Offline with Jon Favreau Democrats Need to Care About Getting Attention
28 snips
Oct 25, 2025 
Chris Hayes, MSNBC host and author of The Siren’s Call, dives into the pitfalls of Democratic strategies in an attention-driven world. He argues that campaigns focus too much on fundraising and risk aversion, stifling visibility. Hayes contrasts paid and earned media, highlighting the decline of traditional ads. He praises innovative communicators like Zohran Mamdani for cutting through the noise without controversy. The discussion touches on how candidates need charisma and frequent media presence to engage voters, especially leading up to 2028.
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Message Fails Without Attention
- Kamala Harris’s main problem in 2024 was failing to get enough people to hear her message rather than the message itself.
- If voters never see your message, its quality becomes irrelevant at scale.
Balance Paid Ads With Earned Media
- Treat paid ads and earned media differently and invest in both as the landscape changes.
- Build earned-media strategies to reach audiences who no longer watch local TV ads.
Attention Shifts Open New Channels
- The paid-ad model still works but is degrading and will adapt into new channels like streaming and TikTok.
- Candidates good at earning attention can bypass some funding disadvantages.
