Stop the Damn texts.

If you had a friend who texted you 10 times a day and who was always asking you for money in one form or another, that person would not be your friend for much longer. What is more, almost no one in your circle would blame you for cutting off that person, because it is simply not possible to be friends with someone who acts in that manner. Even if the relationship was previously good, almost no relationship could survive such a strain. Despite this uncomfortable fact, the mainstream of the Democratic Party seems to believe that is acceptable to behave in this manner towards its supporters.

The Party’s excuses would be nearly endless. It is not a central decision-making process, they might say, each campaign decides how many texts to send. The campaigns need the revenue these texts generate. And on and on, but the broad consequence is that people simply tune out the texts, and not just this specific set of asks, but they tune you out texts in general. Thus, if you ever wanted to gain the recipients’ attention for something real, you couldn’t because you have been mentally blocked. This text barrage is assaultive and should stop. How we force this change upon leadership is somewhat of a challenge, but giving the bully pulpit to someone atop the DNC who calls it out as a bad idea would help.

Before urging a flat-out cessation of such texts, however, I followed one of the key tenets of my effort: listening. One of the people I spoke with made at least a relatively decent case for some of the texts, while recognizing that some of them are not needed. The person I spoke with suggested a code of conduct around the use of texts as alternative to a total ban. One of the core problems that exists in our political world is that there is not much in the way of honor among thieves. Thus, there’s reason for concern that any code of conduct would not remotely succeed. Whatever happens, stopping the bleeding is needed asap, even if that costs the Party money.

Here are a few example of the horrible texts I got this week:

We're desperate: We just need 1 more local donation to hit our goal to pass the Supreme Court Ethics Act!

DONATE: https://go.demturnout.io/l/5tIakq

DT

Stop2End

(A donation cannot pass a Law, and no new Democratic-backed law is going to happen period. Promising otherwise is just lying.)

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We're running out of time. We MUST pass the No Kings Act ASAP. But we're missing your name on our petition?? Sign: go.savedemocracypac.com/11265

SDP

Stop2End

(This law is also dead in the water even if you sign the petition.)

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THIS IS BAD: Conservatives demand the defunding of Public Radio

WE MUST KNOW: Do you listen to Public Radio? > go.stop25.org/11276

SP25

Stop2End

(Sparking fear of over a thing not yet imminent to get you to click.)

* * * * * * * * *

We're begging: We just need 1 more IN donation to hit our goal to PASS the No Kings Act

Donate $20 to Crush MAGA PAC: go.crushmaga.org/11277

Stop2End

(It’s just wrong to beg for something that has no chance to pass and even if it did would be challenged in court and would have the most minimal effect on policy.

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this is the most important text on your phone.

Add your name to our petition to PROTECT Social Security from Trump: go.retireddemocrats.org/11276

RD

Stop2End

(Because we are more important than a loved one or friend.)

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SOBBING TEARS OF PURE JOY: The Judiciary Act allows Biden to appoint 4 NEW Justices! MUST READ >> go.dems-vote.org/1127a2

Dems Vote

Stop2End

(Joy because a bill that will never be law exists?)

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This assault does not in general come even from candidate campaigns, but from weird outside groups. But as you can see most use the word Democrat in their organization names, and those that do not also clearly copy what is almost entirely Democratic messaging about MAGA and Project 2025. A well-publicized policy that shut down such texts coming from the Democratic Party might be the only way to clarify for voters that these texts using the Party name are not connected to the Party itself. A return to texting might soon thereafter be possible, but first we need to broadcast loud and clear that we are not these guys. So long as we could be mistaken as the source of incessant and deceptive texts, it is nearly impossible to build trust. At a minimum, texts from us need an immediate and noticeable pause.