Jen Mercieca

a man in a tie is screaming with his hands in the air . ALT: a man in a tie is screaming with his hands in the air .

Send me the ARC when it's ready!

I SUPER can't wait for this! 🤩

The way to win elections on the left is to tell people a narrative that they want to engage with, that gives them a heroic role to play, that creates a community, and gives everyone in that community a special status. Voting is an act of ratification for the community they want to see triumph. 🏆

This is the way.

It seems clear—I think to everyone, now—that a false and illegal invocation of the Insurrection Act is coming before the end of the year. Media outlets should be telling us how they will prepare for this potential Treason. State governments should be telling us. Activists should be developing plans.

they have hockey games in town, ever go?

puck-splainer 😂

Our brains are designed to think in narrative. We don't think in facts. Put any two words together (banana, vomit) & most people's brains will create a narrative that connects those two words, words that don't necessarily have any factual connection. Narrative is the most important thing, not lying.

No, that shouldn't be the takeaway. It's not about shouting louder. It's about controlling where the puck goes. It's about telling a compelling narrative that positions believers as heroes and gives people a sense of belonging and status. That's all. Not shouting, the left doesn't like shouty.

Yes! The key to a successful social movement is the same as what I wrote in the thread. It's always narrative, emotion, community, and status. That's it. That's all there is.

I know you know this Anat, but @nberlat.bsky.social: the public doesn't care about the shutdown. And the shutdown is just further proof that we don't need government. The only way people will care about the shutdown is if it affects them personally. We're not hearing about negative impacts.

Yes. The right is obsessed with controlling the conversation (moving the puck). The left is constantly chasing the puck. All folks on the left do is argue the right's frame wars. It's so dumb.

The way to win elections on the left is to tell people a narrative that they want to engage with, that gives them a heroic role to play, that creates a community, and gives everyone in that community a special status. Voting is an act of ratification for the community they want to see triumph. 🏆

I agree completely! bsky.app/profile/jenm...

I'm not good with the sportsing, but EXACTLY.

Thank you for writing this awesome essay. I hope everyone reads it and listens to you. 🥰

Great point!

BUT! (seriously!!) the left cannot merely copy the right's formula. We all respond to narrative, emotion, community & status. The left doesn't respond to the exact same emotional appeals. The community is different in important ways, but the need for community is the same. Status is different too.

The right is obsessed with telling stories. They tell outrageous stories that build community through polarizing us v them and their stories give status to their true believers, the ones who become politically active.

Polls tell you where the puck was, they don't tell you where the puck is going. And, they certainly don't set the puck in motion. Know what sets the puck in motion? Narrative. Emotion. Community. Status.

The puck has already moved, now they're chasing it. The winning strategy (the one used on the right) is to go where the puck is going--BUT, to actually move the puck in that direction. They frame reality, they make people care about the issues they say are important. It's all highly calculated.

My dept head likes to say, "don't aim for where the puck is, but where the puck is going" (or something sportsing like that)--that's what Anat is trying to explain here. Folks that do politics by polling are trying to see where the puck is. That's loser strategy.

People actually don't care about politics. They'd rather not think about it, actually. The right makes people want to care about politics. It does that by enraging and engaging them. It does that by turning them into heroes who can stop whatever is enraging by voting & sharing their content.

Bringing a Survey to a Gun Fight “Pollingism” Has Failed Democrats and Voters. Here’s Why, and What to Do Instead.

This is a long, thoughtful, and brilliant post about how to understand political campaigning & strategy from one of the progressive left's most brilliant thinkers and practitioners @anatosaurus.bsky.social. Read it and listen to her: Bringing a Survey to a Gun Fight open.substack.com/pub/michaelp...

I feel like this is the correct response.

I mean, I guess the law is whatever Texas says it is and no one else can tell them otherwise. Swear it.

Texas Supreme Court breaks with American Bar Association over law school credentials Texas could be the first of several states to stop using the ABA for accreditation.

is this bad? 😬
www.keranews.org/news/2025-10...

BBC tracks down sextortion scammer targeting teenage boys The BBC challenges the scammers targeting teenagers like Evan Boettler, who took his own life just 90 minutes after being contacted.

When a BBC reporter can do this, without privileged access to communications data, I find it hard to accept law enforcement's constant claim that they are "going dark" because of encrypted messaging. Encryption is not the main obstacle to effective law enforcement.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

lol/cry infinitum

Opinion | Mourn, or Else

"Create chaos at all costs. Confuse people as to the difference between ethical objections and legal claims...Confuse people about whether the sky is blue or the grass is green while you shape their fear into rage and then commodify their rage into profit." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...