Up until November 2nd, I had a theory that Democrats making Trump the foil in every political contest was a bad strategy – and would not work. I came to that opinion because I believe the American voter is much smarter than Democrats and the media contend. They would look at the various candidates in terms of what they offer to the voters relative to the office they seek.
Based on the results of the recent election, I apparently was correct. According to the post-election polls, 17 percent of those who voted for Republicans in the Virginia races did not like – or did not vote for Trump. The vote for the three winning Republican for statewide office was about the same – meaning that the constant attack on Glenn Youngkin as a reincarnate of an evil Trump did not work at all.
The failure of the Democrat strategy was most clearly seen in the contest in which former Democrat Governor Terry McAuliffe made Trump hatred the keystone of his campaign message. He called Youngkin, a Trumpian. An acolyte of the former President. A member of the concocted cult of Trump. Guilt by association. When Virginia voters saw and heard Youngkin, McAuliffe wanted them to see and hear Trump – the demonized Trump.
The vast majority of voters are capable of critical thinking – on both sides of the political chasm. They can judge candidates on their individual merits. Yes, there are a percentage of voters who stick with their political party no matter what. We generally refer to them as the base. The rest are partisan who “lean” one way or the other – and will pick-and-choose candidates on the merits. Then there are the so-called “independents,” who also tend to vote on the issues and swing back and forth. The latter groups are not inclined to pledge fealty to a person – even or especially President Trump.
The problem with many Democrat leaders is that they believe their own bullsh*t. They know more Americans align with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. But that does not mean that they vote Democrat regardless of the issues. Union Democrats have often split from the more Progressive Democratic Party
To understand why Democrats fail when they build their strategies on strident partisanship, false assumptions and far left policies, you need to look at Gallup polls that show 36 percent of Americans claim to be conservative. Another 35 percent refer to themselves as moderates. Only one quarter see themselves a liberal.
That results in a lot of registered Democrats voting for conservative Republicans. Despite party labels and leftist claims, America is a right-of-center nation. 51 percent of all Democrats – according to Gallup – consider their Party to be “too liberal.”
The Trump-smear strategy is also failing when it comes to candidates who support Trump. Seven candidates who attended the January 6th rally – though not involved in the riot – won their elections to various offices. Trump endorsed candidates were not as toxic to the electorate as Democrats painted them.
Younkin wiped out a 16-point Biden lead in Virginia because the voters were not suckered into the Democrats exaggerated and false political narratives. They did not buy into the hysterical screeds of folks like MSNBC’s Joy Reid — who repeatedly proclaimed that ALL Republicans are bad … danger to the Republic … threat to national security …a danger to Democracy. Fortunately, not many voters are responding to her hyperbolic tantrums – at least not in a positive way. If nothing else, Reid’s basement ratings make that point.
Democrats and their media allies have invested such massive resources in trying to make all Republican candidates and voters look like clones of Trump … or cultists … insurrectionists … that they will find it difficult to disengage from that losing strategy – even though they, themselves, must also see how it failed so miserably in this past election – and will likely do so again in 2022. Yippeeeeee!!
So, there ‘tis.