Republicans Have It Easy
Democrats struggle to meet the needs of broad coalitions built over decades while Republicans appeal to a singular demographic
On the so-called “left” there are various different solutions offered to address issues that hinder economic growth for a large portion of the population. Often referred to as “liberal ideas,” human rights matters that focus on racial justice, immigration, social equity, and voting rights are just some of the issues Democratic voters largely focus on. Because of that, the party struggles to meet the demands of its broad base.
For Republicans, it’s easy. Their strategy relies on petitioning white men in America and no one else. By appealing to the machismo of white-centered conservatism, they automatically draw in a large segment of white women as well. For conservative politicians - who aren’t conservative at all - playing on racial anxieties is an easy pitch.
It’s a tried and true process built over decades known as the Southern Strategy. Despite the name, it’s a political operation designed to create animosity towards non-white groups in rural white America. In its earliest days, the strategy was based on creating support for former President Richard Nixon’s policies to undermine the Civil Rights Act and his anti-crime initiatives targeting Black people.
The Republican Party focusing solely on the issues of white men allows them to push culture wars that play on people’s emotions. With social media granting them the power to drive and change conversations (using troll and bot farms all over the world), they can easily infiltrate conversations and promote their white-centered ideologies. Meanwhile, Democrats play catch up as they legislate and try to maintain control of the country.
As Christian conservatives continue the descent into the far-right hate machine, the Democrat coalition continues to grow. Conservative ideas are now part of the mainstream conversation among liberals. It’s the culmination of a gradual step-by-step process by right-wing pundits, influencers, and politicians that continue to push the Democratic party further to the right.
There’s really nothing “leftist” about the Democratic party. They are not socialists and they certainly aren’t communists. Anyone who says that doesn’t understand U.S politics nor do they have even a menial grasp of either accusation. But for Republicans, it’s clear their messaging works because both of those labels tend to stick to liberals like they have been glued on. Again, using a strategy that has been in U.S. politics for more than a century.
Dropping the Ball
Much has been said about messaging from Democratic politicians and their failures to condemn or debunk any of the assertions from Republicans. Conservative voters have had free reign with these ideas for decades yet, they have increased in popularity over the last ten years. Former President Barack Obama’s election brought out the ugliest sides of U.S. society. Particularly, surrounding racism and xenophobia in a time when liberals acted as if all that was over.
A recent NPR/Ipsos poll found that the majority of people in the U.S. believe the lie invoked by former President Donald Trump that there is an invasion at the Southern Border. Half of the respondents also believe that asylum-seekers bringing illegal drugs and fentanyl are the reason for the increase in overdoses in the United States. Neither of these is true.
“More than half (54%) of Americans think it’s at least somewhat true that we’re experiencing an invasion at the southern border,” the study said. Republicans (76%) believe this more so than Democrats (40%) and independents (46%).”
The reality of what those surveyed believe couldn’t be more wrong. Migrants commit less crime than their native-born counterparts. They contribute to the economy in many ways people in the U.S. take for granted. They pay taxes to support social services they don’t qualify for and moreover, they’re humans escaping atrocity often caused by U.S. intervention in their home countries which is largely why they come here to legally seek asylum.
The poll focused on immigration represents just one of many issues that are being driven by hate and misinformation. While the study points to media consumption as one of the driving factors for these beliefs, we can not simply blame Fox News or Breitbart. Other supposedly left-leaning news outlets are also responsible. They employ and repeat the same language used in conservative-focused media often helping to drive false anti-Latino narratives.
Neither Democrats, their spokespersons, nor media pundits have done anything to fight back against the misinformation about their platforms. Republicans simply focus on their disdain for humanity and non-white, non-cis-gendered people. They’ve successfully infiltrated Latino and other minority communities using misogyny, xenophobia, and transphobia.
Democrats aren’t investing enough in stopping misinformation. In some cases, they’re supporting more extreme candidates expecting to win against bigotry. But since the election of Trump in 2016, his supporters have had no problem expressing their hate against others. They are also shameless about how they vote. Instead of addressing these issues directly, Democrats have chosen to try (and fail) to appeal to them.
Upcoming Elections
With the midterm elections on the horizon and the country’s dive into a racist Christian nationalist autocracy, it is more critical than ever to address the blatant lies. Democrats need to realize that no matter how much money they give police or how much they support conservative and often anti-abortion politicians, they won’t win white voters beholden to white male hierarchy.
White conservatives haven’t given a Democrat a majority vote in a presidential election since the Civil Rights Act was passed and the realignment of parties occurred in the 1960s. President Joe Biden may be a conservative Democrat, but the “D” next to his name requires white people to look away from their white conservative counterparts. That’s simply not going to happen.
If Democrats don’t address these issues now, the most vulnerable people in their base, Latinos, will continue to be subjected to more and more lies and bigotry. Latino communities are being targeted. From Tejanos in South Texas and Chicanos in California to Cubans in South Florida and every Latino across the country, conservative media is pushing into our neighborhoods.
Republicans win by sowing chaos and creating divides bigger than the Grand Canyon between targeted demographics. They know, just as everyone does, that the country is growing more diverse every day. Their political strategies are being adopted to target Black and Latino communities with Latinophobia. Just this week Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, who is a first-generation Cuban American, spoke out against Cubans migrating to the U.S.
This is not an issue relegated only to Cubans. There are Latinos all over the country who are taking the conservative anti-immigrant stance and promoting anti-Black narratives. This is a remnant of the culture wars started by Republicans over important human rights horrors committed by the United States every day.
Speaking out against hate should have been a priority decades ago. However, because of the times, the United States finds itself in an era where liberals and conservatives alike are willing to shirk accountability for those in power - including law enforcement - and continue throwing money at the problem without addressing what we see happening on our streets daily.
The upcoming midterm elections will give U.S. voters even more insight into where the country is headed. The question is, will it be too late?
Arturo is a journalist and publisher of The Antagonist Magazine. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.