Hello! I got back from Des Moines this morning, where I saw friends old and new:
Driving around Des Moines even briefly was a trip down memory lane. I saw the ice rink where we hosted Weezer and hundreds of supporters from around the country for Yangapalooza almost exactly two years ago. I saw the park on the way to Wells Fargo Arena where I stopped to rouse volunteers before speaking at the Liberty and Justice dinner for a crowd of thousands.
Most importantly, I met with staffers and precinct captains who had come to Iowa to fight for a vision of the country that centers on people.
One woman who came to my book talk said, “Thank you for coming back. And thank you for caring about the ordinary person like me.”
I’m glad I went back; I spent so much time there that it would feel odd not to return. My kids associate Iowa with fun in the snow and the science center where they let you actually saw things in half.
My trip to Iowa was a reminder of how great it is to reconnect with people. It’s the main reason why I’m eager to add dates to the Forward Tour – we will be announcing more cities shortly! We have already added an event in New York City on November 13th ([link removed]) – that’s a Saturday if a trip to New York is appealing.
This week on the podcast ([link removed]) Zach and I talked about something that I think is on a lot of people’s minds – the media. It’s a pretty big theme in my new book; 69% of Democrats trust the media, but only 36% of Independents and 15% of Republicans. It may be one of the defining elements of the parties at this point.
In Forward, I write about the different media incentives that push organizations to be more polarized in their news coverage. Ariana Pekary, an MSNBC producer, noted that they were more likely to show images of flames and violence, and they’d cut away if an event was peaceful. I also write about the demise of thousands of local papers, and social media rewarding sensationalism and giving rise to different versions of the truth.
On the podcast this week we discuss issues that touch cable news in particular: too much time to fill, a visual medium, a tone of judgment, Twitter narratives, etc.
One of the reasons I think so many people are pessimistic about the future of American democracy is that people are discouraged about the state of media. A friend of mine asked, “Where do I go for information I can trust?”
I started the Forward Party because I believe we need a new positive, unifying force in American politics that counteracts the polarization that threatens to tear us apart. We have many exciting efforts coming up – please join up to volunteer ([link removed]) today!
But I also believe that we need an analogous positive, unifying force in the media. Messages that lift people up and also instill – and earn – a sense of trust. Indeed, this force in the media would make the political movement much more likely to grow and succeed.
These may be the two great projects of this time. I don’t know about you, but I’m eager to get to work.
- Andrew
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