Hello. Welcome to another edition of Doomscroll, your favorite newsletter covering all things digital on the right. Let’s get to scrolling!
One Question
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s One Question about how you think AI can solve a gap in the right’s tech stack. Here are a couple of the responses I got:
Bulk Data Processing/Parsing/Tagging. Any sort of data that exists in a textual form can theoretically be tagged now and used more structurally. This includes linking things like email copy content to past donations (via UTM) and being able to automatically tag supporters in a list as caring about specific topics (based on what emails they donated to).
specific individualization in pitches sent to voters/donors
Deep canvassing - having AI take sentiment analysis from open ended notes left by canvassers to surface individual and trend level data
These are great ideas! Who’s ready to make it happen?! 😃😃
Another reader left this comment, which I thought was also worth sharing:
In general - AI/LLMs aren't really monetizable. It's basically a race to the bottom in terms of price vs speed/processing/results. We also just saw with Deepseek where it may have been trained based on ChatGPT's o1 LLM which suggests a specialized LLM having an advantage in one area may not really work long-term as a moat. The real question is what companies will make interesting tools on top it. Any tool where it's trivial to copy-paste into GPT, Grok, or similar is also likely a long-term loser. The winners in the field will be the ones doing something complicated or painful that's not easy to replicate where AI improves a function but isn't the be-all/end-all/selling point. Finally, on AI replacing programmers - that's bad comedy and any company seriously thinking like that will be out of business shortly thereafter.
And finally, someone left a comment asking if I had any good campaign book recommendations. Noice. I do, in fact. I love Losers by Michael Lewis. If you haven’t read it, just do it. It’s great.
Ok. This week’s One Question is about email. Specifically, re-engagement emails. Do you still use them? I was browsing the interwebs this week and came across an article in MarTech that felt like a punch in the gut: “3 Reasons the ‘Do You Want To Hear From Us” Email Must Die.” ::GASP:: Is this true?! The article makes some really good points, but I want to know what you all think. Do you still use re-engagement email campaigns?
One Quote
One Thought
I stumbled across John’s quote in this Wall Street Journal article about podcasters and influencers in the era of Trump 2.0. It’s really worth a read. Obviously, I agree with what John said. We’ve learned the hard way what happens when certain gatekeepers block information, and 9 times out of 10, increasing access is a good thing. Also yes, I do think Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt should - and will - offer an invitation to a left-of-center representative. She can definitely handle it! Just a thought.
Who’s Doing What
—The online wars are alive and well
There’s a narrative going around right now that Republicans are outdoing Democrats on digital; that the left “lost the internet” last cycle and that’s at least partially why Donald Trump is sitting in the Oval Office again. Republicans are running circles around Democrats online, we’re being told, because our ecosystem is bigger, better, and knows how to manipulate voters with misinformation. We’re so good at digital, we’re even destroying democracy - one DOGE post at a time. To back up this narrative, Politico even cited the fact that Elon Musk - one of the most famous people in the world - has way more X followers than House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. See? Republicans just have a bigger echo chamber with which to spread their lies!
That’s just dumb. But also? I’m calling bullshit.
The left is not suddenly sucking at digital, and the right isn’t all of a sudden full of digital wunderkinds (though we do have many!). The online wars aren’t that black and white.
Nonetheless, the liberal activist class ain’t happy. Their solution, it seems, is to rake Democrat lawmakers over the coals in swanky D.C. conference rooms and browbeat them into posting more on TikTok and learning who Theo Von is.
That’s one way to do it.
The idea that the left doesn’t have its own far-reaching network of influencers and creators is laughable. The notion that Democrats just don’t know how to utilize social media platforms to broadcast their message is ludicrous. They know how to do these things because they’ve been doing them for years. In fact, for cycle after cycle after long cycle, Republicans were told we were the ones that needed to grow a pair and catch up already. Times have changed, but they haven’t changed THAT much.
Digital is important. Social media is crucial. But they don’t win elections; rather, they’re pieces of a larger puzzle that must all fit together. It’s why I got so irritated back in the day when digital still had to fight for a seat at the table. But I digress…
I obviously think that what candidates do on social media is important. I launched a freaking newsletter JUST to talk about this stuff. I have spent hours each week since January 2023 perusing content posted by candidates and lawmakers and not once have I ever said to myself “Hmm, the Democrats just aren’t breaking through on digital.” Not once.
What’s more, the left has an ecosystem even beyond the youths of TikTok. It’s called the mainstream media and if voters aren’t going to traditional outlets to consume information anymore, then that’s the real vacuum - not one supposedly created by lack of leadership in Washington as some have suggested (see again: Politico piece). You could argue that Democrats made some pretty gnarly strategic errors when it came to targeting and spending decisions last year. But overall use of social media platforms? Nah, dawg. I don’t buy it. It’s more likely that they did get their messages out and voters just said “no thank you.” It doesn’t really matter how many vertical videos you post on Instagram if you don’t have a good answer for why you covered up Joe Biden’s dementia. See? Puzzle. Piece.
I’ll end with this: The electorate is a fickle bunch and unfortunately we are at their mercy. Things can, and will change. If the Democrats are going through some introspection right now, good on them. But those of us on the right shouldn’t feel like we’re off the hook. We’ve got plenty of our own problems, lots of campaigns to win, and plenty of room to mess things up.
Disagree? Am I over-simplifying this? Missing the point? Send me an email: itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
—Vivek’s BIG Announcement
I got the text. I got the emails. Vivek has a BIG announcement coming up and he put together a quick sign-up sheet I can use to make sure I hear it first! Yay!
In all seriousness though, so far it seems like a pretty good rollout. The links direct you to a simple form on vivekannouncement.com. I signed up (duh), and was promptly redirected to a WinRed donation page. Classic move. Here’s hoping he knocks it out of the park with his announcement video (fingers crossed there is one!).
—Real purpose
A few weeks back I noted right here in Doomscroll that Sen. Markwayne Mullin was killing it with the social media posts about Trump’s nominees. NOTUS noticed it too:
Sen. Markwayne Mullin has been ceaselessly tweeting the last few weeks, providing real-time updates on nominees confirmed to President Donald Trump’s administration.
“It gives me something to do,” Mullin told NOTUS on Thursday, before the Senate confirmed Kash Patel and after he’d posted a video about Patel’s nomination on Instagram.
“I’m not kidding … It gives me a purpose, a drive, but I’m more personally connected than I’d say most people are,” Mullin said.
Who’s Spending Where
Industry Watch
Earlier this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing about protecting kids online. I’m not sure that much, if anything, came out of it, but I think we can all agree that when kids are on social media, they’re in danger. Full stop. The evidence is out there and it’s startling. On the witness list this week was South Carolina State Rep. Brandon Guffey, whose son committed suicide in 2022 after he was extorted on Instagram.
Why am I writing about this in Doomscroll? Because this issue isn’t going away and I think we all have a vested interest in how it shakes out. Many of the proposed solutions involve forcing social media companies to verify users’ ages or obtain parental consent for minors - mandates that would fundamentally alter the way they do business. Every single one of these platforms say they want to protect kids, but Sen. Blackburn is right: nothing much has changed.
Look, I’m not here to take a stance one way or the other (yet) on any particular bill or proposal. I DO think the government has a role to play here, however. I also know that any federal law that makes “big tech” change how they operate even a smidge means there’s going to be trickle-down effects for everyone - especially for those of us who use these platforms to reach our audiences. Maybe I’m over-analyzing here, but something tells me that as digital professionals we’re missing something by not talking about this issue more.
2025-2026 Watch
Sen. Mitch McConnell is not running for re-election. Read more here.
Hello, Andy Barr, we see you. We see you too, Daniel Cameron.
A former Republican state representative is going to primary Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Read more here.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen will run for Lt. Governor. The current Lt. Governor, Will Ainsworth, is mulling a bid for governor. Read more.
Some Jewish Democrats are actively trying to recruit Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to challenge Sen. Jon Ossof. Read about it.
There’s a new Super PAC in South Carolina. It’s full of former Trump gurus and it’s backing Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s expected bid for governor in 2026. Read about it here.
Former state House Speaker Charles McCall is also running for Governor of Oklahoma. Read more here.
The Grapevine
Chris LaCivita took a swipe at a prominent GOP creative firm… #awkward
Congrats to Matthew Dybwad for being promoted to CRO at IQM!
DHS is launching a $200 million ad campaign, and contracts were awarded to People Who Think LLC and Safe America Media LLC. That is quite the whale of a deal.
Got a tip for The Grapevine? Job announcement? Job opening? Email ‘em to me at itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
Last But Not Least
From the other side of the aisle:
Initially, I wasn’t sure how to include this piece in this week’s Doomscroll, but I knew I had to put it somewhere. Watching the left try to explain the first month of Donald Trump’s presidency has been nothing short of entertaining, and this Vox article is the funniest thing I read all week. A taste:
But the new Trump administration — and, specifically, very online officials like Vice President JD Vance, Stephen Miller, and Musk — isn’t just complaining. Officials are now trying to use the tools of government against these institutions, in hopes of taking progressives’ power away and establishing cultural dominance for conservatives.
From the other side of the tracks:
From Fast Company: 13 digital media strategies to elevate your business
Happy reading!
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Consider forwarding to your friends!