All of our messaging should be written at the 5th grade level and should assume no prior knowledge of anything political. Thanks for highlighting my work! - ThreadSky

rachelbitecofer.bsky.social • 49 days ago

All of our messaging should be written at the 5th grade level and should assume no prior knowledge of anything political.

Thanks for highlighting my work!

Reposted from Silver Spring Progressive Action

Speak to voters using language they can relate to. Don’t use data or technical jargon to explain your position. It’s as simple as, Dems are fighting to lower costs for all Americans, Rs are lowering taxes for billionaires only. open.substack.com/pub/libraryo...

Comments

bainard.bsky.social•49 days ago

sounds like you've got to build up your vocab then

bobmlhs.bsky.social•49 days ago

And don't clutch your pearls over every little thing that cannot be 100% verified because you're worried the political media might be critical - fuck them! The GOP just lies continuously and nobody gives a shit. Dems get zero credit for being the adults in the room or going high when they go low

haredurer.bsky.social•49 days ago

“adults in the room.” Buddy this is the dumb racist you’re taking messaging advice from.

a-man-has-no-king.bsky.social•49 days ago

This may not be helpful. But I’d like to pivot back to the Halcyon days of the “they’re weird” campaign Walz started. It was fucking working because it was simple and irrefutable. “They’re weird because X and we’re not because Y.” Americans by and large aren’t smart enough for logical appeals sadly

rondial.bsky.social•49 days ago

That was a short but beautiful respite from the chaos...
Hurts my head and soul to be HERE again...

goldimipenem.bsky.social•48 days ago

It was awesome

libend.bsky.social•48 days ago

Exactly. This is a post literate country so if you want to win you have to reach people

rachelbitecofer.bsky.social•48 days ago

👆

blondbomber.bsky.social•49 days ago

The fact that that absolute truth has to be constantly sold and reinforced, once again, highlights the stupidity of a large section of Americans...of course, the base of the Republican Party has been, and always will be, racist.

kakisler.bsky.social•49 days ago

My mom, a retired teacher, knew this in 2015. I’d been working overseas since 1997 & had never watched The Apprentice & only knew of trump because of his hotels & the Exonerated 5. I asked her why our neighbors were enamored of him because I couldn’t see it. She replied, “He sounds/speaks like them”

awakeneddragon.bsky.social•49 days ago

A great lesson I learned at work years ago was "you've got to meet people where they're at". (I was in IT Process Development so it took some finesse to communicate)

pabloescobear.bsky.social•49 days ago

tuttut.bsky.social•49 days ago

Yes; medical materials are written at that level. This is the level that is understood generally.

michaeleichner.bsky.social•49 days ago

📌

tiredmama.bsky.social•49 days ago

Not just simple language—we must make sure we are not reacting to “their” view of reality, but directly countering that reality with the truth. Policy discussions don’t matter if they don’t even know the state of the world they live in.

https://bsky.app/profile/whstancil.bsky.social/post/3lfi4y7qopc2r

bigamishdoinks.bsky.social•49 days ago

Remind me, did this idiot win or lose his election with this messaging?

midwesternmama.bsky.social•49 days ago

Sad but true! We need to do this!

gtmac.bsky.social•49 days ago

Also tell republican scum to go fuck themselves. so go fuck yourself.

marydoodledixon.bsky.social•49 days ago

Part of the problem is not just education/ intellect/ comprehension, but the appeal to emotion. Democrats were "demons" to a large section of magats. They were an enemy who wanted to take away the life you thought you understood and grew up with. Facts are not enough when the emotions are riled up.

rachelbitecofer.bsky.social•49 days ago

Yes, part of the book https://hitemwhereithurts.com

easyphloem.bsky.social•49 days ago

You're a Republican

gtmac.bsky.social•49 days ago

worse shes a lincoln project one so explicitly pro rape to still be working for those scum.

realgraceunderfire.bsky.social•49 days ago

I like Sen Chris Murphy but that guy confuses the hell out of me when he explains things. Too wonky. I agree - simple messaging using active tense.

jackal-thought.bsky.social•49 days ago

Hey Rachel. I would love to put you in a camp. I want bad things to happen to you specifically.

jackal-thought.bsky.social•49 days ago

You should kys

canadianbacon66.bsky.social•49 days ago

Remove some teeth and smoke some crack, that should do it.

tiggersdad.bsky.social•49 days ago

Yeah, but which year of 5th grade?

worldcitizen1994.bsky.social•49 days ago

What does this say about the American populace in general? (Nothing good, it seems.)

thetheredundant.bsky.social•49 days ago

Not every voter is a college graduate with an above average vocabulary.

kim2penn.bsky.social•49 days ago

And they’re too busy working.

mummyrange.bsky.social•49 days ago

I have known many people that had no college that could take to task a 4 year college graduate. Vocab and math. With that being said they are dems also.

hahnyock.bsky.social•49 days ago

The reading level isn’t the issue. It’s wonkiness and noise. Implying most people can’t read above grade school level is part of the problem.

fa24fo25.bsky.social•49 days ago

🎯

pcrritesgood.bsky.social•49 days ago

Dems should block EVERYTHING the GOP wants to do and the reason they should give is simply: "This will hurt the middle class and damage the economy."
Repeat it so often that people get sick of it and bored of hearing it and always think of it when the GOP wants to do something.

hellnheelz.bsky.social•49 days ago

So utterly depressing.

I see this on juries. Jurors do not understand jury instructions provided to them. God bless the jurors who indicate they read as one of their hobbies on their questionnaires.

sspaction1.bsky.social•49 days ago

You’re welcome! Thank you for providing the guidelines to help us message voters better.

ottersimple.bsky.social•48 days ago

diotimaellen.bsky.social•49 days ago

Seriously, dumbing down creates a pull for even more dumbing down. Why not expect people to have a bit of knowledge or TEACH THEM A LITTLE BIT TO RAISE THEIR LEVEL OF AWARENESS? I taught a LOT of critical thinking at my university and always started where they were, then EDUCATED THEM. They did well

missbee3.bsky.social•49 days ago

To fascinate the fools… you need fools… uneducated, aggressively ignorant and steeped in bigotry, misogyny, racism, and mysticism

diotimaellen.bsky.social•49 days ago

So education is the key: convincing people that there are truths and science to consider, and encouraging them STRONGLY to think for themselves. Socrates said, "The unexamined like is not a human life." YES: that is my literal translation of the Greek at _Apology 38d. We must think for ourselves.

diotimaellen.bsky.social•49 days ago

Are you SURE THE MESSAGES SHOULDN'T BE WRITTEN AT THE FOURTH GRADE LEVEL AND ILLUSTRATED WITH PICTURES? SHOULD THERE BE ANY WORDS OF MORE THAN ONE SYLLABLE? JESUS H. FUCK YOU ARE WORKING FOR EVEN DEEPER IGNORANCE AND STUPIDITY.

rondial.bsky.social•49 days ago

That reminds me: you'll need to toss on a lot of Jesus as well...

diotimaellen.bsky.social•49 days ago

OK: so is a "normal person" someone whose intellectual growth stopped at the 6th grade? Is it "abnormal" to use language effectively? Is it "abnormal" to read at a college level? Is it "abnormal" to have more education than high school? This dumbing down explains why our democracy is in trouble.

friscokidd.bsky.social•49 days ago

Well I guess 6th grade through grad school was a waste.

justindstanley.com•49 days ago

twinkb23.bsky.social•49 days ago

I mean considering the average American adult reads at a 5th grade level (😳🤯😱), we should absolutely message at that level.

haredurer.bsky.social•49 days ago

Don’t need advice from dumb bigots, thanks Rachel.

aajonesy68.bsky.social•49 days ago

Lobotomies for everyone....yeah

rationalpear.bsky.social•49 days ago

tell stories with actual good guys and bad guys. And the best stories alway grab you emotionally.

baron333.bsky.social•49 days ago

Remember Republicans favorite show was

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

I will take No for 200$
Alex

soleilwv.bsky.social•49 days ago

And if your message is responding to something your opponent said/did, you're on defense, not offense, and you've lost control of the message. Stay on offense. Keep control of the message.

sp2guzzi.bsky.social•49 days ago

..." assume no prior knowledge of anything political", and even less interest.

rerun4612.bsky.social•49 days ago

As most gov't forms are designed for a 5th grade reading level and most of us know people who can't manage those forms, perhaps we need to consider a 3rd grade reading level to really reach these folks.

bdemayo.bsky.social•49 days ago

Yes, for fucks sake yes. Simplify, and narrate! People love analogies. Who cares if it's cheesy, it works. 🤷🏼‍♂️

anserdelira.bsky.social•49 days ago

I took a knowledge management class years ago. The professor said storytelling is a fast and effective way to train & teach. You get your point across faster than rolling out data & long explanations.

kim2penn.bsky.social•49 days ago

Storytelling is a super power!!! Humans are wired for stories. Speaking here as an elementary school teacher.😋

bdemayo.bsky.social•49 days ago

I am a huge believer in this.

terryadkins.bsky.social•49 days ago

@owillis.bsky.social Go to his substack and read “How Democrats Should Fight”. He’s had the same advice forever. Still waiting for Dems to follow it. Sigh.

imperatorg.bsky.social•49 days ago

Fix your heart or die

unknownsoldier.bsky.social•49 days ago

Dr Bitecofer it’s the reason I stopped using the term “Oligarch” it’s an SAT word, I use Greedy Billionaire instead.

But Dems are going to Dem 🤷🏿‍♂️

ottersimple.bsky.social•48 days ago

Ok but Dems love oligarchs and want them to steal all our houses. So how does communicating that more effectively help Democrats win votes?

cimwandafullofit.bsky.social•49 days ago

Me: djt is a racist
MAGA: I don't care
Me: ⬇️

beckylarson.bsky.social•49 days ago

That's one reason fuxnews is so popular. They use small, emotion packed words and repeat the thing over and over. And they come with the basic cable package.

yesiamfunny.bsky.social•49 days ago

This is what I have been saying. Gone are the days of "Four score and seven years ago..." This is why Trump became as powerful as he did. If people don't want to google facts and lies, what makes people think they would look up the meaning of "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

falanxzealot.bsky.social•49 days ago

This you, Grand Wizard?

amyhanrahan.bsky.social•49 days ago

I just don’t understand why they keep saying this. I am not highly educated and not politically active until TFG and I understood everything perfectly. Democrat side had easy policy messages to understand and the R’s had no clear policy message other than hate. Was not hard at all.

nutbugs.bsky.social•49 days ago

That was why the "weird" message started working, and then we stopped it.

sdrose.bsky.social•49 days ago

Iow, treat voters like they’re stupid, which they are.

sumokat.bsky.social•49 days ago

It was once said to reach the masses write at an 8th grade level. Now it's 5th grade? 😳

pcrritesgood.bsky.social•49 days ago

The masses have gotten much stupider.

tbas7000.bsky.social•49 days ago

Thank the Reagan Revolution for now 44 years of de-funding education.

sustainable62.bsky.social•49 days ago

This makes me so sad. :(

nicandrews.bsky.social•49 days ago

Yes. Don't share irony. Example: Writing "Not a drag queen" when another Republican is arrested for SA etc Say directly "Another Republican arrested for [charge].

redsbasement.bsky.social•49 days ago

I don't know if it'll help. These people are essentially putting their hands over their ears and eyes and screaming "LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU." The only way they're going to "learn" is when they suffer personal consequences, and even then they'll blame Dems. I fear we're screwed.

drgrat.bsky.social•49 days ago

54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th-grade level).

It’s bad out there, folks.

https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2024-2025-where-we-are-now

mummyrange.bsky.social•49 days ago

Dems really do come from all walks of education and life. We also have people that lack education, college, but they are extremely educated, read at college level. Most of all they have critical thinking and problem solving. Maga, well let's just say that a lot of them lack critical thinking.

adamreizner.bsky.social•49 days ago

I wish this didn't have to be a real book.

wingborn.bsky.social•49 days ago

While we do need to be better at messaging, at the same time we shouldn't be writing our messaging in crayon on drool proof paper.

vvaenels.bsky.social•49 days ago

I used to work for a large retail company’s home office where we had to email/call store managers all across the US & Canada. Part of our new hire training was “be respectful & assume we’re all 3rd graders”

captlaserpants.bsky.social•49 days ago

I’m highlighting your racism!

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