In the movie "The Untouchables," Sean Connery is confronted by a would-be assassin. Connery surprises him by brandishing a sawed-off shotgun (the assassin has a switchblade). "Isn't that just like a wop? Brings a knife to a gunfight." Apart from the ethnic slur, this line serves to illustrate how Republicans fight the Democrats…with words and policy arguments rather than with actions. It has to stop unless Republicans are okay with receding into the dusty pages of history books.
Democrats have been outdoing the Republicans for as long as I can remember when it comes to choosing the appropriate weapons of engagement, and this mid-term election was no exception. They are also experts in playing the 'long game' in American politics, mastering the art of deception, misdirection and, of course, outright lying while the Rs fidget uncomfortably on their high horse of morality and righteousness. Another way to describe the Dems' strategy is through the actions of American revolutionaries that used guerilla tactics to defeat the Redcoats who were still using volley fire as a warfare choice.
In the 2022 mid-term election, Dems used the January 6th 'insurrection' and the 2020 election as their principal weapons to attack the Republicans. 'January 6th' and the resultant Congressional hearings enabled the Dems to paint Republicans as insurgent extremists bent on overthrowing the government. Then they shared this accusation with all their pundits and later they likened the 'MAGA' (Make America Great Again) movement to Hitlerian tactics. MAGAns were the problem and President Joe was only too happy to take up the colors and fly them in every public utterance leading up to Election Day.
The Dems' repeated use of 'election denying' became a pejorative describing all who dared question the absolute legitimacy and fairness of the 2020 Presidential Election. They were now unpatriotic or un-American. All legitimate questioning of that election was shut down with the help of social media who did the Democrat Party's bidding by censoring questioning of the election or de-platforming those who spoke about it. The Dems then sicced the hounds of the DOJ on the Rs and the game was on and ALL Republicans were now the enemy.
Words and the accusations they represent are powerful weapons in politics and their impact increases exponentially the longer they're invoked. The Dems are masters at keeping their troops in line and that is testimony to their organizational ability and discipline. Unfortunately, it is also an example of their collective brainwashing. There are some, however, that hold out for facts and that's why words must be linked to events or issues that they can get behind. Two are the Dobbs decision on abortion and the 1/6 onslaught of the Capitol as I mentioned. A third is the 11th hour ploy to paint Rs as an existential "threat to democracy," used by the President leading up to the election.
These were the kill shots and confirmed, in the Democrats' minds, that the Republicans' wish to govern was synonymous with reversing everything the Dems held dear. If the Right expects to win future elections, it must face certain facts. Among them are: American voters are exceedingly emotional; younger voters are often anti-establishment (and very emotional) voters; older White women are even more reactionary when faced with the potential loss of 'women's rights.' In addition, voters are increasingly angry and/or fearful accompanied by a profound sense of depression and hopelessness which may account for their mid-term voting turnout. The only sensible approach for Republicans to take is to out-Democrat the Democrats and adopt their tactics. Republicans MUST become (non-violent) political guerilla fighters. When the Ds say 'election deniers,' Republicans must counter with a claim of 'freedom deniers' and label the Left as working to inhibit Americans' free speech every time the Rs have the microphone or megaphone.
While all things repeated are not necessarily true, in the absence of serious debates with open minded individuals, repetition is the only option we have for making our case to the American people. Republicans will never win another election unless they counter-punch with something other than a velvet glove filled with good intentions.
Stephan Helgesen is a retired career U.S. diplomat who lived and worked in 30 countries for 25 years during the Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, Clinton, and G.W. Bush Administrations. He is the author of twelve books, six of which are on American politics and has written over 1,300 articles on politics, economics and social trends. He operates a political news story aggregator website: www.projectpushback.com. He can be reached at: stephan@stephanhelgesen.com
