Nuanced Negative Messaging Ruled This Election Year

By Norman Franklin

By Norman Franklin

As we near the close of 2024, it’s customary to reflect on the trends, events, and influences that have shaped the past months or the year as a whole. However, this exercise often feels like an act of futility. We can't change anything now, and sometimes, we are left to simply observe with egg on our faces.

In an age dominated by social media, podcasts, and the constant stream of cable news, messaging became the operative force in shaping our realities. Targeted, biased, and often misleading, messaging informed—and misinformed— public perception, influencing both perspectives and decisions.

The nuance in messaging has become so sophisticated that we were convinced to believe what was false as though it were true, and to disbelieve what was true as though it were false. This trend was especially troubling during an election year, where misinformed voters ultimately shaped the nation’s future. The election results will be certified on January 6, 2025. Despite the absence of insurrection, the people have spoken. The results are final, but it’s important to examine the legacy of the Biden administration and how nuanced messaging obscured its successes.

Nuanced messaging framed Biden’s administration as ineffective, damaging to the country, and taking the nation in the wrong direction. However, let’s take a closer look at the reality.

When Biden assumed office, the national unemployment rate stood at 6.4%. As of now, it has dropped to 4.1%. The stock market surged nearly 50% since January 2021, according to an analysis by the National Urban League. But beyond these statistics, Biden’s administration achieved several notable milestones that were overshadowed by negative messaging:

Millions of jobs were added as the economy rebounded from COVID-19.

A $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law was passed to rebuild roads, bridges, public transit, and broadband infrastructure, creating jobs and modernizing critical systems.

Affordable Health Care was strengthened through increased subsidies and expanded Medicaid.

International relations and national security were significantly strengthened.

The first Black woman was appointed to the Supreme Court, with policies aimed at promoting racial equality.

$280 billion was invested in semiconductor manufacturing and research, boosting domestic production and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains.

These are significant achievements for a President who has been framed as senile, aloof, and leading the country in the wrong direction. Moreover, the common electorate benefited from these policies and investments. So, how were we convinced otherwise?

Far-right messaging kept the narrative focused on controversies, negative outcomes, and misrepresentations of policies, while polarizing cultural issues and disinformation dominated the discourse. Meanwhile, Democrats failed to emphasize the bipartisanship working in the legislature and counter the misinformation with verifiable facts. They didn’t take ownership of their own narrative.

The success of this negative, nuanced messaging is evident in the red voting maps and the continued uninformed rhetoric by far-right social media trolls. The narratives were loud, constant, and overwhelmingly negative.

This reminds me of the parable of the thief and the drum:

A clever thief wanted to rob a village but knew that the guards were vigilant. To distract them, he took a large drum, marched into the village square, and began beating it loudly. The noise attracted everyone’s attention—the guards, the villagers, and even the elders. While they debated the source of the commotion, the thief’s accomplices quietly slipped into the homes and stole valuables unnoticed. By the time the villagers realized what had happened, the thieves were long gone, and all they could do was stare at the empty drum.

Now, all we can do is watch as our democratic form of governance is dismantled, piece by piece.