Leslie Grayson
@lesliegrayson.bsky.social
Progressive communicator, VP of Messaging at the Dover Group, lover of freedom and plain speech
@gavinnewsom.bsky.social, still think this is "just a distraction"?
🚨A U.S. born citizen was arrested in Florida for entering the state as an “unauthorized alien.” His mother and a community advocate showed his birth certificate during a hearing in Leon County. The judge said she had no authority to release him.
April 17, 2025 at 6:49 PM
@gavinnewsom.bsky.social, still think this is "just a distraction"?
Hey 👋
Please stop what you're doing and watch this.
Please stop what you're doing and watch this.
#ICYMI Check out yesterday's conversation between @anatosaurus.bsky.social and @mikepod.bsky.social on Fascism and the English Language.
Full convo here:
www.weekendreading.net/p/fascism-an...
Full convo here:
www.weekendreading.net/p/fascism-an...
Fascism and the English Language
A conversation with Anat Shenker-Osorio
www.weekendreading.net
April 17, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Hey 👋
Please stop what you're doing and watch this.
Please stop what you're doing and watch this.
Thank you, @vanhollen.senate.gov
*Every* Senate and House Democrat should be boarding the plane with you.
Please take note, @schumer.senate.gov and @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social
*Every* Senate and House Democrat should be boarding the plane with you.
Please take note, @schumer.senate.gov and @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social
I’m about to board my flight to El Salvador, where I hope to meet with senior government officials to discuss the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
I also hope to see Kilmar and check on his condition — and remind him that we won’t stop fighting until he’s home.
I also hope to see Kilmar and check on his condition — and remind him that we won’t stop fighting until he’s home.
Headed to El Salvador to meet with government officials and discuss return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
YouTube video by Senator Chris Van Hollen
youtube.com
April 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Thank you, @vanhollen.senate.gov
*Every* Senate and House Democrat should be boarding the plane with you.
Please take note, @schumer.senate.gov and @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social
*Every* Senate and House Democrat should be boarding the plane with you.
Please take note, @schumer.senate.gov and @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social
Listen up, Democratic communicators:
IN:
regime, regime of the bullies for the billionaires
fascist power grab, hostile takeover
abduction, disappearing
OUT:
Trump government or administration
Constitutional crisis, government overreach
deportation, arrests
Thanks, @anatosaurus.bsky.social
IN:
regime, regime of the bullies for the billionaires
fascist power grab, hostile takeover
abduction, disappearing
OUT:
Trump government or administration
Constitutional crisis, government overreach
deportation, arrests
Thanks, @anatosaurus.bsky.social
Fascism and the English Language:
As the MAGA regime’s ongoing assault on our lives and our loved ones ramps up, many of us feel tongue-tied - at a loss for the words to express what is happening, let alone marshal resistance to it.
As the MAGA regime’s ongoing assault on our lives and our loved ones ramps up, many of us feel tongue-tied - at a loss for the words to express what is happening, let alone marshal resistance to it.
April 16, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Listen up, Democratic communicators:
IN:
regime, regime of the bullies for the billionaires
fascist power grab, hostile takeover
abduction, disappearing
OUT:
Trump government or administration
Constitutional crisis, government overreach
deportation, arrests
Thanks, @anatosaurus.bsky.social
IN:
regime, regime of the bullies for the billionaires
fascist power grab, hostile takeover
abduction, disappearing
OUT:
Trump government or administration
Constitutional crisis, government overreach
deportation, arrests
Thanks, @anatosaurus.bsky.social
This is so important! Messengers, we have to get this right---read this full thread from @anatosaurus.bsky.social
Center-left response to all things tariff is case study in messaging mis-steps. 2 dominant narratives I saw emerge - were "tariffs are bad and 401Ks are bleeding" and "Trump has a point." As if those two bad choices were the only options. 🧵
April 10, 2025 at 2:39 AM
This is so important! Messengers, we have to get this right---read this full thread from @anatosaurus.bsky.social
April 5, 2025 at 10:56 PM
If you're shaking your head and wondering why American voters chose this when *we knew what would happen*, read Heather McGhee's book "The Sum of Us."
Tldr: Many white people would rather *no one* have nice things if people of color might have them too.
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Tldr: Many white people would rather *no one* have nice things if people of color might have them too.
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
bookshop.org
April 4, 2025 at 7:11 PM
If you're shaking your head and wondering why American voters chose this when *we knew what would happen*, read Heather McGhee's book "The Sum of Us."
Tldr: Many white people would rather *no one* have nice things if people of color might have them too.
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Tldr: Many white people would rather *no one* have nice things if people of color might have them too.
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Omg. As a Gen X Dem, I am loving this ... even though it's absolutely terrible (and true).
April 4, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Omg. As a Gen X Dem, I am loving this ... even though it's absolutely terrible (and true).
NO
In exchange for keeping the government open, Republicans are demanding:
-cuts to the programs that run Head Start and Community Health Centers
-$12 billion increase to defense
-$3.5 billion increase to DHS
-Congress relinquish some of its tariff oversight to Trump
-DC enact immediate budget cuts
-cuts to the programs that run Head Start and Community Health Centers
-$12 billion increase to defense
-$3.5 billion increase to DHS
-Congress relinquish some of its tariff oversight to Trump
-DC enact immediate budget cuts
March 13, 2025 at 4:41 PM
NO
Me either. We have *no reason* to carry their water.
Thank you, @piperformissouri.bsky.social
Thank you, @piperformissouri.bsky.social
I don't want any Democrat to work with any Republican on any Trump agenda item.
We don't negotiate with terrorists.
We don't negotiate with terrorists.
March 13, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Me either. We have *no reason* to carry their water.
Thank you, @piperformissouri.bsky.social
Thank you, @piperformissouri.bsky.social
Reposted by Leslie Grayson
Trump and Musk think they can erase women's achievements from history by erasing images from the DOD database--like this image of female air traffic controllers during the Korean War.
Nope.
We’re in this fight, and we won’t be silenced.
#WomensHistoryMonth
apnews.com/article/dei-...
Nope.
We’re in this fight, and we won’t be silenced.
#WomensHistoryMonth
apnews.com/article/dei-...
March 12, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Trump and Musk think they can erase women's achievements from history by erasing images from the DOD database--like this image of female air traffic controllers during the Korean War.
Nope.
We’re in this fight, and we won’t be silenced.
#WomensHistoryMonth
apnews.com/article/dei-...
Nope.
We’re in this fight, and we won’t be silenced.
#WomensHistoryMonth
apnews.com/article/dei-...
Fellow Dem consultants, please stop advising candidates to do "Republican lite" messaging. When we do this, we are carrying water for MAGA. And .... it doesn't help us win.
Thanks, @anatosaurus.bsky.social !
Thanks, @anatosaurus.bsky.social !
Somehow missed this 2022 UK paper exploring responses to radical right parties (RRP) and whether accommodation - i.e. "beat" them by repeating a version of their tale actually worked electorally.
Short version: Nope.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Short version: Nope.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Does accommodation work? Mainstream party strategies and the success of radical right parties | Political Science Research and Methods | Cambridge Core
Does accommodation work? Mainstream party strategies and the success of radical right parties - Volume 11 Issue 1
www.cambridge.org
March 12, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Fellow Dem consultants, please stop advising candidates to do "Republican lite" messaging. When we do this, we are carrying water for MAGA. And .... it doesn't help us win.
Thanks, @anatosaurus.bsky.social !
Thanks, @anatosaurus.bsky.social !
Folks. You are making it easier for Trump, Musk, and all their GOP enablers to ruin our lives.
Stop it. Do better.
@houlahan.house.gov, @bera.house.gov, @repmarcykaptur.bsky.social, @repmoskowitz.bsky.social, @gluesenkampperez.house.gov, @reptomsuozzi.bsky.social
Stop it. Do better.
@houlahan.house.gov, @bera.house.gov, @repmarcykaptur.bsky.social, @repmoskowitz.bsky.social, @gluesenkampperez.house.gov, @reptomsuozzi.bsky.social
Ten Democrats voted to censure their colleague Al Green. Here are their names:
Ami Bera, Calif.; Ed Case, Hawaii; Jim Costa, Calif.; Laura Gillen, N.Y.; Jim Himes, Conn.; Chrissy Houlahan, Pa.; Marcy Kaptur, Ohio; Jared Moskowitz, Fla.; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Wash.; and Tom Suozzi, N.Y.
Ami Bera, Calif.; Ed Case, Hawaii; Jim Costa, Calif.; Laura Gillen, N.Y.; Jim Himes, Conn.; Chrissy Houlahan, Pa.; Marcy Kaptur, Ohio; Jared Moskowitz, Fla.; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Wash.; and Tom Suozzi, N.Y.
March 6, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Folks. You are making it easier for Trump, Musk, and all their GOP enablers to ruin our lives.
Stop it. Do better.
@houlahan.house.gov, @bera.house.gov, @repmarcykaptur.bsky.social, @repmoskowitz.bsky.social, @gluesenkampperez.house.gov, @reptomsuozzi.bsky.social
Stop it. Do better.
@houlahan.house.gov, @bera.house.gov, @repmarcykaptur.bsky.social, @repmoskowitz.bsky.social, @gluesenkampperez.house.gov, @reptomsuozzi.bsky.social
Words matter.
Stop calling Republicans who slavishly back Trump "strong."
"...police responded to a call about an alleged assault at an apartment where Cory Mills, a FL Republican and strong Donald Trump ally, resides."
They're terrified of him. They're weak, cowed, craven bootlickers. They're not strong.
"...police responded to a call about an alleged assault at an apartment where Cory Mills, a FL Republican and strong Donald Trump ally, resides."
They're terrified of him. They're weak, cowed, craven bootlickers. They're not strong.
Law and Order for Some
An unsigned arrest warrant for a Republican congressman reveals the unequal pursuit of justice in Washington, D.C.
www.theatlantic.com
February 26, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Words matter.
We cannot stop saying what this is -- a U.S. run concentration camp.
The point of the Guantanamo camp was never that some immigrants were too dangerous to remain stateside. It was to *give the impression* that such dangerous immigrants existed and had been detained — which is exactly how Guantanamo was used after 2001.
Three migrants sent to Guantánamo said they were denied calls to loved ones, subjected to humiliating strip searches and left in isolation for prolonged periods.
February 25, 2025 at 8:14 PM
We cannot stop saying what this is -- a U.S. run concentration camp.
TFW you realize that when you say you're acting like Nazis, people understand that you are indeed acting like the Nazis.
February 25, 2025 at 6:02 PM
TFW you realize that when you say you're acting like Nazis, people understand that you are indeed acting like the Nazis.
Yes, @rachelbitecofer.bsky.social is spot on.
Please do not repeat MAGA false claims. Ever.
It reinforces their lies, even when you say they're not true after you repeat them.
Please do not repeat MAGA false claims. Ever.
It reinforces their lies, even when you say they're not true after you repeat them.
Dear media,
They aren’t “cutting waste, fraud, and abuse” they are cutting programs and agencies they disagree with ideologically.
DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS and stop parroting their talking points.
They aren’t “cutting waste, fraud, and abuse” they are cutting programs and agencies they disagree with ideologically.
DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS and stop parroting their talking points.
February 24, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Yes, @rachelbitecofer.bsky.social is spot on.
Please do not repeat MAGA false claims. Ever.
It reinforces their lies, even when you say they're not true after you repeat them.
Please do not repeat MAGA false claims. Ever.
It reinforces their lies, even when you say they're not true after you repeat them.
LFG
I have decided to call @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social EVERY DAY to tell him to fight harder. The days of being cautious and timid have led us to fascism. I will remind him he works for us and that he needs to ramp it up.
I called and left a message today. Please join me.
His number: 202-225-5936
I called and left a message today. Please join me.
His number: 202-225-5936
February 22, 2025 at 7:43 PM
LFG
Same.
I don’t judge Mitch McConnell for his choice of political party.
I judge him for his greed, racism, and hunger for power.
I judge him for causing irreparable damage to the Supreme Court, and not voting to convict Donald Trump.
So will others. So will history.
I judge him for his greed, racism, and hunger for power.
I judge him for causing irreparable damage to the Supreme Court, and not voting to convict Donald Trump.
So will others. So will history.
February 20, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Same.
Thank you, @brendelbored.bsky.social I couldn't agree more.
It is so frustrating to see headlines like this that miss the point entirely -- Elon is *stealing* from American veterans, children, and families and putting all our lives at risk. This is not even remotely similar to "saving."
It is so frustrating to see headlines like this that miss the point entirely -- Elon is *stealing* from American veterans, children, and families and putting all our lives at risk. This is not even remotely similar to "saving."
I understand why these stories exist but it’s important to be clear that he’s not “saving” 16 billion, he’s choosing, personally, without oversight, to wipe out 16 billion dollars of government services to veterans and the disabled and food safety etc etc
DOGE says it has saved $55 billion in federal spending so far, but its website only accounts for $16.6 billion of that
February 20, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Thank you, @brendelbored.bsky.social I couldn't agree more.
It is so frustrating to see headlines like this that miss the point entirely -- Elon is *stealing* from American veterans, children, and families and putting all our lives at risk. This is not even remotely similar to "saving."
It is so frustrating to see headlines like this that miss the point entirely -- Elon is *stealing* from American veterans, children, and families and putting all our lives at risk. This is not even remotely similar to "saving."
Thank you @repjasmine.bsky.social for telling the truth about what is happening in plain, concise language, including *who* (Trump) is doing it and *why* he is doing it.
All political messengers (like me) should be taking lessons from you.
All political messengers (like me) should be taking lessons from you.
Donald Trump is selling out our seniors to Elon Musk.
He is handing over control to sensitive Social Security information to an UNELECTED billionaire.
Is Trump too weak to tell Musk no?
Is he using Musk to cut Social Security so he doesn't have to take the blame?
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/u...
He is handing over control to sensitive Social Security information to an UNELECTED billionaire.
Is Trump too weak to tell Musk no?
Is he using Musk to cut Social Security so he doesn't have to take the blame?
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/u...
Top Social Security Official Leaves After Musk Team Seeks Data Access
The departure of the acting commissioner is the latest backlash to the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to access sensitive data.
www.nytimes.com
February 19, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Thank you @repjasmine.bsky.social for telling the truth about what is happening in plain, concise language, including *who* (Trump) is doing it and *why* he is doing it.
All political messengers (like me) should be taking lessons from you.
All political messengers (like me) should be taking lessons from you.
As a political comms person who spends all day thinking about messaging, I love a good "Dos and Don'ts" chart backed by data. Thanks @navigatorsurvey.bsky.social
TL;DR:
Focus on the real consequences of cutting the Dept of Ed, along with *why* Trump is doing it (to give tax cuts to billionaires).
TL;DR:
Focus on the real consequences of cutting the Dept of Ed, along with *why* Trump is doing it (to give tax cuts to billionaires).
February 10, 2025 at 6:23 PM
As a political comms person who spends all day thinking about messaging, I love a good "Dos and Don'ts" chart backed by data. Thanks @navigatorsurvey.bsky.social
TL;DR:
Focus on the real consequences of cutting the Dept of Ed, along with *why* Trump is doing it (to give tax cuts to billionaires).
TL;DR:
Focus on the real consequences of cutting the Dept of Ed, along with *why* Trump is doing it (to give tax cuts to billionaires).
Adding motivation:
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use everyday and cures for diseases like cancer in order to enrich themselves.
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use everyday and cures for diseases like cancer in order to enrich themselves.
I'd go even further. This is THEFT. They are stealing our money.
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use every day, and cures for diseases like cancer.
#WordsMatter
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use every day, and cures for diseases like cancer.
#WordsMatter
February 8, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Adding motivation:
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use everyday and cures for diseases like cancer in order to enrich themselves.
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use everyday and cures for diseases like cancer in order to enrich themselves.
I'd go even further. This is THEFT. They are stealing our money.
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use every day, and cures for diseases like cancer.
#WordsMatter
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use every day, and cures for diseases like cancer.
#WordsMatter
February 8, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I'd go even further. This is THEFT. They are stealing our money.
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use every day, and cures for diseases like cancer.
#WordsMatter
Elon and his squad of juvenile delinquents are STEALING OUR MONEY we use to fund ALL the research on medicines we use every day, and cures for diseases like cancer.
#WordsMatter
Reposted by Leslie Grayson
Y’all gotta stop making decisions about what’s right based on what Republicans will say or do. It was right to impeach Trump over January 6th even though we would never get those 10 senators. It was right to remove Trump from the ballot even if the Court rejected it. Try damnit. Try!
November 21, 2024 at 6:58 PM
Y’all gotta stop making decisions about what’s right based on what Republicans will say or do. It was right to impeach Trump over January 6th even though we would never get those 10 senators. It was right to remove Trump from the ballot even if the Court rejected it. Try damnit. Try!