“Repeat a lie often enough, and it becomes the truth.”
(Joseph Goebbels, German Nazi Politician’s law of propaganda)
The radical decline of Democrats in the Lower House of Congress is attributed to their poor digital election campaign. Republican leaders often label that Democrats support socialism, which is taboo in the American culture. This focus of Republicans against Democratic socialism lost them 9 House’s seats
Many Americans feared that supporting Democrats would destroy the United States economy when all of this was propaganda created by Donald Trump. Republicans totally outclassed Democrats in reputation management through their digital election campaign.
The very ideology of America is based on capitalism. Capitalism is so pervasive in the USA that Americans hate socialism to its core. This is why Trump tried to turn Americans against the Democratic party by saying that Democrats want a socialist America.
Trump accused Democrats of sponsoring radical socialism and implementing an economic model that will snatch the financial earnings from the masses. This became an even bigger issue when Republicans promoted this notion again and again through different channels.
Was Republicans’ Bullying Justified against Democratic Socialism?
It is pertinent to note here that out of 24 Democratic candidates who ran for the 2020 presidency, only Bernie Sanders describes himself as Democratic Socialist. The thing to be noted is that even Bernie Sanders is not a radical socialist.
Bernie Sanders terms socialism as more vibrant support of the federal government to education, health, and public facilities. Working people will still get their fair share under democratic socialism, and a state-controlled economy will never be the reality.
In fact, AOC, one of the most vocal supporters of socialism in Democrats, denied that she is a socialist. Once, she was asked that how will she differentiate herself from Bernie Sanders? She replied immediately that I am “a capitalist to my bones.”
Democratic Socialism Vs Karl Marx Socialism:
On the other hand, if we talk about the socialism proposed by Karl Marx, no Democratic leader supports that. The likes of socialism and communism that prevailed in the Soviet Union and Cuba were never supported by any Democratic leader.
So, saying that Democrats want to turn America into a socialist state is a complete lie, which the Trump campaign pursued in the 2020 presidential elections. It is equally important to note here that Bernie Sanders is an independent senator from Vermont. So, no pure Democratic presidential nominee wanted social democracy in the United States.
Trump Campaign Tricking the Americans Digitally Through Dirty Tactics
Psychologists suggest that the reinforcement of the same message makes people think that this information is correct. This is the illusory effect of truth, and this is the way liars create truth.
Republicans, and especially Donald Trump, did the same trick to capture the attention of the voters. He reinforced the message that all Democrats are socialist, and if Americans elect Democrats, the hard-earned money of the Americans will be snatched from them.
Most of this propaganda was done online, as it was easy for them to reach the masses through digital ads.
This thoughtful digital strategy of the Republicans, especially through social media, allowed them to defame the Biden campaign.
Brad Parscale, the Republicans’ digital campaign manager, skyrocketed Trump’s digital election campaign by incorporating every possible strategy. Through the entire election session, Trump had the upper hand over the Democrats.
Republicans spent millions of dollars more than Democrats in spreading the things that Democrats never supported. Republicans reinforced this message through all the digital platforms.
Trump actually knew the trick. He knew that socialism is against private property. He knew very well that if he accused Democrats of making a welfare state, he could snatch the votes of the Americans.
Through rigorous digital advertising, he made sure that he left no stone unturned to play with the minds of the Americans.
The digital campaign of Democrats was so weak that they failed to counter the narrative. The Democrats failed to protect their online reputation, and this cost them at least nine House seats.
The problem with the Democrats is that they still believe that they can rely upon the traditional method of canvassing. They do not focus on digital election strategy, and this is why people believe the propaganda against them.
How Republicans Made fool out of the Americans?
How did Republicans focus on promoting the notion that Democrats are socialist? Consider the following statements by Republicans.
- “A vote for any Democrat in 2020 is a vote for the rise of radical socialism and the destruction of the American dream.” Donald Trump
- “There’s a rumor the Democrats are going to change the name of the party from the ‘Democratic Party’ to the ‘Socialist Party.’” Donald Trump
- “Biden, Harris, and their socialist comrades will fundamentally change this nation.” Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump’s Campaign Advisor
- “Their vision for America is socialism…and we know that socialism has failed everywhere.” Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN
These are just some of the examples of how Republicans tried to propagate the lies just to get votes.
Read More: 10 reasons why every single vote matters in the elections
The only way of Survival of Democrats in US Politics:
One of the best strategies for Democrats was to counter the narrative with full force through their digital election campaign. However, they failed to strategize their digital election campaign.
No leader of the Democratic party countered the narrative that Democrats would never promote socialism.
It is only a matter of time before Republicans will wipe out Democrats if Democrats fail to learn the digital election campaign.
Reputation management is so important in politics that propaganda can destroy all of your efforts. This is exactly what Trump tried to do.
Trump-led Republicans tried their best to convince average Americans that their hard-earned money will go into the pockets of the government if they vote for Democrats.
This time, Democrats only lost nine seats of the House. If they continue failing with the digital election campaign, they will soon lose the presidency, the House, and never capture the Senate again, and hence every coming election will be more and more difficult for them.
Read more about Democrats’ views: Joe Biden Policies to uplift the United States.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.