« No one new fact or episode or revelation, no matter how well packaged and communicated, will drop Trump’s approval so far that Republicans will turn on him in unison. It just doesn’t work that way.
But that doesn’t mean that nothing matters. So frustrating as it is, the only way to proceed in politics is to chip away at the margins. The good news? Each little bit can make a huge difference in real-life results. Even if we don’t get to know which particular piece of information cause which marginal change in the president’s popularity and which change in popularity affected which decision by the bureaucracy, or members of Congress, or state governments, or private organizations. »
— Political scientist Jonathan Bernstein at Substack. (archived)
Don't count on some magic bulldozer to make MAGA collapse. Things seldom happen that way. We need to keep chipping away at the monolith in ways that will make a difference. Visualize those West Berliners using hand tools to pick away at the Berlin Wall in 1989. The circumstances were different but it's a good metaphor to keep in mind.
Chipping away in ways that undermine GOP backing for Trump are the most effective ways. The Trump-Epstein scandal, healthcare, and Trumpflation are all particularly useful issues.
On a local level, find out what concerns your neighbors most. Let them do most of the talking without you asking leading questions. We need to find out what the grass roots are thinking so that we can refine our message.
In short, think of this as a marathon rather than a sprint and don't let the occasional setback deter you. The other side focused on overturning Roe v. Wade for 49 years before accomplishing their goal. We need to learn from their persistence and focus while not getting distracted by minor differences among ourselves.
