fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
7 benefits of content marketing for your business
By: Swati Patel
Tags: Content Marketing, Content Strategy

7. Show why you are the right choice

Why is your product the ideal choice for customers? What about your product can make your customers trust you more?

Answering these unique questions through a video helps people trust you more. Empathizing with your audience, helps convert them to customers . According to the insights provided by Google, 68% of buyers prefer product videos from people who would be just like them! Taking customer testimonials from varying personalities of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds can prove to be beneficial as it will appeal to all demographics.

But keep in mind nothing beats a well-narrated story that keeps the viewer glued to their screen till the end.

Producing the best testimonial videos helps connect with the audience and shows the true nature of the business. The best advertising is the one you don’t have to work for. Let your loyal customers do the convincing!

The simplest way to make it work

Creating a content marketing strategy is the only thing you might need to grow your business. However, choosing and implementing the right strategies is equally important for content to work.

This is where we can help make your job easy!

As a leading digital marketing Agency, we at Communication Crafts simply understand all your business goals, and tailor custom content marketing strategies that meet all your business requirements. With the best digital marketers, content marketing specialists, video marketers, UI/UX developers, SEO experts part of our marketing team, we create solutions that help increase your audience reach & drive business sales up. We want our clients happy, we work to make them completely satisfied. That’s our core value, and we strive to always live by it.

Are your content strategies not working? Hire us and make it work!
How To Dominate The Market?
By: Simona R.
Tags: Branding Strategy, Storytelling For Business, Marketing Strategies, Social Media Marketing, Content Strategy

Have you heard of that company that sells fizzy drinks?

Or probably seen a red Christmas truck on TV (if you’re a 90s baby or older)…If not on TV, you might have seen an ad on YouTube (gen Z). Well… you probably have one of their products in your fridge, or you’ll get it for Christmas…

Wait, they also have Santa 🎅 as their mascot.

Yup, you know we’re talking about Coca-Cola.

You might be wondering what’s so special about a company that sells unhealthy beverages?

Well in this case — everything.

They revolutionized the marketing world.

It’s not about the drinks they sell — it’s about the way they MAKE US FEEL.

It’s about the power of branding and market domination.

And a successful branding strategy is all about the emotional response from your audience.

As Coca-Cola says: the original taste of Christmas 🎄

We buy on emotions and justify with logic.

What’s your brand message?

Share it in the comment section.
15 ideas para construir un equipo de Narrativa y diseño de mensajes
By: Iván Leal
Tags: Narrative Ux, Ux Writing, Management, UX, Content Strategy

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
2 ad frameworks
By: Alexi Neocleous
Tags: Advertising, Content Marketing, Contenthacking, Marketing Strategies, Content Strategy

In my last email I looped you into a conversation I had with my brother about advertising copy. If you missed that email, you’ll want to read it.

Why? Because I am about to ask you a question (it’s a trick question):

Which benefit statement is stronger:

Benefit statement #1: “The 100% organic cotton sheets breathe. Leaving you cool at night so you wake up energized and fully alive in the morning.”

Or,

Benefit statement #2: “Wake up energized and alive with sheets that keep you cool at night. The secret is in the organic bamboo cotton. It breathes!”

(Remember it’s a trick question).

As you can see, the first one leads with the features i.e. 100% organic sheets.

The second statement leads with the core emotion i.e. wake up energized and alive.

WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE?

It depends on your audience!

The real question to ask is…

When do you lead with features… and when do you lead with the emotional benefit?

Because there’s a clear cut answer…

If you’re dealing with a sophisticated audience, lead with features. That’s because a knowledgeable buyer translates the feature into a benefit in her mind.

i.e. This person knows that 100% organic cotton sheets keep you cool and help you sleep.

And a buyer that sells themselves on the benefit is a much easier sale.

If, however, your buyer is NOT sophisticated… then lead with the emotion.
¿Cómo evaluar la calidad de nuestros contenidos?
By: Fran Jorquera
Tags: Ux Writing, Content Strategy

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
The Thousand People Who Matter
By: Christopher G. Fox
Tags: Content Strategy, Thought Leadership

In most areas of B2B fintech or specialized institutional banking services, there are rarely more than a thousand key decision makers and influencers who can make a difference to your business. This is the case for most specialized B2B segments. Relevant audiences are relatively small.

Potential audience size ties directly to content strategy. B2B financial innovators should focus on getting the highest-quality bespoke content into the hands of people who make buying decisions — no more and no less.

Putting this principle into practice means writing content that explicitly addresses this audience, building a list of people in that audience, and getting your content into their hands. Those elements should be the sole aspects of a content strategy.

Make no mistake about this simplicity. It takes real work.

At the front end, it means content development that radically focuses on this narrow audience’s needs. What are their goals? What are their challenges? What do they need to know, feel, and do to make a buying decision? And since that’s a dynamic process, which part of the buying journey does each piece of content support?

All too often, generic content marketing best practices dilute that strategy. Content development goes off track when it means writing for generic audiences or search algorithms. The distortions of generic tactics divert vital time and energy away from truly targeted strategy.

Think about those thousand executives who might ever engage your services or onboard to your platform. How do they find and consume information? What don’t they do? They are most likely not poking around on Google looking for someone who can help them with high-priority business challenges.

If your audience isn’t looking for answers about how to get stains out of their shirt, don’t talk to them as if they are. Instead, go deep and deliver what they need from the frame of reference that they have.

Similarly, targeting and distribution need to focus all of its efforts on getting relevant content directly into the hands of these thousand people who matter to your business.

In most cases, your efforts should concentrate on sending content directly to their inboxes and earning permission to be there time and again. It can mean putting it in their hands at events (virtual today, but soon — one hopes — in person again). In other words, list building and distribution should be as intentional and focused as content development.

Adopting this mindset of “the thousand people who matter” transforms your content strategy, keeps you above the fray, above the noise. Take the time to focus on them and stop doing anything that doesn’t directly address them. You’ll see improved results and stop adding to the world’s unnecessary content glut.
Inspiring experience. Thank you very much.
By: József Manhertz
Tags: Writing Tips, Content Marketing, Writing, Creative Writing, Content Strategy

My 6 Blog Posts That Went Viral on Medium in 2020

2.2K 19
A transition from Chief Growth Officer to Advisor at First Media and the beginning of a new adventure
By: Yuval Rechter
Tags: Content Strategy, New Beginnings, Flip Fit, 2021

Today marks a big moment of change in my life and the start of something very exciting.

I had the privilege of joining BabyFirst (now First Media) in 2014. It was the opportunity that moved me from a life in Israel to a brand new adventure, and it was the easiest and best decision of my professional life.

I have had the pleasure of working with an amazing group of people and for two incredible founders, Sharon and Guy. As an unstoppable team, these two individuals have created something really special, and I have been proud to help them bring their vision to fruition. They provided me with the infrastructure to do almost anything, and I thank them greatly for that. In my time with them, First Media has now become a powerhouse in both linear and digital content and distribution for the Millennial and Gen Z generations

So, what’s next?

The time has come to build again! While First Media will stay very close to my heart, I am joining an incredibly exciting company that I think will change the way we shop — Flip Fit. Though I remain within the operation of First Media as an advisor, the majority of my time will be focusing on a company where I truly believe I can apply the compounded learnings and knowledge I take with me.

During my time at First Media I mastered the art of virality; setting milestones in digital content with tens of billions of views, the highest V30’s (organic views per post) time after time on the internet’s biggest social networks, and the most effective, shoppable content for some of the biggest brands out there. Spending six years cracking the algorithmic code on the world’s biggest social platforms has lead me to understand what makes people share, comment and relate and what can make video content the most engaging and thereby the most shoppable in the digital landscape.

Now, I believe I have found the place that can apply what I take with me. It is the first ever vertically integrated platform where social meets commerce — Flip Fit. The innovative content format that Flip is driving, has layers of integration and data that blur the line between the digital experience and the physical world. This platform brings a new level of personalization to what you see on screen, and ultimately what shows up at your door. Flip Fit is not only a company I find extremely exciting, it is an experience that has me wanting to dive in, explore and learn.

In addition, I am excited to join Nooruldeen Agha in this venture. As his personal advisor over the last year, I have found him to be the hardest working product visionary I have encountered. This forward-thinking entrepreneur will not let go at any cost and is mission driven beyond belief.

Here we go!
Monetization Playbook #12— your audience is busy; communicate large units of value but with the…
By: Strat-E-Gym, The Monetization Manifesto
Tags: Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Monetization, Startup, Content Strategy

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
SMART GOALS
By: Anushka Kharbanda
Tags: Writing, Inspiration, Mental Health, Goals, Content Strategy

SMART GOALS

Setting goals is almost effortless but fulfilling them can turn out to be taxing. We mainly have 2 types of goals — short term and long term. Long term goals often act as an inspiration for attaining short term goals. Sometimes we need a little more than inspiration in order to achieve our short term goals. We need a plan and a strategy.

SMART goal technique acts as the bridge for you and your goals.

In this technique, you make sure that whatever goal you choose for yourself is SMART!

S- Specific

M- Measurable

A- Attainable

R- Relevant

T- Time based

So next time when you plan on achieving some goal, make sure it is specific in its nature, you can measure your progress through some way, your goal is attainable and relevant to your present situation and you have a set time limit within which you aspire to succeed!

This is a fluent way towards reaching your goals. It gives your goals the gravity they deserve and gives you a clear cut way to work on your goals.
How To Be An Authentic Content Creator For Your Brand
By: Paul Hickey
Tags: Google, Content Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Content Strategy

Authenticity and Value Proposition. These are the two most important things when creating content for your brand. These are really the only things your target audience and especially your actual customers want to hear in your content.

Every once in a while, I have the opportunity to sit down and talk in an interview. This clip is from one with Lady Lunch Club, a membership organization for Women in Nashville, Tennessee.

I was asked what unique characteristics about women make them or can help them be good content creators and marketers for their brand.

Regardless of your gender, the principles are the same: be a good listener, understand your value proposition (why your audience should choose you over your competitors) and deliver your message clearly, concisely and to the point.

Don’t overthink your content, just think it over, then go with it.

Paul Hickey, Founder / CEO / Lead Strategist at Data Driven Design, LLC and founder of The Voice Event, and The Voice Designer, has created and grown businesses via digital strategy and internet marketing for more than 15 years. His sweet spot is using analytics to design and build websites and grow the audience and revenue of businesses via SEO/Blogging, Google Adwords, Bing Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads, Social Media Content Marketing, Email Marketing and most recently, Voice App Design and Development — Alexa Skills and Google Actions. The part that he’s most passionate about is quantifying next marketing actions based on real data.
Content Writing
By: Raghav Bansal
Tags: Content Writing, Content Creation, Content Marketing, Technical Writing, Content Strategy

Content Writing is about expressing your thoughts in text, video, photos, and infographics. Content writing is used by many brands to increase their businesses. Ideally used in digital marketing purposes or showing some unique searches. Content writing includes many things like — blogs, articles, technical content, and other information that can be shown to express thoughts about any product. Content writing has to unique so planning different strategies always helps in grabbing new viewers.

Using unique thoughts in text form, infographics help readers to understand the given information. I will talk about me. I have done a Master’s in Computer Application but while doing my masters. I have been working as a content writer for the last 3 Years. Mainly working for different companies.

Now I am looking for a freelance to show some of my skills. I have been working as Technical content writing. But finding in different writing styles and topics.

Feel free to contact me. As I am very keen to take new challenges in content writing.
A Time For Change: Socially Conscious Consumerism
By: Keren Burns
Tags: Compassionate Leadership, Conscious Consumption, Content Marketing, Conscious Consumerism, Content Strategy

The World Has Changed, But Has Your Brand Changed With It?

We know. You’ve heard it a million times before this year but we just have to say it again. 2020 really has been unprecedented. A year consumed by a global pandemic which shook the world but never quietened people’s passion for progress. As major strides were made towards creating a better future for our planet and everyone who calls it home.

2020 saw global protesting for Black Lives Matter and the Climate Crisis. As well as national protesting and activism all over the world from Poland to Nigeria to Hong Kong. We witnessed thousands of people gathering all over the world demanding meaningful action on the issues that matter. Consumers had the time they needed to really think about what and who they invest their money into, courtesy of corona and a heck of a lot more time spent at home.

Consumers are now valuing compassion over convenience, and they want the brands which they buy into to reflect their beliefs. So, what do brands have to do to show they care?
Exactly — writers have an informational disadvantage on these platforms. How can we make informed decisions with literally no data on platform usage and no insight on corporate strategy?? Apparently…
By: April M. Hamm, She They
Tags: User Generated Content, Content Writing, Talent Management, Writers On Medium, Content Strategy

Exactly — writers have an informational disadvantage on these platforms. How can we make informed decisions with literally no data on platform usage and no insight on corporate strategy??

Apparently, our own personal hindsight is the best we can hope for:

I checked out the News Break website and the Creator CTA is literally a paragraph!

You’ve definitely helped to reduce the learning curve by a lot!

Thanks for your observations. Every clue is valuable.
3 things to fix if your content marketing isn’t working
By: Dr. Karthik Nagendra
Tags: Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Thought Leadership

A recent survey by ThoughtStarters shows that over 85% of B2B buyers believe the quality of content they receive is of poor quality & does not demonstrate thought leadership effectively. While the investments in content marketing is increasing leaps and bounds year on year, may be its time for marketers to pause and ask themselves, “Is this really working?” The fact remains that there still exists a proven process of content marketing that can help grow your business. So how can marketers crack this?

Stop right there

The popular belief that content creation doesn’t cost money and the availability of free tools and publishing platforms has resulted in easy-to-produce, repetitive information in volumes! But, this form of content marketing doesn’t connect well with your potential target audience. This leaves you thinking, “why isn’t my content generating ROI?” Creating quality content requires one to focus around research, listening and being empathetic.

Target it right

There’s no substitute for capturing mind share to capture market share. However, the key is to create focused content and schedule it in the right frequency (probably once a week) so that your audience will see real value in it and will look forward to receiving content from you every week! Identify the buyer persona you want to target and custom create your content to meet that persona along their buying journey. Those are characters whose attention you aim to capture and whose challenges you aim to address.

Mapping content to character

One size fits all doesn’t augur well for content development. Hence its important to maintain a content calendar so that you have clear visibility into the type of content being created or promoted at any given point of time targeting a specific buyer persona. So before you start creating content for the week, ask yourself “ Who do you want to create content for this week?” In your content calendar, map who you’re serving, so that you speak to that buyer persona regularly, but there’s no need to be too strict about it and you can make exceptions to the schedule basis business priorities for that month.

It’s important to have precise information about each buyer persona with respect to how they think, feel, see and do things. By spending time to get deeper insights into your buyer persona you can ensure that any content asset you are creating- be it articles, podcasts, videos etc feels like it has been specifically created for them and is offering insights to address their challenges or priorities. This will ensure there is better engagement for your content and thereby offers better ROI.
From a marketing perspective, this may part of the problem in getting views and distribution.
By: April M. Hamm, She They
Tags: Publishing, Journalism, Writers On Medium, Marketing, Content Strategy

From a marketing perspective, this may part of the problem in getting views and distribution. Of course, everything you write is timeless and relevant to all of humanity for all time! But it’s a good idea to think creatively about specifc markets that will find your specific piece especially relevant at a specific time.
Agreed. The lack of following feature turned me off as a reader as well. It’s not clear to me that donating prompts any sort of relationship management feature either. (I guess they’re shooting for…
By: April M. Hamm, She They
Tags: User Generated Content, Publishing, Content Writing, Writers On Medium, Content Strategy

Agreed. The lack of following feature turned me off as a reader as well. It’s not clear to me that donating prompts any sort of relationship management feature either. (I guess they’re shooting for less discerning readers who want read whatever content appears on their screen??)

And to your points about money and marketing—what is the point of uncompensated writing if not for exposure??

It seems that the chances of securing any individual benefits whatsoever from the Vocal+ membership model are too slim to be worthwhile — now that’s risky business!

(At least here on Medium, as you mentioned, we can interact and engage with each other. It’s worth the $5/month to help Medium keep up their operations — but not at the expense rather than benefit of content creators!)
There is no hope for America because so many Republicans live here.
By: Todd Zen
Tags: Republican Party, Republicans

There is no hope for America because so many Republicans live here. Just look at their beloved Leader. Donald Trump. A pathological Liar. A delusional Sociopath. A tax cheat. They are not intelligent human beings. And they think they are good Christians. Jesus would be appalled at how evil they are.
American Capitalism Sucks
By: Todd Zen
Tags: Evil, Trumpism, Trump, Pandemic, Republican Party

Now that Donald Trump has walked away from the Stimulus Plan it should be obvious to Americans that electing Rich Sociopaths is destroying the Nation. The entire Republican Congress exhibits hatred and sadism toward the American people. The cruelty is disgusting and reprehensible. All these members of Congress are Wealthy and are employed by the Federal Government. They have great Healthcare. It is their job to protect the American people during the Pandemic. But they are not doing it because they are self serving evil people. As thousands of people fall into Poverty and become homeless these despicable human beings go home to their Mansions and eat dinner with their families. American Capitalism is not working. The population is electing Wealthy Sociopaths to run the Government. And in return people’s lives are being ruined. Once you sink into Poverty in America it is almost impossible to rise back up. Your life is horrible until you die broke in a Hospital or worse in a tent. America is not a compassionate Nation. It is a cruel Nation run by Wealthy Sociopaths and Criminals.
Good for him.
By: Todd Zen
Tags: Republican Party, Republicans

Good for him. He doesn’t want to associate with evil people who lie for a living. Republicans want to take over the Country illegally because over half of us know they are rotten human beings. They would get rid of Social Security and Medicare. Cut all Social Programs. They are Fascists. They would use the Military to kill protesters. That’s were we are heading if people keep electing these scum. They will be as bad as the Nazis.
Oh really? Who has been fighting to get us relief aid this year? The GOP?
By: Laura Federico
Tags: Stimulus, Mitch Mcconnell, Heroes Act, Nancy Pelosi, Republican Party

Oh really? Who has been fighting to get us relief aid this year? The GOP?

The fact that Nancy & the Dems haven’t been able to get ANY deal past Mitch and the Senate since May is due purely to the numbers in Congress.

I’d love to see a new American system of voting after this awful year — instead of We, the People, having to wait years to vote for candidates who are pledged to do our will yet mostly represent lobbies or frankly themselves , what if we could vote throughout the year on issues of importance?

What if, for instance, we’d been able to vote for a relief package in July or August? Even just a yes/no vote?

Do you imagine we’d have waited 8 months to get a $600 check … oh wait, that’s right, we still may not get it! Definitely not by Christmas. Maybe not at all.

Would that have happened, do you think

Thanks to gerrymandering, and plenty of cheating & obstinacy, our Congressional government is in almost constant gridlock. The entire nation hangs on the will of one person, Mitch McConnell. He’s not a nice person, to say the least. Even his staunchest supporters don’t personally like him.

Yet incredibly, in this “Free” country of ours, all of us need the permission of Mitch McConnell to let us buy Christmas gifts, have enough to eat, and afford health care in a pandemic. That’s because Republicans stand behind him no matter what he does, and what he does is oppose Democrats.

If they want green, he wants yellow. If they want strawberries, he wants apples. And because there is a majority (just a tiny one!) of Senators vs. Representatives, the Senate gets its way. Which means Mitch gets his way.

Which means, much of the time, We the People dont get our way, even when it’s our own tax dollars being withheld from us in a pandemic.

People may not like Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer but there’s QUITE a bit of video evidence of them calling for relief aid for the people this year — in the spring, the summer, the fall and the winter. Passed by the House on May 19, the HEROES Act is 1,815 pages of proof that Nancy, Chuck & the Democrats tried. Don’t blame them that they couldn’t get it past Mitch.
Thank you.
By: Laura Federico
Tags: GOP, Fox News, Russian Hacking, Trump, Republican Party

Thank you. This is about as succinct a summing up as I’ve seen. Tragic & true. The GOP stopped being a party of thoughtful political philosophies when the Fox network launched (or as you suggest, just before). We are now trying frantically to save our democracy from a horde of zombies brainwashed by far right lies.

It’s been a full generation’s worth of brainwashing now. Facts can’t reach them. Reason can’t reach them. They are impervious to moral argument, fairness, science, journalistic ethics, consistency, logic, Constitutional law, and common sense. As we’ve seen in 2020, they’re now actually willing to die (and kill) for their convictions — which now include the existence of “cannabalistic, child-molesting hordes of Democrats, led by the Clintons and operating secretly in pizza parlors.” (Qanon)

We keep trying to reach them but they’re unreachable. Even “normal” Republicans like George F. Will and Megan McCain can’t break through, because these people have been systematically brainwashed by “news” that’s not news pouring out of the Fox network 24 hours a day for almost 25 years.

It just takes a psychopath like Donald Trump to come along and tell them that everyone else — the scientific community, the international community, the “elites,” the WHO, NIH and CDC, the “lamestream media,” the US intelligence community, NATO, and of course the “radical left wing Democratic Party” — is lying. Everyone but Fox.

By allowing Fox to masquerade as a news channel with the word “news” in its name, the US let a snake into the tent. If it had been re-branded as an opinion channel (they probably wouldn’t have agreed to the word “propaganda”) way back in the 90’s, it would not have been able to take root as a source of truth and fact. As it is now, with a President screaming “fake news!” at every turn, a whole swath of the population genuinely doesn’t know what to believe.

But it should know the difference between right & wrong. Empathetic & indifferent. Cheating & playing by the rules. Even the brainwashed can still make choices, can’t they?

In fact … might one of these zombies have actually allowed Russia access to our networks? Is that too far fetched? Because I’ve wondered. If one American gave one bad agent one password, could it have spread from there? Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know if we’re THAT far gone. I don’t know how hacking happens.

But I do know that when I feel betrayed, it’s usually because I actually have been betrayed. Whether one of my own countrymen assisted in this foreign action or not, it’s a fact that the GOP turned against our Constitutional democracy a long time ago. And then we wonder why we’re where we are, and why all these horrible things keep “happening to us.” It’s like one person in a marriage habitually cheats, and harms the kids, and withholds money, and has ceased to believe in the whole concept of marriage, yet runs around with a tattoo reading “Proud Husband.” Or wife. You get the idea.

Thanks for a really disturbing, enraging, amazing article.
No one has the guts to arrest this Traitor.
By: Todd Zen
Tags: Republican Party, Trump

No one has the guts to arrest this Traitor. Trump is allowed to openly plot to destroy Democracy and nothing is done about. He is an employee of the American Government and he has been fired by 'the people’. Get rid of him. He is trash.
A Mish Mash of Thoughts That Might Piss You Off
By: Becky Murphy
Tags: Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Anti Racism, Politics, Republican Party

One of the reasons I love Hillary Clinton so much is because she’s her authentic self. She said in the Hulu Documentary that she’s neither as good nor as bad as people say she is. She has always done what she wanted and said things when the microphones were in her face that people didn’t always like. I love her for it. As someone who also says things that others don’t always like and try to live my authentic self, I appreciate her so much. Some people have said to me that others have said “I just don’t like her” about me without any specific evidence. I have heard that so many times in 2016 about Hillary Clinton. I hope someday I’m able to tell her how inspiring she is for simply just being herself with no fakeness or apologies.

Most peoples’ opinions of Democratic politicians are deadass wrong and it’s really fucking irritating. Have you listened to the first season of Hillary’s Podcast? Have you heard her thoughtful questions? How prepared she is in these interviews? How she genuinely is moved and inspired by others and how she wants us to know about these wonderful people she has the privilege to know? If all your knowledge of her is based on social media commentary over the past several years, you’d think she was a completely different person than who she actually is. White people seem to love to form their opinions of others based on their own ideology and cognitive dissonance and not based on reality. Stop that shit immediately. It makes you sound stupid and bigoted, no matter whose side you claim to be on politically.

While we’re on the subject of Hillary’s Podcast, I just want to say how much I adore Stacey Abrams. Again, she is so much more then the shell of opinions people base on their political ideology and cognitive dissonance.
Excellent article; thank you for your work.
By: Kenneth Burke
Tags: Republican Party, Election Results, Trump, Republican Donors

Excellent article; thank you for your work.

But here is my take- Trump has created a huge schism in the Republican Party. He literally stole it from them while they were watching. Their passivity in trying to mollify him by ignoring him only made him stronger. Kind of like a child who behaves badly with no repercussions from the parents, if you get the picture.

What he has done to the Republican Party makes the Tea Party look like amateur hour.

You are right- the donor elite -a.k.a. oligarchs, a.k.a rich, old white guys -won’t like it if he rocks their world. But I think it is too late.

Trump will give them up in a minute for his base if he thinks the donor elite will forsake him and his base will put him back in power. His relationships, as we have seen, are purely transactional- what have you done for me lately?

And as far as Republican politicians “seeing the light” and going away ( against) from him? As long as we don’t have term limits, politicians will always do what will help them stay in power rather than doing “the right thing.”

Mitch will have his hands full trying to convince 70 million people they were wrong. Good luck with that.

He and the Republican Party deserve all the headaches because after all, they fed the monster. Now they can’t get him back in the cage.

The words and opinions expressed are the author’s own and not those of his employer.
What still puzzles me is why Trumpsters and Republicans expected to win the public vote when…
By: Midnight Muse
Tags: Republican Party, Trumpism, Politics

What still puzzles me is why Trumpsters and Republicans expected to win the public vote when Republicans lost it in seven out of eight previous elections. DJT did not try to win the hearts — and definitely not the minds — of any citizens who did not help to elect him! For his dereliction of that duty and many others, I have vowed to vote straight Democrat ticket — to never split my vote again — until all Trumpism zealots, even the cowardly pretenders — are gone from public office.

I am not alone.
Really provocative and well thought out, but terrifying & depressing.
By: Laura Federico
Tags: Coup, Election 2020, Trump, Gerrymandering, Republican Party

Really provocative and well thought out, but terrifying & depressing. The true majority in this country has been so ripped off & disenfranchised at this point that it almost looks hopeless. I wish I could see how to turn around the gerrymandering, voter suppression and constant illegality & villainy of a party that believes it is entitled to cheat because it will never have enough believers to win by the numbers. Of course it won’t — its ideas are vile. So is our system now unfixable? If not, how do we fix it? If so, is secession our next best option? Because clearly we are at a point in America where war (the worst option if all) is looking inevitable.

I admire this article but I wish it had a Part 2: How to Fix It All.
Two Georgia Senate Seats Are Up For Grabs
By: Floyd Mori
Tags: Democratic Party, Politics, Senate, Elections, Republican Party

Two Georgia Senate Seats Are Up For Grabs

Photo by Michal Matlon on Unsplash

The Senate Majority hangs on these elections

Georgia law states that any election where neither candidate receives above 50% of the vote must go into a runoff. The two Georgia U.S. Senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, failed to obtain the 50% votes that they needed to avoid a runoff. With several candidates running, the results were split. Now they are facing Democratic opponents in January runoff elections. The Republican Party and the Democratic Party are both campaigning hard to try and win those seats.

David Perdue narrowly defeated Jon Ossoff but did not hit the 50% mark which would have prevented a runoff. Perdue received 49.73% of the vote with his Democratic challenger, Jon Ossoff receiving 47.95%. Libertarian candidate, Shane Hazel, received 2.32%. That was a close election. Kelly Loeffler received 25.91% of the vote with Democrat Raphael Warnock receiving 32.90%. Doug Collins received 19.95% of the vote with the rest being split among seventeen other candidates.

Loeffler was appointed to be a senator last year by Governor Brian Kemp to fill the vacancy left by Senator Johnny Isakson who retired due to health issues. Loeffler is reportedly the wealthiest U.S. senator at the current time. There were many other candidates in a special election to unseat her in November. The highest vote getter was Reverend Raphael Warnock. Since the top two top vote-getting candidates will run against each other, Loeffler and Warnock are in a runoff. Loeffler was not Donald Trump’s first choice, but he has been campaigning for her election. She has been investigated for insider trading.

Perdue made a name for himself during the presidential campaign when he made a mockery of Kamala Harris’s name as if he did not know how to pronounce it. He was making fun of her ethnicity. He has served on a Senate committee with Harris. He cannot pretend that he did not know how to pronounce her name. He has also been accused of improprieties with regards to selling stocks illegally.

Both Perude and Loeffler have come out as strong supporters of Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud. They decline to admit that Joe Biden won the election. They have both criticized the Republican Governor and the Republican Attorney General of Georgia for not changing election results in Georgia as Trump had requested.

Biden has stumped for Georgia Democrats as has Trump. Both sides would really like to win those two senate seats. Democrats would like to remove Mitch McConnell as senate majority leader. Republicans would like the two incumbent senators to win to save their majority.

[Sources: Wikipedia, CNN]
How do we change the world?
By: Logan Ormsby
Tags: Democratic Party, Politics, United State Of America, Changing The World, Republican Party

Short answer, you don’t.

Now, I didn’t say don’t try to change the world. Otherwise, things never will change. Try as hard as you can, and fail. Maybe you will have a minuscule impact somewhere in the world that can lead to change.

Thinking to yourself, “what a pessimist”, probably crossed your mind, but no. I actually try to see the best in the world. I try to have hope. But I have rationality within me as well. I understand how the world works better than I wish I did.

If you want to change the world, don’t try for selfish reasons. Selfish reasons will only eat away at you as time goes on when you realize that you may never see the change you are fighting so hard for.

If you want to change the world, have intentions. Don’t have vague intentions about what you are trying to accomplish. Zero in on what you want to change, whether that be racial inequality, global warming, or even curing cancer.

Change yourself. No, I don’t mean change your self in such a way, that you aren’t yourself. Change yourself, as if you were to live in the world that you are striving to create. Do this first, otherwise, you are striving to become a hypocrite.

Changing the world falls into the category of impossible possible situations, that only happen with the most possible conviction and determination an individual can possibly possess.

Remember, I said you don’t change the world, but I didn’t say you can’t.
Almost 25 percent of FOX News viewers think Trump was the best president.
By: Manny Otiko
Tags: Trump Administration, Republican Party, Trump, Politics

Donald Trump (Gage Skidmore)

Almost 25 percent of FOX News viewers think Trump was the best president. Further proof FOX exists in an alternate universe. Even 2 percent would be too high. This is why I don’t talk to Trumpists!
How Did This Guy Ever Get Elected?
By: Floyd Mori
Tags: Diversity, Politics, Congress, Racism, Republican Party

How Did This Guy Ever Get Elected?

Photo by Mark König on Unsplash

Racism was apparently okay with his constituents

Congressman Steve King of Iowa was ending his term in January 2021. He was defeated in the primary for his bid for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives. He has been in Congress since 2003.

King was born in 1949 and is 71 years old. He was born and raised in Iowa. He was a former businessman who had a construction company. He was a member of the Iowa State Senate from 1997 to 2003 when he became a member of the U.S. Congress.

How he ever got elected in the first place and then was reelected multiple times is puzzling. He made a name for himself as being the most openly bigoted member of the GOP caucus in the House. He made comments about the superiority of white culture and dehumanizing rhetoric about immigrants. He met with people who had neo-Nazi ties.

King is an opponent of immigration and multiculturalism, which means he opposes diversity. He has a long history of making racist and anti-immigrant remarks. He has had white nationalist affiliations and has been a proponent of white supremacy. He has supported European right-wing populist and far-right politicians who have been accused of racism. He has aligned himself with outright racists, apparently being one himself.

Somtimes he got a slap on the wrist from his Republican Party for his actions and words which expressed racism. He seems to have thought he could get away with those same words which were sometimes uttered from Donald Trump.

The National Republican Congressional Committee withdrew funding for King’s reelection campaign shortly before the 2018 election. He still won reelection that year. People in his Iowa congressional district were obviously okay with his racist views and words.

CNN reported that the easiest explanation for King’s loss in his Republican primary for 2020 was that voters finally rejected his xenophobic and white supremacist statements. King had a near double-digit defeat by State Senator Randy Feenstra. Over the past five years he said things like: “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” “What does this diversity bring that we don’t already have?”

King won primaries and general elections even as he was making those racist comments for years. How did he get elected and reelected? It is obviously because there are lots of people who feel as he does. He had enough backers who would vote for him and his racist views.

The voters finally rejected this person who could quite possibly have been the most racist person in Congress. Unfortunately, there are some others who might also join him with the distinction of being racist.

[Source: Wikipedia, CNN]
Laura Ingraham is a neo-Nazi, propagandist and liar.
By: Manny Otiko
Tags: Politics, Propaganda, Trump, Republican Party, Media Criticism

Laura Ingraham (Gage Skidmore)

Laura Ingraham is a neo-Nazi, propagandist and liar. But her latest comments are just ridiculous. She claims we were fortunate to have Trump as president. And also claims he made life better for the “forgotten people.” This is simply not true, most working people haven’t seen any wage gains. This is why the Russians laugh at us!
I often spend time perusing Barnes and Noble.
By: Manny Otiko
Tags: Politics, Propaganda, Trump, Elections, Republican Party

I often spend time perusing Barnes and Noble. Sometimes I find myself in the political section. It seems some of the political books seem to have no bearing on reality. They are designed to sell, who cares if they’re true or not! This is an example!
The Right Wing is a chronic incurable disease.
By: Todd Zen
Tags: Republican Party, Trump

The Right Wing is a chronic incurable disease. To them Freedom is an Assault Weapon. For Liberals Freedom is Medicare for All. Republicans exist at a lower level of Consciousness than Democrats. They are not evolving they are getting more dangerous and stupid. At some point a Civil War will start.
On January 6, the Treasonous GOP will force a Vote for President
By: Brian Kean
Tags: Politics, Election 2020, Fascism, Society, Republican Party

On January 6th, the freak show at the circus known as the US Congress will continue.

A traitorous member from one of America’s poorest states, Mo Brooks of the 5th Congressional District in Alabama, was quoted as saying the follow (remarkably with a straight face):

A republic is nothing without honest & accurate elections. Heroic patriots fought & died to give America a republic. Media reports Senate ducks election fraud theft …because it requires a ‘terrible vote’??!! I can only hope that is ‘Fake News’.”

Brooks plans to be the one objection needed in the House. When one of the treasonous GOP Senators files an official objection to a state’s slate of electors, the joint session of Congress, which costs US tax payers $3 million each time they gather, will recess for two hours and debate the objection. Obviously, these distractions to the governance of the United States are not only irresponsible to the security of the nation (just look at the latest Russian hacking of our entire security infrastructure); but very dangerous given the Fox-created state of hyper-partisanship we live in.

The objections by the two Republicans are for posterity. They will be used to fundraise from a very angry, intellectually lazy mob of Trumpettes still delusionary enough to believe that the election was stolen.

The sadness in all of this is that the 2020 elections, despite the efforts of Trump and his minions to prevent Americans from casting their votes, were the most secure ever. The only fraud that existed came from the president of the United States each and every time, beginning last Spring, he tweeted that mail-in votes were a insecure method by which to vote. Trump, and the more vile members of the GOP, knew that if mass mail-in voting was to be successful then then Project: Shut’em Up would be made be moot.

Project: Shut’em Up is not really a name the Republicans gave to their systemic disenfranchisement program, but it has been the strategy of the GOP since Obama’s election in 2008.

Obama’s run for president resulted in then a record turnout, especially among minorities voting for the first time. The shocked-and-awed Republicans made a pact — we must do everything we can to 1) resurrect the myth of voter fraud and 2) to make it nearly impossible for minorities to vote. Mail-in voting overcomes all of that vile cynicism and returns a voice to the muted.

That is why Trump waged war on the US Postal Service. It is this fraud that Congress should be investigating and objecting to, not the fair and legitimate votes cast against America’s first authoritarian, and most corrupt, president.

A vote on January 6 by one GOP Representative and one GOP Senator, likely Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville, also of Alabama — way to go ‘Bama) pretty much assures that Donald Trump won’t be our last president with dictatorial aspirations. Even sadder, the next one will be more disciplined, less of a psychopath and will succeed where Trump was an winning failure.
The Republicans have a real problem on their hands- a conman has hijacked their party.
By: Kenneth Burke
Tags: Disinformation, Republican Party, Trump, Politics

The Republicans have a real problem on their hands- a conman has hijacked their party.

The Tea Party? Amateur hour.

This guy in 4 years has shifted- stolen — the party from right in front of the eyes of Mitch and Lindsey et al. And they watched and let him do it.

So how are they going to get it back?

Because let’s be sure of one thing- old white oligarchs don’t like it when they lose power. And they now have their hands full in trying to get it back.

You lay in bed with dogs, you get fleas, as the saying goes.

The opinions expressed are the author’s own and not those of his employer.
Trump brings out the worst qualities in people.
By: Todd Zen
Tags: Republican Party, Trump

Trump brings out the worst qualities in people. Then these awful people are filled with grievances because no one wants them around. They whine that they were 'cheated’. It’s repugnant. The whole lot of them are rotten.