On Thursday, Democratic Party officials held their first staff meeting since Hillary Clinton’s stunning loss to Donald Trump in the presidential race. It didn’t go well.
Donna Brazile, the interim leader of the Democratic National Committee, was giving what one attendee described as “a rip-roaring speech” to about 150 employees, about the need to have hope for wins going forward, when a staffer identified only as Zach stood up with a question.
“Why should we trust you as chair to lead us through this?” he asked, according to two people in the room. “You backed a flawed candidate, and your friend [former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz] plotted through this to support your own gain and yourself.”
Some DNC staffers started to boo and some told him to sit down. Brazile began to answer, but Zach had more to say.
“You are part of the problem,” he continued, blaming Brazile for clearing the path for Trump’s victory by siding with Clinton early on. “You and your friends will die of old age and I’m going to die from climate change. You and your friends let this happen, which is going to cut 40 years off my life expectancy.”
When this kid thinks about the Democrats, he now feels a weak aversive stimulus in the amygdala that is set off by the Democrat Establishment. That is a small cognitive wedge, making him uncomfortable when the subject comes up. A wise cognitive scientist would utilize that wedge, kindling the spark into a roaring inferno, and then attaching it to what he wants that kid to hate.
Now is when the young Bernie-lovers could be split from establishment Democrats. Combine their rage at the Democrat Establishment, with the idea that Donald is the anti-establishment renegade the entire establishment hates. Highlight how the establishment uses them and screws them. Show that the Republican Establishment and the Democrat Establishment are the same thing, and both hate Donald, who is himself bent on their destruction.
Then make them feel that adopting certain Conservative ideals like limited government to reduce corruption would be the ultimate payback to the corrupt bastards who screwed Bernie, and them. Pitch them by attacking the real corrupt elites. Reach out to them by helping them legislatively unrig the Democrat primary and stop the voter fraud. Help them take power from the elites who screwed them.
Get the amygdala pathways hating conservatism deactivated, even if just temporarily, through an alliance against greater common enemies.
Then, gradually sell them on the principles which drive us, and the evils of the big government which rigs everything.
The amygdala-linkages you could create, and use to motivate, are nearly limitless at this moment in time.
