Open Letter to Republicans and their campaigns

Stories will win more voters than policy discussions

How most people view us

I've lived in Hopkins, a close suburb of Minneapolis, for twelve years. The population here just mindlessly votes Democrat no matter what. Because I live so close, I can glimpse into the minds of Minneapolis residents by reading their posts on NextDoor.

Ever since the BLM riots, I see them increasingly posting about the out-of-control crime wave that's enveloped the city. They cannot believe what's happened when they are robbed at gunpoint, or are carjacked, or their cars are otherwise stolen and destroyed, yet almost none of them makes the connection to the public officials they elect - officials who do everything possible to return criminals to the streets immediately and to discourage any sane person from wanting to be a police officer here.

From reading their wailings, I’ve come to realize some things about our Democrat residents:

• they don’t read the crime reports;

• when I tell them where to find such reports, they reply that the crime reports are biased and so cannot be trusted;

• they make absolutely no connection between their voting habits and the condition of the Twin Cities;

• they actively resist and denounce anyone who suggests there is such a connection.

Minnesota Republicans are also clueless, but in a different way. We tend to think that other people are like us - but they are not, and so we end up preaching to ourselves at events attended only by us. We like to talk about our policies and principles. Most people aren’t interested, and somehow we don’t realize that they’re not interested. Maybe that’s why so many populations, like:

• young people,

• most women,

• most Blacks,

• most Asians,

• most Reform Jews,

• etc.

don’t relate to us and are easily turned against us.

In contrast, look at what’s popular on TV. It’s full of stories – stories with easily identifiable good guys and bad guys, each with a story line that makes you wanna join the fight against evil. In contrast, watching our campaign ads is like eating dry toast. Democrats are master storytellers: that’s how they’ve won the culture and the ballot box, almost entirely by telling lies. But they are well-told lies. That is why we Republicans can no longer even relate to half of America, much less appeal to it.

We talk about policies and principles, but everyone else wants to hear stories. It’s time we started supplying them. Below is my letter to one of our leaders.

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Dear Ms. Fischbach: Recently your campaign has been running an ad on prime-time Twin Cities TV stations in which you depict catastrophic Biden policies, most notably illegal immigration. I cannot find your ad online, otherwise I'd link to it here. It contains images similar to this one:

It seems to me that your ad has a problem: it is designed to appeal to Republicans. The ad ends with a statement, “END THE MADNESS”. Yes, it all makes sense to viewers who already agree that Biden’s policies are madness. But what about those who are ignorant or ill-informed – in other words, the voters you need to attract?

The problem with focusing on policies and principles and generalities in campaign ads is that they’re easily refuted. Professional liars like Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas can simply contradict your ad’s statements. Mayorkas can just say, “the border is secure”, and the sheeple will believe him rather than your ad.

I believe you can radically improve the effectiveness of your campaign by telling stories that touch the hearts of viewers, stories that cannot be refuted. Watch this testimony here, where Missouri Senator Josh Hawley successfully embarrasses and stumps Mayorkas by telling a single story of a single victim of an illegal alien:

Senator Josh Hawley putting up a photo of victim Travis Wolfe

Mayorkas is reduced to blubbering some boilerplate statements (like “our hearts break”; sure they do)

Mayorkas cannot simply erase the story of Travis Wolfe by lying about the general state of border security. The photo of the boy cannot be unseen; the tale cannot be easily forgotten.

In contrast, your TV ad depicts dozens of instantly-forgettable illegal aliens. Viewers might just as easily sympathize with the aliens, who they can see on their screens, rather than future victims who they cannot see. But more likely, the voters you need to attract will simply dismiss and forget your ad – and with it, you.

You should find an ad designer who is expert in telling stories. If you want to talk about Biden’s immigration insanity, for example, your ad should start by showing a picture of Travis Wolfe:

Have the voice-over tell his story, or better yet, have his parents tell the story:

This is our son, Travis Wolfe, who was fatally injured on the day before his twelfth birthday.

Then show a picture of his alleged killer:

Explain:

Illegal alien Endrina Bracho, 33, allegedly sped through a 40 mph zone at 70 mph in the wrong lane, causing her to collide head-on with our car. She had no driver’s license and apparently no idea what she was doing.

Fade to a picture of the Wolfes’ demolished car:

Then fade to this:

Then explain:

After months in the hospital, Travis was taken off life support and died.

Continue:

Democrats have opened our borders to millions of illegal aliens who can’t read or speak English, don’t understand our traffic rules, have no training or insurance, and will likely be driving down your streets with the help of Minnesota’s Democrat leaders, who pushed through a 2023 Minnesota law called Drivers Licenses For All. Yes, All.

Fade to this:

Fade to black:

Will your children be next?

Then end with your photo and your banner, “END THE MADNESS”.

After an ad like this explaining the consequences of voting for Democrats, your final statement should ring true with almost anyone.

We cannot win hearts and minds with campaign ads designed by Republicans for Republicans. Every week, Democrats provide us with dozens of stories that we could tell:

• a female jogger raped and murdered by a recently-released criminal with a long rap sheet,

• a fentanyl death,

• a multi-generation family business closing from urban crime,

• a girl raped in her public-school locker room by a “transgender” boy who’d been transferred to her school after raping another girl in another school.

We couldn’t ask for more material.

Stalin is believed to have said, “A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” It’s true. Remember: Every week the Democrats provide us with dozens of tragic stories. But we must tell them one at a time.