The Infuriating Reason Why Democrats Refuse to Support Independent Journalists

While the GOP acts like it’s campaign season 365 days a year, the Democrats wait to try and make their points in an hour and a half long debate. Democrats are people with ivy league degrees, yet they act as if they have no idea how marketing works.When the election happens and they lose, the Democrats shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, the people have spoken.”But they disregard the fact that the people make their decisions based on an uncontested tidal wave of lies.What do Democrats expect the people to do? Not everyone is born in a gated community with access to a private tutor. You can’t assume everyone will just magically see the truth when our politicians aren’t fighting to ensure we all have access to free and fair messaging.It’s frustrating to watch the same train wreck happen over and over.Sponsor me for $5 a month ❤️ Sponsor me for $4 a month 🧡 Sponsor me for $3 a month 💛 Sponsor me for $2 a month 💚 Thank you! 💙At some point, ensuring access to accurate information has to become a human rights issue. We live in an era where parents are preventing their children from getting life saving vaccines. That’s killing not just their own children, but it’s killing a lot of elderly people because these preventable diseases are surging back.We live in an era where conservative propaganda centers make free propaganda videos that misrepresent reality. There are many innocent kids out there who, to their credit, are desperate to better themselves. But when they get caught up in some conservative horror show disguised as a free online university, it’s the fault of more privileged and educated people who failed to prevent these kind of scams from littering the landscape.Ignorance has brought a plague upon us. Meanwhile the Democrats shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, the people have spoken.”The strategy the DNC has used for the last few election cycles has been both irresponsible and reckless. We need a new approach that is founded on the belief that the American people have a right to access accurate information before they’re called upon to make decisions.We can’t sit still and allow the GOP to brainwash the whole nation with lies on top of lies on top of lies. They lie incessantly. Those of us who have had the privilege of an education have learned to tune out all the constant lies. We tune them out liked ads during a football game. But that’s a problem because it prevents us from recognizing how dangerous and prevalent they are.When some deranged right-wing podcaster, politician, or priest comes on the radio, we reach over to turn it off before the words start to register. The trouble is, our children haven’t developed the ability to screen for propaganda. If they happen to sit and listen to that nonsense for a couple hours, it can cause them irreparable harm.You don’t want some lying Republican telling your daughters that they shouldn’t have access to reproductive healthcare. Our daughters deserve to know the truth about things like contraception so they’re able to protect themselves and have a prosperous future where they’re not beholden to some abusive, conservative jerk.The GOP tries to trick our children into getting pregnant as a teen, so they’re never able to escape the clutches of their abusive, conservative husband. That’s child abuse!Our sons, too, deserve protection from these lying Republican jerks who tell them that they are part of the “master race” and that they deserve to do whatever they want without consequences. Make no mistake, that kind of deplorable grooming and conditioning is out there. Your sons hear it on fitness shows, on finance shows, and through the bizarre communities they find on the internet that are related to gaming and pornography.It’s all over the place because Democrats don’t bother to acknowledge the danger of this kind of messaging. Instead, they just lose elections, shove their hands into their pockets, chuckle like goofy, and lament that “The people went another way.”The people have been brainwashed by LIES you FOOLS!It has never been more critical for everyone to be deliberate in where they spend their subscription money. One of the main issues is that even big, well-funded media no longer holds itself to any form of journalistic standard.Sponsor me for $5 a month ❤️ Sponsor me for $4 a month 🧡 Sponsor me for $3 a month 💛 Sponsor me for $2 a month 💚 Thank you! 💙For years, Democrats have been saying, “We need a Joe Rogan on the left,” but then they don’t bother to support any emerging voices among independent journalists. They’re content to show up at the existing media mechanism that has been heavily corrupted to support right-wing propaganda.The six week strategy is ineffective. It’s time for the Democrats to start planning in terms of decades.I have had a number of Democratic and progressive candidates come onto my podcast for a conversation. I give those politicians credit for understanding the reality of the challenge we face. But it’s infuriating that the more well-known candidates with huge followings never bother to talk with smaller journalists.Well-known candidates have such name recognition that they could easily build up the platforms of responsible creators who actually show a bit of respect for concepts like decorum, critical thinking, and scientific accuracy. But the Democrats refuse to embrace individuals like that. Instead, they try to “reach out” by going to right wing channels.That’s ridiculous. Those channels treat them unfairly and bury their content. Going there does more harm than good.We all must come together and work for a free and fair media!The reason we’re in this mess is because the proliferation of right-wing influence has brainwashed the general public into adopting an ideology of self-destruction.We need better messaging. On every street corner that has a church, we need a resource center that teaches children critical reasoning and the scientific method.But the real issue here is that Democrats don’t support that idea not because they don’t recognize the problem, but because most of them get paid by the same corporate overlords that run the Republicans.This is why only grass roots, independent progressives are willing to come and talk to me. The corporate Democrats lack the conviction to have a conversation about the real issues that matter to the American people.The reason I’m telling this to you, is that it’s a talking point you need to remember if you happen to go to a town hall, or see a politician at a political event, or interact with any of them in any way. It’s important to always remain courteous and polite, but ask them why the DNC absolutely refuses to build up an independent media that can combat the propaganda conditioning of the right.We deserve protections from a society where all the people have been brainwashed by malicious lies.What’s become obvious to me in the decades I’ve spent as a writer is that conservative hate groups always have money to give to their little propaganda spewing talking heads. Hateful rightwing podcasters don’t come to prominence because anyone likes what they’re saying. They come to prominence because somebody is bankrolling them in order to create the kind of division that helps the oligarchs.It’s pretty obvious, just look around.Now we’re stuck in this situation where there are two prominent groups. There is the overwhelming tidal wave of hate spewing liars who seem to dominate everything. Then there’s the passive group that does nothing to stop it.We need funding for a third group that is actually willing to unapologetically speak the FACTS!Those of you who are reading this need to help me take up this rallying cry. My newsletter legitimately gets by on small donations. That means that I can listen to my actual readers rather than some corporate overlord. But it is tough to compete against some hatemonger who gets a $100,000 bonus every couple months by some despicable closet nazi organization.Sponsor me for $5 a month ❤️ Sponsor me for $4 a month 🧡 Sponsor me for $3 a month 💛 Sponsor me for $2 a month 💚 Thank you! 💙What America needs is a mob of independent journalists. We need a million people making fifty thousand dollars a year. We don’t need five hundred people making a hundred million a year.We have to end the kingmaker mentality, and that starts with you. People are fed up with the “do nothing” approach. The oligarchs that run everything can control 500 people. They can’t control a million.This is why you have to look at your subscriptions and simply stop supporting the entities that are already millionaires. It goes without saying that everyone needs to end their subscriptions to massive media conglomerates. Stop supporting them!We also have to pressure our Democratic candidates to stop going on oligarch owned stations. We have to stop them from taking our donations and purchasing advertisements that send our money directly to our adversaries. That doesn’t make any sense.Instead, the Democrats should spend their time having conversations on places like Substack. Not only do we have to get control of the narrative, we also have to get control of the distribution mechanism!We have to drown out the sources that spread lies, and elevate the sources that demonstrate a commitment to integrity.So, in addition to canceling your subscriptions to the media moguls, you also need to consider canceling your subscriptions to newsletters with the purple checkmarks, or newsletters owned by people who are already millionaires. Train yourself to support the smaller journalists like Arturo Dominguez or Ellie Leonard or Nick Paro (and me of course… I certainly need it).Support the people out there who currently can’t afford healthcare. They deserve to have their viewpoint heard as much as the billionaires.The amazing thing here is that we don’t need the whole United States to switch to this viewpoint. The people I’ve just mentioned are used to living on scraps. You’d see a major change in the fundamental make-up of this country if we could get 1% of the population accustomed to demanding accuracy in the media.The lies the mainstream media spews right now are toxic for you. They’re toxic for your kids. Listening to that garbage is why everyone feels so hopeless. The truth is that it IS entirely possible to reform our whole society. We can have universal healthcare, we can have education, we can have a roof over our head, we can have food, we can be treated with dignity.It takes a lot of time, money, and resources to maintain the lies that we can’t. Friends, that veil is CRACKING! People can see through it! So please, withdraw your support from entities that are already millionaires, and support the small creators. Go check your subscriptions for purple checkmarks and cancel them. We don’t need kings, we need an army of hardworking journalists who are being taken seriously.As we erode the power of the mainstream media, we’ll see more Democrats understand that they must avoid the networks in order to reach the people. When we have control of the messaging, we’ll get control of the people.It 100% without question starts with you. If you’ve already adopted this mindset, thank you! Now your job is to go and encourage others to follow suit. Warn people about how listening to toxic right-wing hate conditioning radicalizes our sons and daughters and condemns them to a life of misery and exploitation.For a while there, Democrats were coming to talk to me. But I suspect they must have sent out a memo to close up ranks because it’s dried up. I guess they got tired of answering questions about why the government gives billions of dollars in free money to people who are already billionaires. I keep saying, “Forget about raising taxes, just stop giving rich people free money.”That’s a campaign slogan that Democrats can use to win! They want to stick with, “But how are we going to pay for that?” to the detriment of us all.Let’s pressure them to change.People keep saying “nobody is coming to save us” but what does that mean? The way I see it, it means the media isn’t going to help and the Democrats aren’t going to help. Conservatives have deliberately sabotaged our national messaging to fill the brains of our friends and neighbors with toxic thinking.We have to push back against that.In order for us to have any chance at achieving a free and fair society, we have to support a news distribution mechanism that actually promotes accurate and responsible content. We can’t just respond to false narratives anymore, we have to drown out false narratives with good ones by elevating other voices.The first step is to flip a switch in your own mind. Shake off the conditioning to follow “high-profile” media personalities, and start supporting regular people. A gigantic sales funnel exists that sends our money to authoritarians.Sponsor me for $5 a month ❤️ Sponsor me for $4 a month 🧡 Sponsor me for $3 a month 💛 Sponsor me for $2 a month 💚 Thank you! 💙“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” they scream. But once he’s been seen, he cannot be unseen.At that point, the next step is to refuse to be the property of that sales funnel. Jump out! Support other creators! Encourage other people to come with you! They will! Host watch parties! With the collapse of the economy, you can’t afford your old subscriptions anyway! Cancel everything, support the small creators, and BE FREE!Our advantage is that people like me are used to living in poverty. It doesn’t scare me. But when you take a couple bucks from a billionaire, they start to panic. Panicking billionaires is good for society. It helps to remind them who is really in charge.We’re not going to stop with panic, but they don’t have to know that. When they start being nicer to us, take it as encouragement that we’re going to win. Don’t stop with your activism until everyone in this nation is covered by universal healthcare.Even then, ask for more. We all rise together.Your sponsorship makes this possible Twenty dollars a year.Upgrade at 30% offUpgrade at 40% offUpgrade at 50% offUpgrade at 60% offI’m so happy you’re here, and I’m looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.My CoSchedule referral linkHere’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).I'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to I'd Rather Be Writing at walterrhein.substack.com/subscribe