Hello Merge Tag: Where Social Media and Politics Intersect

“It doesn’t feel like you’re joining a community, it feels like you’re joining a list.” On February 1st, the DNC will elect new leadership. Those elected will be tasked with leading the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. They will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. Along with interviewing several candidates for DNC Chair, I also reached out to folks running for other DNC leadership positions. Today, we’re checking in with one of those candidates. Tim Lim is a lifelong Democratic activist who serves as board treasurer for Run For Something, founded Blue Digital Exchange (a trade association for progressive digital professionals who work in the political, non-profit, and advocacy spaces), was a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive and is the President and Founder of Precision Network. He’s worked at Change.org and he ran the Washington, DC office for Grossman Marketing Group. He’s also served on the National Finance Committee for the last four presidential campaigns. Honestly, his resume is immense. This list goes on and on. He's currently running for DNC National Finance Chair. I invited him on the pod to hear specifically about the role he envisions digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. Throughout our conversation, we spoke about The importance of accountability, transparency and connection.Deplatforming bad faith actors who are making the environment untenable for everyone elseWhy he wants to bring the National Finance Committee and the grassroots fundraising program under one roofWhat lessons the DNC can incorporate from Run For SomethingWhy this is the time for painful conversationsThe importance of finding a home for everyone who wants to get involved in the party, regardless of how much money they have to donateAnd a whole lot more Listen to our full conversation at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

On February 1st, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will elect a new chair to replace outgoing party chair Jamie Harrison. The next DNC chair will lead the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. This person will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. I reached out to the DNC Chair candidates and invited them to join me on the pod to discuss the role they envision digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. While not all are able to participate, I’m happy to share conversations with the candidates who accepted my invitation. I checked in with Faiz Shakir. Shakir is an American political advisor, who's served as Senior Advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders and Executive Director of More Perfect Union. He’s previously worked with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Senator Harry Reid, ThinkProgress and the ACLU. He's currently running for DNC Chair. I invited him on the pod to hear specifically about the role he envisions digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. Throughout our conversation, we talked about: His vision for the position (that of editor-in-chief)The importance of investing in YouTubeWhy the party needs to meet everyone where they areThe role of the party in building communities that can increase civic engagementThe importance of strengthening the Democratic brand as a party that fights for working-class peopleAnd a whole lot more. Listen to our full conversation at HelloMergeTag.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

On February 1st, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will elect a new chair to replace outgoing party chair Jamie Harrison. The next DNC chair will lead the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. This person will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. I reached out to the DNC Chair candidates and invited them to join me on the pod to discuss the role they envision digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. While not all are able to participate, I’m happy to share conversations with the candidates who accepted my invitation. I checked in with Jason Paul. Jason Paul is an attorney and political strategist from Newton, Massachusetts. He has worked winning campaigns across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine. He is also the author of Trench Warfare Politics in the Tinder Era, a book that explores the current political landscape and outlines pathways for progress.  We talked about DCCC fundraising, what it would mean for the party to exert more control over ActBlue, why we need better research within our party and a whole lot more. Find links and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

On February 1st, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will elect a new chair to replace outgoing party chair Jamie Harrison. The next DNC chair will lead the Democratic Party at a critical time, as they work to rebuild while Republicans control every level of the federal government. This person will oversee fundraising and operations, but they will also play a key role in shaping the strategy and outlining the vision for what the party should be and how it should allocate its time, energy, and resources. I reached out to the DNC Chair candidates and invited them to join me on the pod to discuss the role they envision digital strategy playing in the future of the Democratic Party. While not all are able to participate, I’m happy to share conversations with the candidates who accepted my invitation. My first conversation was with Nate Snyder. Nate Snyder is a union organizer, grassroots professional, counter-terrorism expert, professor, voter protection advisor, and crisis manager who served as Chief of Staff for the Office of Partnership & Engagement at the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden/Harris Administration. We talked about dis- and misinformation, extremism, the TikTok ban, the modern-day robber barons and a whole lot more. Find links and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

In this episode, I'm joined by Wisconsin State Representative Francesca Hong and her Chief of Staff, Nada Elmikashfi. Full disclosure: I have the pleasure of serving as Rep Hong’s digital director.  But even if I didn’t, I’d be tuned in. They are two of the strongest progressive voices currently active in Wisconsin politics. Rep Hong, along with being a chef and a community organizer, is also the first Asian-American to ever be elected to the Wisconsin legislature. In January, that caucus will grow from 1 to 3. So that’s exciting. But for the last 4 years, it’s just been her. Nada is an activist, a thought leader, an organizer, as well as a first-generation American, born in Sudan.  Together, they have been champions for working people, helped draft the Economic Justice Bill Of Rights, and been unrelenting progressive forces on a long list of issues working their way through the Wisconsin State Capitol.  To say that both of these very strong women stand out in the halls of our government would be quite an understatement. I invited them on the pod to talk about the role — and possibly the responsibility — they feel to be representatives for their communities, both on social media and in real life. Find links to relevant articles, social handles and more at hellomergetag.com.

Sarah Keyeski is a mental health care provider, a mom and this past cycle, she was a first-time political candidate. She ran for State Senate in Wisconsin against an incumbent who's been an elected official in her community since 1991 — and Sarah won! Emily Tseffos is a former educator, a community advocate and a mom who ran for office in an extremely Republican district. While she didn’t win, she ran a hell of a race and made impressive and significant inroads into a community not used to being organized. Full disclosure: I had the privilege to work with both of these candidates throughout their campaigns.  But I invited Sarah and Emily onto the podcast because they didn’t just run strong races—they also executed inspired digital programs. We dive into how they approached digital strategy, especially as it related to their field programs, what they learned along the way, and their advice for future candidates. In this conversation, we also explored: The power of social media to cut through the noise and build real connectionsHow social media can connect the dots to help explain why things are the way they areThe importance of going beyond the soundbite"The Schitt's Creek Protocol" And so much more Find links to their social channels and more at hellomergetag.com. ----- Big thanks to our sponsor Civic Shout. Learn more about the great work they're doing to help Democratic campaigns and progressive nonprofits build their lists ethically at civicshout.com/partners.

I've been posting pretty much daily to TikTok for two years. I've built up a bit of a following in the process. I also write thefyp.news, a weekly pop-up newsletter from FWIW spotlighting the top political content, creators, and trends on TikTok ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election.  After my first year posting, I wrote a blog post. You can find that here. Now that I'm 2 years in, I pulled together 12 takeaways — some new, some less so — of things I've learned about this important, but complicated platform. Listen to all episodes of Hello Merge Tag at hellomergetag.com or wherever you stream podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsor Civic Shout. Learn more about how they're helping Democratic campaigns and progressive nonprofits build their lists ethically at civicshout.com/partners.

Tareq Alani is a product leader who operates at the intersection of media, technology, and civic engagement. He is a Co-Founder at Chorus AI, where he leads product and growth. Chorus AI was designed to transform the way nonprofits and campaigns engage with media and content creation. Before Chorus AI, Tareq co-founded and served as the Chief Product Officer of PushBlack, the largest non-profit media company for Black Americans. While there, he spearheaded reader revenue efforts, generating more than $5M between 2017 and 2022. He also developed PushBlack’s groundbreaking voter engagement program, which in 2020 reached 70% of Black Americans online and generated 230M peer-to-peer voting messages, making it the largest digital voter turnout program of its kind. Throughout the conversation, we covered: How he got into the fieldWhy politics can’t just be transactionalHow Chorus AI is approaching AI as a tool to help progressive campaigns and organizations do moreHow they’re building their tech in a way that’s in line with their valuesWhat sets them apart from the more household names in AIThe important of social listening and how AI can help organizations get more done with lessOther AI tools he’s excited aboutWhat he thinks the future looks like for AI, and tech in generalWhat the media looks like in an AI driven futureAnd so much more! For links and more, head to hellomergetag.com.

Hunter Schwarz, founder of YELLO, discusses the unique newsletter covering politics, art, branding, and design. He explores the challenges of reaching voters in a fractured media landscape and shares insights on font choices, campaign rallies, and more.

Dan Pfeiffer, progressive messaging expert, discusses the importance of trusted messengers and involving everyone in the election process. Emphasizes the need to narrow the news chasm between what is happening and the voters. Touches on strategies for empowering local advocates, Democratic brand and media strategy, campaign infrastructure transitions, and launching of Anxiety Relief Fund and Volunteer Recruitment Campaign.