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Let's talk about that ad. [1]
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Date: 2025-06-02
You know which ad I mean. You don’t need me to link to it; you’ve either seen it or you’ve heard it described.
And the fact that you already know which ad I mean says it did its job. It got people talking.
The fash are crowing that that ad won them the Presidency. They’re wrong, but only partially.
The Democrats insist that that ad wasn’t a deciding factor. They’re also wrong, but only partially.
The missing ingredient on both sides of this analysis is that anti-queer and especially anti-trans sentiment is not a dealbreaker for people in ways that, quite frankly, it ought to be if we were an ethical society.
That so many Kossacks seem insistent on reminding me that “purity politics will get me nowhere” every time I open my beak on this tells me just how ethical a society we are.
The instant that ad hit the airwaves, every single Democrat in office should’ve risen in lockstep and uniformly shouted “HOW DARE YOU, SIR?” Every single person who believes that queer rights matter in this country should’ve been on a hot mic in five minutes decrying the bigotry that has engulfed Republican rhetoric. There should’ve been a deafening outcry connecting that ad to Bush’s use of William Horton, the naked bigotry of Republican policy in general and its assault on queer rights in specific, and the burning of books from the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft.
There wasn’t. Harris’ billion-dollar media engine was silent.
That silence told me volumes.
It told me that the person who wanted to be my President was too afraid of being seen as my ally to stand up to a bully threatening to end my rights. It told me that every demand for money the Democrats made would go to support every cause but mine. It told me that the Democrats don’t see me as a member of their community worth saving. And ultimately it told me that even if the Democrats win, I’ll still be on my own.
And before a single one of you bothers to say “but if we did that we’d lose every election” I want you to seriously consider whether what you’re telling me amounts to “but there’s no saving this Nazi bar!” Because as I’ve already established, America is a Nazi bar now, and we’re operating under Nazi bar rules. And if what you’re saying is that we can’t win elections unless we’re willing to cede the issue of trans rights, you’re telling me that you think America is past the point of rehabilitation.
That’s not news to me, but it might be news to you. Take a minute and process that.
What ended McCarthy’s reign of terror wasn’t “better messaging” or “communicating with centrists.” It was an outpouring of righteous indignation and a collective social rejection of authoritarian ideology. Stop trying to figure out how to message your tolerance for discrimination and start demanding an end to discrimination. Either that or admit that America has no intent to kick out its Nazis and would rather figure out how to work around them to get everyone else what they want, so I can cut my losses with a clear conscience.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/2/2325662/-Let-s-talk-about-that-ad?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web
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