Criminal justice advocates worry about the Harris campaign's framing of the race.
  • MagicShel@programming.dev
    31·
    4 months ago

    I like some of the ideas presented here. That said…

    “It’s not a winning strategy, and it’s not the sure-fire sort of like zinger that Democrats think it is,” says Insha Rahman, the director of Vera Action, which advocates for criminal justice reform. “Calling Trump a convicted felon doesn’t really stick on him because he doesn’t fit the trope of what a convicted felon is, because it is a dog whistle—it is linking race and criminality.”

    I disagree with this whole line of thought. I get this person has a good agenda but seeing everything through that lens I think blinds her to other perspectives.

    I think it’s good and powerful to call Trump a felon. It drives home a particular point to his base — that they are following a criminal. He’s one of the bad guys and she’s one of the good guys. Is it a nuanced message? No. There’s a lot of good points she makes about messaging and framing. But I think it does hit home especially with low-information voters.

    Furthermore, I think it highlights many of the points she wants to make with nuance, just very bluntly. Is there a racist connotation to the word felon? Well pointing out the white guy is a felon attacks that. Is there stigma about being a felon? Pointing out Trump is one undercuts, for some, that a felon can only be a violent criminal.

    I just think it’s a little silly to see people’s positive reaction to that message and say, “No, this isn’t going to help you win.” But I agree with everything else.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      4·
      4 months ago

      “When they go low, we go high” has been shown again and again to be a losing strategy for the Democrats.

    • Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world
      31·
      4 months ago

      Pointing out Trump is one undercuts, for some, that a felon can only be a violent criminal.

      Who? Conservatives are convinced the trial was a shame (it was not), and Democrats claim of him being unfit because he’s a felon still prays on the idea that felons are unwashed detriments to society. Trump is a detriment to society not because he’s a felon. It’s because he’s naturally a piece of shit.

      • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
        2·
        4 months ago

        Who?

        The majority of citizens, who are extremely low information voters. The undecideds. The centrists. The “I don’t like politics”.

    • the_toast_is_gone@lemmy.world
      21·
      4 months ago

      Lots of conservatives look at Trump’s trials and think that the whole ordeal is a sham to keep him down. If anything, emphasizing him being a felon is going to embolden them in their persecutory beliefs. It isn’t the zinger you seem to think it is, it just makes the justice system look illegitimate in their eyes.

      • rusticus@lemm.ee
        7·
        4 months ago

        Republicans that support Trump are already lost. You emphasize Trump is a felon to independents who haven’t decided yet.

  • rusticus@lemm.ee
    81·
    4 months ago

    Stupid article. Trump supporters are already lost. They’re in a cult. Emphasizing Trump is a felon convicted by a jury of normal Americans is important for independent voters to know.