2022: The Year Of The Democratic Wedge Issue

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.” Democrats need to remind voters EVERY day.

Photo by Harun Tan

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…