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The Democrat strategy to keep Trump in play ain’t working

The Democrat strategy to keep Trump in play ain’t working

Trump is kept in play mostly by Democrats and their media allies.  He is boosted to hyper-relevancy by a very small percentage of GOP leaders (maybe 2 percent) and voters (maybe 15 percent).  And, of course, by Trump himself.

Democrats spent millions of dollars in Republican primaries to nominate GOP candidates that they claim are unqualified, at best, or dangerous, at worst.  Ponder that.  Democrats are so dishonest and cynical that they are literally working to advance candidates THEY coincidentally claim are a clear and present danger to the Republic.

They are doing the same thing with their messaging strategy.  It is a two-prong strategy.  They promote a demonized President Trump and then broad-brush and exaggerate negative attacks access the entire Republican Party.  To make the messaging more effective, they are falsely branding the entire Republican leadership as either active insurrectionists hell-bent on taking over America by coup or passive players who are allowing it to happen.  And Republican voters are vilified as insurrectionists, racists, sexists, homophobes – specifically a basket of deplorables.

If you take a closer look, you will see the Joseph Goebbels’ approach to propaganda.  Artificially create an utterly despicable and dangerous enemy within that will destroy the progressive utopia – an enemy largely composed of honest and well-meaning citizens.  Absent the violent extremism of Nazi Germany, you will see the same effort to demonize a segment of the population … efforts to have the targeted people shunned through shamming … and silenced through censorship.   Running conservative Republican speakers off campuses … blocking conservative content from social media and so-called news programs …  harassing Republican leaders on the streets and at their homes.

Two things can be true at the same time.  Trump is a self-absorbed arrogant jerk of dubious moral and political principles.  Since the 2020 election, he is at his worst.  His only saving grace for folks like me is that his all-important policies are far better than the Big Brother governing philosophy of the modern autocratic Democratic Party.  

The other thing that is true — at least for folks like me – is that the attacks on Trump – and especially Republican leaders and voters – are dangerously excessive.  The obvious effort by Democrat leaders and left-wing media to produce a one-party ruling elite is more dangerous than the nonsensical temporary chaos generated by Trump.

Whatever you think of Trump, you must admit that the four-year Russian conspiracy theory being played out every day as fact on the national media was, in fact, fake news … political propaganda … as proven when Special Counsel Robert Mueller stated that the allegations were untrue.

In that case, rather than challenge the legitimacy of the Democrats’ accusations, much of the mainstream media partnered in advancing the false narratives.  That fact should scare the hell out of any fair-minded person who believes in honest journalism and legitimate public policy.  Independent journalism is an essential feature of any democratic Republic.  Conversely, when it is subverted to a partisan political agenda, it poses an existential threat.

It is equally true that many of Trump’s actions were inconsistent with traditional small-d democratic norms and traditions.  He may well have broken laws – civil and criminal – which will be determined in various court cases. But it is equally true that his political adversaries also departed from democratic norms and traditions – and may have even broken some laws.  Again, future investigations and legal cases will be the determinant – not public opinion based on mendacious political narratives.

In this political season, however, Democrats see their best opportunity to stifle potential Republican gains by making Trump and their false branding of the Republican Party as a primary focus.

As a result, the importance of Trump to the 2022 midterm election is far less than Democrats and their media cronies would have us believe. Trump is not on the ballot – and personally, I doubt he will be in 2024.  Various opinions on the outcome of the 2020 election are essentially immaterial to the issues of the 2022 elections.  Whether a person believes that the 2020 election was stolen away from Trump or not, has no REAL meaning in terms of who a person votes for in 2022.

Yes, Democrats are trying desperately to create a category of “election deniers” who pose a threat to the Republic.  That is just another campaign-driven political narrative that lacks validity.  

Taking all things into consideration – the importance of Trump (good or bad) in the 2022 election is grossly overrated.  Spreading criticism of Trump all over the Republican brand is a corrupt and dangerous strategy.

If you look away from the national news reports, you will see a rather traditional election at the grassroots.  The Democrat’s efforts to cast Republicans as a cult movement devoted to a coup is not selling among the people. 

The fact that the Republican Party is likely to take control of the House – and possibly the Senate – and will likely make gains across the nation— is more than sufficient evidence that most people in America are not buying those extreme Democrat narratives.  

To the great disappointment of the Democrats, the media and Trump, himself, the former President is NOT going to be the issue most on the minds of the voters.  At least that is how I see it.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

13 Comments

  1. Joseph S. Bruder

    Democrats have no control over what Trump does. Republicans have been following Trump in lockstep no matter what Democrats think. If it were up to us, we would have the whole Republican follow the example of Liz Cheney and actually speak out against Trump’s grift and authoritarian behavior.

    However, when your enemy is making mistakes, just stand back and let him. I’ll admit, there is a certain amount of shadenfreude as we watch Republicans dealing with the mess that they themselves chose to create. But Democrats save their money for their own races. We don’t spend money on Republican races – first of all, that would be putting money in Republican coffers, which could be used against us in the general election, and secondly, Republican candidates are happy to rely on the MAGA vote in the primary without considering that what they promise to MAGA will poison the votes from Democrats and Independents.

    • larry Horist

      Joseph S Bruder … Apparently the power went out in your isolated location. You are unaware of the hundred of millions of dollars Democrat groups spent to nominate those they deemed to be MAGA Republican. That FACT has been all over the news — with many Dems complaining about the practice.

      • Tom

        I see Dems supporting/promoting MAGA candidates that they can more easily beat as just another strategy to win in the political football game. It seems sensible to promote opposition candidates that can be more easily beaten. Personally I have no problem with it since we are a free country and can spend our money as we choose. But I do see it as a bit of foolishness – so lets call this the “Philly special”. Ahhhh yes, I am still savoring Brady being beaten and whining excessively afterwards! To those that do not believe Larry’s comment on this, here is the NPR (I consider NPR to be liberal) notes on topic for you to read for yourselves at https://www.npr.org/2022/07/26/1113816038/ads-from-democratic-groups-boost-the-republican-candidates-that-may-be-easier-to

      • Joseph S. Bruder

        And yet again, you feel you have to tell everyone about my personal life… you just can’t help yourself, can you?

        • larry Horist

          Joseph S Bruder …. common man. You paranoid. I did not mention a specific location, Just an allusion to an escapist life style — which I draw from your writings, and your ignorance of basic facts that are reported all over the media… And you a guy who uses different screen names to make it appear that you are more than one person, You reinforce your own opinions with various AKAs. In that regard, you are a bit of fraud.

        • Tom

          I do not see where Larry invaded your personal life at all. Now if you are using various AKA screen names to make yourself seem like more people (and opinions) than you really are, that is what many of us would call a scammer or a fraud. Are you really doing this? Please do read the NPR transcript that I posted which proves Larry’s claim of Dems funding GOP candidates. He did call this one correctly.

          • Joseph S. Bruder

            No, I don’t use different screen names to look like “more” people. I have had my screen name impersonated, so I use my “real” screen name sparingly. If they care to take over a single character screen name, I don’t really care. I try to use only one screen name per article (although it has happened once or twice by accident). If I wanted to look like multiple people, I would use multiple screen names for the same article, answer/reinforce my own posts, have conversations with my other screen names. That would be fraudulent, and I have never done that.

            If I prefaced every post with a reference to Larry’s home address, his house style, the color of his car, his neighbors’ and relative’s names, even his voting record, I imagine he would get a little annoyed, even though all of that information is readily available online. As it is, he throws a hissy fit every time someone calls him by a Jewish surname, even though his real name is in his bio. My location, lifestyle (as Larry imagines it), relationship to the editor, email address, etc. are all irrelevant to the conversation. Larry just has no idea how easy it is to connect the dots and find someone, and some of his writers seem crazy enough to hold a grudge and do something like that.

            Democrats are not nominating Republican candidates, and the Republican party is openly supporting them. As for the money being spent by Democrats to affect Republican primaries, yes, there is some money being spent. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to Republican spending on the same races. And EVERY race has spending by the both sides side meant to influence voters. What I certainly haven’t seen by Democrats, are running fake candidates with similar (or even identical) names to drain off votes, a typical Republican tactic (which is illegal, but it still happens. Or just running multiple candidates who don’t campaign just to split the vote. Or mailings from fake organizations falsely stating the positions of Democrats (something I see often in my state).

            But, as I said above, if your adversary is making mistakes, just let them do it. If Dems point out the Republicans’ public mistakes, that’s fair game. If money is spent to shpw that “candidate X has publicly stated that Trump won in 2020 and is still President, and that Democrats are sacrificing babies in a pizza joint basement”, well, a certain percentage of Republicans will vote for X in the primary for those reasons, but the message is also out there for Democrats in the main election. It doesn’t really matter if it’s said before or after the primary. Either way, it’s spreading the record of candidate X, and is educational for both sides. It can’t be helped that some Republicans are stupid enough to support X in the face of obviously idiotic positions, whether primary or main election.

          • larry Horist

            Joseph S Bruder …. No be serious. I have never doxxed you in any way. Frankly, I have no idea where you live other than the state. You say your screen name was misused by other … and yet you do use it occasionally. That make snot sense. The fact that you change screen names often is far different than taking a a new one and sticking to it. Your explanation makes no sense whatsoever.

            And if you think hundreds of millions of dollars spent by Dems in Republican primaries is a “drop in the bucket,” it must be a rather large bucket. $100 million in Illinois gubernatorial race alone, according to media reports. That was just crazy. Dems helped nominate a guy who was likely to win regardless — and has no chance of beating the incumbent Dem governor — same with any Republican. Wouldn’t Ryan in Ohio loved to have that money?

            And when a person changes my name to a standard Jewish name as he unleashed a string of insults, the is only one valid explanation. He believes that the name change is part of his attacks and accusations. He is gratuitously associating a Jewish name with the his attack on my character and his litany of negative traits. Ergo … anti-Semitic.

  2. frank stetson

    We will see what the Trumpian strategy, from both sides, results in.

    If we lose the House, the people’s chamber will spend the next two years witch hunting Hunter, Hillary, and hanyone else to no avail.

    Some Trump candidates will win because of Trump, some will not. Many are already wordsmithing Trump support on many issues, but they can not hide from the tapes.

  3. Tom

    As an independent / unaffiliated voter, I will give my point of view. Larry you are correct, Trump is not on the ballot; and, you are correct in that we independents look at policy not popularity. But in the back of our minds, we do loathe anyone who drinks from a cup of lies and attempts to propagate those lies to the public. The steadfastness of MAGA candidates to stick to the lie does not play for us at all – we loathe it. I will most likely not vote for anyone who holds the lie to be truth. But! I will still first look at policy. I will vote for the best policy first despite the party of the candidate. I consider inflation, excessive spending, poor foreign policy, relentless green policy agendas that make no economic sense, woke agendas, and LGBTQ agendas to be more important and damaging to most Americans than the distractions and illegalities of Trump and his MAGA followers.

    • Jim

      Suck it up buttercup. The red wave is coming

  4. larry Horist

    Tom … I think you last sentence sums of the thinking of most Americans.

    • Tom

      I agree Larry. I think most level headed Americans feel this way. I could have added crime because it is a big concern. The only reason I did not add crime is because I live in a pretty safe area that is low crime. But I will be looking at who is tougher on crime and willing to stop all this social justice sentencing which just gets more people killed in many cases. Its time to stop “sparing the rod”. Also, you may have noticed that abortion and Trump are not even issues I consider. This is what will cause the Dems to lose big time.