Unf*cking the Narrative: Because This Is Just Embarrassing
- Maggie Soldano
- Aug 14
- 5 min read
I’m no expert on politics, and like a lot of people, I do my best to steer clear of anything that smells like partisanship. I used to be more open to political banter, but now it feels impossible to have a conversation without wanting to throw something. It’s gotten so toxic and emotion-heavy that even chats with people you agree with can turn weirdly stabby. Which, honestly, makes no sense.
But here’s the thing: I’m a chronic problem solver. (Just ask my family — they love when I turn every dinner table rant into a “creative brief.”) And this one has been gnawing at me. I’m not under any illusion that I’ll solve everything — or even most things. But when I look at the mess through creative and marketing eyes, I can’t help but think there’s a better way to frame it. Something that gets us rolling in a healthier direction. Something that doesn’t feel like we’re all teetering off the flat side of the earth. (And yep, apparently that’s a thing now, too.)
So here’s me taking a stab. Not as an expert. Not as a pundit. Just as a creative person who’s had that moment when your family travels to Europe and isn’t sure if admitting to being American is a good idea. I’m tired of the secondhand embarrassment. Plus, I can’t walk away from a gnarly problem. It's a curse.
The Brief
The Problem
Right now, the national story is broken. One side sells fear and scarcity: if they gain, you lose. The other side counters with charts, fact sheets, and celebrity endorsements. Neither approach builds the sense of shared stability people actually want.
It’s like showing up to a pep rally with a pie chart. Technically accurate, but nobody’s cheering.
The Audience
The frustrated middle: voters who feel politically homeless and tuned out of the noise.
The disillusioned: people who want change but don’t hear a story worth believing.
The everyday majority: parents, neighbors, veterans, small business owners, community leaders who want stability and opportunity — not chaos or endless culture wars.
The Insight
Politics isn’t a spreadsheet problem. It’s a story about who we are and what we deserve. And right now, the loudest story is one of division and fear. If we want the country to stop embarrassing itself, we need a better narrative.
The Strategy
This isn’t about one party winning. It’s about telling a story that makes America feel functional again.
Stop outsourcing persuasion to politicians and celebrities.
Start investing in trusted, everyday messengers — the people you already trust at your kids’ school, your church, your local paper.
Package truth inside values and stories — so people feel it in their gut, not just their head.
Think of it less like a lecture and more like a brand narrative — a story people want to be part of because it reflects who they already are.
Reclaiming Identity
The biggest trap we’ve fallen into is treating freedom like a competition. As if my opportunity means less of yours. As if fairness is a pie and the slices run out. That’s not how freedom works.
Instead, let’s frame identity around roles everyone relates to:
The Provider: “I work hard to give my family stability. I need leaders who stand with us — not sell us out.”
The Neighbor: “My community deserves safe streets, good schools, and reliable healthcare. That’s not a partisan wish — it’s the ground we all stand on.”
The Patriot: “True freedom isn’t chaos. It’s knowing your country is working as it should — protecting your rights and your children’s tomorrow.”
Identity doesn’t have to divide us. It can expand the circle. The more people who are free to thrive, the stronger the whole country becomes.
The Creative Plan
1. The Storylines
To change the outcome, we have to change the script. The familiar GOP myths — about freedom, government, strength, taxes, patriotism — don’t have to be answered with spreadsheets. They can be reframed into stories people actually want to live in.
Freedom isn’t scarcity → It grows when more people can access it. (Think Wi-Fi, not pie.)
Government isn’t the enemy → Bad government is. Good government is the referee that keeps the game fair.
Strength isn’t force → It’s resilience. A strong house doesn’t just have locks — it has a solid foundation.
Taxes aren’t theft → They’re membership dues that keep the lights on in the place we all live.
Patriotism isn’t exclusion → It’s stitching together different pieces to make a stronger quilt.
2. The Messengers
The right voices matter more than the right talking points. Everyday people — not politicians or celebrities — carry the most trust.
Teachers & Nurses → talk about family security.
Veterans & Faith Leaders → talk about resilience and freedom.
Small Business Owners & Farmers → talk about fairness and dignity.
Cross-identity voices → Rural moms on childcare, gun owners on safety, independents on democracy, farmers on climate resilience, small-town business owners on healthcare, veterans on civic duty.
3. The Channels
It’s not just what we say — it’s where and how the story gets told. To cut through the noise, the message has to show up in places people already trust and in formats they’ll actually engage with.
Relational Organizing: conversations between friends, texts between neighbors, school board meetings, church bulletins.
Short-form Video: 30–60 second clips of real people, not slick campaign ads.
Local Media: town papers, local TV, podcasts with regional reach.
Micro-influencers: parents, veterans, pastors, farmers — people with influence in their communities, not necessarily big followings.
4. The Timeline
Stories only work if they’re repeated, amplified, and consistent over time. A simple phased rollout can build momentum without getting lost in noise.
Now: Build a story bank of everyday voices. Push them through local media and social.
90 Days Out: Launch “Stability is Freedom” through community events amplified by local coverage.
Final Push: Peer-to-peer stories saturating social feeds, texts, and neighborhood networks — reframing the choice as chaos vs. stability.
Breaking the Cycle
What we’re doing now — fact sheets, politician soundbites, celebrity endorsements — isn’t moving anyone. It may even be backfiring. The better strategy is clear:
Use everyday messengers, not elites.
Lead with values, not data.
Flip the familiar myths into stories of stability, strength, and shared freedom.
This isn’t about letting one party “win.” It’s about unf*cking the narrative so the country works for the country again. Because dismantling what holds us together isn’t politics — it’s self-sabotage.
✨ This isn’t a master plan. It’s just one creative's stab at reframing the story. But if we keep trying, keep iterating, and keep telling better stories — maybe, just maybe, we can stop embarrassing ourselves and steady the ship before it tips over the flat side of the earth.
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