Democrats, at least in fundraising attempts, love a good panic. People in an emotional state are easy to manipulate – it’s why riots from Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA were tolerated by the left, no matter how much damage they did to various cities or the country – and Democrats love keeping their voters in an emotional state just this side of setting themselves on fire (sometimes they fail at that: see Wynn Bruce or James Hodgkinson). No one understands this better than Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi may not have started the idea of panic porn, but she has perfected it, at least from a fundraising perspective. Others take it too far, which means to the point of absurdity, but Nancy knows where the line is and always stays just shy of it.
One example of not knowing how to manipulate leftist drones was on display from the left-wing grifter group called the Democratic Strategy Institute. They sent out an email this week rife with pearl-clutching panic. “Stacey Abrams: Closes Up Shop?!?” the subject line read. From that point, right at the start, it takes a special kind of stupid to bother reading it. If the leading Democrat running for governor in Georgia had quit the race, you likely would have heard about it. Yet, for reasons known only to them, the DSI thinks this will cause their fellow leftists not only to open the email but immediately reach for their credit cards.
Maybe it works, lord knows a lot of the leftist groups send a lot of emails with a defeatist headline and a panicked body, so someone must be getting cash. This DSI email declares, “Republicans are TERRIFIED of Stacey Abrams. They know if she becomes Governor of Georgia, it’ll be a massive referendum on Joe Biden’s Democratic Party. That’s why they passed a law blocking her from fundraising. And it was just upheld in court! UGH. Without 50,000 Democrats backing Stacey, we can kiss her campaign and kiss this race and our Democratic control in Georgia GOODBYE!” Then they ask readers to “sign a petition” to stop this which, were it not a scam to get people to donate, would serve zero purpose whatsoever.
Honestly, no petition has any impact at all on election issues, it’s just a way to get you further down the rabbit hole toward possibly giving them money.
Nancy Pelosi doesn’t need to go that route, she knows what she’s doing. Pelosi, unlike fly-by-night groups looking to get people rich, knows how to get into people’s wallets without them feeling like they’ve been conned.
Pelosi’s email opens, “I hate to alarm you -- but our Democratic House Majority just fell into deep danger. And I’m calling for your immediate $3 to help save it. I need you to understand, Derek: -- Our House Majority is RAZOR-thin -- Republicans only need to flip FIVE seats to take it -- And I just watched our polling lead EVAPORATE into thin air. Republicans have caught up to us in the polls -- we are NECK AND NECK in the race for the House Majority. I know I ask a lot of you, but this is quite possibly my most urgent ask: Will you rush an immediate $3 to defend my House Democrats? I’m asking because our ability to compete with the GOP’s fundraising haul could determine our chances of HOLDING the House Majority and locking the Republicans out of power.”
Pelosi is a pro. She sets a realistic table of information there, not a screaming “WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO STOP RUNNING OUR CAMPAIGNS IF YOU DON’T GIVE US YOUR MONEY!” email everyone can see through. She has just the right amount of panic couched as urgency. There is no fire, there is no imminent destruction awaiting, just an important ask to fend off something those people fear. It’s a masterclass in manipulation.
Honestly, without emotional manipulation, why would anyone who isn’t a major lobbyist, corporate fat cat, or generally rich person ever give these people money? Nancy Pelosi is worth about $300 million, most of which was amassed while she was a “public servant.” If her supporters stop to think about that for a second, they’d never give her another dime. She and her fellow Democrats need to keep their base in an emotional tizzy so they won’t even consider thinking about their own corrupt leadership.