Friday, 17 September 2004 - 10:01 PM EDT

Maybe I've been brainwashed by the insidious right-wing assault, but -- even I find some of the moveon ads counter-productive. Now, be advised that I am a moveon member from way back, (I know what we were originally try "move on" from). Here's the deal. Hate, fear-mongering, cynicism and outright manipulation will never work better for libs/moderates than it will for conservatives. People who really THINK about things, will always be turned off by overt manipulation, whereas conservatives will always be fired up by said methods. There is one exception. Love. If liberal/moderate (read-reasonable)ads can inspire love (or some aesthetic equivalent) then they have a chance of eliciting an emotional response at least as powerful as that which is elicited from the right. Otherwise, our rational "mean-ness" will always be trumped by their appeal to the reptilian part of our brain.

Friday, 17 September 2004 - 10:02 PM EDT

Maybe I've been brainwashed by the insidious right-wing assault, but -- even I find some of the moveon ads counter-productive. Now, be advised that I am a moveon member from way back, (I know what we were originally try "move on" from). Here's the deal. Hate, fear-mongering, cynicism and outright manipulation will never work better for libs/moderates than it will for conservatives. People who really THINK about things, will always be turned off by overt manipulation, whereas conservatives will always be fired up by said methods. There is one exception. Love. If liberal/moderate (read-reasonable)ads can inspire love (or some aesthetic equivalent) then they have a chance of eliciting an emotional response at least as powerful as that which is elicited from the right. Otherwise, our rational "mean-ness" will always be trumped by their appeal to the reptilian part of our brain.