: So often - especially with incumbents - there can be a disconnect between who they are and how they try and portray themselves online. The gap can be subtle or extreme…but with Susan Collins, everything I saw from her online this week felt right. That’s not always easy to do. But everything focused on how she delivers for the people of Maine, and I think that decision was spot-on. Also doesn’t hurt that her website is excellent, and her merch store is ::chef’s kiss:: really pretty good. I mean, who wouldn’t wear that Pepper pocket tee?
—Whatley Watch
AFP Action made headlines this week for spending $1 million on a “package” of ads supporting Michael Whatley in North Carolina. The spot will run on cable and CTV and is accompanied by some digital on Facebook. It’s an ok spot (watch it here), if light on substance. While I’m sure the Whatley campaign is grateful for any amount of outside spending and we’re still a long way out from November, I have a feeling ALL of our candidates are going to need messaging that’s a little more hard-hitting than just “Washington sucks. Our candidate will fix it.” On one level, I’m sure that resonates with some voters. But at some point, the messaging on our side is going to have to contend with the fact that attacking D.C. could backfire once voters remember that…oh yeah…Republicans control Congress! And the White House! 🫣
💵 OpenAI has set a $200,000 minimum spend for ChatGPT ads
🤳 OMG a new social media app? UpScrolled is climbing the charts..
📺 The WSJ did a write-up about how TV ad budgets in the corporate world don’t reflect the YouTube world we live in. SEE GUYS? IT’S NOT JUST US.
A snippet:
YouTube and its stable of creators appear to have won the battle for television viewers. The fight for big TV ad budgets is another story….
Large advertisers on the other hand frequently treat YouTube as part of their digital marketing budget rather than their traditional TV budget, placing it in direct competition with platforms like TikTok and Instagram, said Jacob Davis, global head of performance at ad firm Crossmedia.
That kind of advertiser sees YouTube and TV as two different products, even if consumers increasingly watch them on the same screens, he said.
🎬 Speaking of YouTube, the company is arguing in court that it’s NOT a social media app - that it’s more like Netflix than Facebook. Interesting argument.
Some Republicans in Georgia really want the national party to pick a side in the gubernatorial primary and put its weight behind Burt Jones.
John Cowan is running for Congress in Georgia’s 11th Congressional District to replace retiring Rep. Barry Loudermilk.
Speaking of Georgia, a new poll from Co/efficient has billionaire Rick Jackson at 24% in the gov primary, followed by Burt Jones at 16%.
Last but not least (in Georgia), Burt Jones has a new ad hyping his Trump endorsement
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has officially endorsed his second-in-command, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to replace him next year. Some speculate a Trump endorsement may not be far behind…
Love Gov is eyeing a comeback?
Karrin Taylor Robson has dropped out of the gubernatorial race in Arizona.
Mark Smith, who’s running to replace Nancy Mace in South Carolina’s 1st congressional district, has released his first ad.
Ok, I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know anything about Louisiana politics, but I did NOT expect to see the sitting governor attack his sitting senator on X like that.
Burt Jones added to his senior campaign team. See here.
WinRed’s Ryan Lyk posted some interesting stats about donor profiles on the platform. See them here.
Katie Harbath has been publishing some really great stuff lately about AI and Election tech. If you missed it, catch up here. I particularly enjoyed the post about Substack!
Got a tip for The Grapevine? Job announcement? Job opening? Email ‘em to me at itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
From the other side of the aisle:
Progressive social media strategist Gabriella Zutrau circulated an open letter this week that she wrote - along with other “internet people” (her term, not mine!) - for Democratic Party leadership to demand that the party shift 15% of its paid media budget into organic content. And while my first instinct was to mock this mercilessly, it’s actually worth a read. Demand letters aren’t my style and I’m not sure something like this would even resonate with folks on our side of the aisle, but she does make some good points. Among them:
[T]he Democratic political ecosystem has developed misaligned incentives that keep money flowing to paid advertising even when it fails to deliver outcomes.
Political advertising remains important, but campaigns have over-indexed on it as a substitute for building trust.
Organic reach is not something you turn on at the end of a cycle—it is something you build through steady investment, experimentation, and volume over time.
The way forward is clear: fund trust, not just reach. This can be achieved through working with creators and experienced social media professionals.
Some stuff to chew on.
From the other side of the tracks:
Target announced this week that it’s going to be among the first to test ads in ChatGPT. Here’s more:
Starting this month, Target will be among the first companies to work with OpenAI to test contextual advertising in ChatGPT. Sponsored, contextual and clearly labeled ads from Target and from our Roundel retail media business partners will appear alongside users’ shopping conversations in ChatGPT, helping them discover products, deals and inspiration that meet what they’re seeking at that moment.
Ads are served based on keywords in a guest’s ChatGPT prompt, ensuring they’re relevant to the conversation. For example, a guest asking, “What are some countertop cooking appliances that make everyday meals more convenient?” may see an ad for an air fryer from a pilot participant embedded in the personalized response. This ad would appear separately and distinctly, and not influence the answer provided by ChatGPT.
Before you go…
Did you answer this week’s One Question? It takes five seconds!
Access the Doomscroll archive here.
Consider forwarding Doomscroll to your friends!
