[Source.](https://amgreatness.com/2023/04/11/braggs-farce-and-the-path-to-2024/) > Observers were baffled as to why the Democrats’ campaign talking points veered from vital issues of the day, including the poor state of the economy and the Biden Administration’s humiliating foreign policy choices, in favor of seemingly secondary subjects such as gender politics and abortion rights. > It turned out that some strategists in their campaign were thinking outside the box and figured that they were unable to convince Republicans to switch camps or independents to vote for a party that is clearly mismanaging the country. They could, however, prioritize consolidating their own voters, guaranteeing high voter turnout and commitment, particularly in swing states. > They did so by focusing on priming their constituency as a mechanism of self-defense against the Republican onslaught. Priming is a cognitive process that takes place when people are exposed to consistent value and moral attributes in the media, making them form judgment and assign blame in accordance with the mediated message. An interesting aspect of priming is that it bypasses rational processes and relies on emotive responses, thus making even the most educated vulnerable to its effects, while only ideological bias shields viewers, or in this case, consolidates their worldview and commitment to the cause.