Now and then, The Drift will be exclusively qualitative as opposed to both qualitative and quantitative, usually because of work travel or family obligations. Last week, I was in New Orleans for meetings and to attend part of Netroots Nation—a conference I hadn't been to in over a decade. Then, this past weekend was my oldest's 15th birthday, capping four summer birthdays. When these moments occur I'll make sure to include some photos instead of the complex data (see below). Hopefully, this will only happen until I can afford to hire someone to help me with the data work. This is an excellent reason for you to forward this email and ask your friends to subscribe to The Forecast!
When I conduct qualitative research, I focus on identifying statements that everyone, some, or none agree with. Roaming the halls of the New Orleans convention center provided the following three key takeaways:
Everyone Agreed
The poisoning of the Democratic and progressive donor well is real and is causing legitimate organizations real pain. Text message and email fundraising are more challenging because bad actors are manipulating our shared donors. Many conversations revolved around Adam Bonica's recent piece on the Democratic spam machine known as Mothership Strategies.
Some Agreed
We need to radically rethink how the left invests in media. Rob Flaherty's piece on Sydney Sweeney got some discussion, though not as much as Mothership. Many especially appreciated this part of Flaherty's recapping of the problem:
On the left, we start with a set of messages we’d like for people to believe. We then test (like, wow, do we test) messages for their persuasive impact. We use paid media to get those messages in front of people, at which point we meet public perception for the first time, and fight against it.
Additionally, there was a decent level of consensus that organizations on the left should look at mutual aid as the primary means to build political power as the economy worsens for most of us under Trump.
None Agreed
0% of people I spoke with believed the current Democratic leadership would be able to navigate the very real threat to America we are watching unfold step by painful step.
Vibe Check
Overall, the vibe at the conference was a swirl of emotions—a far cry from the Obama years when I last attended. There isn't an English word for what I generally felt, which was a mixture of severe sadness and hope, inspired by stories I heard in the halls and panels. Each conversation included awful anecdotes and revealed new evidence of our country’s fascism creeping further toward total power.
This swirled with the happy realization that many of us were becoming more in touch with nature, living more in the present, and enjoying what we have. And as we witness the destruction of institutions that were never that great to begin with, I feel a communal commitment to build something better together. The closest word I can find to describe this feeling is, of course, in German. Weltschmerz: a deep sadness or weariness in response to the world's problems, paired with a longing for things to be better.
Continuing on in the W section of the German dictionary, I also spoke with some people who felt Waldeinsamkeit—the feeling of being alone in the woods. I had a lot of tough conversations, especially with former Bernie colleagues, who feel like they've been shouting from the rooftops for years over what we need to do differently to stop Trump's Reich.
But we are not alone; we are simply in need of better bearings. We need to get more organized, and the people I spoke with at Netroots 2025 are laying the groundwork right now, like the classic image of the school of small fish that organizes and becomes a bigger fish, chasing after the one that was trying to eat them.
As much as I know we will all feel Schadenfreude when the bad guys finally get theirs, let’s not lose sight of Freudenfreude. That translates literally as “joy-joy,” or happiness from others’ happiness. That joy is essential, abundant fuel as we creatively and courageously carry on toward a better future.
And with that, I hope you can feel some Freudenfreude as you see me enjoying a beignet.
