Mayor Pete can reach FoxNews viewers

[Forestluv]

During the primary, Mayor Pete was a well-oiled platitude machine that drove stage Green crazy. Yet I now think Mayor Pete has some legit communication skills and can play a role in pulling up high blue/low orange into solid/high orange. 

In this video, the Fox host asks about how Kamala has shifted her positions, such as M4A. I think this is a fair question and the left heavily criticized her for it. From my POV, Peter skillfully reframes the question. He first portrays himself as having a mature detached view and speaks of how this is a common game in politics. Yet this is just a segway into "both-sidesism" and "what-about-ism" on Pence. He hits Pence's hypocrisy on two Blue issues: Trump's affairs and immigration policies. Pete then pivots back to a derogatory tone of "if we want to play that game" as if he isn't playing that game right now.  Importantly, by saying "if we want to play that game", he doesn't directly accuse the hosts that "you are playing that game". This diffuses the common 'me vs you' antagonist framework and there is no need for the hosts to get defensive. We are all above playing that childish game. After sneakily playing that game, Pete suggests that we are all above playing that immature game and neutralizes the hosts. They are literally speechless. Pete is smooth as silk. So chill. He isn't defensive, antagonistic or argumentative. 

Here, the Fox hosts are unaware consciously that they just got played, yet seem to be aware that something odd just happened. It's very possible that they realize this dynamic and adapt. 

In the next video, Pete sounds like a FoxNews correspondent with a Biden-Harris backdrop. He sounds very reasonable, easy-going and can give some FoxNews viewers a dose sanity. I would put Steve Doocy at high blue / low orange. Pete is pulling Steve along and has him saying "Yes. . . right. . . yes. . . right. . . ". This affirms to the FoxNews viewers that what Pete says is reasonable and sane. Yet it so chill that it reduces the tendency of FoxNews viewers to react defensively with "He is so biased!! He is a Marxist!!".  And Pete seamlessly slips in some Trump zingers into their subconscious. Pete connects with the audience about how the new normal is with teleconferencing. At times it sucks, yet we do it because we are responsible caring people. Over and over, Pete injects a "we-ness" of normalcy. Everyone wants to have the self image of being a caring person. Rather than attack "you" as being an uncaring, irresponsible anti-masker, Pete portrays safety precautions as mature, responsible and caring - which many people want to self identify. Remember, Blue is hyper sensitive and defensive to blame, shame, guilt, being talked down to, being called misogynistic, racist etc.  After establishing safety pre-cautions such as zoom virtual meetings as responsible, mature and caring - Pete feigns confusion on why Trump would be against it. He says "I don't know why he would want to be in a room full of other people if he is contagious with a deadly disease". This implicitly suggests it is because Trump is irresponsible and uncaring of others. We already know this, yet FoxNews viewers don't. Psychological research has shown this level of implicit messaging does not have a lot of strength and Pete goes one step further by asking himself "I don't know, maybe it's because he doesn't care about people". This is a stronger implicit message that Trump are irresponsible and doesn't care about you. Yet Pete does it with a chill tone. It's not accusatory that Trump supporters are irresponsible and uncaring. He already established that we are responsible and caring - so it must just be Trump. 

This won't resonate with the Red/Blue Tucker / Hannity viewers or MAGA. They are too far identified and would be turned off by Pete. In their simplistic binary mindset, anything not Trump = evil Antifa Marxist. Yet I think Pete can connect with the high blue / low orange 'reasonable conservatives'. In particular how his framing of "we are good, responsible, hardworking people" implicitly includes reasonable conservatives and marginalizes Trump. Imo, that can be effective in capturing people that are weakly identified to Trump. This is the opposite dynamic of Hilary calling Trump's base a "basket of deplorables". 

Keep in mind that FoxNews viewers cannot be pulled up to a Cornel West Green level of consciousness. Yet some of them can be pulled up to an Orange Mayor Pete level. In SD theory, this is an important jump in cognitive development & social evolution. Mayor Pete  makes a valuable contribution in this area.

As well, I have a hunch that FoxNews is intentionally giving Pete a relatively safe platform to hedge their bets, since they can see Trump will likely lose. The conflict at Fox is whether to push the narrative of election fraud and we can't let Dems steal the election. Or whether to begin preparing for a post-Trump world. In a Biden presidency, FoxNews would want access to the majority party and would much prefer schmoozing with a Mayor Pete than an AOC.