Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Who is deplorable?

Democrats need to focus. 

There are Republicans who think Trump's Big Lie and election denying is wrong and dangerous.  

Appeal to them.


Joe Biden is remaking himself into Joe-the-fighter in speeches in battleground states. He is getting praise from some Democrats who say he sounds strong. Opponents criticize the "anger," the stage lighting, and the presence of Marines. My own sense is that the speech will become a version of Hillary's "basket of deplorables," and a bad mistake. Trump supporters are a mixed bag. Biden erred by condemning "MAGA Republicans." It was too broad a sweep.

Washington Post photo

Biden said Trump is a unique threat to America.  I agree. A sitting president refused to honor the election that called for his removal. He still demands to be reinstated as president. Instead of this being dismissed as laughable and dangerous, a significant number of Americans agree--or at least don't publicly disagree. This behavior is not a "one-and-done," with America going back to normal. He justifies his effort to stop the peaceful transfer of power with legal fictions, bullying, and instigating an invasion of the Capitol to intimidate Congress. He has supporters and defenders. He is actively campaigning for candidates at the state and national level who will implement election-reversing strategies more successfully at the next opportunity. Many of them are winning Republican primary elections. This isn't secret. He does it openly and proudly.

Trump didn't persuade every Republican that the election was stolen and that Trump is right to try to reverse it. But he does say things that appeal to a great many Americans. He condemns the porous southern border. He wants more vetting of immigrants. He says drugs come across the southern border from Mexico and that they are dangerous. He condemns COVID shutdowns and thinks that Dr. Fauci went too far and for too long. He opposes mandatory COVID vaccinations. He opposes abortion. He nominated conservative judges. He condemns China and Mexico for stealing good American jobs. He supports gun rights. He says Hunter Biden is a mess. He says Joe Biden is old and well past his prime. He says he distrusts Muslims. He supports oil and gas production in the U.S. He says wind power isn't as good as it is made out to be. He says mayors of Democratic cities fail to control street violence. He says we have inflation. He says gasoline prices are too high. He says Bernie Sanders is a socialist. He says the news media is untrustworthy. He says corporate and academic elites condescend to people in flyover country. He says there is nothing wrong with being a proud Christian. He says he considers it disrespectful when athletes don't stand for the National Anthem. He says he thinks Hillary Clinton was criminally sloppy about doing State Department business on a personal computer. He says he suspects shenanigans at county election departments in Democratic cities.

It is a long list. Many Americans agree with some or all of it, including Democrats. A person can agree with Trump on those things and be a loyal American. 

Biden and Democrats should reserve words like "dangerous"  and "disloyal" for Trump personally those people who defend his effort to overthrow the 2020 and future elections. Democrats should implement the "Liz Cheney rule." If Liz Cheney believes it, Democrats likely disagree, but it isn't insurrection.

Democrats need 15% of Republicans to agree that overturning an election is wrong and dangerous. If Democrats sweep supporters of Trump's policies and complaints into one basket, they won't create a pro-democracy coalition. Instead, they will have unified Republicans in their resentment at being falsely tarred with accusations of sedition.


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6 comments:

Rick Millward said...

Great idea. Really terrific. Probably won't work.

I think the only hope for Democratic candidates is to appeal to those 'ole "good Republicans", on the fact that their party has been taken over by those who wish to legislate this country into a third world theocracy, destroy it's economy, and bring a century of chaos and mayhem to them, their children and their children's children.

That might work.

Michael Steely said...


Condemning MAGA Republicans is not too broad a sweep. MAGA Republicans are those who still eagerly lap up the verbal vomit Trump endlessly spews and threaten violence if he is ever held accountable for his crimes.

Today’s Mail Tribune had an excellent take on this from Leonard Pitts, who pointed out the futility of trying to reason with them: “As if anyone who still believes in that soulless grifter at this late date is likely to be moved by rhetoric. Sorry, but persuasion requires that two parties agree on facts – and on the fact that facts matter.”

MAGA Republicans are those who want to overturn a free, fair and lawful election because they didn't like the results. They definitely are a threat to our democracy. Unfortunately, they dominate the GOP.

Low Dudgeon said...

Donald Trump had ample opportunity to prove in court that there is a colorable basis to argue that the 2020 election results were fatally flawed. He failed to demonstrate even that they were more than nominally or sporadically suspect. Further GOP agitation on that front is ignorant and wrong. Full stop.

Biden's Philly speech per Trafalgar Group polling (Five Thirty-Eight says the nation's second most accurate polling outfit) was for 60%+ of independents "dangerous" and "designed to incite conflict among Americans". Upon backlash the boob declared, "I don't consider any Trump supporter a threat to the country".

I'd like to see a poll on how many voters would gladly accept a 2024 race without both Trump and Biden. Sadly, their political fates seem inexorably intertwined.

John F said...

Full-throated outrage at Trump’s behavior and his lawless followers is much welcomed. That doesn't condemn all Republicans or non-party affiliated that watch Fox and vote Trump. They are not the ones attacking poll watchers, the US Capitol, and promoting State rules that allow the votes for an opponent (Biden) to be overturned (or any votes for people they don’t want regardless of whether it was legally cast). It’s nonsense to say Biden is condemning ALL Trump voters. He is condemning those that perpetrators of violence to “get their way”! Biden’s remarks are appropriate coming from the Bully Pulpit to alert America to the clear and present danger of such actions. No matter how Trumpers twist Biden’s words or optics he sounds a true clarion call.

Ed Cooper said...

John F: Thank you, I agree wholeheartedly. Those who have their panties all twisted over the Presidents remarks were largely, to my knowledge silent while former guy was inciting his cultists to punch anybody who dared heckle him, and thought his drug addled speeches made perfect sense, and now accuse President Biden of being a boob or senile, are, imho, projecting their unspoken support for the Seditionist, if not Treasonous X president.
I truly wonder what he would have to fo to get their approval. I remember President Obama being castigated for not being able to swim, while he walked on water, and they truly set their hair on fire when President Obama dared to look like GQ model while wearing a tan suit. I am inclined to give up, because there really is, in my opinion, any way to reach these people.

Mike said...

For the sake of accuracy, this was Biden’s actual statement when he allegedly backpedaled: “I don’t consider any Trump supporter to be a threat to the country. I do think anyone who calls for the use of violence, fails to condemn violence when it is used, refuses to acknowledge when an election has been won, insists upon changing the way in which they can count votes, that is a threat to democracy.”

In other words, MAGA Republicans are a threat to democracy. Polls have their place, but they don’t determine right and wrong. Biden couldn’t have been more right about the threat posed by Trump and his chumps. I was unable to locate any polls related to Biden’s speech specifically, but there is a recent NBC poll showing that threats to democracy rank as the top concern of voters: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22156173-220455-nbc-news-august-poll-82122-release

Maybe the country is getting "woke."