“If there is one point of consensus in the deeply fractured Democratic Party, it’s that the old ways of doing business just aren’t cutting it,” the New York Times reports.

“And so, many of the party’s most analytically minded strategists have begun focusing their energies on dissecting the tactical and technical decisions that led to last year’s devastating defeats, and dreaming up proposals to overhaul the machinery of progressive politics.”

“This work is not about the big picture of what the party stands for. It is about the nuts and bolts of how to get candidates elected: which potential voters to target; whose doors to knock on, and whether door-knocking is still effective in a digital age; and when and where to advertise, whether online, on television or by mail.”

Will Robinson: “The conservative movement has built a sprawling, always-on communications ecosystem. It’s not just Fox News and talk radio anymore — it’s a web of Facebook groups, hyperlocal influencers, YouTube rage-podcasters, TikTok conspiracy loops, Telegram channels, Spanish-language disinformation, and AI-generated propaganda running 24/7. They’ve overtaken not only the mainstream media — but the mental bandwidth of millions.”

“Their strength isn’t just repetition. It’s immersion.”

“They’ve mastered a feedback loop that goes top-down and bottom-up: disinformation is seeded by influencers or bots, echoed by talk radio or fringe outlets, and then laundered through trusted local voices—pastors, sheriffs, coaches, county chairs, Spanish-language radio, even fake hometown newspapers. The result? What starts as a lie on a fringe site becomes gospel truth in your uncle’s WhatsApp group.”

“By contrast, Democrats still treat communication like a campaign accessory. We rely on mainstream press hits and paid ads. We speak at voters, not with them. And we too often equate communication with branding—when it should be organizing.”