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So "Hunter Biden's laptop" is the new "Hillary's emails" I see.
Says a lot about Joe Biden's character that a shaky smear attack against his son is the most dirt they've been able to find.
Says a lot about Joe Biden's character that a shaky smear attack against his son is the most dirt they've been able to find.
If you're real worked up about "Hunter Biden's laptop," please give us your thoughts on this 10,000 word expose' outlining the utterly corrupt flow of favors & cash Trump has bestowed on those who donate to his campaign & patronize his properties. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/10/us/trump-properties-swamp.html
This single article—that barely even registered on this very politics-obsessed website—would have been a once-in-a-generation scandal under any other president.
And why didn't it register with most Americans?
https://twitter.com/BT_Harman/status/1120758972921860096
https://twitter.com/BT_Harman/status/1120758972921860096
But not just the comms strategy...
The DDOS attack analogy also applies to personal attacks, major scandals, mini scandals, and all manner of corruption.
The DDOS attack analogy also applies to personal attacks, major scandals, mini scandals, and all manner of corruption.
For clarity...
"A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, service or network by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of Internet traffic."
"A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, service or network by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of Internet traffic."
A DDoS attack is an assault on a single digital portal by thousands/millions of bits of data.
Think of it like this...
Think of it like this...
A thousand cars try to enter a two-lane tunnel at the same.
Due to the sheer volume of vehicles, the entry point is completely clogged.
All that congestion means no cars get through.
Due to the sheer volume of vehicles, the entry point is completely clogged.
All that congestion means no cars get through.
This is what Trump has done to our political discourse.
He's swarmed the system with so MUCH corruption, lies, & scandal almost nothing "gets through."
He's swarmed the system with so MUCH corruption, lies, & scandal almost nothing "gets through."
Nothing "sticks" in our consciousness because of the overwhelm.
It's an exploit of the human brain's inability to focus on multiple things at once.
It's an exploit of the human brain's inability to focus on multiple things at once.
In marketing, there's a principle called the "paradox of choice."
It basically means that the more choices you give a customer, the less likely they are to make one.
Good marketers know to show LESS data, not more.
AGAIN, the brain can't process a sudden blast of information.
It basically means that the more choices you give a customer, the less likely they are to make one.
Good marketers know to show LESS data, not more.
AGAIN, the brain can't process a sudden blast of information.
To see what I'm talking about, just go review this four-year rap sheet that @amy_siskind has compiled on DJT.
Just start reading and scrolling...
You'll give up after a few minutes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/outlook/siskind-list-trump-norms/
Just start reading and scrolling...
You'll give up after a few minutes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/outlook/siskind-list-trump-norms/
The most sinister thing about all this is that it's becoming normalized...
Most Americans are forgetting it's not normal for a pres to sleep with porn stars, publicly disparage his opponents, enrich himself at public expense, show no humility, and joke about authoritarianism.
Most Americans are forgetting it's not normal for a pres to sleep with porn stars, publicly disparage his opponents, enrich himself at public expense, show no humility, and joke about authoritarianism.
Mitt Romney casually (& innocently) used the phrase "binders full of women." He was raked over the coals for days.
Why?
Because, like the human brain, American political discourse can easily process a single "scandal" like this...
A single car driving through an empty tunnel.
Why?
Because, like the human brain, American political discourse can easily process a single "scandal" like this...
A single car driving through an empty tunnel.
President Obama was pilloried by right wing media for...
(wait for it)...
wearing a tan suit.
A TAN SUIT.
(wait for it)...
wearing a tan suit.
A TAN SUIT.
Of course, Obama wasn't perfect, but my point is that his record was so lean on scandal/missteps that his opponents were able to latch onto moments like the tan suit and amplify them so fully that millions of Americans actually thought it was a legitimate "scandal."
It is a cruel act of the universe that a single misstep—when repeated enough—can be amplified into a full-blown scandal...
and yet a thousand LEGIT scandals fall on deaf ears and fade quietly into the night.
and yet a thousand LEGIT scandals fall on deaf ears and fade quietly into the night.
So consider the "Hunter Biden's laptop" narrative.
It's a single, concrete story—the kind of story the human brain can easily grasp on to.
Expect it to be amplified endlessly over the last two weeks of the election.
It's a single, concrete story—the kind of story the human brain can easily grasp on to.
Expect it to be amplified endlessly over the last two weeks of the election.
In 2016, the Trump camp convinced millions of Americans that Hillary Clinton was a monster, and they used two simple stories to do it—emails & Benghazi.
We have decades of evidence that Joe Biden is a good and decent man.
NOT PERFECT...but good and decent.
NOT PERFECT...but good and decent.
Trump is lagging in both the polls and fundraising.
From here, his only strategy is to transform Biden into a monster in the eyes of swing voters.
Just watch.
That's the game from here on out, and it can only be won through propaganda.
From here, his only strategy is to transform Biden into a monster in the eyes of swing voters.
Just watch.
That's the game from here on out, and it can only be won through propaganda.
Sadly, the only native skill I've seen DJT employ since taking office is propaganda.
SO...
Vote.
Vote early.
Ask your friends their plan for voting.
And warn others about the existential threat that is Trumpism.
SO...
Vote.
Vote early.
Ask your friends their plan for voting.
And warn others about the existential threat that is Trumpism.
