Welcome to the “It’s Not Too Late” Project

Why we believe connecting cures MAGA—and saves democracy

When we host Smart Politics webinars on how to have persuasive conversations with folks on the Right, what often moves and re-dedicates us to this work is hearing first-hand the heart-breaking personal stories shared by attendees. 

At almost every webinar, someone opens up about a dangerously frayed relationship with a loved one they feel they’ve lost to MAGA; a friend, a sibling, a parent, a son or daughter. Someone they don’t talk to anymore or walk on eggshells around, trying to avoid any mention of political or cultural topics that might incite a rant or slam the door on the relationship.

That’s why we were touched by a powerful recent post by Jess Piper on her Substack, The View from Rural Missouri.  In “Daddy Died a MAGA,” Piper describes with aching honesty the pain and emotional cost of watching her once-loving father become increasingly consumed by MAGA anger and conspiracy in the years before his death. 

“I started avoiding him and skipped visits even though I knew his health wasn’t the best — that’s on me and I still regret it. I just couldn’t stand to see his brain rotting in front of me and his new political opinions on everything from abortion to immigration enraged me. We used to talk about his dogs, his travel, and his work. He was now ranting about locking folks up and welfare abuse and pedophiles. I couldn’t deal with it so I didn’t.”

On his deathbed, Piper’s father recanted his MAGA social media posts and shared his regret in a “torrent of tears over what had happened to us during the Trump years.” Piper notes,

“This is where I’ll say that I was just disgusted at his political apologies. I begged him to stop. The internet and Facebook are ridiculous things to talk about when you have only hours left.

Stop, daddy. It doesn’t matter. But, he knew it did matter.”

– “Daddy Died a MAGA,” Jess Piper, The View from Rural Missouri

There are very good reasons to do the work we do, committing ourselves to compassion and understanding, to connection and conversation with folks we disagree with. Yes, we want to create a more progressive world. Yes, we want to win elections to further our legislative goals. Yes, we want to lower polarization. But at the heart of it all is rebuilding damaged human relationships.

You see posts on social media from both strangers and friends and think, “It’s too late to counter such deeply believed misinformation.” Or watch news clips of MAGA folks at rallies and think, “It’s too late to save them—they’re lost to a cult of personality.” Or read about GOP leaders, pundits, and Right-wing news channels and think, “It’s too late—this whole cowardly, craven party is lost.”

We share that frustration, but our message is simple: It’s not too late.

It’s not too late to rebuild relationships with MAGA loved ones. Not too late to bring people home from MAGA. And it’s not too late to save American democracy.

That’s the energy we’re taking into 2024 and the “It’s Not Too Late” project: Focus on friends and family first—then see the benefits ripple out to make a difference on November 5.

We want to be clear: We believe the MAGA movement poses a grave threat to American democracy and must be defeated at the polls in November. But while winning elections is an important goal for Democrats and the progressive movement, it’s insufficient to secure our future.

As January 6 showed, even when we win, we can’t be sure the will of the people will be respected by the GOP and its voters. In addition to winning elections, progressive political action must focus on deradicalizing Republican voters and restoring confidence in the legitimacy of the American political system. In other words, we want to do more than just squeak by with narrow margins in elections—we want to shift perceptions and attitudes for the long term.

“It’s Not Too Late” is about restoring the hope and belief that yes, things can get better, and people can change. But all that hopey-changey stuff doesn’t start in the Oval Office or Congress, or on mainstream media. It starts at the kitchen table—your kitchen table—with compassionate, empathetic one-on-one conversations with a MAGA supporter you know and love.

This isn’t about immediate conversion or radical change, and it’s not about shame or ostracism. MAGA voters won’t change their minds if we debate them with facts and reason—telling anyone they’re wrong only makes them work harder to prove they’re right.

We’re not trying to force change, but to foster it. Some of the approaches and tools we teach are based on what experts use to bring people back from cults and extremist organizations and belief systems. But the work’s rooted in the belief that true persuasion comes from listening and empathizing, from approaching MAGA voters with respect and trusting them in the end to make the best choices for themselves and others.

If you connect with a MAGA voter, even if you never get them to change their vote, you’ve lowered their hatred for the Left, you’ve softened their attitude towards progressive ideas and politics. Even if it’s just a bit. And that small bit of change will influence three degrees of others. When one person becomes even slightly deradicalized it means others around them are more likely to follow suit, until, believe it or not, according to the Rule of Influence, your actions can subtly influence 8,000 others, most of whom you may never know or meet.

How to get started

So how do we start that rippling influence at the ground level? The “It’s Not Too Late” project includes bi-monthly public webinars: One is an introduction to the “It’s Not Too Late” project, goals, and philosophy; the other is a basic skills class that dives deeper into learning the methods and conversational tools we use for better conversations. We also host weekly work groups to provide support and tips and share successes and challenges. And we’re excited about using our brand-new Angry Uncle Bot 2.0, an AI-powered interactive, responsive MAGA Republican chatbot that helps us practice having challenging conversations.

The “It’s Not Too Late” project aims to have, by September 1, 2024, 1000 progressive participants actively reaching out to MAGA voters so that by election day we’ve deradicalized 1000 friends and loved ones. And if you follow the Influence Rule of 8000… Well, that means we could affect around 8 million voters on November 5.

Sounds crazy, huh? Okay, then let’s step back. Forget about the 8 million. Or the 8,000. Or even the 1000. Focus instead on one person. One constructive conversation at a time. It’s still early 2024, and we’re here to tell you it’s not too late to start.

Want to learn more and get involved?

• Wednesday, March 13, 2024, we’re hosting one of our FREE monthly Smart Politics 101: Essential Tools for Persuasive Conversations” webinars–register now at Eventbrite!

• Subscribe here on Substack for the “It’s Not Too Late” newsletter

• Check out our Linktree for more events and resources