Exactly this! When you take bold decisive policy steps to make peoples lives better and help empower them to solve their day to day problems be proud of that and champion their and keep making that connection. Take the offense and drive the narrative instead of constantly, to use the football analogy, playing prevent defense which prevents only your own victory.
But we also need to make a long term investment in communication methodology as the corporate media has proven they are the allies if those who want to destroy our democracy:
From Heather Cox Richardson:
In the U.S., pervasive right-wing media, from the Fox News Channel through right-wing podcasts and YouTube channels run by influencers, have permitted Trump and right-wing influencers to portray the booming economy as failing and to run away from the hugely unpopular Project 2025. They allowed MAGA Republicans to portray a dramatically falling crime rate as a crime wave and immigration as an invasion. They also shielded its audience from the many statements of Trumps former staff that he is unfit for office, and even that his chief of staff General John Kelly considers him a fascist and noted that he admires German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
As actor Walter Masterson posted: I tried to educate people about tariffs, I tried to explain that undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes and are the foundation of this country. I explained Project 2025, I interviewed to show that they supported it. I can not compete against the propaganda machines of Twitter, Fox News, [Joe Rogan Experience], and NY Post. These spaces will continue to create reality unless we create a more effective way of reaching people.