(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Grow a f*cking Spine": This Communication Style Is Exactly What We Need [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-27
Before you read this diary, click play to watch the video from the progressive liberal influencer Kat Abughazaleh
OK so are you as seriously HYPED about this as I am?
Little backstory, Elon Musk personally celebrated Kat Abughazaleh's layoff from Media Matters with a taunting "Karma is real" post on X, Kat took the dice and rolled a natural 20!
Now, the 26-year-old extremism researcher and social media creator is challenging the status quo in Illinois' Ninth District, currently represented by 80-year-old Democrat Jan Schakowsky, who has held the seat since before Abughazaleh was even born.
"I have ideas that I want to push, and I have a big [social media] platform," Abughazaleh told TechCrunch. "I felt I didn't want to wait around for someone to do something when I could do something right now." With over half a million followers across platforms — including 222,000 on TikTok and 154,000 on Bluesky — her campaign represents a new generation of political communication that prioritizes authenticity over polish.
We’ve seen Democratic candidates come and go for years now, carefully curated by boomer gatekeepers and ladder pullers, and forced into lame generic DINO messages
That's why discovering Kat's campaign announcement and her unapologetic approach—telling Democrats to "grow a spine"—is exactly the kind of authentic communication we've been desperately missing from our party.
The Crystal Clear Message
Abughazaleh doesn't mince words when she says the party has "become one where you have to look to the exceptions for real leadership as the majority work from an outdated playbook ."
Her policy vision takes center stage with refreshing clarity:
"There is absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to afford housing, groceries, and healthcare with some money leftover," she declared in her announcement. "Families should have free childcare, Social Security should be expanded, and our inalienable rights shouldn't be dependent on who's in power."
There's no hedging or qualification—just a straightforward articulation of what people deserve.
Learning how to fight
Abughazaleh's experience fighting disinformation has given her unique insight into today's political landscape.
"A lot of people in journalism, especially on this disinformation beat, have been going through kind of a trial period, or a practice run, a dry run of what Trump and Musk have been doing to the rest of the country," she told TechCrunch. "We knew what was going to happen... We are upset that we're right, but that also means that we have tools to fight back and know what's happening and know how to handle it."
What gets me excited is this is a communication revolution. She represents a growing cohort of younger voices transforming Democratic messaging. Like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who famously upset establishment Democrat Joe Crowley with a campaign that rejected conventional wisdom, Abughazaleh understands that sincerity is the strategy with today's voters.
David Hogg, who emerged as a powerful voice following the Parkland shooting, embodies this same approach. In his historic speech at the March for Our Lives rally in 2018, Hogg declared: "When politicians send their thoughts and prayers with no action, we say — 'No more!'"
This rallying cry captured the frustration of a generation tired of empty rhetoric without meaningful change.
Hogg has consistently challenged political norms with direct, unfiltered statements. In the days following the Parkland tragedy, he didn't hesitate to call out inaction, saying: "This is about us creating a badge of shame for any politicians who are accepting money from the NRA and using us as collateral." CNN
His call to "get over politics and get something done" mirrors Kat Abughazaleh's demand for Democrats to "grow a spine."
The Consultant Industrial Complex: A Legacy of Failure
Let's be real: Abughazaleh's rejection of "grifty consultants who care more about their paycheck than actually winning" targets a system that has been undermining Democratic campaigns for decades, and it's about time someone called it out.
The modern political consulting industry exploded after the 1974 campaign finance reforms, when campaigns became increasingly dependent on professional consultants to navigate regulations and manage operations. By the early 2000s, Democratic campaigns routinely directed 70-80% of their budgets to consultant fees, media buys, and polling—often with disappointing electoral results.
The 2004 Kerry campaign became a notorious example, spending over $100 million on consultants while losing what many considered a winnable election. This pattern has continued into recent years, with a notable shift with Obama — but a return to consultants with Hillary’s failed 2016 run. Percentage-based commissions on media buys (typically 15%) creating perverse incentives for consultants to push expensive TV ads regardless of their effectiveness.
This system has produced measurable harm:
Financial waste: Democrats routinely outspend Republicans in key races while achieving worse results Risk-averse messaging that fails to inspire voters Strategic stagnation as consultants recycle outdated approaches Disconnection from grassroots movements and community organizing
New Strategy for a New Generation
One thing that makes me particularly hopeful about Abughazaleh's campaign is her approach to digital strategy.
"I think the big problem Democrats have is their digital strategy, and people like me and people that are younger have a better understanding [of the internet]," she told TechCrunch. "It's something that we grew up with."
While some critics might worry about her lengthy online footprint, Abughazaleh isn't concerned. As she wrote to one skeptic on X, "I hope you enjoy my middle school One Direction fan blog and pictures of my cat."
Now for the obligatory photos
OMG! He’s cuter than me!
They are the same! Loving Kat’s latest drop!
The Power of Sincerity
What makes Abughazaleh's approach so compelling—and potentially transformative—is its fundamental sincerity. When she says her campaign will focus on "book drives and clothing exchanges" rather than "fancy fundraisers for rich donors," it signals a genuine commitment to community values over political expedience.
This sincerity creates space for her to stand alongside figures like AOC, Ayanna Pressley, and other younger Democrats who have successfully challenged the party's communication norms. These fresh voices share a common understanding that voters respond to authenticity more powerfully than to carefully calibrated messaging.
Hogg expressed this sentiment perfectly when he said that "Young people coming into the workplace don't want to be dismissed, they want to be heard." PBS The same principle applies to voters across generations—they want leadership that speaks to them honestly, not messages filtered through layers of focus groups and consultants.
This is the WAY 👉
For a broken octogenarian out-of-touch shuffleboard party that struggles with typing with more than one finger… that can’t articulate policies that are counter to their republican-lite narrative of the early 2000’s… well then, Abughazaleh's shows the way:
speak directly
stand firmly for core values
reject outdated conventions, and
prioritize community engagement over failed consultant-driven strategies.
And honestly? I can't wait to see more candidates follow her lead.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/27/2312951/-Grow-a-Spine-This-Communication-Style-Is-Exactly-What-We-Need?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
