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Archive for category: Politics

Email, Politics

How This Congressman Elect Is Using Email To Flip the Script

Google “political email” and you’ll find endless stories about how terrible it’s become. Campaigns — on both sides of the aisle — are buying and swapping lists and then spamming folks relentlessly, endlessly begging for dollars.

Many of these campaigns aren’t even bothering to onboard new emails — warming them up with intros and soft asks before making their pitch — they’re simply buying emails, dropping them into their systems and hitting send.

I’ve heard so many stories of folks getting emails from candidates they’ve never heard of, in states they’ve never lived, asking them for money for races they are not following. Needless to say, people are frustrated.

While this has been a problem for several cycles, we’re starting to see the long-term consequences of this system really emerge.

I’ve spoken with numerous people who still support candidates, but simply refuse to give them money, because they are afraid that doing so will lead to a deluge of spam clogging up their inbox.

And, despite the fact that a big part of my job is writing fundraising emails, fair enough!

I get it. Heck, my inbox is constantly overflowing with unsolicited junk.


Jeff Jackson is a Congressman-elect from North Carolina. He’s a rising star in the democratic party — if you don’t already know his name. You should.

Recently, he rolled out something simple… but revolutionary as far as campaign email goes. He started his own Substack.

If you don’t know Substack, it’s a platform that lets you write emails. That’s pretty much it. Writers can offer a free and/or a paid tier. A whole lot of reporters and big names have left established media institutions to start their own Substacks. I personally subscribe to at least a dozen (if not more) and am even launching my own called Free Digital Tools (where I’ll share – you guessed it – Free Digital Tools!).

In Jackson’s about section he explains why he started this project:

“I’ve done roughly 150 town halls in the last two years of campaigning, and it’s become clear from the experience that connecting directly with people is one of the most important parts of elected service.

Now that we’ve won, I want to keep it going – but I also want to expand it.

Part of that is going to be giving people something we don’t see often: a first-person, weekly account of serving in Congress.

I won’t have an abundance of time to do a lot of writing – so I’ll make it quick – but then again, you don’t have much time to read. So maybe it’ll be a match.

There’s no premium/paid version. Totally free.

Why does connecting directly with people matter? Because transparency is good in and of itself and you should expect more than you get from people in my position.”

You can read more (and subscribe) at jeffjacksonnc.substack.com.

As of this writing, he’s rolled out two issues. The first was just a promo announcing what to expect. The second is titled “Here’s what happen right after you get elected to Congress.”

It’s simple. But honest, personal and interesting.

It’s about him and his family going through something that so few people will ever go through, and helping us experience it through his eyes.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ever heard of her?) was already wildly popular when she won her Congressional seat. But she helped show the world what to expect from her by livestreaming and sharing her onboarding experience via social media in real-time. It was a total flip of the script. She was taking something secretive and restricted and soaking it in sunshine.

AOC tweeting about what it's like to enter congress.

AOC livetweeting about her Congressional onboarding

She showed her followers, and the world, that she would not be silenced or awed by pomp or tradition and forced a real conversation about Congressional onboarding.

Whether Jackson continues on the path AOC laid out, or finds a different way forward, time will tell.

But what’s clear is that Jackson, like AOC, understands that “digital” is about more than simply asking for money. It’s about building a community and gaining the trust of those you hope to lead.

My prediction is that we’ll see many more such Substacks pop up in the coming months.

Just like we’ll see more Slack and Facebook Groups emerge from campaigns who understand that an audience doesn’t exist only to bankroll it, but also to sustain it.

John Fetterman didn’t invent the idea of closed digital spaces for audiences, but he and his team certainly invested heavily in creating, growing and moderating them. His team rolled out a Facebook Group, a Slack Channel and a Twitter Group DM and despite having access to tens of thousands of people, they never once (so far as I saw) asked for money on those platforms.

Because that’s not what those communities were for. Rather they were there to educate their audience on how to be advocates for the campaign while also creating a direct line so that the campaign could learn directly from its audience!

They regularly asked for volunteers for organizing shifts, but they also responded to issues being raised by supporters in real-time.

And while they never asked for money directly, I’m betting they saw a very real return on their investment. Because someone who feels a part of something is far more likely to donate the next time they get an email or text message asking them to, than someone who doesn’t know who you are or even what office you are running for.

The Democratic party needs more people like John Fetterman, AOC and Jeff Jackson, who inherently understand the value of community and are willing to invest what it takes to build and foster it. What it needs less of: spammy emails that no one wants clogging up our collective inboxes.


Looking to take your digital program to the next level?

Let’s talk!

December 26, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-12-26 14:48:512023-01-09 10:22:29How This Congressman Elect Is Using Email To Flip the Script
Why aren't my political Facebook ads running?
Digital Ads, Facebook, Politics

Why Aren’t My Political Facebook Ads Running?

Political Facebook ads keep getting more and more difficult.

Once upon a time, the only thing you need to run political ads on Facebook was a business page and a credit card. The 2016 Presidential election changed all that.

Facebook has added numerous new policies to prevent misuse. Some seem well thought out… others are just absurd. But as I always say, Facebook doesn’t live in our world, we live in theirs.
So every new change or tweak they roll out, no matter how ridiculous, we must simply adapt.

To run political ads of Facebook, you — the advertiser — need to be verified. You can start that process at facebook.com/id.

Your Facebook page needs a political disclaimer.

Your organization needs to be approved.

You can find all these steps, and get started, by going to your Facebook Page and navigating to settings => Issue, Electoral or Political Ads.
​

Political Facebook Ads Disclaimer - What you need to run political ads on Facebook

But getting everything approved isn’t exactly simple.

Here’s a fun fact: you are now required to have a website in order to run political ads on Facebook. Which is all well and good if you’re a Senate campaign, but might make less sense if you’re running for city council of a small town.

Some folks look to run ads aren’t even connected to a formal organization, but simply want to take a stand on an issue in their community. Unfortunately, the phrase “political ads” is actually quite misleading.

Facebook deems ads “political,” not just if they are from or in support of a formal political campaign, but also if they delve into a huge litany of topics including climate, LGBTQ+ issues, women’s rights… many nonprofits that don’t have anything to do with politics find themselves required to list their ads as political.

Another big issue I see campaigns make when applying for disclaimers: you must have an email address that matches your website. Meaning if your website is JoshForWisconsin.com you MUST have an email ending in @joshforwisconsin.com.

These are some serious hoops they are making down ballot candidates and tiny nonprofits jump through in order to run ads.

Check out this short thread on the issue if you’re so inclined.

But, that’s what it takes to run political ads on Facebook.

But here’s the thing, even if you do everything flawlessly, there is a decent chance you are going to set up ads, get them approved, and then watch with horror as your ad buy remains at $0.

This brutal phenomenon has been happening a lot of late.

So without further ado, here is my list of things you can troubleshoot to try and get your political Facebook ads to actually start spending once they have been approved.

Or to put it another way…

5 Reasons Your Political Facebook Ads Might Not Be Spending

First things first, all ads should be built in the ads manager (facebook.com/ads/manager). Even if you’re just “boosting posts” do it in the ads manager. You’ll have far better control and insight into your ads program when you do so.

Now that you’re in the ads manager (which is different than the ads center!), look in the top right corner at the dropdown menu and check your reporting timeframe.

How to see Facebook ad results for a certain time period

Reporting timeframe for Facebook ads

Is it set to maximum? If not, it should be.

While this probably isn’t the issue, it’s by far the easiest to fix. So it makes sense to start here.

If you started your Facebook Political Ad campaign this month, but you’re looking at reporting for “last month,” it will show you haven’t spent any money, even if that’s not the case. Flip on over to maximum and see what happens.

If it shows ad spend, you’re good to go!


If not, you should check your Facebook Political Ads Disclaimer. If you don’t have a disclaimer, your political Facebook ads will definitely get rejected.

But there’s this annoying glitch where Facebook will disable your ads disclaimer, but for some reason they will still approve your political ads — they just won’t actually let you spend any money.

Go check your disclaimer.

If you get there and it says your disclaimer is disabled, you’ll need to reauthorize it. In my experience, that’s usually as simple as getting emailed a code. But, as always, YMMV.

Once it’s re-authorized, that usually solves the problem outright. If it doesn’t (meaning if after a day or two, you still aren’t spending), DON’T duplicate the campaign. But rather rebuild it from scratch. For some reason duplicating seems to drag the issue along with it. Rebuilding from scratch, in my experience, does not. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Another issue that might be at play — check and see how many disclaimers you have.

I’ve inherited accounts and realized they had more than one disclaimer set up. It’s very hard to select which disclaimer you want to use with your ad when building out your campaign — and if you wind up with a disabled one, the ads won’t spend. I find it’s better to simply delete any that you don’t need. If you have an out-of-date disclaimer, delete it, and as above, if that doesn’t work quickly, try rebuilding your ads from scratch.

There is a very good chance that this will solve your problem and your Facebook Political Ads will start spending promptly.


If you are using a custom audience (like a mailing list, or voterfile data…) it’s possible that your audience is too small to target with ads. That could be the reason your Facebook Political Ads aren’t spending. So it’s time to check your audience size.

Once upon a time, when you uploaded a custom audience into Facebook, Facebook would tell you how many people from your audience were matched. Those days are no more. (Usually. Every now and then, they will tell you. Why? ¯_(ツ)_/¯)

If your match rate is less than ~1000, your ads may get approved but they will likely not run.

Now if you’re saying to yourself, but I fed 1200 people into Facebook — I’m good… you’re probably not! Facebook’s match rate for custom audiences is never going to be 100%. Which is fair enough — not everyone on your mailing list is on Facebook. And some of them gave you their work email but use their personal email for Facebook. I’ve seen lists match at 85%. And others at 30%. It really depends on the list you are starting with.

As a rule of thumb, I assume I’m going to get between a 50%-70% match rate with Facebook custom audiences. Annoyingly, you won’t know your match rate until you start running ads. Then you can track your reach and, once you’ve spent a bit, you should have a decent sense of your list size.

But again, if you’re not spending, it might be because your audience is simply too small.

If this is the issue, you need to find a way to expand your audience size. You might not be able to target your mailing list or voterfile data. You might have to use Facebook saved audiences, where you build out an audience based on information like age, gender, location, etc.

Try targeting a larger audience and see if it starts spending. If it does, you’ve identified your issue. Great job!


​Since we’re talking about Facebook saved audiences, it’s worth mentioning that Facebook changed the data we have access to significantly in early 2022.

You used to be able to target fans of AOC, Rachel Maddow and John Oliver. You could target “liberals” and “conservatives.” You could target people interested in LGBTQ+ or climate change or people who liked Human Rights Campaign or Sierra Club.

Facebook has scrubbed all of that data from their audience builder. Why? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

It’s a truly bizarre and awful move from Facebook, but again, this is their world — we just live in it. So check your targeting.

If you are trying to run ads to audiences you built before this change, there’s a possibility that they let you build the ad, and even approved it, but that they won’t actually let it run.

Go in and edit your campaign’s audience. It will show if you are currently using any data you are no longer allowed to use.

Update accordingly and this might solve your problem.


Facebook recently updated their policy on daily ad spend. They’ve always had a daily ad spend limit — especially for new accounts — but of late, I’ve found that every new account has a default daily ad spend limit of just $50. So now you need to check your daily ad spend limit.

This won’t be an issue for why you can’t spend at all — but if you’re spending keeps capping at $50 a day, despite a much larger budget, this is almost definitely why.

The good news: Facebook will help you increase your daily ad spend. Simply go to GPA Help and ask them to.

The bad news: It might take a bit. And if you’re desperately trying to GOTV in the final days of your campaign, help might not arrive in time.


To recap, here are 5 things to check if your Political Facebook Ads are approved but won’t start spending:

  • Check your reporting timeframe
  • Check your disclaimer(s)
  • Check your audience size
  • Check your targeting
  • Check your daily ad spend limit

That’s my list. If you have any other solutions to try please share them with me. We’re all in this together!

If none of the above helped, hit me up. I help progressive candidates, campaigns and organizations troubleshoot such issues all the time and I’d love to help you get your ad program up and running.

Learn more about how my team and I help progressive campaigns with digital ads and a whole lot more at joshklemons.com/politics, or drop us an email today and let’s chat.

You can also regularly find me on Twitter complaining about Facebook Ads. If you’re into that kind of thing, let’s connect!

July 28, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
https://joshklemons.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/why-my-facebook-political-ads-are-not-running-1.png 400 495 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-07-28 20:30:462022-12-26 12:31:34Why Aren’t My Political Facebook Ads Running?
Politics

A Meme Masterclass From the Fetterman campaign

Fetterman for U.S. Senate campaign GIF

John Fetterman has won his Democratic primary and is now setting his sights on Dr. Oz.

John Fetterman recently clinched the Democratic party nomination in his race to be Pennsylvania’s next US Senator.

Fetterman, the current Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, will be running against a recent addition to Pennsylvania politics… and Pennsylvania itself for that matter, Dr. Oz, who won his primary election by just 951 votes.

For the entirety of his campaign, the tattooed, shorts-rocking candidate from Braddock, PA has been leading the way nationally in Democratic fundraising and really created a masterclass in digital campaigning that any would-be candidate for office should take note of.

In fact, if you want some notes, check out ours here. We did a digital deep dive of Fetterman and Oz’s digital campaigns a while back!

While much of Fetterman’s campaign messaging had been focused on convincing people that he’s the best Democratic candidate for this moment, he’s now shifted his focus to convincing Pennsylvania voters why Dr. Oz is the wrong candidate for them.

Luckily, for him (and democracy!),  Dr. Oz has given him a lot to work with.

This includes scrubbing his campaign site of any mention of Donald Trump – only after winning the Republican primary with help from Trump’s endorsement, being an overall quack doctor, and worst of all – not even being from Pennsylvania. (And we don’t mean in the he-wasn’t-born-there way some folks talk about political candidates… we mean in the he-doesn’t-live-there-now-and-has-never-lived-there kind of way.)

Have to admit, as someone who grew up in “Huntingdon” and had to explain that it wasn’t “Huntingdon Valley,” this bugs me.

There is no “Huntington Valley, Pa.”

There is only “Huntingdon Valley, Pa.” pic.twitter.com/QAYf40W6pU

— Sy Snyder (@PoliticsPA) June 13, 2022

In fact, Dr. Oz is so clearly not from Pennsylvania that he misspelled his “hometown” on his campaign paperwork.

While there are lots of issues with Dr. Oz as a candidate, the Fetterman campaign has really been hammering this one over the last few weeks.

But the thing is, there are only so many ways to point out someone isn’t from your state. Or are there?  The Fetterman team have been finding funny and pointed ways to do just that and they have been hilarious every step of the way.

While plenty of candidates shy away from memes, Team Fetterman has leaned right in. And we think they’ve done a pretty damn good job of using them to move the needle.

We’re such big fans of Fetterman’s memes that we wanted to round some of them up and share them with you. So, without further ado, here are some of our favorite memes from Fetterman’s feed.

A Little Help From Steve Buscemi

https://t.co/P9xbx5g5Yy pic.twitter.com/QjULxmAupp

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 14, 2022

The doctor’s past is always there waiting to catch up to him…

I’m just saying pic.twitter.com/vLhMAPU6hv

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 11, 2022

Sure you are…

Like I said pic.twitter.com/J3YdBneoz1

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 20, 2022

Clowning around

https://t.co/yLStJOQNY7 pic.twitter.com/50qoRi1YVM

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 22, 2022

We’re McLovin this one!

Giggle. ? pic.twitter.com/DbcxSCiC8P

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 23, 2022

Getting ratioed hurts, but at least Oz earned himself a participation trophy

https://t.co/FXzKkeFqMp pic.twitter.com/UMspIZcYX4

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 13, 2022

These are just some of the fire memes that the Fetterman camp has used to point out Dr. Oz’s Pennsylvania-less roots, and we think that they do a pretty good job for a couple of reasons:

First, they’re just downright funny. While Fetterman is a serious politician, he and his campaign want to make sure their audience knows he’s just a normal person – assuming you hadn’t already gathered that from his cargo shorts, tattoos, and professional wrestler vibes.

Second, Fetterman’s campaign knows their platforms and they know how to wrack up those engagements. They know their campaign is connecting with not only Pennsylvanians, but also a national, young and engaged audience of Democratic party supporters excited to like, share… and donate!.

By speaking in terms that are both human and engaging to people on social, Fetterman has gained a ton of followers and helped to point out one of the massive flaws of Dr. Oz’s candidacy, and he did it all by letting the memes do the talking.

So don’t be afraid to get out there and do some meme-ing of your own. If you want some help, hit us up.

We’d like to think that we understand these platforms pretty well ourselves.

Drake meme encouraging readers to work with Reverbal Communications on their political digital needs.

Learn more about our work, and get in touch!

June 28, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-06-28 23:07:392022-12-23 12:37:45A Meme Masterclass From the Fetterman campaign
Brand Management, Politics, Social Media

3 Lessons on Leaning Into Your Values From Ben And Jerry’s

 

 

Screenshot from Ben & Jerry's values & mission page of their three core values.

Ben & Jerry’s proudly displays their core values, which guide all of their work on digital and in general.

Ben & Jerry’s is the top-selling ice cream brand in the US and has a massive fan base of ice cream lovers all over the world.

But they don’t just make ice cream. They also speak their values. Loudly and proudly. In fact, they’re one of America’s most outspoken brands.

Often when we think of people making a stand on important issues, we think of activists, advocates and politicians… not big businesses. But time and time again, Ben & Jerry’s have shown that businesses can – and should – be a part of the most important conversations shaping our lives.

Not only have they shown that living your values is important, but they have also laid out a roadmap for other businesses looking to join them in doing so – especially in regards to their very popular and very outspoken social media program.

So let’s take a moment to explore some of Ben & Jerry’s top-performing posts across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and dissect just what makes their social media content so powerful.

First off, if you didn’t already know, Ben & Jerry’s is a company that is seriously committed to progressive values.

Human rights, social and economic justice, as well as protecting the environment make up the core tenets of their values. And these stances frame all of their work from the ice cream they make to the tweets they share. You can learn more about their values here.

So what can we learn from this iconic brand that never accepts silence in the face of injustice? A lot!

Lesson 1: Your Values Should Drive Your Entire Business – Not Just Your digital Content

That’s the primary lesson to take from Ben & Jerry’s. If your values don’t touch every aspect of your business, then they won’t seem authentic when you throw a social post into the world in honor of some holiday or news event.

Ben & Jerry’s constantly seeks out opportunities to support causes and they take big risks to fight for what they think is right.

Take this post about a new ice cream flavor for example. It’s their fourth most popular Facebook post of the past year and it highlights their commitment to fighting for racial justice and equity.

Screenshot of Ben and Jerry's Colin Kaepernick collaboration social media post.

Ben and Jerry’s live their values in everything their business does.

Not only did Ben & Jerry’s take the opportunity to voice support for an important cause, but they also put their money where their mouth is. By partnering with Colin Kaepernick, and committing to giving all of proceeds to his organization, Know Your Rights Camp, Ben & Jerry’s shows that they are a company that doesn’t just talk the talk on Twitter, but one that truly lives its values.

While you and your organization may not be able to partner with Colin Kaepernick, your brand can still find ways to live your values.

Start by naming them. What do you believe in and why do those beliefs matter.

Once you’ve named them, share them with your employees, talk about them with community members. And of course show them in your content.

Sometimes we have to take risks to do what is right. If you’re going to choose to voice your values, you’re also going to have to stand by them when they’re tested.

That’s exactly what Ben & Jerry’s did this past summer during heightened tensions in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict when they ended their franchise agreements with stores in “occupied Palestinian territory.”

Ben and Jerry's announce that they will no longer sell ice cream in occupied Palestinian territory on Instagram.

Sticking to your values isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it.

While plenty of very vocal people and organizations disagreed with this move from Ben & Jerry’s, the company stood true to its core value of advocating for human rights and dignity, above all else.

It’s not always easy to do what we believe is right. But the fact is, when you do, people notice. Your employees know when you do – and even more so when you don’t! – stay true to your word. Your followers do too – just check out the comments of that Instagram post.

And since 70% of consumers want to know what brands are doing to address social and environmental issues – social media is a great place to live your values!

Lesson 2: Meet Your Customers Where They Are By Being Part of the Conversation

Another aspect of Ben & Jerry’s social media content that makes it so powerful is that the brand speaks to consumers at the moments when it counts the most.

Screenshot of Ben & Jerry's sharing their reaction to the K

When you know your values, you always know what to say.

As the country, and many of us here in Wisconsin, were grappling with the outcome of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, Ben & Jerry’s came out with a statement showing the hypocrisy of the criminal justice system.

Being a part of the conversation while it’s happening can be difficult – unless you, your staff, and your audience already know what your values are. Then, it’s not nearly as hard.

By having clear core values, Ben & Jerry’s was able to respond to this event as it was happening in a way that made their stance clear and that also contributed to the online conversation happening around the trial.
​

Screenshot of Ben and Jerry's sharing their reaction to the Texas abortion law on Instagram.

Don’t just share your values, share your reasoning behind them like Ben & Jerry’s did here.

Ben and Jerry’s is also good at telling you why they feel a certain way about a timely issue. They provide transparent explanations and press releases that can take complicated issues and make their stance on them clear cut.

Some followers are going to disagree with you. But by making your values clear, and backing them up with the thought process behind them, you will show that you’re a business that’s thinking about these issues critically and applying your values to them.

By creating content that sparks or contributes to a conversation, while also explaining your position, you can encourage followers to interact with your business on social media while also building the trust of your most loyal customers, who likely feel the same way you do.
​

Lesson 3: You Don’t Have to Fight Every Battle, And You Don’t Have to Fight Anything Alone

While Ben & Jerry’s certainly doesn’t shy away from taking tough stances and big risks, they also don’t fight every battle.

When you know who you are and what you value, it’s easier to know what to say and when to say it. And your followers will better understand what to expect from you.

Ben and Jerry’s is passionate about social justice. On 4/20, they could have easily just posted a joke about Half Baked or ice cream being the perfect cure for the munchies!. But this are no ordinary ice cream brand.
​​
Instead they posted about racial disparities in arrest rates for marijuana and the importance of passing the MORE act.

Screenshot from Ben and Jerry's Instagram of the brand fighting for marijuana legislation.
Ben and Jerry's encourages Congress to pass the MORE act on Twitter.

 

They’re not out there taking on big tech or tweeting at particular politicians. But they are displaying their values in ways that make sense by informing their audience and urging them to action.

This is something that any business can do. By talking about issues that make sense for the values your brand represents, you can build a loyal and dedicated following. You might not get every sale, but your values have a way of breaking through even the most crowded media environment.

There are also plenty of ways to make your values relevant to your business, besides just talking about them on social media.
​

Screenshot of a Ben and Jerry's partnership post on their Instagram about a social justice partnership.

Partnerships with organizations or folks in your community can be a great way to share your values.

Partnerships can also be a powerful way to do so. In this example, Ben & Jerry’s partnered with an activist organization, a Black-owned coffee producer, and a Black artist to advocate for transforming the way we approach public safety.

These kinds of partnerships can be developed for any business.

If you’re a bank that values economic justice, partner with a local organization to help teach folks about financial literacy.

Maybe you’re a clothing brand passionate about supporting animal shelters – that’s awesome. Partner with a local artist to make a T-shirt and donate part of the proceeds to a local shelter.

Efforts like these will make it easier for you and your followers to stand up for what you believe in while also helping to amplify your presence in your community by bringing new people into your audience.

Overall, we can really learn a lot about how to share values on social media from seeing how pros like Ben & Jerry’s do it.

Their willingness to articulate and stick to their values permeates throughout their business, making them an active participant in important conversations, and a powerful ally to partners fighting for the same values.

Your business can do this too… if you want. And when you do so, your employees and your followers will love you all the more.

Looking for ways to further incorporate your values into your digital marketing program?

Let’s Talk!

May 19, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-05-19 05:00:002022-11-09 11:15:053 Lessons on Leaning Into Your Values From Ben And Jerry’s
Email, Politics

On The Dangers of Selling Your Email List (A Cautionary Tale)

Kevin Nicholson is running in the Republican primary to take on Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers in November.

In 2018 he ran in the Republican primary to take on Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin.

He didn’t win in 2018. His chances in 2022 are slim. Which is good – his politics are awful!

But he’s running for higher office in my home state of Wisconsin – so of course I’m on his email list. (It’s part of my civic duty as a Wisconsin Digital Strategist to pay attention to such things!)

His emails are boring. Run-of-the-mill copy-and-paste jobs screaming about the world ending and asking for $5 so he can fix it all. There are lots of big red buttons and 24 point fonts. Sign up for a dozen or so statewide Republican email programs and you can pretty much mix-and-match them amongst each other, just swapping names and logos.

But… because I’m a huge digital and political nerd, I like to track my emails as they work their way through an ever-widening group of shady characters. That’s right <<<GASP>>> lots of political campaigns sell their email lists to the highest bidder.

Scott Walker used the massive email list he built up throughout his thwarted Presidential campaign to help pay off his campaign debt. (You might recall he raised — and spent — a ton of money on his campaign, only to drop out before the Iowa primary.)

He sold that sucker to anyone — and everyone — with money to burn.

So yeah, for better or worse (and it’s definitely for worse) it’s common practice in politics to sell, rent and trade emails these days.

“Selling or swapping your campaign’s email list is an amateur move that demonstrates a fundamental lack of respect for your own supporters. When someone signs up to hear from your campaign, they’re placing their trust in you with the understanding that you’ll use their contact information responsibly. Handing their email address over to a consultant or another campaign is an unethical betrayal of that trust that reflects poorly on the candidate and their campaign operation.”

That’s according to Josh Nelson, the CEO of Civic Shout and a co-founder of The Juggernaut Project, two companies that help Democratic campaigns and progressive groups grow their opt-in email communities. He’s become a leading advocate in the space, publicly calling out bad actors with the aim of curbing such practices on both sides of the aisle.

But here’s the thing about selling your email list: along with being unethical, it can also be risky.

Which brings us back to Kevin Nicholson.
​

Tracking Your Email Address with Gmail

So most people don’t know this, but Google actually has a simple way to track your email address as it floats around the internet.

Let’s say your email is WisconsinPolitics@gmail.com. When you sign up for an email list, you can add a simple tracking tag to your email. Doing so is extremely easy. Just add a + after your name and a keyword or phrase you want to track. For example: WisconsinPolitics+ScottWalker@gmail.com.

Now anytime you get an email to that tracked version of your gmail address, it will actually be addressed not to WisconsinPolitics@gmail.com, but to WisconsinPolitics+ScottWalker@gmail.com. This makes it very easy to spot.

So in the case of Kevin Nicholson, my email doesn’t come to Josh, but to josh+nicholson.

How to track a gmail address

Pretty simple, right?

Pro tip: this even works with professional email addresses run via Workplace (or G Suite as it was once called).

So you could be SocialMedia@wisconsinpolitics.com. Simply add that + and now you’re SocialMedia+ScottWalker@wisconsinpolitics.com. It works exactly the same way.

So when I signed up for Kevin Nicholson’s email list, I did so using a gmail tracker.

It didn’t take long for me to start getting emails from questionable sources. But while the new senders were questionable, how they got my email address never was.

First it was Sheriff David Clarke. And it was brutal. Like so bad I’ll spare you screenshots. But yeah, it was bad.

Next up was the Wisconsin Conservative Digest. Never heard of them. Wish that was still the case.

They send me massive screeds poorly formatted and… let’s just say I’m not their target demo.

But then a few days ago, I got an email from them that I found interesting. Quite interesting in fact.

While they don’t seem to be outright endorsing him, they published a letter from Tim Michels… who is also running in the Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial primary.

So to clarify: Kevin Nicholson made a quick buck selling my email address… to a group that’s now openly promoting a candidate he’s running against.

You love to see it!

Why you shouldn't sell your political email list

That’s not just unethical, it’s also just bad politics.

So that’s my cautionary tale for you. Have any of your own to share? Hit me up on Twitter. I can’t get enough of this stuff.

If you are running for office — or know someone who is — my team and I help progressive candidates and campaigns find, hone and tell their stories online.

​Learn more about our work and hit us up today

April 28, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-04-28 19:04:172022-11-09 11:23:32On The Dangers of Selling Your Email List (A Cautionary Tale)
Politics

Zelensky Should Have Left a Few Senators in the Waiting Room

The Ukrainian Ambassador very intentionally asked each of us on the zoom to NOT share anything on social media during the meeting to protect the security of President Zelenskyy. Appalling and reckless ignorance by two US Senators. https://t.co/geolhKxbLp

— Rep. Dean Phillips □□ (@RepDeanPhillips) March 5, 2022

In case you missed it, this past weekend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with members of Congress on a Zoom call to ask for more US assistance in Ukraine’s ongoing siege from Russia.

During the call, he asked for the establishment of a no-fly zone over the country, more direct military assistance, and a ban on Russian oil.

While these are all difficult asks, Zelensky did have one request that should’ve been *extremely easy* for any member of Congress to agree to: please don’t share this meeting on social media until after it’s over, in order to help keep the beleaguered Ukrainian President safe.

Although the meeting was highly publicized, sharing photos or posts during the meeting could’ve provided information about Zelensky’s location, which might have put the freedom-fighting President’s life at real risk.

Despite this EXPLICIT warning – and the fact that politicians could’ve waited to score their social media points until after the meeting – a couple of Republican Senators just couldn’t help themselves. And of course one of their colleagues — two years into a pandemic — still hasn’t yet figured out how to mute his damn mic.

Now, we are firm believers that “if it didn’t happen on social media – it didn’t really happen.” But that rule kinda goes out the window when it’s a matter of life and death. You know? Especially when the person whose life you’re risking is the internationally-beloved, embattled leader who has reportedly already survived three assassination attempts in the past week.

On zoom call now with President Zelensky of #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/xhgbpIwVD9

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 5, 2022

Marco Rubio, in yet another desperate attempt at relevance, was the first to succumb to the urge to wrack up some of those sweet, sweet retweets. Since then, Rubio’s team has fired back at critics, saying, “There was no identifying information of any kind. Anybody pretending this tweet is a security concern is a partisan seeking clicks.” Maybe that’s true – or maybe it’s not. The only thing that really matters here is that President Zelensky’s team specifically asked Rubio and his colleagues not to tweet about it. And he did anyway.

The worst part about this in Rubio’s case is that he’s the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Meaning that Rubio should probably be a bit more sensitive to this type of request than almost any member of Congress.

Despite this, Rubio’s unquenchable thirst for social media fame just proved too strong a siren call to ignore.

Currently on a zoom call with President Zelenskyy. #StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/ZtGjyWITwN

— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) March 5, 2022

Rubio wasn’t alone though in endangering the life of President Zelensky. Not to be outdone, Senator Steve Daines of Montana quickly fired off a tweet as well.

Maybe Daines doesn’t like to follow instructions. Or maybe, he just had different marching orders. Because Daines was one of numerous Republican Senators who spent the 4th of July hanging out in Moscow back in 2018. He was of course joined by Wisconsin’s own Russian sympathizer, Ron Johnson.

At one point during his emotional presentation, Zelensky paused to ask one of the American lawmakers to mute themselves.
“Senator Rick Scott, please mute your mic,” he said. https://t.co/ElfsEAtQ4y

— Alan Rappeport (@arappeport) March 5, 2022

Meanwhile, while Rubio and Daines were setting off a tweetstorm with their ill-advised tweets, Rubio’s fellow Floridian Senator Rick Scott was just trying to figure out how mute his dang Zoom mic.

Perhaps Senator Scott should’ve spent less time working on his 11-point plan to turn America into a Hunger-Games-like dystopia and more time learning about the mysterious technology that is the Zoom mute button. (Pro tip: if you won’t be speaking much on a Zoom call, mute yourself and then simply use the space bar to unmute yourself as needed.)

Since we at Reverbal Communications love to give advice to political candidates and elected officials (it’s a big part of what we do – learn more here), here’s some advice for Senator Scott: Take some time to head down to The Villages in Florida and sign up for a Zoom intro course. Or better yet, just retire!

Ultimately, the moral of the story is this – while it’s always good to share what you’re up to with your followers, you don’t always have to do it in the moment. This is especially true when you’ve been asked by an ambassador of a country under siege to hold a moment on sending out those fire tweets.

In a time of absolute crisis and uncertainty, President Zelensky has come to be admired by many around the world as a fearless and inspirational leader – he’s a hero to his people and a symbol for the fight for democracy worldwide.

The least Republican Senators can do is give him the opportunity to speak openly with the US without the fear of another Russian attempt on taking his life.

Senators Rubio and Daines, with all due respect, both of you should please delete your accounts.

Thanks!

March 7, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-03-07 21:42:262022-11-09 11:25:13Zelensky Should Have Left a Few Senators in the Waiting Room
Politics

Scott Walker’s Truly Awful Take From the Dark Side

Last weekend, Scott Walker made a trip to Star Wars Galaxy Edge at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios. Maybe he went to pay homage to his childhood hero and personal role model Darth Vader. Maybe he just needed a way to fill the days while not serving as Wisconsin’s Governor.

While it’s not clear what he loves most about the leader of the evil empire – perhaps it’s his icy-cold cyborg personality or his lack of empathy for everyday people – we do know one thing: Scott Walker found inspiration lurking in the dark side.

That inspiration led Walker to take a moment from his tour to drop this ridiculous tweet.

This tweet is bad — on so many levels. Not only is he glorifying Ukrainian suffering – but he’s using that suffering to compare an illegitimate occupation from foreign forces with a border crisis largely manufactured by right-wing media and talking heads… like Walker himself. 

The people entering Ukraine are doing so with tanks and missiles. The people at our southern border are refugees looking for a better life. Needless to say, there’s not too much in common between those two groups.

Part of us wants to be thankful that Walker isn’t praising Putin like other Republicans (looking at you Trump and Tucker Carlson) – but nonetheless, this tweet is disgusting – even more so when you know it’s coming from the “most magical place on earth.”

For context his southern border tweet was sent just 3 hours after this tweet:

Have no fear though, just like in the galaxy far, far away, the dark side is strong, but the side of light and Resistance is stronger.

In this galaxy though, we fight not with lightsabers and lasers, but with quote tweets and Twitter dunks. We rounded up some of the best and most memorable smackdowns of this truly awful and absurd tweet for your enjoyment:
​

Calling out Walker’s past meetings with Russian spies

Ever wonder who funds the GOP empire? This Twitter user has answers.

​Trump doesn’t seem too willing to take up arms – we’re guessing Walker wouldn’t be either.

Twitter won’t let Walker forget about his failed bid for President.

This Twitter user thinks Walker needs a civics lesson. We agree.

Ukrainian freedom fighters and Republican “freedom fighters” are NOT the same.

pic.twitter.com/yWK2FzvBnu

— Jo Burchfield □ (@burchfieldjo) February 27, 2022

It’s hard to keep track of reality when you’re buzzing off the Disney Land vibes.

Scott might not take his arms to protect his country – but he sure did destroy that sandwich.

Thankfully, Scott Walker’s not too relevant these days, unless you’re a CPAC bro or someone pining for the old days of union busting up and the dismantling of Wisconsin’s working class.

And while we’d of course prefer to ignore Scott Walker for the rest of time and pretend he ever existed, it’s hard to witness this kind of disgusting politicization of a tragedy like the one unfolding in Ukraine and not get mad. So what choice is there but to point out the hypocrisy of someone like Scott Walker. Hopefully next time he takes a trip to the dark side, he can stay off the socials and just keep his bad takes to himself.

One more fun fact for you on this truly awful tweet: it currently has 1158 retweets. But of those, 971 are quotes tweets (just shy of 84%). That is just a whole other level of getting ratioed!

If anything in that previous paragraph is confusing to you, you should take my Super Twitterer course!

​And if you’re running for office or looking to help be a force for good in the world, get in touch! We help progressive campaigns, candidates and organizations find, hone and tell their stories online.

February 28, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-02-28 23:45:342022-11-09 11:32:40Scott Walker’s Truly Awful Take From the Dark Side
Politics

Senate Candidate Lucas Kunce and the Art of Authenticity

Lucas Kunce announced his campaign to flip Roy Blunt’s open Missouri Senate seat in March of 2021. His rapid rise to national renown and social media stardom has been nothing short of meteoric.

Within a little under a year, Kunce has amassed a Twitter following of over 47,000 followers and out-fundraised the entire Republican field in Missouri, totaling $2.5 million in contributions in 2021 and $710,000 in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone.

And he’s done all of that without accepting a single dollar from any corporate PAC. His average donation sits at just around  $38 dollars.
​
So how did Kunce pull this off? Authenticity.

These days, the writing on the wall is pretty clear. Most voters don’t want to elect politicians. They want to elect people that look like them, sound like them, and that resonate with their lived experiences. We find this to be especially true in rust belt states where voters have felt abandoned by career politicians and what they see as the Washington establishment.

Kunce and his campaign know that there’s a desire for authenticity and they’ve mobilized and centered their campaign around it. Their platform, messaging, and even the wording throughout their social media posts take the story of Kunce, a Marine veteran turned antitrust advocate, and use it to make real connections with the campaign’s supporters. (What’s an antitrust advocate you might ask – it’s someone fighting to end corporate monopolies and break up large corporations like big pharmaceutical companies.)

This path is not only working for Kunce, but charts a path forward for any other current or would-be candidate. Or really any organization trying to make a difference in the world! It serves as a reminder that we all have a story to tell that’s not only relevant, but also engaging. And honest. And doesn’t speak at the people but aims to connect with them! You just have to be sure you’re stepping up to
tell it.

To understand who Kunce, a first-time candidate who started his campaign with almost name ID, pulled off this impressive feat, let’s take a look at his top 10 tweets since announcing his candidacy — ranked by engagement — to see how he did it.

Calling out the insulin cartel – 36,602 engagements

The cost of insulin isn’t determined by supply and demand. It’s really just 3 companies setting a price based on how many deaths and amputations the market will bear until people start rioting.

Free market? That’s a cartel. And we should treat it like one.

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) September 17, 2021

An estimated 516,000 Missourians had doctor-diagnosed diabetes in 2020. This is a politically relevant constituency that has been paying too much for insulin for far too long.

Kunce is running as an antitrust candidate. He found his niche here by tying back his platform to an issue that’s relevant — and personal! — for many so Missourians. His social copy explains this issue in a way that’s easy to understand while also matching his authentic voice. No wonder this post had over 36,000 engagements!

Taking on a GOP Rival, mark McCloskey – 33,697 engagements

This guy is the GOP frontrunner in Missouri’s U.S. Senate race.

I’m the 13-year Marine officer and economic justice advocate building a grassroots movement to defeat him.

Chip in to help me flip this seat: https://t.co/x5UyXBSYve pic.twitter.com/SOcw3QjYtm

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) June 10, 2021

Remember this disturbing moment from the summer of 2020? Mark McCloskey and his wife, Patricia, paraded out of their mansion to wave an assault rifle and a handgun to “protect” themselves from peaceful Black Lives Matter protestors. Since then, they’ve been featured at the 2020 RNC and McCloskey has announced his candidacy for Senate.

Kunce was a Marine who used the same type of assault weapon in service to his country, not to stifle free speech. He sums up that distinction well in this tweet.

Masculine and pro-video games? – 23,411 engagements

While Josh Hawley worked at fancy law firms, I was a Marine. Guess what me and my buddies serving in Iraq and Afghanistan did between missions? We played video games.

So I don’t know what Joshua thinks about our “masculinity” — but I’m damn proud I served with these men. pic.twitter.com/2m3uQlskQe

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) November 9, 2021

Kunce isn’t much interested in the ridiculous ramblings of insurrection-inciting and Putin-supporting Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who’s very concerned about the effects of video games on male youth.

Kunce was able to come back to Hawley’s absurd claim with an authentic rebuttal that wasn’t just relatable, but also doubled down on his credentials. We think it was a pretty perfect response.

A challenge to mansion man Mccloskey – 20,986 engagements

Remember that clown who got his 15 minutes of fame threatening people with a weapon of war outside his mansion? You know, Mansion Man @Mark__McCloskey?

Well, I’m running against him for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat. And I want to teach him a lesson. pic.twitter.com/3UGaoXvD4p

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) June 9, 2021

Next, Kunce solves the age-old question for candidates in a battleground or red state. Do I shoot a gun on camera to show off my gun-toting creds, or not? Here, he takes a unique stance by rejecting the old trope of on-camera gunplay and instead challenging McCloskey to apologize to the people he threatened in exchange for a private weapons training class with Kunce himself.

He used this fun take to call out a rival and make a real statement in the process. Kunce doesn’t have to prove he knows how to use an assault rifle. He did it for 13 years on missions serving our country – not in a vapid show of support to the CPAC and NRA crowds.

Calling out politicians moonlighting as day traders – 15,215 engagements

This isn’t democracy. And it shouldn’t be legal. pic.twitter.com/kKLv8ErJ6m

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) October 17, 2021

With this tweet, Kunce joined many of his progressive counterparts in highlighting the undemocratic trend of politicians moonlighting as day traders. This is exactly the type of behavior that has turned off so many voters from politics. And Kunce knows it.

He calls out politicians on both sides of the aisle, furthering his antitrust bona fides, while also getting national press for helping to push an important issue.

Highlighting the hypocrisy of nation building – 14,023 engagements

$6.4 trillion spent on making defense contractors rich + nation building in someone else’s country never seemed to be a problem for these politicians. Now we can’t spend even half of that on nation building here at home?

Joe, that math doesn’t add up. https://t.co/QdDJngHhEy

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) September 13, 2021

Here, Kunce uses his background as a veteran to make a very powerful statement. The same politicians that were comfortable dumping trillions into a failed war won’t even budge on spending half that to build up our own country.

One of Kunce’s major pieces of his platform is a “Marshall Plan for the Midwest,” and he’s able to share it effectively online through his personal story and smart messaging.

kunce calls for nation building at home – 13,656 engagements

For 20 years, politicians, elites and military leaders lied to us about Afghanistan. I know because I was there.

Instead of spending $6.4 trillion to “nation build” in the Middle East, we should start nation building here. Read my @KCStar op-ed on this: https://t.co/Xjcwkj548B

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) August 23, 2021

Kunce continues this theme throughout his messaging and does so to great effect. His campaign has a clear hypothesis: Midwesterners, and particularly Missourians, have felt left behind by a government that is more worried about building overseas than here at home.

This type of sentiment has led to the rise of populist Republicans such as the orange menace himself. But Kunce, and many others like him, clearly believe it can be flipped into a message for Democrats looking to reconnect with middle-class voters who feel burned and abandoned by the Republican party.

Contrasting himself with another sleazy opponent, eric greitens – 10,312 engagements

I’m the 13-year Marine vet and antitrust advocate running to flip Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat. And this criminal is my top GOP opponent. Let’s just say Missourians are gonna have a real choice in this election. pic.twitter.com/dn9JakP7ar

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) August 2, 2021

While McClosky might be the most cartoonish candidate vying for the Republican nomination, his claim to the nomination is far from a lock. Eric Greitens, who’s most likely to be Kunce’s Republican opponent (despite his party’s best attempts to stop him), resigned as Missouri’s Governor in disgrace, after a disturbing history of intimidation, sexual assault and invasion of privacy came to light.

Missouri voters have yet to forget about his awful past, and the Kunce campaign wants to make sure it stays that way. ​

Easy to understand antitrust messaging – 10,054 engagements

They call this a “free market” — I call it a cartel. pic.twitter.com/59xy0NupJa

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) October 23, 2021

The price of insulin has surged in recent years, placing a life-and-death medication out of reach of far too many Americans. For Kunce, an antitrust advocate, this issue to ripe for the campaign trail. And he does a phenomenal job of taking what could be a very complex issue and making it simple and easy to understand.

Companies are working together to exploit the necessary health needs of Americans, which is something that Kunce won’t stand for. Along with over 10,000 people who engaged with this tweet.

advocating for investments in the us, not abroad – 8,023 engagements

D.C. just spent 20 years and trillions of dollars on nation building in someone else’s country without any “strategic pauses.” https://t.co/WbzrrlIB9i

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) September 3, 2021

As you’ve noticed, consistency is key when it comes to building authentic relationships with your followers. Kunce maintains — and leans into — the same set of stances on issues such as antitrust legislation and building up the middle class.

His social media presence shows that although political tides may change, Kunce and his values doesn’t. He’s still the same person – the Marine vet from Jeff City who’s going to fight for the working people of Missouri, not the millionaires and the billionaires.

Throughout Kunce’s tweets, we can see a clear image of Kunce as a candidate. He’s authentic and relatable to voters in Missouri — as well as donors and social media followers across the country — and while his message is definitely carefully crafted, it never comes off that way.

And here’s the thing: any candidate regardless of budget or experience can do this too. Speak how you actually speak, say what you’d actually say, fight for positions you actually care about… and above all else, tell your story.

If you need help doing it — hit us up! This is what we do here at Reverbal Communications. Together, we’ll help you and your campaign or organization find ways to share your story with your audience in ways that engage and inspire. Maybe we can even help you capture the same lightning-in-a-bottle energy that Kunce managed to pull off to turn himself into an overnight political star.

Learn More

February 23, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-02-23 22:58:212022-11-09 11:34:19Senate Candidate Lucas Kunce and the Art of Authenticity
Politics

Pete Souza’s Giving Dr. Ronny Jackson a Taste of His Own Medicine

Pete Souza tweeting about Dr. Ronny Jackson

Pete Souza is famous for being President Obama’s photographer. But he also served as the Chief Official White House Photographer for Ronald Reagan.

He wrote a book during the Trump years called “Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents,” where he rounded up all the phenomenal Shade he threw at Trump by comparing the bad news cycle of his day to great moments from President Obama’s administration. It’s a great book full of unbelievable photography — and hilarious snark — that takes the reader behind the scenes into some of the most intimate and powerful moments of the Obama Presidency, while also helping to clarify just what an unserious person his successor was.

After properly trolling DJT for some time, Souza has now formally turned his attention to Dr. Ronny Jackson, a Republican Congressman representing TX-13.

If you don’t know Dr. Ronny, it may seem odd that this world class photojournalist would bother spending so much energy tearing him down. But Dr. Ronny isn’t just any Congressperson – before getting elected to office in 2020, he served as White House physician to both Presidents Obama and Trump. 

He was very well liked by many members of Obama’s team – there’s definitely a lot of head scratching going on in Obamaland about what the heck happened to the guy.

If you’ve never heard his name, you might remember him as the guy who gushed that then-President Trump was in “excellent health” and that if he adjusted his diet, just a bit, he might just live to 200. 

This would have been hilarious if Ronny Jackson was just some Trump fanboi on Twitter. But of course he wasn’t – he was Trump’s official White House doctor. So instead of being funny, it was absurd, bordering on dangerous.

So yeah, Dr. Ronny went from a beloved member of Team Obama, to a drooling Trump sycophant to… a member of Congress?! And in his latter capacity, he has been working overtime to troll President Biden on Twitter as both physically and mentally unfit for office.

Is Dr. Ronny a hypocrite for helping promote the idea that President Trump was fit to serve another – checks note – 120 years(!!!), but that President Biden is somehow unfit for the job at hand? Yes. Yes he is.

And Pete Souza has the receipts to show just what a hypocrite Dr. Ronny really is.

Souza’s been sharing those receipts on Twitter for a while now, and his fire just continues to grow!

He’s got the stats, the stories, and a bunch of intimate shots to show just what a craven, hypocrite Dr. Ronny Jackson has become.

Each tweet from Souza should serve as a valuable warning to all Twitter trolls (whether or not they’re elected officials) – if you’re going to share awful, offensive views, don’t forget who knows where your skeletons are – especially if they’re a famous photographer with a substantial platform!

It’s been fun watching Souza eat Dr. Ronny’s lunch the last few months. And at some point, it just became too fun to not do a roundup. So here are some of Souza’s most popular digs, curated for your enjoyment:
​

Here’s Souza’s Questioning Dr. Ronny’s knowledge of the Bible

Hey Ronny, remember when we sat next to each other in the motorcade for eight years? You NEVER cited a Bible verse because you DIDN’T KNOW any. https://t.co/WQGbEjHppM

— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) September 19, 2021

​Here’s a time Souza caught Dr. Ronny in A compromising moment

Hey Ronny, this is you on a foreign trip. Asleep and hungover. https://t.co/K1ie6fLXnw pic.twitter.com/GrKqpVDsFl

— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) November 2, 2021

​Here’s Souza Calling out Dr. Ronny for being a little disconnected from reality…

Hey Ronny, from your hometown health department yesterday: “Of the 66 individuals in the ICU, 98.5% of them are unvaccinated. Of the 43 individuals on ventilators, 100% are unvaccinated.” Those are facts @RonnyJacksonTX pic.twitter.com/yDKWmmejux

— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) December 18, 2021

​Is It Dr. Ronny or Dr. Death?

Hey Ronny, aka Dr Death. Your district has the 14th highest per capita death rate for Covid out of all 435 congressional districts. Because of you and your misinformation. https://t.co/BXXjh0C3Jk

— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) December 5, 2021

Here’s Souza wondering why Dr. Ronny doesn’t seem to care about COVID… or his Constituents

Hey Ronny, there are 2,793 people from your congressional district that won’t be retweeting this because they died from Covid. @RonnyJacksonTX pic.twitter.com/FC0FtY97XU

— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) December 24, 2021

Hey Ronny, because of your Covid vaccine disinformation campaign, your district now has the 6th highest per capita death rate out of all 435 Congressional districts. @RonnyJacksonTX pic.twitter.com/IDAzXYneDa

— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) February 16, 2022

Dr. Ronny’s bad on President Biden (in genral) and awful on COVID. But he’s terrible on on lots of other topics too!

Hey Ronny, so glad to hear you’re finally in favor of social distancing. @RonnyJacksonTX pic.twitter.com/2y21RZ81aE

— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) February 20, 2022

These Tweets are of course just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Souza’s Twitter fire takes. But hopefully, they give you a taste of the fight that Souza’s been taking part in against Trump and his minions. If you want to see every one of Souza’s takedowns of Dr. Ronny, head here.

Any of your favorite Souza tweets not make the list? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know which ones moved you.

And since every good blog post should have a teachable moment or takeawayy, here’s one for you: Don’t be a troll on the internet, ESPECIALLY if you’ve got a bunch of skeletons hidden away in your closet!


Are you running for office? Or thinking about it? Let’s chat!

My team and I help progressive candidates, campaigns and organizations find, hone and tell their stories online.

Learn More

February 21, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-02-21 19:20:432022-11-09 11:36:30Pete Souza’s Giving Dr. Ronny Jackson a Taste of His Own Medicine
Politics, Twitter

The Internet Always Knows

Picture

In case you missed it, this week Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-01) got absolutely ratioed on Twitter for taking credit for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill… which of course she voted against. 

The worst part is that Hinson didn’t just quietly oppose the bill — which will bring hundreds of millions in federal funding to a project in her district — she absolutely railed against it, calling it a “socialist spending spree,” and “Washington gamesmanship.”

Why did she vote against a bill she apparently supports? Maybe she was too afraid of Donald Trump to vote for something she knew would help her constituents. Or maybe she doesn’t understand how voting works and thought she was actually supporting this important legislation. Or, maybe, she just thinks that voters are stupid and she could have it both ways — attacking Democrats for doing the hard work of legislating while also getting to take credit for the results.

While elected officials might have maybe gotten away with this type of behavior in a world pre-internet, there was no escaping the [much-deserved] Twitter roast that followed. 

To recap: Hinson didn’t just vote against this legislation, she worked hard to stop it from passing. Once passed, she headed to Twitter to take credit for it. Twitter responded!

Here are some fire responses to this absurd two-faced approach to legislation:

When you didn’t do anything on the group project, but still want to take credit for the work. https://t.co/FiclMw9O5r

— Congressman Chuy García (@RepChuyGarcia) January 20, 2022

This you? ? https://t.co/2jV64SyXVI pic.twitter.com/MEG6ewZqpE

— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) January 20, 2022

Narrator: But you voted against it! https://t.co/nNOAi1loZO

— Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) January 20, 2022

Tell the truth @RepAshleyHinson — you didn’t vote for this bill. You voted for a dam collapse. If you had your way your neighbors would be underwater. Thankfully, @HouseDemocrats passed this bill and we did your dam job. Give me a break. https://t.co/XKT3SyJ2f4

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) January 20, 2022

Who is WE?

You labeled the bill that gave you that money “socialist” and voted against it. Then called it “Washington Gamesmanship” when it passed.

YOU didn’t secure that money, Democrats did.

Typical Republican, trying to take credit for what others did. https://t.co/5qPlpd7BmI

— Jax Persists (@LadyJayPersists) January 21, 2022

With over 3,000 quote Tweets and counting (not to mention almost 19k responses!), there were plenty to choose from. 

Any of your favorites not make the list? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know. And as always, make sure to follow the golden rule of the internet – don’t be a hypocrite.

January 21, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-01-21 20:28:112022-11-09 11:58:04The Internet Always Knows
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