I love both of these platforms, but the affordability crisis hits harder where I live. I could see a candidate doing well statewide in Minnesota with this. You should be rich — and together we are going to make that happen. In solidarity there is power. Tax Wealth, not work. Make CEOs pay taxes again.
I see this type of messaging from democratic strategists who get it, but not enough of them do. I see it more from the Working Families Party and the DSA who get it, but are labeled as radicals from people with money and power who are afraid to lose it. When are the elected Democrats in power going to start paying attention? Its not about group names and labels. Socialist, Communist, Capitalist, who cares? The cold war is over. Stop trying to scare people with outdated labels you think should frighten us; they don’t matter and it drives people away. We just want to feel as rich as the economists say we are based on our GDP. And we could be if we work together.
I was spurred into action by the 2024 elections to run for office, so I launched a campaign to run for a city council seat. Run For Something and When We're In Charge have been inspiring and helpful, and this message was something hopeful to read today, so thank you. It feels daunting and often like a big undertaking, but I am inspired by the conversations I get to have and the promise of making a difference in my community.
Hi Amanda, I volunteer for your organization to interview potential candidates and some of them have absolutely identified their motivation as wanting to help people thrive, not just survive. I feel that it’s an inspiring message that, like your examples, this drive can be described in different ways to reach folks. Let’s do this, let’s dream big and show people how policies intersect to help them get rich (in spare time, in money for more than just rent and basic groceries) and/or less lonely (by having time to explore hobbies, having common spaces to meet other folks, engaging with neighbors in using library services)!
I think a lot of people just really want to feel good about themselves, genuinely good about themselves, and their country, and the people they care about, and there are a lot of policies that could be framed around that desire too, including:
-policies that give people time and support to explore new interests and develop skills throughout their lives, without needing to worry about how to pay for instruction or taking time off from a paying job, so people can develop self-confidence and find ways of living and contributing to society that truly work for them instead of ending up in a job they don't really care for
-policies that allow people with skills and the desire to teach others abundant time, funding, and support to do so, and treat teaching as one of the highest callings
-Putting accountability for the climate crisis/plastics crisis/biodiversity crisis and exploitation of people and the environment squarely where it belongs - fossil fuel companies, big ag, and the wealthy and politicians who are in cahoots and doing far more damage than anyone while lying about it and trying to blame the rest of us
-ceasing all funding of genocidal regimes and mass incarceration with our tax dollars
-no more people unhoused, living on our streets or pushed off to the margins - everyone gets stable housing, food, and medical care without needing to beg it from their neighbors or rely on private philanthropy - that's what our tax dollars are supposed to be used for by the government
The fist message sounds like a great fit for our culture - rich in both money and time absolutely hits in the feels because folks intuitively want both, and it cuts across divides.
If I was going for a through line on a story I’d pick something like “Freedom to Dream”
In short: provide the stability for everyone to pursue their American Dream no matter how big or small
What does freedom come from, practically?
Plank 1: “No hunger. No homelessness.”
Nobody can dream well if they don’t have a place to do it, or if they’re struggling to get food on the table.
Plank 2: “Connecting Our Great Nation”
Freedom means not only having a home to come back to but access to our great nation. This means strengthening transportation and medical infrastructure, and creating jobs to support this great endeavor.
Plank 3: “Fair Play”
Freedom requires trust. For too long, the American people have watched American politicians sell them out.
The companies who see the American people, our labor, and our excellence as a resource to be strip mined are fundamentally *unAmerican*, and it’s time for them to give as good as they’ve taken.
Thanks, Amanda, for putting some big picture positive visions into play. I think that’s vital too. Would you see both of these focuses — wealth and connection — as in turn able to be put under the general rubric of happiness? As in “I want to help you be happy.” It also does tie back in to the Declaration. Or do you think this would be too general? If not, then might there be some other topics — maybe no more than one or too, maybe more — that would readily fall under the theme of happiness? Just some immediate thoughts.
Many men and women feel a lot of shame for feeling as if they’ve fallen short. They checked boxes (got an education, got the careers, etc), but yet they still can’t buy a home or they’re buried in debt, or they can’t find a job that will pay them well. Individualism taught us that if we fail, it’s our fault. Which, sure, we have to take responsibility for our downfalls. But the systems have been rigged. It’s hard to see this when so many people are living with shame, and I think that’s also been part of the loneliness epidemic. How can politicians connect from a sense of understanding? Do we need more people with a working class background? I think so …
I was just thinking about this! The story I would tell is about people helping people - no one falling through the cracks, it takes all of us to build strong communities, etc. And the policies to go with that would be a massive CCC-style job creation program to provide childcare, take care of elders, build houses, build transit, habitat restoration, sprucing up parks, etc. The ethos would be about caring for people and the environment, but I don’t think the environment part would sell as well so I’d just sneak that in there :)
AND the thing that would be really cool about this is that it would address the loneliness epidemic and general lack of purpose in our society. Pulling out ivy, growing food, and helping your neighbors are all things that improve mental health and make people feel connected to their communities, nature, and each other.
I’ve had a few articles running in my head about industrial policy for a while now, and I think I can make a variant on the first narrative for the Dems:
“When I’m elected, you’ll be able to build mighty things for yourself and others. Earth’s mightiest minds were made here and we have to make sure it stays that way.
“Cheaper childcare, better curricula and new pedagogies, low-tuition public college and trade school, these are things that enrich our minds and hands. They are the stuff that builds the machines that build the machines. They are the system that produced our finest inventors, and yes, poets, writers and artists from the ‘40s onward. It’s time we reclaim our education system from financialized administrators who only see a glorified piggy bank.
“Our patent and IP laws were fostered by the Founders, and have been the secret of innovators’ success. They have since been expanded, into tools of corporate abuse. Digital rights management, suspicious TOS, lawsuits over sampling, no right to repair, DMCA—these and more are restrictions monopolies bring upon you and your creativity. Repairing your fridge and microwave and TV, streaming live events, even owning a free e-book in your home should be your right.
“The dignity of work has been talked about a lot. But that work doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t embolden you and others. Every American takes a little bit of comfort in knowing that their drugs, their computers, their trains, and their ships were made with their hands and their tools, within 100 miles of the houses they built. Your craftsmanship is care by another name.
“For what did we probe the Challenger Deep, and put men on the Moon, and build the transcontinental railroads and the Tennessee Valley Authority and the studio system and the Internet, if not to enrich America’s and humankind’s souls? That’s where true wealth lies—in our knowledge, our own works, and our ability to share in them. Trump knows this, and then forgets to what ends —his chaos here only serves the billionaire class. I don’t serve that mentality.”
I’m wondering if there’s a way to recapture what the right seems to have grabbed and defined for themselves in a campaign around “American Pride”, or “Proud to be American”. National pride is declining, and MAGA is a direct call-back to better times, but with the wrong way to reclaim its ‘greatness’.
Things that made the rest of the world envious of the United States were and are:
1. Its immense natural landscape, unparalleled in the world. The great outdoors has a clear environmental and conservation remit. Protecting American farmers by mitigating climate change. Reducing cost of groceries by growing more locally.
2. American-made. Tariffs are not the solution, but investing inward absolutely is. Skills training, subsidies for power supply and construction of sites, growth grants and the like to stoke entrepreneurial spirit that is so uniquely American.
3. World-best. American educational institutions and research facilities have long enjoyed a stellar reputation (that is currently being flushed down the loo). Let’s encourage the billionaires of today that their legacy is best protected by restoring their admiration along the lines of Carnegie’s libraries, and investing raising educational attainment, razor-edge technology in labs and the like.
4. The pioneering spirit. This might sound weird, but Americans seem to take great comfort from belonging to an in-group. In the time of pioneers, you had to trust in each other and yourself. Community cohesion and not vilifying a trial and error approach are key. Prescribing one way for everyone can’t win, so build trust and community how it makes sense locally.
I don’t know if my list makes sense, and truthfully, as a foreigner maybe I haven’t gotten it quite right, but I really want the US to thrive - a rising tide lifts all boats.
I love both of these platforms, but the affordability crisis hits harder where I live. I could see a candidate doing well statewide in Minnesota with this. You should be rich — and together we are going to make that happen. In solidarity there is power. Tax Wealth, not work. Make CEOs pay taxes again.
I see this type of messaging from democratic strategists who get it, but not enough of them do. I see it more from the Working Families Party and the DSA who get it, but are labeled as radicals from people with money and power who are afraid to lose it. When are the elected Democrats in power going to start paying attention? Its not about group names and labels. Socialist, Communist, Capitalist, who cares? The cold war is over. Stop trying to scare people with outdated labels you think should frighten us; they don’t matter and it drives people away. We just want to feel as rich as the economists say we are based on our GDP. And we could be if we work together.
I was spurred into action by the 2024 elections to run for office, so I launched a campaign to run for a city council seat. Run For Something and When We're In Charge have been inspiring and helpful, and this message was something hopeful to read today, so thank you. It feels daunting and often like a big undertaking, but I am inspired by the conversations I get to have and the promise of making a difference in my community.
Aww thank you for reading and for running!! Glad to be a small part of your leadership.
Hi Amanda, I volunteer for your organization to interview potential candidates and some of them have absolutely identified their motivation as wanting to help people thrive, not just survive. I feel that it’s an inspiring message that, like your examples, this drive can be described in different ways to reach folks. Let’s do this, let’s dream big and show people how policies intersect to help them get rich (in spare time, in money for more than just rent and basic groceries) and/or less lonely (by having time to explore hobbies, having common spaces to meet other folks, engaging with neighbors in using library services)!
I think a lot of people just really want to feel good about themselves, genuinely good about themselves, and their country, and the people they care about, and there are a lot of policies that could be framed around that desire too, including:
-policies that give people time and support to explore new interests and develop skills throughout their lives, without needing to worry about how to pay for instruction or taking time off from a paying job, so people can develop self-confidence and find ways of living and contributing to society that truly work for them instead of ending up in a job they don't really care for
-policies that allow people with skills and the desire to teach others abundant time, funding, and support to do so, and treat teaching as one of the highest callings
-Putting accountability for the climate crisis/plastics crisis/biodiversity crisis and exploitation of people and the environment squarely where it belongs - fossil fuel companies, big ag, and the wealthy and politicians who are in cahoots and doing far more damage than anyone while lying about it and trying to blame the rest of us
-ceasing all funding of genocidal regimes and mass incarceration with our tax dollars
-no more people unhoused, living on our streets or pushed off to the margins - everyone gets stable housing, food, and medical care without needing to beg it from their neighbors or rely on private philanthropy - that's what our tax dollars are supposed to be used for by the government
The fist message sounds like a great fit for our culture - rich in both money and time absolutely hits in the feels because folks intuitively want both, and it cuts across divides.
What a great question to play with!
If I was going for a through line on a story I’d pick something like “Freedom to Dream”
In short: provide the stability for everyone to pursue their American Dream no matter how big or small
What does freedom come from, practically?
Plank 1: “No hunger. No homelessness.”
Nobody can dream well if they don’t have a place to do it, or if they’re struggling to get food on the table.
Plank 2: “Connecting Our Great Nation”
Freedom means not only having a home to come back to but access to our great nation. This means strengthening transportation and medical infrastructure, and creating jobs to support this great endeavor.
Plank 3: “Fair Play”
Freedom requires trust. For too long, the American people have watched American politicians sell them out.
The companies who see the American people, our labor, and our excellence as a resource to be strip mined are fundamentally *unAmerican*, and it’s time for them to give as good as they’ve taken.
It was fun to spitball this!
Thanks, Amanda, for putting some big picture positive visions into play. I think that’s vital too. Would you see both of these focuses — wealth and connection — as in turn able to be put under the general rubric of happiness? As in “I want to help you be happy.” It also does tie back in to the Declaration. Or do you think this would be too general? If not, then might there be some other topics — maybe no more than one or too, maybe more — that would readily fall under the theme of happiness? Just some immediate thoughts.
Yes! These messages are spot on.
Many men and women feel a lot of shame for feeling as if they’ve fallen short. They checked boxes (got an education, got the careers, etc), but yet they still can’t buy a home or they’re buried in debt, or they can’t find a job that will pay them well. Individualism taught us that if we fail, it’s our fault. Which, sure, we have to take responsibility for our downfalls. But the systems have been rigged. It’s hard to see this when so many people are living with shame, and I think that’s also been part of the loneliness epidemic. How can politicians connect from a sense of understanding? Do we need more people with a working class background? I think so …
I was just thinking about this! The story I would tell is about people helping people - no one falling through the cracks, it takes all of us to build strong communities, etc. And the policies to go with that would be a massive CCC-style job creation program to provide childcare, take care of elders, build houses, build transit, habitat restoration, sprucing up parks, etc. The ethos would be about caring for people and the environment, but I don’t think the environment part would sell as well so I’d just sneak that in there :)
AND the thing that would be really cool about this is that it would address the loneliness epidemic and general lack of purpose in our society. Pulling out ivy, growing food, and helping your neighbors are all things that improve mental health and make people feel connected to their communities, nature, and each other.
I’ve had a few articles running in my head about industrial policy for a while now, and I think I can make a variant on the first narrative for the Dems:
“A nation of creators”.
The first two articles (https://www.americasundoing.com/p/build-baby-build-and-the-dependency and https://www.construction-physics.com/p/how-china-became-the-worlds-biggest) were about how the U.S. left industries such as shipbuilding, drug precursors, machine tooling, stamps and dies, and rare earth minerals to foreign powers. The next (https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/16/trump-economy-industry-state-capitalism-steel-rare-earth-investment/) is about how President Trump has acquired an ex officio stake in U.S. Steel and is making gestures toward public ownership of rare earths and shipbuilding. One could easily see how it serves his “l’etat, c’est moi” brand of haphazard, personalist thinking on statecraft, and his fantasy of white nationalist utopia by extension. The last few (https://prospect.org/politics/2025-07-15-reclaiming-the-public-realm/ and https://climatecommunityinstitute.substack.com/p/transforming-the-housing-sector-through) are about what kind of vision we can realize for ourselves through public ownership and thoughtful industrial policy, as an attractive alternative to what Trump represents.
Here’s a message worth running on:
“When I’m elected, you’ll be able to build mighty things for yourself and others. Earth’s mightiest minds were made here and we have to make sure it stays that way.
“Cheaper childcare, better curricula and new pedagogies, low-tuition public college and trade school, these are things that enrich our minds and hands. They are the stuff that builds the machines that build the machines. They are the system that produced our finest inventors, and yes, poets, writers and artists from the ‘40s onward. It’s time we reclaim our education system from financialized administrators who only see a glorified piggy bank.
“Our patent and IP laws were fostered by the Founders, and have been the secret of innovators’ success. They have since been expanded, into tools of corporate abuse. Digital rights management, suspicious TOS, lawsuits over sampling, no right to repair, DMCA—these and more are restrictions monopolies bring upon you and your creativity. Repairing your fridge and microwave and TV, streaming live events, even owning a free e-book in your home should be your right.
“The dignity of work has been talked about a lot. But that work doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t embolden you and others. Every American takes a little bit of comfort in knowing that their drugs, their computers, their trains, and their ships were made with their hands and their tools, within 100 miles of the houses they built. Your craftsmanship is care by another name.
“For what did we probe the Challenger Deep, and put men on the Moon, and build the transcontinental railroads and the Tennessee Valley Authority and the studio system and the Internet, if not to enrich America’s and humankind’s souls? That’s where true wealth lies—in our knowledge, our own works, and our ability to share in them. Trump knows this, and then forgets to what ends —his chaos here only serves the billionaire class. I don’t serve that mentality.”
I’m wondering if there’s a way to recapture what the right seems to have grabbed and defined for themselves in a campaign around “American Pride”, or “Proud to be American”. National pride is declining, and MAGA is a direct call-back to better times, but with the wrong way to reclaim its ‘greatness’.
Things that made the rest of the world envious of the United States were and are:
1. Its immense natural landscape, unparalleled in the world. The great outdoors has a clear environmental and conservation remit. Protecting American farmers by mitigating climate change. Reducing cost of groceries by growing more locally.
2. American-made. Tariffs are not the solution, but investing inward absolutely is. Skills training, subsidies for power supply and construction of sites, growth grants and the like to stoke entrepreneurial spirit that is so uniquely American.
3. World-best. American educational institutions and research facilities have long enjoyed a stellar reputation (that is currently being flushed down the loo). Let’s encourage the billionaires of today that their legacy is best protected by restoring their admiration along the lines of Carnegie’s libraries, and investing raising educational attainment, razor-edge technology in labs and the like.
4. The pioneering spirit. This might sound weird, but Americans seem to take great comfort from belonging to an in-group. In the time of pioneers, you had to trust in each other and yourself. Community cohesion and not vilifying a trial and error approach are key. Prescribing one way for everyone can’t win, so build trust and community how it makes sense locally.
I don’t know if my list makes sense, and truthfully, as a foreigner maybe I haven’t gotten it quite right, but I really want the US to thrive - a rising tide lifts all boats.