Hello Merge Tag: Where Social Media and Politics Intersect

"It doesn't matter if Democratic senators or members of Congress put out TikTok videos or bring influencers for special hearings. Ultimately, if it's not in their bones that they want to fight with everything they have, the people will see right through it." Murshed Zaheed has more than 30 years of experience as a leader, organizer, and advocate in a career stretching from D.C. to San Francisco. He’s the founder of Pacifica Strategies, a boutique public affairs firm working with prominent organizations engaged in policy and politics. He served as the Political Director of CREDO Mobile, empowering its over five million members to fight for progressive change in Washington, D.C., and in state capitols across the country. He also served as Director of New Media for then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a senior leadership role and was a member of Gov. Howard Dean’s groundbreaking digital team during Dean’s presidential campaign. He has watched the Democratic Party cycle through the same conversations about tactics — from blogs in 2006 to TikTok in 2026 — and he's tired of it. Not because tactics don't matter. But because tactics without strategy are just noise. We covered a lot of ground — from what Harry Reid's war room actually looked like from the inside, to why Congressional staffers quitting Bluesky is exactly the wrong response to getting yelled at online, to how the Dean campaign's approach to email was the soul of what we've since lost. Some top takeaways: Strategy first, always. You cannot layer better tactics on top of a weak political position and expect people not to notice. Democratic leaders need to stop treating their email lists as ATMs and start treating them as communities worth actually communicating with. Getting yelled at online is not a reason to log off. It's a reason to show up more and listen harder. The Dean campaign raised $55 million with a blend of communications, organizing, and fundraising anchored in a real political position. That model exists. We abandoned it. Indivisible is one of the only progressive organizations whose emails Murshed actually reads. Pretty sure he's not the only one. Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

Josh Canter is vice president of digital advocacy at McGuire Woods Consulting, where he uses digital tools to influence legislation and shape public policy. His work spans multi-million dollar ad campaigns, interactive platforms, organic content, and full-scale omnichannel strategies — all focused on driving real-world impact. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Wired, and he's worked on campaigns and advocacy efforts around the world. Josh is also one of the more creative AI builders working in politics right now. He connected Claude directly to the Meta Ad Library API to generate deep, contextualized research reports on political ad spending — automatically. In this episode we get into exactly how he built it, what it can do, and where this kind of AI-powered campaign research is headed. TOPICS COVERED What is the Meta Ad Library? How Josh connected Claude to the Meta API Building a repeatable research skill in Claude Why you still need a human to gut-check AI output AI as oppo research tool for campaigns Other tools Josh is building (AEO checker, AI topic explorer, zip code tool) Facebook groups as a political black box Will AI level the playing field for smaller campaigns? Why Josh uses Claude over ChatGPT One actionable tip for campaigns not yet using AI seriously Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“You’re basically seeing your psyche projected back at you when you open any of these social apps these days.” Ryan Davis is a longtime progressive digital strategist. He got his start as an internet organizer on Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign, worked on Barack Obama’s groundbreaking 2008 campaign, and later founded Blue State Digital’s social media team. Since then, he’s worked with hundreds of nonprofits and campaigns around the world. Today, he’s the Founder and CEO of People First, one of the largest social impact influencer agencies in the US, and the author of The Month in Digital. In this episode, Ryan and I get nerdy about what influencer work actually looks like heading into 2026—especially for campaigns that don’t have a huge budget, a big staff, or celebrities on speed dial. We talk about why “influencers” shouldn’t be treated like a replacement for celebrity endorsements, why micro and nano creators can be more useful than the biggest names on your feed, and why the real point isn’t “going viral.” The point is scaling persuasion the same way you scale field: more trusted messengers, more conversations, more communities, more repetition. We also dig into platform fragmentation (your internet is not my internet), why Nextdoor is an underrated battleground for hyperlocal issue conversations, and why campaigns and orgs should be investing in owned content like email and blogs—not just to fundraise, but to tell stories and show up in the places people are now getting information (including AI-driven search). If you’re trying to run a modern comms program without losing your mind, this one’s for you. Some key takeaways from my conversation with Ryan How campaigns are using influencer relationships right nowHow the TikTok sale affected influencer work (it’s not what you think)We nerded out on Nextdoor (yes, it’s a thing)Big influencers vs micro/nano influencersInfluencers aren’t about “going viral.” They’re about scaling fieldWhy your internet is different than everyone else’s (and why that matters)Why it’s time to think beyond the viral launch videoHow to do influencer work with a small budgetThe new tool People First launched for small campaigns: ValEmail still matters—but your email can’t only be fundraisingBlogging, Substack, and the new reality of SEO/AEOSerialization that isn’t about the candidate One of my favorite ideas from the conversation: serialized content that’s about the campaign or the issues, but not dependent on the candidate being the main character. Ryan floated the idea of docu-style vertical series where a staffer or organizer becomes the through-line—letting campaigns produce consistent, platform-friendly storytelling without needing the candidate to carry every single episode. My favorite quote (and the mindset shift it demands): “You’re basically seeing your psyche projected back at you when you open any of these social apps these days,” he wasn’t just describing algorithmic personalization—he was describing a strategic trap campaigns fall into. If the people on your team are highly engaged political consumers, your internal sense of “what’s breaking through” is going to be skewed. You’re in the bubble by definition. The job isn’t to dominate the bubble. The job is to build enough credible, distributed messengers (and enough repeatable content) to reach the people who aren’t thinking about you at all. If you’re running digital for a campaign or nonprofit and you’re trying to build something sustainable—something that reaches beyond the choir—this conversation will give you a bunch of practical ways to think about creator strategy, platform fragmentation, and scaling persuasion. Find links, transcript, video and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

Lucy Ritzmann is a progressive digital strategist and a founding member of Courier’s national newsroom. She’s a former co‑author of FWIW, their must-read weekly email for us political digital nerds. I first met her collaborating on The FYP — a weekly Courier email covering political TikTok, specifically focused on how the two presidential campaigns were approaching one of the most important and complex platforms in politics. Lucy is currently in law school at Georgetown, but when she’s not buried in casebooks, she’s writing a great Substack newsletter called The Group Chat Correspondent. I invited her on the pod to talk about the current state of independent progressive media, what trends she’s following at the moment and a whole lot more. We covered: Why Substack is more than just a newsletter platform — and how it’s becoming a community infrastructure tool “It’s what Bluesky was supposed to be” — building in a space without trolls How Lucy is growing The Group Chat Correspondent — what’s working and what’s not What success actually looks like for an independent progressive media outletThe 2026 landscape for progressive independent media Who’s crushing it right now in progressive digital Why campaigns need to build relationships with creators and media early — not weeks before Election DayThe role Twitch could (and maybe should) be playing in campaigns Why politics and culture aren’t separate — but rather one interwoven tapestry The biggest stories of the day that people aren’t paying attention to What the future of traditional media looks like The state of Kamala HQ — and where we go from here Why every department on a campaign needs a digital deputy at the table Sadly something happened with my mic and my audio's not great. Fortunately, Lucy sounds amazing :) Find links, transcript, more episodes and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“One media company is now carrying ICE’s public image almost entirely on its shoulders…" After analyzing 12 billion views across 90,019 videos posted in December and January, Drew Eldredge‑Martin of Ground Truth AI found that Fox News accounts for 70% of ALL views on YouTube tied to positive narratives about ICE — without Fox, the pro‑ICE narrative would nearly collapse. In this episode of Hello Merge Tag, Drew breaks down what his narrative analysis reveals about who’s shaping the conversation, what content is actually driving attention, and what it means for campaigns in 2026. We covered: 🔹 Why Fox News is driving both positive and negative ICE content 🔹 What types of videos are rising to the top of YouTube 🔹 The growing role of AI‑generated content in narrative shaping 🔹 Who the heck Benjamin is — and why he’s outperforming CNN on this topic 🔹 What sentiment data leading into Election Day tells us about the big 2025 campaigns 🔹 Why campaign teams need to pay even more attention to user‑generated content 🔹 And why you shouldn’t be sleeping on YouTube If you want to understand how digital narratives actually map to influence — and what that means for politics, brands, and public opinion — this episode is a must‑catch. 🎧 FULL EPISODE, along with transcript, links, video version and more available at HelloMergeTag.com.

Does digital campaigning actually matter in elections? According to a new study from the Center for Campaign Innovation, the answer is yes — and the consequences are real. In this episode, Eric Wilson breaks down findings from a comprehensive analysis of the 2025 Virginia House of Delegates elections, where Democrats and Republicans ran vastly different digital programs — with very different results. We talk about what the data shows, where each party is falling behind, which digital tactics actually move voters, and what tools campaigns still need to invest in if they want to compete. We talk about what the data shows, where each party is falling behind, which digital tactics actually move voters, and what tools campaigns still need to invest in, if they want to compete. If you work in politics, campaigns, or digital strategy, this is a must-catch conversation. Find links, the full transcript, and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

Miles Bruner spent 12 years working in the Republican ecosystem, first as a grassroots organizer in Orange County, California, then as a digital fundraising strategist for one of the top GOP fundraising firms in the country. Recently, he went public with an article in The Bulwark detailing his decision to leave the Republican Party over its descent into authoritarianism and calling on his colleagues to do the same. The piece, “My Last Day as an Accomplice of the Republican Party,” is powerful. Miles isn’t the first Republican to quit his party publicly; Tim Miller has written a whole book about his own journey. But I was particularly interested in talking to Miles because he worked in digital, inside a party he found himself agreeing with less and less. To quote him briefly: “The clients I oversaw and the emails I wrote for them were all 100 percent pro-MAGA. Every piece of fundraising content had to somehow out-MAGA the previous. It was routine to publish content that pushed election fraud conspiracies, stoked anti-immigrant sentiment, and sowed distrust in our institutions.” As he spells out, he couldn’t afford to leave, but couldn’t bear to stay. Ultimately his values won the day and here we are. He joined me on the pod to talk about what he saw from the inside—and what he thinks is coming next. We covered: What's working on the rightWhat he thinks is coming nextThe secret behind all those bible verses you see Republicans sharing on socialWhether Google is actually preventing Republican emails from getting delivered? (Hint: it’s not!)Escaping the GOP cultAnd so much more! Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"When you have worry and you have anger, you have attention." Marine. Mechanic. Sports Radio Host. Raised in a trailer park. Fighter for the working class. That’s how Nathan Sage describes himself. He also calls himself a loudmouth. And a tattooed, hairy, fat guy who says it how it is. At first glance, he looks and sounds almost MAGA. But he’s running for Senate as a proud progressive, aiming to be a voice for Iowans who have been left behind by both parties. And he’s running one hell of a digital program. He joined me on the pod and we talked about the power of authenticity, what's working on digital for him these days, why the messenger matters and so much more. Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

Gabbi Zutrau was Zohran Mamdani’s ManyChat wizard, helping drive tens of thousands of clicks and thousands of email subscribers from Instagram — all via automation, and all for just… $318. But she's also so much more than just an automation expert! Gabbi took a brand new Instagram account from zero to 5 million views in just six weeks. And she used one simple trick (yes, really!) to help Zohran’s Instagram grow by over 500,000 followers heading into his primary night win. For context: Zohran hit 1 million followers on election night. That means more than half came from that single tactic, in the lead-up to election night. In this episode, we dig into: How Gabbi grew her own account from scratch The role she played in Zohran’s digital strategy Why campaigns should invest in digital early What authenticity in politics actually looks like One key shift campaigns can make to get more out of social media …and so much more. Find all episodes, a transcript, links and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"Think more about the message you're trying to get across and then make the humor something that brings people in instead of pushing people away." I met Mark Kendall and Bill Worley at Netroots this year and was super excited to invite them on the pod. They’re doing something very unique in our space — using comedy, intentionally, to win hearts and change minds. Their firm, CoolCoolCool Productions, is an Atlanta-based production company and boutique agency that uses comedy to encourage civic engagement and foster community. Their videos have racked up tens of millions of views across social media. They’ve been featured on NPR and in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and named “Best Reason to Laugh” by Atlanta Magazine. I went to a session they ran at Netroots, and every example they shared hit harder than the last. Thoughtful, smart, hilarious work—designed to move people. Throughout our conversation, we talked about: their origin storythe importance of finding joy, even in dark placeswhy embracing specificity matters if you want to change hearts and mindshow their process worksthe advice they’d offer to campaigns looking to use humor effectivelyand more Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“What I would really like to see is more Democrats using their resources to help people right now to fill in the material gaps that Trump has created. I think it's the right thing to do and I also think it is the most persuasive thing to do if you want to flip either chamber in 2026 and make a serious cultural impact." Kat Abughazaleh is running for Congress in Illinois’ 9th District. I personally think she’s running one of the most innovative campaigns of the cycle, both from a digital and from a field perspective. Listeners might remember Kat joined us back in April to talk about what it means to run a Bluesky-first campaign. She joined us again to talk about how her campaign is navigating the internet, fascism and so much more. She talked about the social platform helping her campaign raise the most money (Bluesky!), how her campaign is serving as a mutual aid hub for her community, what it means to fight back against the Trump regime in these dark times and so much more. Find links to her site, an episode transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“The most powerful form of engagement online is when a regular person posts on their channel about something they truly believe in.” Tudor Mihailescu is a cofounder and CEO of SoSha, an AI powered social amplification platform that helps mission-driven organizations leverage the social clout of their communities. Before SoSha, Tudor did a PhD in political science focused on US Presidential Speechwriting patterns and cofounded a social network for politics called GovFaces. Amanda Brink is the Executive Director of Empower Project, helping organizations grow relational organizing programs. Prior to Empower Project, she worked with Organizing For America, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Tony Evers first statewide race and beyond. In 2024, they teamed up on a nano-influencer program. They facilitated 9 million relational conversations with 3 million potential voters across 10 targeted states. They built a network of Community Mobilizers who collectively earned 80 million organic impressions on social media. I invited them on the pod to unpack that work—how they built it, what they learned, and they think it means for the future of organizing and persuasion in the digital era. Find links, transcript, additional episodes and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“I've always believed in the power of storytelling and storytelling as a means for kind of creating understanding across difference." Garima Verma is a strategist and storyteller who bridges the worlds of culture, politics, media and social change. With over 10 years of experience spanning entertainment, political campaigns, and impact organizations, she specializes in transforming visionary ideas into actionable strategies, impactful programming and compelling narratives on-and-offline. She’s worked across entertainment and politics—leading digital campaigns for Mission: Impossible – Fallout, black-ish, and The Oscars, as well as for Stacey Abrams’ 2022 gubernatorial run, Dr. Jill Biden’s FLOTUS office, and the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign. Today, she partners with mission-driven leaders and organizations—from the DCCC to GoFundMe—to help them be more strategic online and maximize their impact in the digital age. Her and I connected to talk about the importance of differentiating between digital strategy and digital tactics, setting appropriate KPIs, what DC can learn from Hollywood, how Zohran's campaign helped digital strategists everywhere and so much more. Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"We do not need to run the same ad to everyone. It’s 2025 — we don’t need to do that.” Maya Hutchinson is a data-driven marketer with roots in Democratic politics. She started her career on the digital team of President Obama’s re-election campaign and has continued to work at the intersection of tech and politics ever since. She helped build the European market for NationBuilder, the first community organizing software supporting candidates, parties and campaigns across the EU. She then helped launch the analytics, polling and paid advertising division of DKC, one of the largest independently owned PR and comms agencies in the US. She’s worked with brand like Uber, Honest Company, Health Ade and OpenTable and political campaigns like Bloomberg for President, the DNCC and Amy McGrath’s Senate race. She’s the founder and CEO of BattlegroundAI, a platform built to help progressive agencies, non-profits and political campaigns create high-impact, platform-ready digital ads. She joined us on the pod to talk personalization in digital ads. Throughout our conversation, we spoke about the role of AI in supporting the people doing the work, why you should be A/B testing everything, how her toolkit works and a whole lot more. Find video of our conversation, links, a transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“You don't want to be caught in that high volume moment and not have a way to capture people, not have a way or a plan to funnel people from Instagram onto your owned list.” You might not recognize today’s guest by name, but you’ve seen her work in action. Gabbi Zutrau is a freelance digital consultant in the progressive space, with clients ranging from MoveOn to Stop AAPI Hate. She’s also the creator of Edna the Runt, an adorable pup who anchors her own lively social community with a ton of followers and massive engagement. As an independent digital consultant, Gabbi built the Zohran Mamdani campaign’s chatbot automation infrastructure during his recent New York City mayoral primary campaign. By deploying Manychat automations, she played a pivotal role in turning social engagement into real-world impact—helping Mamdani defeat Andrew Cuomo and his billionaire backers.It was low-cost, high-scale organizing in action. Throughout our conversation, we cover: Building ladders of engagement that nurture supporters step-by-step from interest to actionDifferences in how automation can be deployed for campaigns versus advocacy groupsUsing automation to support fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and event sign‑upsLeveraging automation to lean into — rather than try to fight — the endless scroll and capture attentionThe role of engagement bait—and how ManyChat flows can avoid feeling spammy while maintaining their effectivenessAnd more! 📊 Some key metrics from the campaign: Over 77,000 automated messages sent across comment, DM and Story flows20,000+ clicks generated directly from Instagram DMs3,000+ emails collected via in-app conversation flowsA 76% click-through rate on trigger-word comment flowsAll achieved for roughly $318 total—about $0.03 per action In a world where “link in bio” gets ignored and the platforms are designed to keep people scrolling, this campaign shows what’s possible when you meet supporters where they are—and have a plan to keep them engaged, both online and off.. Tune in to hear how campaigns can—and should—embrace automation to turn online momentum into real-world organizing power. Find links, YouTube video and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"It can't just be about the things that affect us as individuals. It has to be broader." There’s been a lot of talk lately about looking for a Joe Rogan of the left. The whole thing is ridiculous… for so many reasons. Instead of banking on a single, superstar personality to magically unite our movement, what we really need is to amplify the many voices of folks aligned with our values who are already creating great content online for large audiences. That’s why I was so excited to welcome Jess Zander of You Can Do It Gardening to the podcast. Jess is a Boston-based garden coach and consultant who launched You Can Do It Gardening in 2022 to help everyday people feel confident tackling their gardens—no matter their experience level. My wife is the green thumb in our household, but Jess’s content is super relatable and fun, even if you’re not a gardening aficionado. Jess is known for her no-nonsense, encouraging style. Think Mary Poppins—but for your garden. So is Jess the Joe Rogan of the left? Of course not! But she is a content creator with a large and engaged audience. And while she’s definitely not leading with politics, she’s also not shying away from her progressive values. Throughout our conversation, we discussed: How she got started (not that long ago!)The types of content that's working for herThe difference in response she sees across platformsHow she would start now, if she were starting from scratchWhy she’s public about her values, despite working in a non-political spaceWhy she’s comfortable losing followers to speak her truthsAnd so much more As Jess puts it: “It’s a business decision, but it’s also just a values decision… I don’t feel that this is the time to be silent. Silence is complicit.” Find links, a transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"Every newsroom, whether they acknowledge it or not, is values-driven. The choice to cover something or not cover something, the choice to use a word in a headline or not, is a statement on your values and your mission. We are just more transparent about it." RC Di Mezzo is a Democratic digital strategist with a decade of experience building online brands that connect directly with voters. As Vice President of Brand & Social at Courier, he led the 2023 launch of @Couriernewsroom—a social-first, values-driven progressive newsroom that became the fastest-growing news brand in the US, reaching over 100 million weekly views and generating more than 3 billion social views throughout the 2024 cycle. Courier’s rapid growth—from 1.8 to over 5 million subscribers in a year—has positioned it as a benchmark for both legacy and emerging digital news outlets. This episode is especially timely: a recent Reuters/Oxford report reveals that 54% of Americans now get their news from social media, surpassing TV’s 50% for the first time. While the right has spent years building creator-driven narrative ecosystems, the left has lagged—Courier Newsroom has emerged as our leading response, creating shareable, social-first content built for group chats and feeds. 🎧 What we covered: How Courier built a digital-first content machine for today’s social audienceWhy editorial and digital teams must work in lockstep—no silosWhy context outperforms clickbait Creating content in the app without fancy 3rd-party editing toolsBalancing national messaging with state-level storytellingLessons from successful campaigns—from Gavin Newsom to Kamala HarrisWhy campaigns should invest in digital earlyWhich social platform is Courier’s fastest-growing (hint: it's not TikTok!) Plus: RC’s tips for campaigns and creators building momentum from day one. If you want to unlock the digital tactics that drove billions of views, this is your behind-the-scenes guide. 🎙️ Find links, full video of our conversation and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"Sell the brownie, not the recipe... So instead of taking your public policy out in public and thinking that that is a message, which it is not, you talk about the outcome of your policy." Anat Shenker-Osorio is a political strategist, messaging consultant, and communications researcher renowned for helping progressive campaigns win by using more effective language. She is the founder of ASO Communications, a firm that specializes in crafting compelling narratives for progressive causes. Anat is also an author, podcast host, and one of the most respected messaging experts on the left. Recently, she released a concise yet impactful glossary titled Fascism and the English Language—a guide on how we should (and shouldn’t) discuss the authoritarian threats facing our country. I invited her on the podcast to delve into that piece and to help all of us become better, more strategic, and more disciplined communicators. Throughout our conversation, we explored the what, how, and why of Free America. We discussed values, villains, and vision. We examined the importance of focusing on shared values and avoiding "zombie writing." Anat renamed the so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill" the "MAGA Murder Budget." We emphasized the strategy of highlighting outcomes (the brownie!) rather than processes (the recipe). Additionally, we reviewed messaging from elected officials, identifying posts that missed the mark and discussing how they could be rewritten to be more effective. You can listen to the episode where you stream podcasts, or watch it in full on YouTube. Find links, full transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"Democrats can absolutely win, even in the face of this flood of money from the right and every horrific tactic that the right wants to use." Y’all know Ben Wikler. He’s currently the head of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin — a role he’s held since 2019. Here’s a quick relevant fact for you: I live in Wisconsin and do a lot of work in Wisconsin politics. Back in 2018, I was hired by WisDems to help train their comms team on digital — because at the time, they literally didn’t have a single digital staffer. Ben came in shortly after and… let’s just say things changed real quick. Before leading WisDems, Ben served as the Washington, DC Director and Senior Advisor for MoveOn. One of my favorite parts of his very long and impressive bio: as a student, he was recruited by Al Franken to help write Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them — a book that absolutely needs a second edition. Ben’s done a lot of cool things to push the Democratic Party forward in innovative and important ways. But now, his tenure as chair is coming to an end — and I invited him on the pod to reflect on what he’s learned and what others can take away from the powerhouse digital program he helped build here in Wisconsin. Throughout our conversation, we spoke about: How Ben’s feeling as he steps away — a mix of gratitude, fury, and hopeHow WisDems went from a minimal digital program to a national modelWhat lessons he brought from MoveOn and Avaaz to shape that transformationThe importance of building trust through your digital programThe power of visual communication — if you can't reach voters who watching TV in a bar with the sound off, you have a problemWhat he’d do differently if he were starting from scratch todayWho his biggest adversary was throughout his tenure leading the Democratic Party of WisconsinWho he’s looking to for inspiration nowWhere he’s spending time onlineThe diminishing, but still relevant, role Twitter plays for progressive orgsWhat he’d do now if he were running the DNCWhere he’s excited to see WisDems go from here You can find this full episode on YouTube, at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

“Dark woke is Democrats breaking out of the respectability prison that Republicans have put us in for decades and finally saying shit and doing things that stop voters in their tracks and actually get their attention.” Bhavik Lathia is a political strategist and technologist. He’s led campaigns in India, Australia, and the US, and supported activists around the world as they built and executed strategies superpowered by technology. He recently served as Battleground Mobilization Director on the Harris-Walz campaign. Before that he was Senior Digital Director for WisDems. He helped lead the distributed organizing team on the Bernie 2020 campaign and served as Digital Director for Color Of Change. This past month, he was one of several democratic strategists quoted in a New York Times piece on the idea of “Dark Woke.” Throughout our conversation, we spoke about: The origins of “Dark Woke”What voters actually care aboutWhy Republicans’ shamelessness is their superpower — and why we need to combat itWhere Democrats got it right in 2024 — and where we got it wrongWhy we need to keep pushing back on the right wing’s bad-faith attacks — and how to turn them into liabilities Why Democrats need edgier ways to talk to votersWhy Senator Booker’s filibuster was more effective than most folks realizeThe role of podcasting in Democratic messaging (and who’s doing it well)Why our party needs to invest in and empower content creators who know how to speak directly to their audiencesThe power — and importance — of WhatsAppHow WisDems thinks about winning State Supreme Court races and what we can learn from themHow WisDems used Elon’s money against him during the SCOWIS raceHow technology has evolved in the industry — and why progressives must keep evolving with itWhy everyone working in digital should focus on becoming a better writer And a whole lot more! "Dark Woke is about Democrats doing and saying things that optimize for getting attention. We all want to drive our messages with voters and build narratives to help us win campaigns. But we can’t do any of that unless we first get the attention of voters. And Republicans have basically spent my entire life — the past few decades — investing in and optimizing for talents and topics that grab voters attention. And Democrats basically started caring about attention as a strategy on November 6th, 2024." Find all episodes at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

“What I’ve been most frustrated with politics is how impersonal it is and so we’re trying to make it accessible and personal again.” Kat Abughazaleh is running for Congress, challenging long-time incumbent Jan Schakowsky in Illinois’ 9th District. Needless to say, Kat doesn’t look like, sound or act like your typical candidate. Her announcement video led with the simple question: What if we didn’t suck? She’s called on Democrats to “drop the excuses and grow a fucking spine,” and has made it clear she’s not interested in playing it safe while Donald Trump and Republicans steamroll the country. In her words: “while current Democratic leadership might be fine cowering to Trump, I’m not.” One of my favorite parts of her digital program so far: her website lists anti-endorsements, which include personal attacks leveled against her from Elon Musk, Libs of TikTok and Tucker Carlson. Epic. She’s also doing something I’ve never seen before from any political campaign: she’s prioritizing Bluesky—yes, Bluesky—as her primary platform. She’s not just hedging her bets on Twitter. She said during her launch, “I’m prioritizing Bluesky this election not only because it’s more ethical—but because it just makes sense.” Which is fascinating to me. Throughout our conversation, we spoke about: Why she’s prioritizing Bluesky over the cesspool that is TwitterFeatures on Bluesky she’s really excited aboutWhat she wishes Democrats were doing with their social programsWhy we need to give progressive content creators more room to be themselvesHow Fox News built its power on the bedrock of fearWhy we need to focus on the “puncture” to help break folks out of the Fox News/rightwing media bubbleHow America should be fighting back against Elon MuskAnd a whole lot more! ”Republicans control the narrative because democrats often let them. They’re always reacting, and you can’t always be reacting. Otherwise, you’re letting them set the terms — you’re letting Republicans say this is what reality is.” Find links and more episodes at HelloMergeTag.com.

“I’m constantly just enamored with the power that women have and do not use. And I just want to harness that and spread it.” Kate Duffy is the founder of Motherhood for Good, a grassroots movement and independent media group dedicated to educating and empowering women so they can tap into their power—and use it for good. Through strategic content creation, community-driven advocacy, and real-world action, they help moms and women cut through the noise, stay informed, and make a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond. Fun fact: Kate and I both recently appeared in a CNN piece about using social media to mobilize voters in Wisconsin. We recorded this conversation just hours before the polls closed on an extremely important race. So at the time of our conversation, we didn't yet know the outcome. For those who missed it though, WE WON! Wisconsin rejected Elon Musk's money and elected Susan Crawford to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. Individual elections aside, Kate and I both agree: if we want to move people, we need to meet them where they are—and that means online. Throughout our conversation, we spoke about: The issues she sees bringing people (especially moms) into the foldThe importance of campaigns investing in content creatorsThe untapped potential of moms, the "OG organizers"The value of "sitting in the suck"The importance of understanding just how fast the internet really isWhy Democrats and progressives need to do a better job showing, not just tellingAnd a whole lot more! “[The internet] moves so fast, you just gotta keep going. You can’t be sitting there overthinking everything and putting things through a 4-person approval process. Just get out there — trust yourself to talk about what you want to talk about and put your message out there.” Find links and more at hellomergetag.com.

“Unless you genuinely believe that elections should be up for sale to the highest bidder… I want you to realize that Elon Musk will be the highest bidder in any election that he wants to participate in.” Evan Sutton is the founder of Firekit Campaigns, where he works with unions, Democrats and nonprofits to build powerful stories in today's fractured media landscape. Before founding Firekit Campaigns, he worked as senior leadership at the American Federation of Teachers and the New Organizing Institute. Evan started his career in politics and advocacy in 2007 as a field organizer on Barack Obama's campaign.  He recently wrote a piece for Melissa Ryan’s Control Alt-Right Delete called Make Tesla Toxic. That piece will be linked in the show notes, along with his follow up from a few days later called “Not All Tesla Owners.” Throughout our conversation, we discuss: Why Tesla is such a strong targetHow targeting Tesla can be an effective tactic in the fight against the companyHow actions against Tesla not only send a message but can also limit Elon Musk’s ability to influence future electionsLessons from the anti-smoking campaign that can be applied in taking on TeslaWhy simply putting up anti-Elon stickers isn’t enough—and why people should consider divesting completely from TeslaElon’s role in the upcoming Wisconsin State Supreme Court raceA visualization of just how wealthy Elon really isWhere digital organizing is taking place these daysThe importance of centering stories that truly impact people’s livesWho is excelling at digital organizing right nowThe response to Al Green and what Democrats should have done during the State of the UnionWhy now is the time for "Blood and Teeth Mode”And much more! “Don’t get stuck in the sunk cost fallacy. If you think you’re underwater in your Tesla today… think about what your Tesla’s gonna be worth [in 6 months] and how hard it’s gonna be to offload… And if you own Tesla stock, get out while it’s still worth something.” Listen to the full episode at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

Joe Gallina is an attorney and the founder of Call to Activism, a digital media organization dedicated to countering MAGA rhetoric and advocating for democracy, transparency, and justice. On the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017, Gallina left his legal career to commit fully to this mission. Through Call to Activism, he has built a massive social media presence across Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram—reaching over 3.1 million followers and generating more than 3 billion views annually. His work focuses on informing and engaging the public on critical political issues through viral content and strategic storytelling. In this episode, we discussed: His process for creating high-impact digital contentWhy storytelling beats raw facts and statistics in political messagingHow to create digestible content that reaches a wide audienceHow he and his team have scaled Call to Activism across multiple platformsTactical tips for growing your own social media presenceWhat’s working right now on each major platformHis approach to moving people from online engagement to real-world actionAn unexpected reason you shouldn’t engage with trollsHow showing up at the right moment can create viral political momentsWhy elected officials and candidates should collaborate with digital creators to amplify their messageWhat the right is doing well in digital strategy—and what the left should learn from itAnd so much more! This episode is packed with insights for activists, content creators, and anyone looking to make an impact in the digital space. Find links and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“Democrats who have been in office for a long time follow polls instead of trying to change them. So while they’ll attack Republicans for threatening to cut Medicaid in order to fund tax cuts for the rich, they’re mostly shy about making a big picture argument about Trump’s fascism.” So says Micah Sifry in a piece called “3 Things Democrats Could Do That They Aren’t (Yet).” If you don’t know him, he’s the author or editor of nine books, most recently Civic Tech in the Global South; A Lever and a Place to Stand: How Civic Tech Can Move the World and The Big Disconnect: Why the Internet Hasn’t Transformed Politics (Yet). He’s also a contributor to The Nation, The New Republic, and The American Prospect and writes a weekly newsletter on democracy, movements, organizing and tech, called The Connector. I invited him on the pod to continue the conversation about what Democrats could be doing that they aren’t already. Now, while I’m particularly interested in the tech and the digital components of these solutions, this conversation is bigger and broader than just whether or not Democrats should be on TikTok. So let’s talk about the future! Find links to his channels and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“Folks… need to be able to trust communications that we send them. By poisoning the well with some of the[se] texts and emails… people can’t trust the communications they’re receiving.” What happens when the backbone of Democratic fundraising comes under scrutiny? I checked in with some of the organizers of that open letter to ActBlue. In December 2024, a group of 142 consultants, campaign and nonprofit staff, technology vendors, and donors signed onto an open letter to ActBlue calling on the platform to do more to protect donors from spammers, scammers and exploitative digital fundraising tactics. Collectively, the signers of this letter have raised over a billion dollars using ActBlue. For context, that’s nearly 7% of the total sum raised on ActBlue since they launched in 2004. Those who signed on included MoveOn, SwingLeft, New Blue Interactive, the founders of Indivisible, senior digital folks who have worked with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as the SMS director for Hillary for America. That said, not everyone in the democratic digital world signed on. There were prominent voices who publicly opted out. Serious people in the space came forward with concerns about the letter. I invited some of the organizers of this letter onto the pod today to discuss why they started this process, why now, what they say to those who think this was a mistake and more. With me today is Josh Nelson, the CEO of Civic Shout, the digital ad platform for progressive causes. Josh previously served as vice president at CREDO Mobile, and led digital for Al Gore's nonprofits. I hosted Josh on episode 15 of this podcast for a conversation on how democratic fundraising got so problematic and where we can go from here. If you care about this topic, and haven’t already listened to that episode, I highly recommend it. Haley Bash is a grassroots fundraiser, distributed organizer, and facilitator with 10+ years of experience in the social movement sector. They are Founder and Executive Director of Donor Organizer Hub and amongst many other notable projects, they previously built the largest volunteer-run texting program for down ballot candidates at Red2Blue Texting and serve on the Steering Committee of the Grassroots Fundraising Network. Lloyd Cotler, an early adopter of conversational marketing, has worked with some of the biggest organizations in the country to develop engaging and successful SMS marketing strategies. He has crafted interactive text messages for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Random House, the American Cancer Society, the National Education Association and more. Throughout this conversation, we spoke about: Why nowWhat led to this conversation going public How this letter is actually intended to help protect ActBlueWhy it’s in our movement’s interest to solve this problem ourselves (as opposed to letting external parties making these decisions for us!)Who’s doing a good job raising money without using spammy tactics Why people are so down on democrats at the momentAnd a whole lot more Find links, more episodes and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"Creative work isn't going to be an option anymore. You have to do creative work." Ashwath Narayanan is the Co-founder & CEO at Social Currant, a platform that helps nonprofits and social impact organizations collaborate with creators to reach audiences more effectively. He founded Social Currant while still a student at The George Washington University. He’s now graduated, but the work continues on. In a world where around half of TikTok users under the age of 30 report using the platform to keep up with the news, who’s creating content has never mattered more. I invited him on the pod to talk about the role of creators in the social advocacy space, how they’re shaping the conversations happening online, and how brands are leveraging this influential group to reach new audiences and grow their own digital presence. Throughout our conversation, we talked about: Why this work mattersHow we can explain this work to my grandmaThe difference between brands humanizing themselves and them centering actual peopleBrands - and creators - doing influencer marketing well in the social impact spaceWhether or not Democrats need their own Joe Rogan (hint: they don’t!)The importance of investing in progressive creators year-roundThe opportunity for organizations to partner together towards bigger outcomesTrends brands should be paying attention toAnd a whole lot more! Find links, and all episodes, at HelloMergeTag.com.

“It doesn’t feel like you’re joining a community, it feels like you’re joining a list.” On February 1st, the DNC will elect new leadership. Those elected will be tasked with leading the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. They will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. Along with interviewing several candidates for DNC Chair, I also reached out to folks running for other DNC leadership positions. Today, we’re checking in with one of those candidates. Tim Lim is a lifelong Democratic activist who serves as board treasurer for Run For Something, founded Blue Digital Exchange (a trade association for progressive digital professionals who work in the political, non-profit, and advocacy spaces), was a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive and is the President and Founder of Precision Network. He’s worked at Change.org and he ran the Washington, DC office for Grossman Marketing Group. He’s also served on the National Finance Committee for the last four presidential campaigns. Honestly, his resume is immense. This list goes on and on. He's currently running for DNC National Finance Chair. I invited him on the pod to hear specifically about the role he envisions digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. Throughout our conversation, we spoke about The importance of accountability, transparency and connection.Deplatforming bad faith actors who are making the environment untenable for everyone elseWhy he wants to bring the National Finance Committee and the grassroots fundraising program under one roofWhat lessons the DNC can incorporate from Run For SomethingWhy this is the time for painful conversationsThe importance of finding a home for everyone who wants to get involved in the party, regardless of how much money they have to donateAnd a whole lot more Listen to our full conversation at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

On February 1st, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will elect a new chair to replace outgoing party chair Jamie Harrison. The next DNC chair will lead the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. This person will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. I reached out to the DNC Chair candidates and invited them to join me on the pod to discuss the role they envision digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. While not all are able to participate, I’m happy to share conversations with the candidates who accepted my invitation. I checked in with Faiz Shakir. Shakir is an American political advisor, who's served as Senior Advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders and Executive Director of More Perfect Union. He’s previously worked with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Senator Harry Reid, ThinkProgress and the ACLU. He's currently running for DNC Chair. I invited him on the pod to hear specifically about the role he envisions digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. Throughout our conversation, we talked about: His vision for the position (that of editor-in-chief)The importance of investing in YouTubeWhy the party needs to meet everyone where they areThe role of the party in building communities that can increase civic engagementThe importance of strengthening the Democratic brand as a party that fights for working-class peopleAnd a whole lot more. Listen to our full conversation at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

On February 1st, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will elect a new chair to replace outgoing party chair Jamie Harrison. The next DNC chair will lead the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. This person will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. I reached out to the DNC Chair candidates and invited them to join me on the pod to discuss the role they envision digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. While not all are able to participate, I’m happy to share conversations with the candidates who accepted my invitation. I checked in with Jason Paul. Jason Paul is an attorney and political strategist from Newton, Massachusetts. He has worked winning campaigns across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine. He is also the author of Trench Warfare Politics in the Tinder Era, a book that explores the current political landscape and outlines pathways for progress.  We talked about DCCC fundraising, what it would mean for the party to exert more control over ActBlue, why we need better research within our party and a whole lot more. Find links and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

On February 1st, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will elect a new chair to replace outgoing party chair Jamie Harrison. The next DNC chair will lead the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. This person will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. I reached out to the DNC Chair candidates and invited them to join me on the pod to discuss the role they envision digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. While not all are able to participate, I’m happy to share conversations with the candidates who accepted my invitation. My first conversation was with Nate Snyder. Nate Snyder is a union organizer, grassroots professional, counter-terrorism expert, professor, voter protection advisor, and crisis manager who served as Chief of Staff for the Office of Partnership & Engagement at the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden/Harris Administration. We talked about dis- and misinformation, extremism, the TikTok ban, the modern-day robber barons and a whole lot more. Find links and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

In this episode, I'm joined by Wisconsin State Representative Francesca Hong and her Chief of Staff, Nada Elmikashfi. Full disclosure: I have the pleasure of serving as Rep Hong’s digital director.  But even if I didn’t, I’d be tuned in. They are two of the strongest progressive voices currently active in Wisconsin politics. Rep Hong, along with being a chef and a community organizer, is also the first Asian-American to ever be elected to the Wisconsin legislature. In January, that caucus will grow from 1 to 3. So that’s exciting. But for the last 4 years, it’s just been her. Nada is an activist, a thought leader, an organizer, as well as a first-generation American, born in Sudan.  Together, they have been champions for working people, helped draft the Economic Justice Bill Of Rights, and been unrelenting progressive forces on a long list of issues working their way through the Wisconsin State Capitol.  To say that both of these very strong women stand out in the halls of our government would be quite an understatement. I invited them on the pod to talk about the role — and possibly the responsibility — they feel to be representatives for their communities, both on social media and in real life. Find links to relevant articles, social handles and more at hellomergetag.com.

Sarah Keyeski is a mental health care provider, a mom and this past cycle, she was a first-time political candidate. She ran for State Senate in Wisconsin against an incumbent who's been an elected official in her community since 1991 — and Sarah won! Emily Tseffos is a former educator, a community advocate and a mom who ran for office in an extremely Republican district. While she didn’t win, she ran a hell of a race and made impressive and significant inroads into a community not used to being organized. Full disclosure: I had the privilege to work with both of these candidates throughout their campaigns.  But I invited Sarah and Emily onto the podcast because they didn’t just run strong races—they also executed inspired digital programs. We dive into how they approached digital strategy, especially as it related to their field programs, what they learned along the way, and their advice for future candidates. In this conversation, we also explored: The power of social media to cut through the noise and build real connectionsHow social media can connect the dots to help explain why things are the way they areThe importance of going beyond the soundbite"The Schitt's Creek Protocol" And so much more Find links to their social channels and more at hellomergetag.com. ----- Big thanks to our sponsor Civic Shout. Learn more about the great work they're doing to help Democratic campaigns and progressive nonprofits build their lists ethically at civicshout.com/partners.

I've been posting pretty much daily to TikTok for two years. I've built up a bit of a following in the process. I also write thefyp.news, a weekly pop-up newsletter from FWIW spotlighting the top political content, creators, and trends on TikTok ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election.  After my first year posting, I wrote a blog post. You can find that here. Now that I'm 2 years in, I pulled together 12 takeaways — some new, some less so — of things I've learned about this important, but complicated platform. Listen to all episodes of Hello Merge Tag at hellomergetag.com or wherever you stream podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsor Civic Shout. Learn more about how they're helping Democratic campaigns and progressive nonprofits build their lists ethically at civicshout.com/partners.

Tareq Alani is a product leader who operates at the intersection of media, technology, and civic engagement. He is a Co-Founder at Chorus AI, where he leads product and growth. Chorus AI was designed to transform the way nonprofits and campaigns engage with media and content creation. Before Chorus AI, Tareq co-founded and served as the Chief Product Officer of PushBlack, the largest non-profit media company for Black Americans. While there, he spearheaded reader revenue efforts, generating more than $5M between 2017 and 2022. He also developed PushBlack’s groundbreaking voter engagement program, which in 2020 reached 70% of Black Americans online and generated 230M peer-to-peer voting messages, making it the largest digital voter turnout program of its kind. Throughout the conversation, we covered: How he got into the fieldWhy politics can’t just be transactionalHow Chorus AI is approaching AI as a tool to help progressive campaigns and organizations do moreHow they’re building their tech in a way that’s in line with their valuesWhat sets them apart from the more household names in AIThe important of social listening and how AI can help organizations get more done with lessOther AI tools he’s excited aboutWhat he thinks the future looks like for AI, and tech in generalWhat the media looks like in an AI driven futureAnd so much more! For links and more, head to hellomergetag.com.

If you know me, you know I’m a HUGE NERD for newsletters and email. Over the years, they’ve become one of the primary ways I get my news. Along with reading those Republican candidate emails (so you don’t have to), I also read dozens of digital marketing newsletters. Literally. And loads more about politics.  I’m kind of obsessed with the medium. Of all of the many newsletters that I read, one of the most unique in my inbox, is called YELLO. It’s run by today’s guest, Hunter Schawrz, and it bills itself as “a newsletter about politics, art, branding and design.” I’ve heard Hunter describe it as a newsletter about what politics looks like. And I love that. It covers obvious political design topics, like logo choices and merch. But it dives waaaaay deeper, breaking down how font choices affect audiences, how the federal government is approaching the internet in 2024, how campaigns stage their rallies and so much more. In a world where the media continues to fracture, reaching voters online keeps on getting harder.  Hunter’s joined us to talk about what that means for campaigns, and what campaigns and brands can do to break through our fractured media environment. Find links to Hunter's channels, studies and resources mentioned, and a whole more at HelloMergeTag.com.

Dan Pfeiffer is a giant in the progressive messaging space. Along with many impressive titles under his belt, he worked on the Obama campaign and served as senior advisor and White House Communications Director for President Obama. He then went on to become an influencer for democracy (my term, don’t blame him). He’s a best selling author and a co-host of Pod Save America. He also hosts the podcast Pollercoaster, co-hosts Political Experts React on YouTube and writes the extremely influential newsletter Message Box. Needless to say, Dan is a man with a ton of insight into messaging for Democratic campaigns. The primary purpose of Message Box is creating campaign messaging style memos for everyday people. Campaign staff and operatives write and receive these all the time. But Dan realized that we can no longer win elections simply relying on campaign staff and operatives. If the Democratic party wants to win elections, at every level of government, we all have to be involved in the process. So in Message Box, he shares talking points and context around the stories of the day, in a way that is useful and relatable not for full time Hill staffers, but for anyone who wants to be involved in the march toward progress. Because, in his words, “This whole election comes down to narrowing the news chasm between what is happening and the voters.” We covered: The importance of trusted messengers and the need to give them the training to help get the message outHaving different strategies for the public internet vs the private internetWhy campaigns need to learn to give up control, and relinquish that control to our supporters. They know the people they’re communicating with, we have to trust them to speak in a way they know will resonate.The brand of the Democrat Party, both what it is and what it could beWhat Democrats can learn from Trump’s nurturing of the MAGA media systemThe all-of-the-above approach to reaching your audienceSpam PACs and what the Democratic Party can do about themWhat could have become of the Obama For America campaign infrastructure after President Obama won in 2008And so much more! Find all links, more episodes and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

We checked in with Josh Nelson, CEO of Civic Shout, to talk about the rampant spam and scam currently overtaking Democratic fundraising. We talked about how we got here, and how we can fix things. He walked us through a fascinating timeline of digital fundraising, starting with Howard Dean's presidential campaign and their innovative digital work (which started with Meet Ups!). But which new generations of digital professionals "A/B tested... into some pretty unfortunate tactics." This all of course culminated in the world in which we currently live. You know, where we all want to throw out our phones and delete our email accounts. It was a great and enlightening conversation with a lot of reasons for hope. Hope you enjoy!

“People are desperate to turn digital into television and at the same time, they are desperate to have social be the thing that saves them from the small-dollar apocalypse.” Andy Barr is Managing Director at Uplift, an agency that provides creative, ad buying, data and software to Democratic campaigns, firms and organizations throughout the country.  Prior to founding Uplift in 2015, Andy was a political consultant, a comms director for a US senate race and a political reporter at Politico and The Hill.  Andy is hyper-focused on creative across platforms and I invited him on the pod to talk to us about the themes he’s seeing, both for his own clients and in general and so much more. Throughout the conversation, we delved into the importance of platform agnostic content, what’s changing in the industry, how we should be thinking about audience segmentation and reach (versus how we’re currently thinking about) and a whole lot more. Our interview took place before the California Senate Primary, but as a Californian focused on digital advertising, Andy had an interesting perspective that he shared that is applicable to other campaigns moving forward. He spoke at length about the importance of data, and respecting the nuance of what digital can and cannot do, and judging it accordingly. We also talked about Scan, Uplift’s tool for tracking ad spending across Google, Meta and Snap. Find links and all episodes at HelloMergeTag.com.

“We deployed a competitive search strategy to disrupt pathways to misinformation and lead people to our fact-based narratives instead.” Britt Bischoff is a reformed corporate digital strategist, analyst, click baiter, and algorithm chaser.  Over her career, she’s led digital strategy and data-informed campaigns for national brands, social causes, and progressive campaigns as a proponent for change in the digital space for the progressive world. She now serves as the Strategic Growth Advisor at Red Wine & Blue. Her work is in the intersection of data, narrative strategies, and digital impact.  Over the course of her career, she's worked alongside, and learned from, master search experts and Google’s Web Quality & Spam Team, honing her skills in combating spam and misinformation.  This past year, she put everything she has learned to good use as she worked to develop a strategy to help dispel misinformation in the campaign to protect Ohioan’s right to choose with Issue 1.  Britt led a comprehensive campaign to help remove and combat misinformation on Google Search. They took on a blog post from an elected official that was spreading rampant disinformation and was rapidly gaining prominence through the featured snippet from Google organic search. Their intervention prevented an estimated 460K+ search exposures. Britt walked us through how they approached this complicated and important campaign and how they fought back… and ultimately won!... guaranteeing Ohioans the right to choose. We talked about data voids, nudging tactics, the power (and therefore the danger) of search snippets, intentional misinformation, the role of bad government actors and a whole lot more. This is scary stuff. But the good news — Britt and her team's efforts were successful! And they created a path forward for others looking to combat misinformation through search in the future. Find links, resources and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

Congressman Mark Pocan represents Wisconsin’s second district. He’s a small business owner, a labor union member and a surprisingly good magician! Along with serving on the Appropriations Committee, he’s served as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and serves as chair of the Equality Caucus and co-chair of the Labor Caucus. To say his politics are righteous is an understatement. While he is never one to shy away from a fight with Republicans at any level of government, or from those who put the needs of corporate profits over those of working families, I invited him on the podcast to talk about one very specific, and public, fight he’s currently involved in: and that’s his fight with AIPAC. He held nothing back. He shared that he sees what they are doing in Democratic primaries as a "Trojan Horse" way for them to "circumvent democracy" and talked about their "insidious" path to undermine the Democratic process. He expressed great concern that if AIPAC's current methods are successful, that we will see groups like the NRA following in their path. Along with AIPAC, we spoke about: TikTok and whether it's actually a national security issueThe "full-blown cult" that the Republican party has becomeWhy he's so comfortable getting attacked by powerful enemiesThe best ways to keep in touch with elected officials (and why you should reach out to them, even about issues on which you agree)Magic Mondays And a whole lot more! Listen now at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts. Connect with Congressman Pocan: WebsiteCongressional TwitterCampaign TwitterFacebookInstagramTikTok

“Where the memes are and where the conversation is, is constantly evolving.” ------ Nancy Leeds is a veteran political operative with over 18 years of experience in the field. She has worked on Democratic campaigns all over, from Minnesota to California to Arkansas, as well as with several politically oriented non-profits.  She is also the author of Campaign Sick, a job serve and blog about best practices in electoral politics and campaign management.  Nancy recently launched CampaignSick Consulting, a management consulting and recruitment practice specifically focused on the progressive ecosystem.  Nancy rose to some campaign Internet fame during the 2012 election cycle when she started her Tumblr. It began as a knockoff of a then popular Feminist Ryan Gosling meme and evolved from there. She was, in many ways, the Organizer Memes of the cycle. If you missed it, I recently hosted Organizer Memes on the podcast. “Nancy walked so I could run” is what they had to say about Campaign Sick. Nancy used her meme fame to launch a more serious blog, sharing advice and tips for organizers and campaign operatives. In the years that followed, she also became a trainer and launched her jobserve. Throughout our conversation, we spoke about: How the internet has changed since Nancy launched Campaign SickThe rise and fall of different social platforms How campaign culture has changed, and what it’s meant for the new generation of campaign staff and their comfort level as they’ve become more open to discuss what’s happening behind the scenes on their campaignsHow campaigns have taken off the gloves and become willing to hit other campaigns - even within their own partyThe importance of candidates keeping it authentic, at risk of looking “like a dork.”Where downballot campaigns should be spending time onlineWhat’s happening with Tumblr And a whole lot more! Listen today at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts. Find all links referenced and additional resources at HelloMergeTag.com.

Hilary Stohs-Krause is a senior software engineer at a cybersecurity startup.   She focuses on the intersection of tech, entrepreneurship and social good.  In her free time, she's a primary organizer for Madison Women in Tech and a board member for Madison Wisconsin’s Forward Festival.  She joined us on the pod to talk about how campaigns and organizations can better protect their digital programs. We covered a ton of ground, including The importance of unique passwords (as well as long passwords!)The power of a password managerThe importance of 2fa and issues to consider when setting yours upThe danger of social engineering and how to watch out for it.The benefits of paranoia when it comes to sharing personal dataHow and when to back up dataWhen to update your devices immediately, and when to wait and let the kinks get worked outAnd a whole lot more! Listen to the full episode today at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

Deepak Puri is an engineer and Silicon Valley exec with over 15 years experience at Oracle, Netscape and VMware.  He co-founded Democracy Labs after the 2106 Presidential election with the mission to apply innovative technology and storytelling to progressive, social justice and voting rights causes.  DemLabs is a nonprofit that exists to share details on free and affordable solutions that activists can use.  Deepak believes that by applying existing business apps to progressive causes, campaigns can make a bigger impact with less money.  Deepak publishes a daily blog which now has over 2,000 case studies - you can find that at www.thedemlabs.org We checked in with Deepak to learn more about his work, his daily case studies, ways campaigns can scale using the tools he’s highlighting and a whole lot more. Listen today at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts. Find all links mentioned in the episode at HelloMergeTag.com.

If you work in Democratic politics, you probably know Organizer Memes. If you don’t… well you probably don’t spend too much time on Twitter. Organizer Memes is one part voice of the people, one part movement psychologist, one part anonymous messaging board, one part influencer and one big old part expert meme artist extraordinaire. Memes, as they refer to themselves, is always spot on with the perfect meme for whatever is going on at the moment in the political world… and beyond. But follow them on Twitter and you are equally likely to find some fire meme as you are to see a sensitive question asked anonymously from some staffer, intern or activist looking to get involved in the movement. There is truly no other account on the internet like Memes. We checked in with Memes and had a beast of a conversation. Throughout our time, we covered:  How this project came to be — it’s “a Spartacus type of thing” — “we are all Memes”What the popularity and success of the account means for the field — “it’s a condemnation of the industry we work in” — and the role they play in holding bad actors accountable — “people need to know there are consequences for their actions…”They’re working philosophy of who they’ll hit and how hard —"it’s okay to attack democrats, but never equate them with Republicans"Their fascinating — and early — role in the Senator Menendez story 👀What we in the movement can learn from the far fightWhere they would have the party invest moving forward, if they were in charge — there were a lot of answers here, but the biggest one to emerge was, without a doubt, Twitch (!!!). TikTok and influencers would also both play significantly larger rolesWhy this account took off the way it did (beyond just killer memes of course) — “People come to me because I’m sad when they’re sad and I’m happy when they’re happy. We go through the same thing together at the same time. And there’s power in that solidarity. That is why it works.”The excitement of seeing Biden truly invest in digital and take their digital program so seriouslyThe power — and importance — of hope!What a digital-first campaign looks like and why the party should be heading in that direction Their frustration with the party’s inability to invest in digital — “We can’t invest in digital until it’s tested, but we can’t test it until we invest in it.”How memes (the format, not the account) have changed for the party — they went from unacceptable to constantHow to incorporate memes into your campaign organization in order to create endless viral momentsThe importance of being fast — “The early meme catches the worm”How they make their memesAnd sooooo much more My biggest takeaway from our conversation was that, while this account seems fun and funny on the surface (and it’s obviously both of those things!), it also comes from a place of mission, frustration and passion to improve not just the world, but also the Democratic Party. Memes is using the account to fix the broken power dynamic between the folks at the top of the industry and those with less power — giving voice to the voiceless. “It all boils down to: people’s voices need to be heard.” Or to put it another way: come for the memes - stay for the tea. ——— Throughout the conversation, Memes also offered a ton of shoutouts for other people doing great work in the movement.  Here are a few notable mentions:  Taylor Lorenz Campaign Sick Jeff JacksonEd MarkeyJon OssoffAOCMrBeastBradley WhitfordAnnie Wu Dear White StaffersAnderson Clayton Beto O’Rourke DSAHasan AbiGAIN Power Listen today at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

Gina Keller co-founded Distill Social, an independent media nonprofit based in Michigan. With a focus on effectively messaging to millennial, Gen Z, and disengaged voters through social media, Distill Social serves as a vehicle for driving meaningful change in the digital age. One of the tools in their messaging arsenal: TikTok . They launched their account just 18 months ago. But in that time, they've wracked up almost 90k followers, millions of likes and tens of millions of views. Throughout our conversation, we talked about Best practices to grow your audiencesWhat sets TikTok apart from other social media channelsThe benefits of going localThe dos and do not for running ads on the platform (while political campaigns cannot run ads, advocacy orgs can!)Tips and tricks for finding trending content and so much more And wait until you hear her story about mobilizing events via TikTok. The numbers are literally mindblowing! Tune in today and get ready to step up your TikTok game! Listen to all episodes of Hello Merge Tag at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

We checked in with Beth Thorpe, Digital Director for Colonel Pam Stevenson, candidate for Kentucky Attorney General. We talked about scaling intimacy through digital, why Col. Pam is lighting a fire with the youth in Kentucky, how Beth got her start in politics and so much more. Connect with Colonel Pam at PamForAG.com and find her on all the social channels at @PamForAG. Find Beth on Twitter at @BethinLouavul. Listen to our full conversation at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

A while back, a conservative organization acquired our email address and started spamming us with one of the worst email marketing programs we've ever seen. This was next-level bad. So bad in fact that we just had to write up some takeaways we could learn about writing better emails from their no-good-very-bad-what-is-even-happening-here email program. We covered 9 key takeaways: 1) Don’t Buy Email Lists 2) Onboard New Signups To Your List 3) Subject Lines Matter 4) Preview Text Also Matters 5) Spell Check Is Your Friend 6) Formatting Is Also Your Friend 7) Keep Your Calls To Action Clear 8) Preview Your Draft Before Sending 9) Write For Mobile… Or At Least For The Internet! This episode of Hello Merge Tag was adapted from a blog post published in March. You can find that blog post - along with loads of screenshots - here. We also mentioned a blog post that shared the story of a political campaign selling their email to a group that went on to open support one of their opponents. You can find that post here. This episode also references an episode of our other podcast Step Up Your Social where we talked about using customized bitly links. You can find that episode here. Have anything to add to our key takeaways? Share them with us at hellomergetag.com or with our host on Twitter.

Kyle Tharp is the managing editor of FWIW, a newsletter and media company that tracks the internet’s influence on our politics. Every week they break down digital spending, strategy, tactics, and trends in our elections. They highlight whose spending is up, whose is non-existent, and how campaigns, PACs and advocacy groups are leveraging online platforms to effect social + political change. He also runs Campaigner, an interview series that explores the tactics that drive winning campaigns and highlights the players pushing the buttons. We checked in with Kyle and throughout our conversation, we covered a ton of ground. How his media company FWIW News came to beHis process for social listeningThe tools he can’t live withoutThings he’s reading, watching, and paying attention toHis thoughts on the future of TikTok The Twitter/Substack battle and how it’s hurting newsletter creators like himAnd so much more According to Kyle:  “I saw a gap in traditional political press coverage. There’s kind of a lack of knowledge of how the digital space works among the traditional DC political press core. I’m really trying to help fill that gap there by educating readers and journalists alike on different forces that impact our politics.” As avid readers of FWIW, we can attest that Kyle does a phenomenal job of filling that gap. Tune in to our conversation today and learn more. If you haven’t already, subscribe to his newsletter today at FWIW.news and then follow Kyle on Twitter @kylewilsontharp and @fwiwnews. Find all episodes of Hello Merge Tag at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

Candy Phelps is an expert in a lot of things. She’s an entrepreneur, a visionary and a content marketing and SEO expert.  Through her company 1 Day® Campaign, she’s also the creator of the 1 Day® Website, which creates amazing, SEO-optimized websites developed specifically for her clients… in a day! She’s worked with dozens of political campaigns and hundreds of brands on web development, graphic design, branding and more.  Throughout our conversation, we covered a wide range of subjects on the topic of campaign websites. We explored essential elements like branding, budget considerations, and differentiating between essential features and optional enhancements. We discussed key questions to ask before hiring an agency or developer to build your campaign website, as well as options available for building a site based on even the most limited of budgets. We also delved deep into the realm of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and highlighted important factors to consider when building your website. And we answered the oh-so-important question: can a digital program win an election? (Spoiler alert: it can!) Our conversation was packed with valuable, actionable insight, relevant for any organization or campaign thinking about building a website, or just looking to get more out of their digital program. You can find Candy Phelps and her agency at 1daycampaign.com and see a few sites they have built at madisonformadison.com and dinaninaformadison.com. Listen to the full episode today at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts. *** During the episode, Candy mentioned an ActBlue tip that enables you to autofill any amount to correlate directly to your specific CTA. Here it is: [YOURACTBLUELINK]?refcode=website_button&amount=[AMOUNT]&express_lane=true