When bald-faced lying becomes an accepted professional practice in public relations and political advertising, as well as a ubiquitous election strategy, you sense that the bedrock of your culture — the notions of fair dealing, honest opinion and trustworthy sincerity — has become dangerously destabilized. It feels at times as if politics has turned into a kind of moral Jello made of napalm that’s always ready to explode. Noxious spin doctoring makes the old clichés about politics and politicians being steeped in sleaze and malign imbecility more plausible than ever. And it doesn’t help that so-called Artificial Intelligence (AI), operating in robotic digital fund raising, is shaking the foundations of America politics more violently all the time.
In the last seven years the constant, hysterical pleas for money, along with the pathological lying and shameless bunko artistry of Trumpian Republicans in Washington, has infuriated and hardened many voters, Democrats especially. I’ve met younger liberal Americans who have been so enflamed by the exaggerated hype of constant asks and pleadings, and who are so infuriated at the bullying hate speech and the cobwebs of conservative lies, that they have turned to arming themselves with arsenals of guns and are contemplating fighting fire with fire.
The Democratic Party itself is much to blame. After Trump beat Clinton in the Electoral College, Democrats started copying Republican panic campaigns to spice up their own fund raising tactics, misusing information technology to sell political paranoia. The Democrat’s strategy to increase grassroots funding is a case in point. It relies on laughable exaggeration, on shaming and on numbing repetition.
The party sends out so many AI-generated texts and emails that they produce what feels like a daily avalanche of cheesy guilt tripping, fear mongering, high hopes come-ons and terrorizing rumors of crushing defeat. And these “solicitations” never stop coming, literally ad nauseum night and day no matter the election season. It’s an abjectly self-defeating approach. To many of us, it’s is so thoroughly disgusting that we automatically delete it as fast as we can.
I can get 10 to 20 solicitations a day. They go like this: “We’re begging you. I’m only asking for $188 (you cheapskate.) We’re sobbing, he was winning by two points, now he’s down the drain. All we need from you is …” “Trump has raised $22 million in two days, can’t you see your way to chipping in a measly $188?” “We’re an eyelash away from victory, anything would help, especially once a month. If X loses this election, we lose the whole Senate.” “Hi, it’s Nancy, wealthy donors will match your gift by 10x. I’m begging you for $188.” “Hi, it’s Nancy. My heart is racing. I can’t believe this news … $just 188.” “This is the most flippable seat in Idaho, but we’re up against millions… chip in just $5 (and your first born).” “Hi, it’s Nancy. I know. I have to ask one more time … Republicans have rushed $2.3 million in TV attacks …only $188.” “VB, it’s Hillary. I’m reaching out to you, asking you personally, with just 72 hours to go …” “We’re so proud, XZY has a once in a generation chance to flip … chip in $188 immediately (or else) …” “James Carville here. Have we blown this? … chip in … monthly … (stupid).”
Just last week, during five minutes on a single morning, I received these three classic “asks”: The first one read “My name is Martin Sheen … You can wait … or you can fight back … That’s why I’m reaching out to you today … the End of
Quarter Deadline … the most important my friends at the DCC have ever faced …Will you join me at this key moment by chipping in $188?” The second one read, and I kid you not: “President Biden emailed you. Speaker Pelosi emailed you. Hillary Clinton emailed you. Jamie Raskin emailed. Mary Trump emailed you. Adam Schiff emailed you. Martin Sheen emailed you. And now we’re emailing AGAIN …EXCUSE US?! … Republicans just ran $1 Million worth of attack ads … Will you rush $188 immediately?” Some version of this one has appeared in my inbox maybe 60 or 70 times so far. And then the final one, the utterly baffling contradiction: “Trump’s Fundraising Dropped $2 Million in the Second Quarter. He’s on the ropes, let’s finish him off. That’s why we’ve activated a historic 1000% match on all donations for a limited time. Make your mark today … $188 …”
The AI robot programmers at the Democratic National Committee apparently don’t think real human beings, not other robots, are processing this stuff every waking hour. It must be that AI thinks everything is artificial. If you punch the right button, twang the right ganglia, wallets will pop right open.
Public relations and advertising in politics are undermining our democracy in the same way as they tainted our consumer economy. While professing a belief in pure “supply and demand,” they artfully create a false demand for products no one wants on their own. And this is mirrored by endless “sky is falling” pitches for money backed up by a ridiculous pattern of false advertising based on blatant lies, stupid lies, and more and more useless lies, ignored by more and more of us. Democrats and Republicans do the same thing. No wonder so many young people think there is no meaningful difference between the two parties.
Many of us these days are finding ourselves in a state of serious doubt about how to tell truth from falsehood at all. We sense that truth has become as functionless a concept in politics as it has in commerce: We believe our spin, they believe theirs, and never the twain shall meet. That seems to be what it’s come to. If it’s true, then it’s every bit as troubling as climate change and the world’s arsenal of nuclear weapons. Is it really possible that the virtue of truth telling — the basis of a rational, commonsense world — is being dismantled before our eyes? When will a political party turn from this abysmal foolery and risk taking the high road again?
*Nullius in verba: take nobody’s word for it
I fear the Democratic party will never turn from the abysmal foolery that is its constant repeated ask for money and take the high road again because I fear the high road has been lost in the morass of what electoral politics have become in this country. Or, there never was a high road. Today’s Republican party set the standard and, rather than imagine a different way, the Democratic machine simply copied its tactic. Tragically, I believe what passes for campaigning now is so rife with lies and constant pleas for money that our whole system would have to be reinvented for it to reflect the real issues. What is left to those of us who care is to ignore those insulting asks and simply vote for the least egregious candidate.
I just unsubscribed from a great number of these fund-raising addresses disguised as news, but I’m sure they’ll be back. I caved in and donated to one request after I’d unsubscribed from all of them, and immediately got two more requests. Guilt-inducing and stress-causing indeed. My daily emails suddenly dropped by half. I wish this kind of find-raising would be outlawed and campaign contributions archly monit ou red and reduced.
Enjoy your columns. Thanks for all your good works.
In solidarity,
Ray Powell
Anyone putting their hopes in either party is sadly delusional. The corporate and political have merged completely. This is the classic definition of fascism. Things will get much worse. The only hope is the formation of local, independent political movements. If we don’t act we have only ourselves to blame. I include myself.
Thank you for this and thank you for calling out the Democrats. This from a Democrat who just got back from canvassing for NM Dem candidates. There are only two ships heading out, and until a seaworthy third or fourth is ready, I am with the Dems. I cannot wait out the chaos and destruction of Republican rule. May good democrats keep opposing what the TopDems do and trudge on without illusions and without debilitating cynicism.
So glad to see Mercury Messenger in my inbox once more. Thank you for taking on this subject and articulating what we feel – individually but as part of the collective – the barrage that invades our consciousness and requires daily energy – as if being compelled to tend a dying plant. Your words assist with weeding and cultivating our thoughts.
Looking forward to future columns.
Thank you for articulating so well exactly what I’ve been feeling!
Keep up the great work!
From a fan,
Kathy Wimmer
Of course the basic problem is our money-dependent campaign finance system. If that were reformed, not only would the ads be greatly diminished, but political influence would be very different, most likely more democratic and less plutocratic. Just as obvious is that such reform is very unlikely to occur. The media make great amounts of money from the current system. The powerful and rich, who benefit greatly from our money-based campaigns, would also resist reform. And the politicians who currently are in office and benefit from the current system would have to be the ones to institute such reform. Very few would change the system that they themselves benefit from.