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Hot take from someone who actually works at Alloy (me). The Democratic Party’s data infrastructure was never the disaster it was made out to be in 2016. It was fine then. It’s fine now. Alloy built some cool stuff and innovated in spaces others didn’t 1/ https://twitter.com/teddyschleifer/status/1338901783192760324
Specifically with unregistered populations and with smaller orgs. 2/
Insofar as Republicans outpace Democrats it’s often because they are willing to break legal norms and violate ethical frameworks. (Ex. Illegally and unethically scraping Facebook data in 2016, sharing polling results in 2014 with secret Twitter accounts). Reporters cover this. 3/
There are definitely ways that the Democrats infrastructure can be improved but actually a lot of progress has happened in the space. 4/
One of the most significant improvements I’m familiar with was Democrats moving from HP Vertica to Google BigQuery. This was a massive improvement. Hats off to the DNC data team for picking a good tool and sticking the landing on the rollout. 5/
The ddx is another step in the right direction and it’s a pretty big deal to have that up and running.
There have been a bunch of other great innovations by folks at @TargetSmart and @Catalist_US since 2016. Specifically online targeting has improved drastically. 6/
There have been a bunch of other great innovations by folks at @TargetSmart and @Catalist_US since 2016. Specifically online targeting has improved drastically. 6/
A lot of the coverage of data (in politics and otherwise) seems based on the belief that data is magic pixie dust rather than a tool of marginal value with diminishing returns.
The most useful data for politics is generally already available on commercial files/voter lists 7/
The most useful data for politics is generally already available on commercial files/voter lists 7/
The most useful data that Democrats don’t have is often inaccessible for legal reasons or kept inside a private platform (ex. Google and Facebook aren’t going to share their data on user behavior/social graphs for privacy reasons/it’s how they make $$$).
Progressives still outpace the Republicans in terms of talent who are passionate about making the world a better place whereas the GOP tech talent mostly comes from soulless profiteers and actual fascists.
I’ll take what the Democrats have any day over what the other side has.
I’ll take what the Democrats have any day over what the other side has.
Finally, I did not participate as a source for the article I quote tweeted at the beginning of this thread because as a rule I don’t talk to reporters.
Also, yes, this means I’m looking for a job.
Also, yes, this means I’m looking for a job.
