Rachel Bitecofer, Ph.D. | Hit ’Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game

On today’s edition, we shook it up a bit. Rachel Bitecofer, Ph.D. has dissected well-worn tactics that today’s Republican Party deploys with a great deal of success. Her latest book HIT ‘EM WHERE IT HURTS is about how to “beat Republicans at their own game.” As former RNC Chair, Michael Steele, has said, “Democrats and Republicans who care about democracy would be wise to pay attention to her work.” (Yeah, you read that correct and it wasn't a typo - that's from the guy who used to head up the Republican National Committee.)

Rachel Bitecofer is a political scientist and election forecaster turned political strategist. You may have seen her interviews and analysis in such outlets as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, Politico, The New Republic, Real Time with Bill Maher, CNN, MSNBC, and many other prominent news sources. She worked with Democratic Party candidates and organizations to implement negative partisanship strategy in the 2022 midterms. Rachel is also the author of HIT ‘EM WHERE IT HURTS: HOW TO SAVE DEMOCRACY BY BEATING REPUBLICANS AT THEIR OWN GAME. But she came to prominence way before all this when she predicted the size (to the seat) of the Democrats’ Blue Wave in the 2018 midterms.

00:54 Spotlight on Rachel Bitecofer: From Political Scientist to Strategist;

01:49 The 2018 Midterm Predictions and Political Shifts;

05:31 Analyzing the 2024 Election Risks and Trump's Influence;

08:23 The Urgency of Understanding Project 2025;

15:16 Rachel Bitecofer's Personal Journey and Academic Background;

20:29 Strategies for the Democratic Party: A New Approach;

36:22 The Role of Journalism and Media in Democracy;

38:22 The Impact of Right-Wing Ecosystem on Public Belief;

38:41 The Role of Donald Trump in Shaping Public Distrust;

39:12 Manipulation of Journalism and Public Perception;

39:49 The Strategy Behind Republican Messaging;

40:59 Observing Real-Time Messaging During the Mar-a-Lago Raid;

41:14 The Power of Unified Messaging in Politics;

41:41 Media's Role in Legitimizing Questionable Narratives;

42:35 Challenging the Normalization of Extremism;

45:47 The Art of Electoral War: Strategies and Countermeasures;

47:14 Tackling Misinformation and Strategic Messaging;

59:46 Engaging in Political Conversations: Strategies and Insights;

01:01:50 Effective Communication Across Political Divides

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Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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