Panic is never a good look, especially in politics. No matter what you're feeling inside, leaders have to portray a sense of calm, lest everyone else freak out because whoever is leading can't hold themselves together. Leaders most effectively lead by example, and if that example is panic, well, that just inspires more panic.
In the fundraising game, however, the weak-willed want the panic. They need that "just on the edge of something happening or being prevented" anticipation that causes exhilaration. Emotion overrides logic, any emotion, every single time.
Of course, confident people don't panic. And Democrats right now are not confident people. Actually, they are confident they have a real need to panic. There isn't a single poll, not even from one of their friendly media outlets, showing Democrats doing well in next year's mid-term election. All signs point to humiliating rebukes of them and their agenda from coast to coast.
Given how you'd have to be living under a rock to not know that, Democrats have embraced the freak out visible on CNN and MSNBC in the hope of being able to overcome some of the wave heading their way with piles of cash.
Weirdly, the tone of some of these recent left-wing fundraising emails is akin to knowing there aren't enough lifeboats for all the passengers on a ship.
The first one comes with the subject line, "Why is everyone ignoring us?" Not exactly confidence-inducing, is it? From there, it's all downhill. "Derek, why is everyone ignoring us? WE TOLD YOU: CNN reported that Democrats might lose 4 Senate seats," it starts. "WE TOLD YOU: If we lose even ONE race, Mitch McConnell takes back power of the Senate. Biden's Presidency would be OVER. WE TOLD YOU: The only way to stop this disaster is to raise 32,000 donations by midnight to fund our proven voter turnout program. AND YET: Not a single LOCAL Democrat donated, and we're less than 4 hours from our deadline."
That's from a group called "Stop Republicans," a charming group of leftist grifters that regularly sends "urgent" emails with artificial deadlines and panicky, poorly written text.
They also sent one this week with the subject line, "begged. pleaded. totally failed..." From there, the hyperventilating starts.
"We failed to hit our November 30th hiring deadline," Stop Republicans writes. "So our accountants just gave us ONE LAST CHANCE to raise enough money to hire enough staff to save the Senate. We need to hit 35,0000 (sic) donations by Wednesday." Deadlines are, to the extent that they exist, irrelevant to how an organization operates. There are no Senate elections until next November, so what they do now has zero impact on anything. They just want money from dupes, and they've probably gotten it.
"If we fall short, we'll have to CANCEL our plans to deploy expert voter turnout teams to any of these Senate races," they cry. "Kiss the Majority GOODBYE." They really do write like a teenage girl sending text messages to a crush, punctuation, caps lock, and all.
Curiously, the very next day (all three of these emails were sent in successive days) an email shows up with the subject, "Goodbye, Derek."
It opens like the other two, word for word, actually, then it tries to turn up the fear. "Our first December hiring deadline is our last chance to turn things around," they say. "And we still need 24,402 donations. It's hard to see that happening unless we get AT LEAST 1 donation from your zip code today. If we fall short, we'll have to CANCEL our plans to deploy our expert voter turnout teams to any of these Senate races. Kiss the Majority GOODBYE. Derek, if you're reading this email right now, we need your help. Save Biden's Presidency! Will you donate $5 right now to SKYROCKET Democratic Voter Turnout and SAVE the Senate?"
The day before it was over because they'd missed a deadline, the next day they have a new deadline with a zip code-specific need. And the recipient can save the day, the Democratic Party, and our democracy for the low price of $5! You'd almost be a monster not to!
The saddest part of all of it is this garbage works. There are people who give their hard-earned money to these people. There really is a sucker born every minute, and the bigger the freak out, the bigger the con job.
Derek Hunter is the host of a free daily podcast (subscribe!), host of a daily radio show on WCBM in Maryland, and author of the book, Outrage, INC., which exposes how liberals use fear and hatred to manipulate the masses. Follow him on Twitter at @DerekAHunter.