Tierney publishes op-ed in Bangor Daily News regarding 2020 election
Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center affiliated faculty member, Dr. Amber Tierney published an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News this month titled, “Want to Win an Election? Think More Like an Activist”. In it, she argues that we cannot dismiss Joe Biden’s reversal of fortune in the Democrat presidential primaries by saying “well, that’s politics” but instead we should think “that’s social movements.” For Tierney, in order for us to make sense of our elections we need to stop viewing races through our traditional political lenses and start viewing them through the lens of an activist.
She notes that though monetary resources are important in both politics and social movements, money isn’t everything. In fact, other resources, which are familiar to the social organizer can explain how the cash-strapped Biden campaign was able to shift the momentum of the 2020 primary race. Biden’s campaign was able to use political endorsements, influential allies, and public opinion to fuel his surge.
Marketing another very powerful tool for activists and politicians alike. Bright red Make America Great Again hats have become a powerful political symbol for the Donald Trump campaign. On the Democrat side of the aisle, Elizabeth Warren’s “I have a plan for that” and Amy Klobuchar’s “Let’s get to work” became easy to understand and easy to identify symbols of their political campaigns. To read the entirety of Tierney’s piece and understand electoral politics on a deeper level, click the following link to the Bangor Daily News: “Want to Win an Election? Think More Like an Activist.”
The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center is a nonpartisan organization and the views expressed in this op-ed belong to the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Center.