Why are we so gullible?

[KPN]

19. Yup. It seems quite obvious to me that, as a whole, we are quite ineffective in countering

the non-stop smear and misdirection that overwhelms every form of media. We react as opposed to act. That's why AOC and Bernie have been so refreshing. They consistently put the rightists in a defensive position. AOC is particularly good at this.

An recent example of how we engage: did we hear any concerted effort to point out that the $15 minimum wage is barely adequate in Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, etc., to keep millions of Americans afloat, let alone CA, MA, NY, WA OR and other red States? Why wasn't this a primary talking point from the get go?! The "disparate cost of living across States" red herring argument, followed by the "another one of those dumb, simplistic leftist ideas by Democrats" argument were both predictable. Why didn't we diffuse them from the get go? No, we let them raise the issue and then countered with policy adjustments because their argument took root.

We absolutely have to get batter at messaging and putting the righties on the defensive immediately when it comes to policy proposals. We need a "messaging" arm in the Democratic Party. Do we have anything like that?