Deconstructed Podcast: Why Dems Must Play “Chess, Not Checkers” With Political Messaging

Today, we’re sharing an episode of the podcast Deconstructed with Ryan Grim, D.C. bureau chief of The Intercept, an award-winning investigative news organization.   In this episode, Grim,  speaks with communications consultant Anat Shenker-Osorio, host of the podcast Words to Win, and whose company ASO Communications works with progressive think tanks like the Voting Rights Lab. Grim and Shenker-Osorio discuss why progressive messages often succeed while moderate messages typically fail, and how strategists can meaningfully reframe an ideological conversation to craft a message that resonates and wins.  They also revisit Ryan’s conversation with tech executive and political strategist Dmitri Mehlhorn, who made news last May for helping finance E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against former president Donald Trump. Grim and Shenker-Osorio unpack why messaging that gravitates toward the center is less effective than messages that challenge entrenched power.  Links:The May 6, 2023 Deconstructed episode with Dmitri MehlhornIf you like Lever Time with David Sirota, be sure to check out Deconstructed on all podcast platforms and subscribe. A transcript of this episode is available here.