Can You De-Program Liberals? ft. Manipulation Techniques That Work — Daily Persuasion Ep. 142

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ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE:

Is it even possible to de-program liberals—or are we just entertaining a fantasy when we think we can get through to them at all?

In Daily Persuasion Episode 142, titled “Can You De-Program Liberals? ft. Manipulation Techniques That Work,” bestselling ghostwriter and master persuader Joshua Lisec tackles this difficult, divisive question head-on. Using persuasion psychology principles, moral foundations theory, and real-life persuasion examples, Lisec unpacks what it really takes to reach the liberal mind—and why so many of us fail before we even begin.

From the jump, Lisec references a raw and revealing quote from RFK Jr., highlighting how tribalism has taken over political discourse. “These Democrats used to be my friends,” Kennedy said. “Now they're against me because anything President Trump does must be discredited.” That quote lays the foundation for why attempts to talk to liberals—especially about President Trump—are so frequently met with hostility, defensiveness, or outright shutdown.

Throughout the episode, Lisec revisits popular videos such as “Persuade Liberals Without Being a Jerk,” adding new context through viewer comments and critiques. He draws heavily on Jonathan Haidt’s groundbreaking work on moral foundations, a theory which argues that liberals prioritize fairness and harm avoidance above all else. Lisec contends that if you want to talk to liberals successfully, you must frame your ideas in the language of fairness and emotional safety.

But that’s only step one.

Using real-world persuasion techniques and manipulation techniques, Lisec shows how to create what one commenter called a “phony rapport.” He explains how validating a liberal’s worldview—at first—can open the door to planting seeds of conservative logic later. Think of it as psychological aikido: using their own momentum and moral language to guide them toward a new conclusion.

Of course, it’s not without its moral and strategic pitfalls. Lisec openly discusses the difficulty of persuasion when your political views are already public. He reflects on the limitations of being “Googleable” and questions whether such manipulation is even possible when people already know where you stand. This is where Daily Persuasion hits a new level of honesty: it’s not just about how to persuade someone to do something, but whether doing so is even possible under today’s cultural conditions.

Lisec also pulls no punches on the cult-like behavior he observes among modern liberals. Referencing data on family estrangement, social boycotts, and why people hate Trump, he emphasizes that for many on the left, politics is no longer just a worldview—it’s an identity. And if you challenge that identity, you're no longer just wrong. You're evil.

This episode also touches on the Tangle News newsletter and its founder, Tangle News Isaac, who argues that both the right and left have their own tribal blind spots. But Lisec counters, suggesting that Tangle App’s even-handedness is just another manifestation of liberal self-image: always needing to appear “reasonable,” even if it means rejecting facts that make them uncomfortable. It's a powerful case study in persuasive techniques—and how they fail when core identities are at stake.

If you’re looking for examples of persuasion in advertising, techniques of persuasion in writing, or real-life persuasion psychology tactics that you can actually use, this is the Daily Persuasion episode you can’t miss. Joshua Lisec doesn’t just theorize—he shows exactly how persuasion works in the wild, what liberals believe about themselves, and how you can use that knowledge to your strategic advantage.

Watch Daily Persuasion Ep. 142 now—Can You De-Program Liberals? ft. Manipulation Techniques That Work—and discover the tools, frameworks, and uncomfortable truths you need to start making progress in your next high-stakes political conversation.

Because the real question isn’t whether you can de-program liberals.

The real question is: Are you willing to learn how?