2022: The Year Of The Democratic Wedge Issue
Democrats need to remind voters EVERY day that the GOP wants to end democracy, kill pregnant women, marry off little girls, burn books, emulate Putin, allow daily mass shootings, and ban the word "gay
For too long have Democrats lost moderate, independent, and low-information voters, who are actually in favor of Democratic positions on most big issues, because of the mindlessly superficial simplicity with which Republicans campaign and straw-man their Democratic opponents.
Republicans are the party of bumper sticker slogans and pavlovian platitudes, and it’s good politics because Democrats come across as egghead nerds with long-winded, professorial lectures on the nuances and complexities of issues that contrast disadvantageously with Republicans’ factually skim platitudes that sound decisive but have no substance, such as “Tax cuts will trickle down wealth and cut the debt!” and “Arming everyone will stop gun violence!” and “Tariffs will make China pay!”
Democrats’ egghead approach works well for governing and actually solving problems once in office, but it’s terrible for getting elected in the first place as the last two decades of inopportune Congressional “shellackings” prove. This is because the wonky and technocratic rhetorical approach Democrats often take on the campaign trail and in interviews tends to be self-defeating.
The standard Democratic response to bad faith arguments and narrow-minded criticisms from Republicans, as well as the lazy journalists and pundits who repeat them for endlessly pedantic and, frankly, amateurish “both sides” media narratives, typically concedes the beginning premise of Republicans’ misleading or straight up dishonest talking points before plunging deep into the weeds of an issue that immediately bores independent and politically apathetic voters until the debate moderator yells “time’s up!” or the interviewer has to cut to a commercial break.
This approach is unmemorable and a waste of attention, which in our digital era is increasingly the most precious resource in politics. It also frames the debate with Democrats on the defensive, so it’s no surprise Democrats routinely fail to galvanize the independent voters who agree with liberals on the fundamental issues ranging from abortion to healthcare reform to gun control to raising taxes on the wealthy.
Now, Biden’s poll numbers are cratering undeservedly despite his steady and stable governance, and the Democratic base’s enthusiasm to vote in the midterm elections is stereotypically plummeting. It’s partly based on unfair expectations that Democrats could pass their extremely popular and progressive agenda while depending on the mercurial votes of Senators Sinema and Manchin, but Democrats need to take control of the midterm elections’ narrative. And it’s easy because Republicans offer a truly frightening alternative.
In fact, it’s so objectively frightening that Republicans are literally not even offering voters a platform because they know their agenda is corrupt, unpopular, in many ways evil, and, above all, stupid. Mitch “Tight Lips” McConnell is telling reporters they’ll have to find out what the GOP agenda is after they’re elected.
To understand the GOP’s secret agenda, we have to look at the batshit crazy things they’re doing in state legislatures across the country:
They’re trying to disenfranchise voters and banish all Republicans who won’t lie about Trump losing the election. They’re trying to ban every abortion no matter the circumstances. They’re trying to end minimum age requirements for marriage. They want to ban books. They emulate and apologize for psycho dictators like Vladimir Putin. They want guns everywhere with no regulations whatsoever. And, lately most virally, they’re trying to force society to absurdly pretend gay and trans people don’t exist. Democrats should never miss an opportunity to remind voters that these are the things Republicans will do nationally if they get federal power.
So, Democrats, PLEASE stop playing politics on your back foot using what little political attention you can obtain to get lost in the weeds of defending yourself against every bad faith Republican attack in a way that legitimizes the GOP’s shallow bumper sticker slogans in the minds of moderate, independent, and low-information voters. A fundamental rule in politics is that if you’re explaining, you’re losing. So break out bumper stickers and wedge issues of your own, and go on offense!
Say, “My Republican opponent wants to end democracy, kill pregnant women, marry off little girls, burn books, emulate Putin, allow daily mass shootings, and ban the word ‘gay’ while inviting the government into your private love life.”
Force Republicans to be the eggheads who squirm while explaining the convoluted complexities of how they don’t hate women even though the GOP’s policies would force women to die in dangerous pregnancies they can no longer abort, and how they aren’t groomers even though the GOP is very suspiciously trying to make it legal for 60-year-olds to marry 14-year-old girls for some disturbing reason. The stunning overreach GOP legislatures and presidential wannabe governors are displaying in order to score the brainlessly cheap culture war victories the MAGA base loves is what Democrats can make these elections about.
Moderates, independents, and low-information voters agree with Democrats on the big issues, so if Democrats can win the edge issues too they’ll maybe avoid another Congressional shellacking.
So here are some free tips for Democrats on the above mentioned wedge issues:
Accuse every Republican of being a mini-Trump the way Republicans call every Democrat a “socialist communist,” a “mini-Nancy Pelosi,” and a “Disney loving child groomer.” It works like a charm for Republicans in even insignificant, obscure races across the country because US politics has become so thoroughly nationalized. Calling every Republican a mini-Trump is not even untrue since virtually every GOP primary now revolves around who Trump endorses, and who says they hate democracy and fair elections the most. The litmus test for MAGA voters is whether or not their candidates will vow to help Trump have a successful coup if he loses again in 2024. Meanwhile, Trump remains hugely polarizing and unpopular. The midterms for MAGA voters is 100% about taking Congressional power to be able to enforce a 2024 Trump victory no matter how Americans vote, so Democrats need to campaign like Republicans are actively trying to end our great American experiment in democracy.
Accuse every Republican of wanting women to die in forced, unsafe pregnancies. Not every Republican has draconian and Medieval views on women’s bodily autonomy, but overwhelmingly the party does, and the sane Republicans will do very little to stop the GOP’s pro-life zealots from instituting state control of their uteruses to force 11-year-old girls to give birth, and mandate women must give birth to their rapists’ babies or even incest babies. These abortion scenarios are wildly approved of by most Americans, but the language with which Republicans are drafting their pro-life legislation almost never carves out these exceptions. Republicans in Missouri were even briefly trying to outlaw abortions of ectopic pregnancies, which always kills the mother and never results in a baby. It’s medical and political lunacy, and even though a huge public backlash killed that legislative attempt, Democrats should not miss the opportunity to blame Republicans for trying.
Accuse every Republican of supporting child marriage. Republicans are creepily and weirdly accusing Disney of grooming children despite the fact that quite a few red states are disturbingly trying to eliminate age requirements for marriage. Democrats should highlight the difference between Disney telling little girls they can be brave heroes and protagonists of their own adventures while Republican state legislatures are telling little girls to marry pedophiles old enough to be their fathers and even grandfathers. Bonus: name-drop Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump and Roy Moore here to remind voters that Republicans are projecting when they accuse Democrats of being groomers because Republicans have real groomers they love, cherish, and vote for president.
Accuse every Republican of wanting to burn books. Republican officials at every level of government are campaigning against critical race theory, universities, public schooling, accurate history books, award-winning novels written by Black authors, and somehow even math textbooks. Amidst the MAGA culture war over “fake news,” “alternative facts,” and “journalists are enemies of the people,” Republicans just hate objective reality and diversity in perspective. For all the lame arguments Republicans have about “Cancel Culture” when private institutions and citizens decide they don’t want to listen to or fund nasty and divisive provocateurs peddling dumpster fire conspiracy theories and hatred, it’s Republicans who are compiling lists of hundreds of books they want to cancel.
Accuse every Republican of apologizing for Vladimir Putin. This one is easy considering how many Congressional Republicans gave political cover for Trump blocking Ukrainian aid and support, voted against impeaching him for blackmailing Zelensky for personal political gain, voted against Biden’s Ukrainian aid packages despite preposterously blaming Biden for not getting aid to Ukraine fast enough, and blamed Biden for Putin’s genocidal invasion instead of blaming Putin for Putin’s genocidal invasion. The party standard-bearer, Trump himself, called Putin a “clever genius” for invading Ukraine, while Republicans ranging from Ted Cruz to Tucker Carlson have been rhetorically (and, considering Tucker’s recent videos on masculinity and testicle tanning, possibly literally) masturbating for years to the tough guy images of shirtless Putin riding horses. Russia’s media personalities and political opponents get pushed out of tall buildings’ windows if they don’t pretend Putin is a genius paragon of male vigor and dominance, so it’s really a testament to Republicans’ gullibility and imbecilic homoeroticism that they fall for Putin’s propaganda. Republicans love dictators and authoritarians, and never shut up about it.
Accuse Republicans of wanting a mass shooting every day. They say they don’t want gun violence, mass murder, and daily domestic terrorism, but their legislative record is literally a graveyard of killed efforts of even minuscule and insignificant gun control.
Accuse every Republican of killing America’s Christian value to love everyone by hating gay and trans people. While Republican legislation so far is focused on censoring words and ideas for young elementary schoolers, this is a perfect area to give Republicans a taste of their own slippery slope medicine. For decades, Republicans have been claiming that if we allow gays to marry or publicly exist, it won’t be long before we allow people to marry dogs and other animals. So if we allow Republicans to ban the word “gay,” what’s next? Will Republicans ban rainbow stickers? Will Republicans force teachers to close the blinds when it’s raining in case it stops and a rainbow appears in the sky? Will Republicans make it illegal to go in and of closets? What if Republicans ban all these words: bears, otters, twinks, daddies, tops, bottoms, and queens? What if Republicans ban science classes from using the words “Homo sapien” and “Homo habilis” next? What about “Homo erectus?” You have to admit, that taxonomic classification sounds pretty gay! It’s an easy demonstration Democrats can use to show how stupid it is that Republicans are trying to reignite this anti-gay culture war battle they’ve already lost. The only thing inappropriate on this issue is that the GOP is attempting to abrasively prevent their harmfully sheltered children from learning that gay and trans people exist, and it’s inescapably impractical in the event that teachers or schoolchildren’s parents are gay, and kids see them attend parent-teacher conferences, school ceremonies, or field trips. The reason “Don’t Say Gay” went so viral for Democrats is because it’s just three words. Don’t be an egghead and launch into a professorial lecture, just repeat ad nauseam “Republicans are saying ‘Don’t Say Gay’ and ‘Don’t Say Trans.’” Let Republicans be the eggheads explaining how they don’t hate gay and trans people despite their intentionally discriminatory legislation.
REPEAT AFTER ME ONE MORE TIME: “My Republican opponent wants to end democracy, kill pregnant women, marry off little girls, burn books, emulate Putin, allow daily mass shootings, and ban the word ‘gay’ while inviting the government into your private love life.”
Every question you get in an interview and on the campaign trail, make your answer about this Republican agenda. Since Republicans won’t tell voters what they will do with power, it’s imperative you tell them what a historically backward, civically unAmerican, and, above all, dumb crusade of militant ignorance Republicans will launch if they get control of Congress.
Thanks for your eyeball attention!
-Dash MacIntyre
Follow me on Twitter at @HalfwayPost to interrupt your daily doomscrolling with jokes and liberal humor, and follow me on Medium to keep up with my daily writing studio.
Great advice for the Democrats…they should fight fire with fire. Sadly, they almost certainly will not adopt such a strategy and will lose again, right on schedule.
Not to mention create a de facto Christian Theocracy.