Digital Politics With Karen Jagoda

Patrice O'Neil, Founder of Not In Out Town, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss gathering communities together to support conversations that drive understanding about fighting hate and racism. Patrice reports that screening their film Repairing the World in local gatherings has become a catalyst for people to share their stories about being harmed by hate and actions that can taken to fight racist attacks. NIOT has become a story center for communities who want to stand up together and learn from each other. Deepak and Patrice talk about: Inspiring people to take on hate and fight white supremacy Documenting incidents of hate and racism Engaging institutions that can take action Normalizing the fight against hate speech #NIOT #NotInOurTown @TheDemLabs #HateSpeech #Racism #RepairtheWorldFilm    niot.org RepairtheWorldFilm.org TheDemLabs.org  

Melanie Lavelle, Founder of Benefit Kitchen, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the impact of welfare reform and the creation of an app and database to empower people to understand what benefits are available.  Benefit Kitchen is focused on working with people to overcome obstacles and gain insight into the eligibility rules for federal, state, and local benefits. Melanie has discovered that many rules and hard-to-find information are designed to keep people from enrolling and discourage participation in programs.  The more these agencies hide, the more determined Melanie is to dig out the information and help people get necessary services and resources. Deepak and Melanie talk about: How people find out about benefit programs and who is qualified to participate Creating an app that helps people decide which benefits to pursue and how one benefit might impact another Who is most likely not to get benefits Why a mobile-first solution for this target audience is essential #BenefitKitch

Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, Founders of Survivors Empowered, join Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss their reaction and activism as a result of the murder of their daughter Jessi, killed in the Aurora Colorado theatre 2012 mass shooting.  Their organization is focused on regulating companies that sell ammunition and repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. Deepak, Sandy and Lonnie talk about: Who is selling ammunition and what information is being collected Who is building arsenals of ammunition, and the role of online sellers Addressing the trauma of survivors and victims of gun violence National actions being taken to repeal the PLCA act that provides immunity to gun sellers  #SurvivorsEmpowered @TheDemLabs #MassShootings #Ammunition #GunViolence #NRA #Activism #AssaultWeapons #RepealPLCA Survivors Empowered TheDemLabs.org

Joe Fuld, Founder of The Campaign Workshop, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to consider how the role of political and advocacy campaign managers has changed over the last 20 years. The constants are the ongoing challenges for a campaign to refine the message, have the candidate or advocate's voice heard by the target audience, and find the pressure points to make the most short-term and long-term impact. Joe also emphasizes the need to keep innovating to build robust campaign strategies.  Deepak and Joe talk about: Driving civic engagement Power mapping Need for training to maximize the impact of advocates and candidates Working with underfunded causes to maximize resources #TheCampaignWorkshop @TheDemLabs #Organizing #Advocacy #Fundraising #CivicEngagement #PoliticalCampaigns  The Campaign Workshop TheDemLabs.org  

Rhiannon Ruff, Co-Founder of the digital agency Lumino, is a Wikipedia expert and author of the book Wikipedia & Crisis Comms. Increasingly, for voters and the media, Wikipedia is the go-to source for campaign and candidate information, and the accuracy of the information is critical for the site's moderators. While there are ways to get content edited, one presidential candidate's approach is a lesson in what not to do. We talk about: Why campaigns should care about Wikipedia What sources are used to create and update Wikipedia pages How content is moderated on Wikipedia Tips on how to get Wikipedia pages changed Advice for campaigns about creating a Wikipedia strategy and who should take the lead #LuminoDigital #Wikipedia #PoliticalCampaigns  LuminoDigital.com

Andra Watkins, The New York Times best-selling author and speaker, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the threat of Christian Nationalists to the future of our democracy. Indoctrinated as a child in Christian Nationalism, Andra understands the language of the calls to action in Project 2025 and warns about the potential impact on families and communities in her Substack: How Project 2025 Will Ruin YOUR Life.  Deepak and Andra talk about: How Christian Nationalists are different from other Christians  The true meaning of the words Christian Nationalists use when describing God's Law and Man's Law  What Christian Nationalists mean by pornography The need to drill down into the details of the 900-page Project 2025 Presidential Transition Project and not be distracted by the length The cost of fighting back against Christian Nationalists #AndraWatkins #HowProject2025WillRuinYOURLife @TheDemLabs #Project2025 #ChristianNationalists #ChristianNationalism  How Project 2025 Will Ruin YOUR Li

Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, shares his reaction and insights from participating in the recent commemoration of Bloody Sunday and his walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. As an activist, Deepak appreciates the importance of learning from history and the need to continue the fight for civil rights. We talk about: What motivated people to attend the 59th gathering to remember the beatings of the civil rights marchers and pass on lessons to the next generation Voter suppression Overcoming voter apathy Why it is essential to visit the actual places where history is made The threat of Project 2025 to democracy @TheDemLabs #EdmundPettusBridge #CivilRights #Activism #HowProject2025WillRuinYourLife #VoterSuppression #VoterApathy #VoterRegistration #Protests #CivicEngagement TheDemLabs.org  

Jim Margolis, Partner at GMMB, was a Senior Advisor to Barack Obama in both of his campaigns for the White House. Jim is one of the stars of the recent documentary The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House A Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President. Taking on the challenge of introducing Barack Obama meant having a strategic plan to define a different kind of leader, telling his unique, authentic candidate story, and finding common interests with all voters. It was also the first presidential campaign to use the new social media tools to connect with voters. Jim emphasizes that the critical issue for campaigns is figuring out how to connect with voters where they are across the increasingly complex media landscape. We talk about Advantages the Obama campaign had over the McCain campaign When Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain's running mate Use of analytics to create specific media plans that target sub-groups of voters Value of celebrity endorsements of presidential candidates Efforts by candi

Fred Davis, CEO of Strategic Perception Inc., is a well-known Republican communications expert and one of the stars of the recent documentary The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House A Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President.  As the Chief Creative Officer of McCain's presidential campaign, Fred had the challenge of running against the Barack Obama team and the plot twist of the addition of Sarah Palin to the McCain ticket. While Fred agrees social media, digital ads, and the internet are helpful for fundraising and organizing, he is not convinced those are strong tools for branding. We talk about: The last Presidential campaign before digital media came of age Strategies for creating and testing political ads The strengths and liabilities of candidate John McCain Meaning of the Bigger Hammer and need for a long-term game plan When Sarah Palin was selected to be the Vice Presidential candidate Keys to authentic storytelling #TheBiggerHammerFilm #FredDavis #PoliticalAds #Fundraising #MessageTesti

Varun Nikore, Executive Director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the Asian American Pacific Islanders' growing presence in the US. This group is expected to be the largest minority group by 2040 and includes first to fifth-generation family members from over 20 countries of origin. Varun's mission is to get more people from the AAPI community involved with politics, to run for public office, and to drive fundraising campaigns to support the next generation of leaders.  Deepak and Varun talk about: The demographic diversity of the AAPI community States where the AAPI communities are growing How to talk to the AAPI voters about issues that matter to them Base building for the future Battleground states in 2024 where the AAPI voters can make a difference #AAPIVictoryAlliance @TheDemLabs #AAPI #AsianAmericanPacificIslanders #Voters #Fundraising #Election2024 #BattlegroundStates AAPIVictoryAlliance.com TheDemLabs.org

Po Murray, Co-Founder and Chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the variations in state and federal laws protecting residents from gun violence. Since Uvalde, there have been changes in the awareness of the need for background checks and holding stakeholders responsible for public safety. Citizen activists are pushing for state and federal legislation to pierce the shield that protects weapon sales.  Deepak and Po talk about: Continuing efforts to get the assault weapon ban passed  Nationalizing Ethan's Law, the child access prevention law passed in Connecticut Holding the gun industry accountable for gun violence and mass murders Preventing school shootings When motivated citizens get involved in changing public policy #NewtownActionAlliance @TheDemLabs #GunViolence #MassShootings #SchoolShootings #AssaultWeaponBan #GunLaws #GunIndustry #SandyHook #Uvalde #EthansLaw NewtownActionAlliance.org TheDemLabs.org

Keith Gaby is the Director of The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House a Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President and communications expert. This behind-the-scenes documentary is a time capsule of presidential campaigns before the proliferation of social media and mobile devices. The film presents a balanced picture of the strategies and tactics of the advisors to Obama and McCain and how they handled challenges and opportunities. We talk about: The motivation for the creation of this film Crisis management style of each campaign Crafting the candidate's message and image What the Bigger Hammer means for campaigns The impact of the addition of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate Expansion of the role of celebrities and social media influencers in political campaigns for reaching low-information and swing voters Lesson learned: Nothing is more important than the quality of the candidate #KeithGaby #TheBiggerHammerFilm #Obama #McCain #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCamp

Ian Gates, a participant in the Students for Justice Vote intern program, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about getting young voters involved in political campaigns and voter registration efforts. The challenge is finding young voters where they get their news and creating content that comes from trusted sources and is shared in their social networks. This intern program focuses on learning about campaign techniques, political marketing, and civic engagement to build the next generation of campaign managers and candidates. Deepak and Ian talk about: Recruiting African American students to get involved in campaigns The value for young voters to get out of their comfort zone by reaching out to register new voters Making compelling content to engage young people and encourage them to vote and share the content with their own network Speaking out about voting rights #StudentsForJusticeVote @TheDemLabs #YoungVoters #VoterRegistration #Elections #VotingRights #Voters #Democracy #Election202

Josh Klemons, Founder of Reverbal, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about the need to make the audience the hero, not the candidate, when communicating with voters. An expert on first-in-category candidates, Josh has refined his storytelling skills to create compelling digital content for winning campaigns and drive relationship organizing. Deepak and Josh talk about: Keys to good storytelling The connection between organizing and digital tools Finding trusted messengers for campaigns to fight disinformation  Role of social media influencers  Advice for down-ballot races to find voters online Free digital tools for campaigns #JoshKlemons @TheDemLabs #TikkunOlam #FreeDigitalTools #RelationalOrganizing #Elections #Voters #Democracy #Election2024  JoshKlemons.com TheDemLabs.org

Ray Kingman, Founder and CEO of Semcasting, is focused on bringing a deeper understanding of the media habits of voters to campaigns. The shift from traditional linear TV advertising to Connected TV and other digital ad options is being accelerated thanks to the ability to target messages and measure the delivery and effectiveness of the ads. We talk about: Candidate identity management Using a constellation of match keys to more accurately target voters The value of Real-Time Voter Measurement to ensure message delivery Availability of digital ad inventory #Semcasting #PoliticalAds #DigitalAds #Election2024 #RealTimeVoterMeasurement #RTVM Semcasting.com

Michael Serazio is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communications at Boston College and author of The Authenticity Industries: Keeping it "Real" in Media, Culture, and Politics. Calling authenticity the moral framework of our time, Michael addresses whether politicians can fake authenticity and what gives inauthenticity away. Drawing on observations of reality TV, social media, pop music, commercial advertising, and electoral politics, Michael has written a thought-provoking analysis of how politicians are becoming more like brands and brands are acting more like politicians. We talk about How authenticity is created and demonstrated The different kinds of authenticity Perception of the authenticity of male and female candidates Role of influencers and nano-influencers in establishing candidate authenticity What will be seen as authentic in 2024 campaigns  #MichaelSerazio #TheAuthenticityIndustries #PoliticalCampaigns #PoliticalMessaging #VoterPersuasion #Authenticity The Authenticity Industries

Matt Robison is a political consultant and former chief of staff for former New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes, his co-host on the Beyond Politics Podcast.  Matt shines a light on the tendencies of New Hampshire primary voters and what the results might indicate about voter strategies in 2024. We talk about Independent and unaffiliated NH voters How negative ads impact primary voters The importance of endorsements  Do candidate debates make a difference Did Democrats change their registration to vote in the Republican primary #MattRobison #BeyondPoliticsPodcast #NewHampshirePrimary #NewHampshireVoters #Election2024 BeyondPoliticsPodcast.com

Marta Hanson, National Program Manager, Power the Polls, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to emphasize the need for a nationwide effort to recruit the next generation of poll workers to ensure that elections run smoothly.  In a presidential election year, it is estimated that one million people are needed to fill these paid positions at the local level to address language needs, balance party affiliation, and provide help with technology. Deepak and Marta talk about: The importance of opportunities for non-partisan and bi-partisan civic engagement  Demystifying the role of election administrators and poll workers Training poll workers Who is stepping up to become a poll worker How poll workers are being recruited through partnerships and events #PowerthePolls @TheDemLabs #HelpAmericaVote #PollWorkers #Elections #Democracy #Election2024  PowerthePolls.org TheDemLabs.org

Rajiv Bhateja, Co-Founder of They See Blue joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the need to educate and motivate Americans of South Asian origin to vote for Democrats and become involved in their local communities. Rajiv is an accidental activist bringing data analytic skills to this volunteer organization, allowing them to specifically target messages, organize, and get out the vote. Deepak and Rajiv talk about: Where South Asians live across the US Successful methods to reach South Asian voters Encouraging South Asians to run for public office Issues that are meaningful to this community Looking for irregular voters and new voters to impress on them the importance of the 2024 election #TheySeeBlue @TheDemLabs #SouthAsianCommunity #Mobilizing #Outreach #CivicEngagement #GOTV #Election2024 TheySeeBlue.com TheDemLabs.org

Anne Christine, investigative journalist and human rights activist Stop the Coup 2025, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to address the threat to civil rights from Project 2025, a 900-page Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise from the Heritage Foundation. The key is turning the Mandate into discrete components so people can understand this anti-diversity platform and plan to dismantle the Federal government. Deepak and Anne Christine talk about: Lessons learned from other countries fighting oppression The need for a big tent to include more voices in our democracy Getting information into the hands of people who can amplify the message of the fight against Project 2025 Overcoming voter fatigue Worst-case planning #StoptheCoup2025 @TheDemLabs #HumanRights #Democracy StoptheCoup2025.org  TheDemLabs.org